The floodgates are open now as the COVID wave washes over society and the rush to normality is on. Our Club is now in the wash with every other volunteering opportunity that can be had. In my day job as an employer in the horticultural industry, people have moved from money motivated people to lifestyle motivated people. That doesn't mean that people want to work for free, that just means that there has been a major shift between pre-COVID to post-COVID values.
Rotary's new area of focus, the Environment fits perfectly into the new ethos that I am seeing in the many people I see in my business. Our own Club's environmental statement in reducing waste and improving recycling is exactly what people want to see and expect from any progressive organisation. Jen Marshall wrote that statement and it is a testament to how younger people are feeling about the world today. We need to stand up and listen and be willing to shout it out from the rooftops
Rotary is going to get washed over by the many other groups who are looking for the next wave of popular culture who need volunteers or donations to help our Earth battle climate change, reduced ecosystem diversity, a myriad of different types of pollution, food scarcity, and human impact from overpopulation. There are many frontiers that people are genuinely concerned about (including what is going on with the latest series of Married at First Sight). We, as Rotarians have to decide whether we want to be part of a broader solution or we are not that interested and it should be up to some other group to drive the push to a better world.
An envious example of how serious some Rotary Clubs can be as close as just looking down our own District. The eight Rotary Clubs on the Mornington Peninsula are supporting the Mornington Peninsula Shire which is completing the missing links of the Peninsula Trail which is part of the Bay Trail. The Rotary Clubs are supporting the Trail’s development and providing community facilities to celebrate the Centenary of Rotary in Australia. 1921-2021. Read more at https://s23705.pcdn.co/.../Peninsula-Trail-AdvocacyDoc-30...
I look at my own Club and am quietly happy to see tree planting and work in local parks on the agenda but stopped during COVID. Our Projects and Fundraising Directors have been planning for the new beginning, and here we are. These projects are not quite on the grand scale of the Peninsula Trail but they are a significant step towards bettering our own environment.
Our Club has many things in place to be a part of the Environmental Revolution EXCEPT THE MEMBERS TO DRIVE IT! We need to bring new people into the Club to actively ride the next wave of growth before other Clubs and organisations steal the opportunity away from us. It is up to all members to bring new people to the Club or reawaken old members. This is not a drill, this is our wake up and act call. If we miss this boat, there is not much chance of an opportunity like this in a very long time.
Life is like a Box of Chocolates and this time we get to choose which one we want!
