Habib's Garden

Problem: Sustainable development has been discussed world-wide for decades but the problems, mischievously keep getting worse. Could we have been missing something big, maybe huge? The recent documentary Blindspot (http://www.blindspotdoc.com/) shows how the most basic assumptions about our future are wrong. How wrong? It is as if modern civilisation has got stuck in reverse gear, with economics that systematically, relentlessly messes things up.  Millions of...

Action: 1.  Notice the blindspot.  Notice that we've been trying to solve global problems with the same thinking that caused them. Do problems really become more manageable when tackled separately, here and there, a bit at a time? Don't get so distracted fiddling with pieces of the puzzle that the big picture is ignored.  For example our struggles to recycle a bit more have masked the ease with which all resources could be rescued to help our economy and planet. When we grieve about the latest armed ...

Problem: Guadalajara, Mexico is experiencing water scarcity at an advanced stage. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, is currently drying up. Guadalajara receives water from Lake Chapala where diminishing water, rampant pollution, and rapid population growth combine to create increasing scarcity. The communities I plan to work with are at a critical point in fighting the construction of the Arcediano dam which will force the dislocation of one community and severely threatens the health of the other....

Action: We are traveling to Guadalajara, Mexico in September to research community water management with the Mexican Institute of Community Development (Instituto Mexicano para el Desarollo Comunitario). In a quickly growing city with a quickly depleting water supply, water justice is an important component of the solution. Our project focuses on three communities actively engaged in water policy and water management both internally and regionally.  Not only is Mex...

Problem: The Problem Arizona’s juvenile corrections system, behavioral health services, and educational environments are lacking successful programs to meet the needs for at-risk or challenged youth across all ethnic groups. It is likely that this situation can be applied nationally. Patterns of abuse continue to plague our society in growing numbers. Emotionally and physically jailed juveniles are simply not available to learn coping skills that help them survive and thrive as community member...

Action: The Solution The analogy of taking a fish out of a dirty fish tank, cleaning it off, and throwing it back in with expectations of survival and success applies here. We need more than a clean fish tank, we need a new aquarium. Spectrum Academy is that new aquarium, equipped to meet the needs of habilitating at-hope youth with skill and precision for the 21st Century, by harvesting historical values and restoring cultural and traditional foundations. 21st Century youth need 21st Century ...