Course material

1. answer each of the discussion questions with a response to what's...
answer each of the discussion questions with a response to what's being said to receive
credit.
1. I agree with the statement that "People, when threatened, seek security in narrower,
more localized identity groups" (p. 18). This chapter goes on to talk about how chaos
increases and that decision making becomes "uneven and unpredictable" (p. 18) I This
factor of poverty, as well as underdeveloped societies, and societies where people's needs
are not being met are huge factors in societies that are divided, including war torn
countries. Another factor is the way that violence becomes accepted, and even
institutionalized to handle conflict (pg. 17). When people are threatened and are not able to
get their basic emotional, physical, and spiritual needs met they are going to search for
something that will. This is a localized identity group that will give them what they are
missing.
Community building can positively impact human and environmental development by
allowing people to not feel this threatening looming or missing feeling. When people have a
sense of community, they can grow as humans, as well as feel supported in personal and
professional relationships. I think that locally controlled entrepreneurial development can
create sustainable change by focusing on what individual communities need, instead of
trying to broad band a one size fits all. I think that this is a perfect way for people to get
what they need based on what they need if that makes sense.
As I was watching and reflecting on Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai I
noticed overlapping issues of gender inequality, poverty, global warming, and erosion.
Kenya was going through a dictatorship, and their issues were not being listened to or
heard, so this was a direct example of power and privilege and people not being able to be
listened to. Gender impacted the power dynamics because the women were not given the
help that they needed, nore listened to, and they had to go through harsh physical
environments without hope of someone seeing and hearing that they needed help and
change. Community developed to support sustainability by planting trees, and then having
the community of women and children take care of the trees, they were able to have the
control of taking care of the trees that were doing so much to change their lives.
2. Reading the statement by Lederach, my first reaction was that this is true. We as
humans crave comfort and familiarity. When placed in a situation where we are threatened
or fearful, we lunge toward what we know, whether it be people or places. It reminds me of
if you were to go to a party where you did not know anyone except the person who brought

2. you there, you would instinctively look for that one familiar person. Another example would
be the current crisis of indigenous communities. Placing certain tribes onto reservations
and forcing them to learn new "better" ways of thinking and disregarding the cultural
history is a more extreme instance. Two factors that are at play in deeply divided societies
are previous ideologies and disagreements.
The meaning of community is universal- it is a group of people who contribute and
associate with each other due to connecting interests and characteristics. Community is also
essential for healing and environmental development because it brings people together to
solve these issues. Every person within a community carries a unique talent or an individual
set of ideas that can be merged together to create new ideas. I also think that while the
community is important in this growth, outside ideas can also be beneficial, such as Hooks'
new ideas that she brought. Community building can positively affect human and
environmental development by bringing people together, and again, sharing these ideas.
Locally controlled entrepreneurial development can create sustainable change because it
presents new possibilities for the future. Focusing on developing and creating new
sustainable options for communities opens doorways for these same options to be used in
the future. It also results in community growth. In Hooks, we see that women are not
regarded as "worthy" enough to have bank accounts, let alone step into one. By bringing
about change and awareness, there are paving stones for future generations of women to
not fall into the same results.
Watching this week's documentary was eye-opening, just as the other videos in this class
have been. It also brings about the lack of awareness that these communities face. Maathai's
way of narrating the film was reminiscent of storytelling. Her metaphors and deep dives
into the truths behind her community and the environment were essential to informing
others of the ongoing issues they are facing. The overlapping issues in this documentary
include the damaging effect of gender stereotypes as well as government control. Maathai
explains how the Green Belt Movement paved way for women fighting against
deforestation, oppression from the government, and poverty. Planting trees was a rippling
effect on the women of her rural Kenya community. The power and privilege issues were
evident throughout the documentary, specifically focusing on the women and governmental
figures of Kenya. Dictator Daniel arap Moi forbid group gatherings, yet with this movement
and planting trees, the communities were able to fight this oppressive law. Maathai knew
that the planting of trees was more than a surface-level issue. We can also see the issue of
deforestation from British regimes, threatening the community's way of life. Women in
Kenya were oppressed and were not in any way shape or form allowed to have a voice.
Planting trees was a starting point. This small act continued to grow, and we can see
Maathai leading confrontations about this social injustice and economic oppression
throughout the documentary. The community was developed by these new ideas of
sustainability by producing the change for the future. The voice of these women and their
actions was a paving stone for the change that would come later on. The Green Belt
Movement went from sharing how to plant trees to teaching women in communities about
generating personal income and empowerment. Planting trees was not only a matter of

3. fighting the suppression of the British but also generating ideas and awareness of the root
of the issue.