Ten Small Ways to Change a Big World

By Courtney Pierce

Life is like a sausage machine. How it comes out depends on the quality of the ingredients you put in. The life-links taste even better when the meat is raised on a local family-run farm. 

It’s no wonder why we feel defeated. Our lives are globally managed from, what feels like, a million miles away. Reach is out of reach. I want to touch something, and I’m convinced that an excellent planet starts in our own backyard, person-to-person. 

I have moved several times over my 25-year career in the Broadway entertainment industry: Portland, Minneapolis, Houston, and back to Portland. Since I was always schlepping to and from an airport most of the time, I became a workaholic. Something crucial was missing in my life, because I never became involved in the local community, politics, or issues. I knew my neighbors through a mere passing wave as I drove by.

It wasn’t until we moved to Montana that I felt I could put down roots and truly call my city home, a place where I can say I’m from. Becoming involved in the local “goings on” is not only rewarding, it’s a necessity for a healthy community. Go back to the sausage analogy. The same goes for the quality of life in our cities and towns. Lack of citizen involvement results in the social, economic, and geo-political mess we're in right now.   

Here are ten examples on how we, average peeps, can make a difference:

1. Don’t vote for a politician--any politician—without doing investigative homework. Elected officials work for the people, so we, the people, are in charge. Hold your local elected officials accountable by asking questions and making your opinion known. Then, keep tabs on their behavior to prevent corruption and potential back-door deals for personal gain.