Randy Chatterjee

Male

Courtenay, BC

Canada

Profile Information:

In which Vancouver neighbourhood or other community do you live?

Other (indicate below)

If you don't live in Vancouver or are in another neighbourhood or community we did not list, please tell us where home is.

Courtenay, BC

Please tell us which areas of Transition interest you. For example: growing more food/urban agriculture, relocalizing our economy/local currency, Permaculture, transit, energy efficient buildings, the arts, urban homesteading, preserving seed diversity, placemaking, potlucks, outreach, organizing events, community-building, having fun while saving the world, or...

Building community connections and trust strong enough to advocate for each other and protect every fellow resident is the core of a good society. More people seem to "fall through the cracks" in Vancouver than any other city in the Western world, costing us not only money but our souls...and I am not just talking about the homeless.

Transition is about the rebirth of an interwoven democratic ferment, where respect is the basis of communication and Pareto efficiency rises in parallel with the principles of social justice.

We get there by sharing with our neighbours, our losses and gains, thinking globally but acting locally, cherishing our traditions as much as our older generations who understand them, enabling our children to think for themselves and excel, and saving for a rainy day...because we continue to have so many.

There's a saying that "Transition is not a spectator sport". It's true! Village Vancouver runs on people power, and engaging in activities and projects together helps us accomplish more. Which groups, networks, neighbourhood villages, or projects do you think you might be interested in getting involved with? And what knowledge, skills, resources or other assets can you bring to the mix? (Don't be bashful!)

Webmaster, Energy Group Convenor, Outreach Group Co-Covenor, Urban Market Gardening Convenor, Tool Lending Librarian, Potluck Tableware Depot, Main Street Neighbourhood Village Director, Urban Food Gardener, Solar PV "Harvester," Community Collaborative Garden Initiator, and Local and Organic Food Activist

What would you like to see improved in Vancouver or in your community regarding sustainability or resiliency? Do you have an idea for a new Transition project or activity?

Where do I start? "Sustainability" is regulated to death in Vancouver, using laws that outlaw sufficiency or innovation, even where global best practices have shown the merit of scope-limited and performance-based approaches. From building codes and construction practice to community regulations and public behaviour, Vancouver policy is in endless disconnect. Nothing changes, even in the best of times when almost limitless resources are available.

Of course, nothing is limitless, except for the human capacity to make changes one-by-one, an individual at a time, AND all at the same time. This is IMHO the role of government, to engage, inspire, and enable ALL to take part, without undue constraints and with clear and transparent goals and paths defined.

In our current system, cynicism is rampant and drives people away from the polls and most forms of political engagement, leaving the field to extremists with no interest in finding common ground. The frictional losses from a ludicrous focus on ill-defined "process" and endless "consultations" borders on a criminal assault to democratic decision making, creativity, personal privacy, and quiet enjoyment.

There is a reason Vancouver is known to have the lowest productivity of any major city in Canada, and scores poorly on public transparency and adherence to the rule-of-law. Accountability is a farce, and conflicts of interest in both public and private governance are the norm. Proper management suffers accordingly, and leadership is bankrupt.

The only way Vancouver can develop into a world-class city with world class business and consociational traditions is to embrace sweeping changes to its regulatory philosophy through a new emphasis on outcomes-based policy over proscriptive rulemaking.

Vancouver could take a lesson from its world-class chefs and restauranteurs. It is not a matter of how "good" your recipes are, how well you think you can cook, how pampering the service, or even what the critics write; the question only is how many of your customers (and their friends) come back.

Sustainability, aka success, in the restaurant business is all about pleasing the customer and retaining them. For the truly great restaurants, it is raising the bar a notch and conveying a new appreciation for quality food.

People vote with their feet, and in a democratic system (as with any competitive market business), it is only these votes that really count. The greatest cities are no different: they raise the quality of life--health, social relations, well-being, and pure enjoyment--for all of their citizens and visitors.

Only the greatest cities can parlay this quality of life into the salvation of human society in the face of Peak Everything and climate change, and in the process also perhaps protect all other life on earth.

I agree to read and abide by the Site Guidelines under the About tab on the navigation bar, remaining respectful in all communications on this web site.

Yes

Don't feel like answering all the questions now? No worries, just tell us briefly why you're interested in joining at this time, and you can come back and update your profile later.

I think I wrote too much above!

Comment Wall: