The Brunswick area is home to a lot of grassroots activists whose daily work is focused on nothing less than the gradual transformation of our culture. Some of us are retired people who can find the huge amounts of time the work demands, some are employed by non-profit groups, others are working in small businesses.

We find ourselves living in a society that values and rewards dominance, hierarchy and muscle, and we are passionate about shifting to a society that values and rewards cooperation, compassion, and fairness. It’s often called “the Peace Movement” because so much of what needs transforming is evidenced in the wars we wage on other human communities. Also we have thought of Peace as the opposite of War, when it is much more than that. We are coming to realize that economy, environment, education, energy, food, health, housing — the whole alphabet of issues — all reflect back the dominant value system and all will respond to a new system. In a great sense, the work is toward a shift in consciousness. If a peaceful society is our goal then all the elements of it are deeply connected, in much the same way as are the elements of mind, body and spirit.

There are many non-profit groups in this area whose work is to meet the urgent need of those who are without jobs, food and even shelter. MidCoast Hunger Prevention Program, New Ventures Maine, Tedford Housing, are examples of just a few. At the same time their work shines a light on what is needed for real and long-lasting relief but is dependent upon policy changes in federal, state and local budget priorities.

And there are the land trusts, farms and farmers markets, family owned businesses, a trend toward worker-owned coops, and great strides are being made with Restorative Justice – all of them steps in building a fair and cooperative society.

We can also see changes coming in the way we teach our children. Harpswell Coastal Academy is an example as is the grassroots pushback against standardized testing in the schools. This may lead to a greater appreciation of the gifts of our teachers who can foster the excitement of learning, encourage questioning and a fuller appreciation of the visual and performing arts. Education can open the imaginations of our children, who have been stifled by tests and screens and rote learning.

The recent “solarize” projects in Freeport, Topsham and Brunswick have made a great start in creating demand that will gradually result in CMP agreeing to the feed-in-tariff, “a scheme that pays people for creating their own “green electricity” (fitariffs.co.uk). Creating demand is a vital step. Once a need is realized, it’s the people’s role to speak up and push for change. In this case we’re ready for the State Legislature to speak up for getting off fossil fuel, rather than continuing to support the power industry, before alternative energy can make real progress in Maine.

In the past few years we’ve seen our local town council grappling with the pros and cons of many issues: base closure, train station, overnight engine facility, public access to coastal land, and now the Androscoggin Bridge. We’ve witnessed the importance of clarity, frankness and transparency on all sides. We’ve felt the value of better listening to all parties. These issues provide opportunities to move in small steps toward cooperation, compassion and fairness. In many ways, our town government is global governance writ small.

The shift can be felt and it is the result of grassroots organizing. That is, change doesn’t happen unless ordinary people work together purposefully. The process is slow and frustrating but the community that’s doing the work is energized by their common care for people and planet. Most activist groups welcome the energy and ideas of new volunteers ready to speak up toward their goals. Certainly PeaceWorks welcomes your participation. Our steering committee meets once a month to plan public events that can “educate ourselves and the community” around issues that affect us all. The groups and individuals I’ve mentioned are a very few among those recognizing the need for change in our environmental, economic, educational and social realms. PeaceWorks is one in this network and has joined together with as many as 30 other groups at our annual Peace Fair, making connections and seeing how importantly we relate to each other. We are partners in a common quest.

These are six questions that have been offered for exploration at the Peace Fair and that beg for ongoing discussion: “If we are to build a world in which all children can thrive, then how shall we feed them, how shall we teach them, how shall we protect the planet for them, how shall we provide for care of their health, how can we keep them safe from war and violence, how can we assure a compassionate society for them?” Brunswick is seeing that these are not abstract questions but that they have real meaning in our local choices and decisions. Peace is a local issue.

Rosalie Paul is a member of PeaceWorks. She lives in Brunswick.