Summit 2010 Report

by Tim Honse, Associate Director

For our first Summit on January 15-16, the Center for Justice and Sustainability brought together about 80 people to explore what it means to “Build a Better World.” We were led by two of the authors of The Better World Handbook, Brett Johnson and Ellis Jones, as well as the founder of Kansas City’s Bridging the Gap, Robert Mann. The winner of our Justice and Sustainability Chorale Competition, Mark Kilstofte also joined us to work with our choir, hear them perform his work Friday night, and lead a workshop on justice, sustainability and the arts. About half of the attendees were Jewell students, employees, alumni and friends of the college. Thanks to great word of mouth and Facebook, the other half of the attendees were new friends that had no previous connection to Jewell and had never been up to the Hill. We are excited about these new relationships and the perspective they brought to the weekend’s dialogue.

When Trinity, my wife, stumbled across the first edition of The Better World Handbook five years ago at an independent bookstore in Atlanta, we had no idea how important this book would someday become to us. Johnson, Jones, and coauthor Ross Haenfler have written a very accessible and positive book about the power of the “Cycle of Hope” to change our world for the better. Whether it be ethical shopping, starting a backyard compost bin, or getting involved in nonprofits, this book has through the years become exactly what it aims to be, a handbook for decision making at our house. When we first began discussing plans for our inaugural Summit, I knew that this book would be a great foundation on which to build our conversation, and it was soon adopted by the planning team.

I have to admit, Trinity and I were a bit nervous to meet these guys after being such fans of their book for so many years. I mean, what if upon meeting them we found out that this was just a book they wrote to make a buck, but they didn’t really practice what they preached. Gladly, this is not at all the case and we, along with everyone else, found Ellis and Brett to be very authentic and knowledgeable, not simply because they had done their research, but because they have spent years putting that research to the test in their own lives. Their personal stories made the information in their book and presentations come alive and inspire all of us. If you weren’t able to make it out the Summit this year, I highly recommend that you check out The Better World Handbook and The Better World Shopping Guide for your own library, though I’m sure it won’t sit on your shelf for very long!

Likewise, Robert Mann also practices the message that he has so passionately spent his life spreading. Our few moments spent with Bob at the dinner table Friday night, was a highlight for us. Speaking of dinner Friday night, Jewell’s Dining Services chef and crew prepared a wonderfully tasty and sustainable meal for us, full of organic and free-range goodness. After dinner, we heard from Jewell students about our first Projects for Justice & Sustainability awards, a trip some took to Mann’s Shadowcliff Lodge & Retreat Center, and the new student sustainability group called the Planeteers. Finally in our keynote address, Bob challenged and inspired us all to “Take it to the streets” as so many powerful movements from the past have effectively done.

Also in Friday night’s session the Concert Choir performed the beautiful works of Mark Kilstofte after Mark told us a bit about them. The text for the pieces was taken from the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Mark’s Saturday morning workshop was also a favorite of many Summit attendees. Mark took us into the world of a composer and explained some of the intricate meanings in the music itself, as well as discussing with us the calling of the artist to speak to the current conditions of the world around them, to inspire, to challenge, to sustain us.

One of the most lasting moments from the Summit for me was when Mark recited “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” by Hopkins, which reminds us as only a poem can that “the just man justices.” This line in the poem beautifully portrays the message spoken again and again by all of our Summit leaders: Justice is not only a noun, an abstract thing for us to pursue, but also a verb, a concrete action for us to take.

Basic Recap of Summit 2010:

Summit 2010
"24 Hours to a Better World"

Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16, 2010
Yates-Gill College Union
William Jewell College campus
Liberty, Mo.

Summit Leaders:
Ellis Jones and Brett Johnson, co-authors
The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make A Big Difference

Keynote speaker:
Robert J. Mann
Director, Shadowcliff Inc.
Founder, Bridging the Gap

William Jewell College students, alumni and friends are invited to explore the “Seven Foundations of a Better World” with author, activist and scholar Ellis Jones.

In The Better World Handbook, Jones and his co-authors Ross Haenfler and Brett Johnson summarize the main challenges that we as a global community face in the 21st century, providing viable alternative solutions that can be implemented. Drawing from The Better World Handbook, Jones will share examples of what thousands of people around the world are already doing in the areas of

• Economic Fairness
• Comprehensive Peace
• Ecological Sustainability
• Deep Democracy
• Social Justice
• Culture of Simplicity
• Revitalized Community

This registration fee includes a copy of The Better World Handbook, four meals and the purchase of energy offsets for the event.
There is limited complementary housing available on campus for Jewell alumni on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in housing contact Dr. Andy Pratt, pratta@william.jewell.edu in addition to your online registration.

Tentative Schedule:
Friday, Jan. 15
11:30am Lunch
1:00pm The 24 Hour Clock starts
1:00 Opening Plenary Session: The Seven Foundations for a Better World
2:15 Action Workshops w/ Breaks
4:30 Viewing "The Story of Stuff"
5:30 "Working" Dinner
7:00 Keynote Plenary Session (free and open to the public)
9:00 Concert (free and open to the public)

Saturday, Jan. 16
8:30am "Working" Breakfast
9:30 Action Workshops w/ Breaks
11:30 Closing Plenary Session
12:30pm "Working" Lunch
1:00 The 24 Hour Clock stops

More about Ellis Jones
Since receiving his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Ellis Jones has focused all his energies on bridging the gap between academics, activists and the average citizen. A scholar of social responsibility, global citizenship and everyday activism, Dr. Jones continues to teach and give presentations across the country on how to turn lofty ideals into practical actions. He has won numerous awards for his work in the classroom and currently teaches in the department of sociology at the University of California, Davis.

More about Robert J. Mann
Bob practiced business law in Kansas City for more than 25 years before founding Bridging the Gap, Inc., in 1992. As founder and CEO until 2005, Bob led BTG to its prominent position as one of the largest environmental education organizations in the Midwest with a 20-person staff that leads and coordinates the efforts of thousands of community volunteers. Bob is a weaver, moving as easily in the business sector as among government and political leaders and grassroots activists. He has served as counselor and consultant to three Kansas City mayors and countless elected officials and business leaders on sensitive environmental issues over the last 18 years. During the last five years Bob has facilitated multi-day workshops as part of Shadowcliff's Sustainability Series, teaching the principles of sustainability and assisting participants to apply those principles to their day-to-day lives. Bob shares from his broad knowledge of environmental issues as well as his love for the natural world and inspires us to explore both the opportunities and the challenges which confront us as we work to integrate our personal values with our daily choices at home and in the workplace. He is an avid hiker, runner, bicyclist and a frequent lecturer, writer and facilitator. His daily life embodies the principles of collaboration and interconnectedness.

More about the Summit on Justice and Sustainability
The Center for Justice and Sustainability at William Jewell College sponsors an annual Summit that brings together Jewell alumni, friends and partners with members of the campus community to examine timely issues of justice and sustainability.