Go Further: How We Can Become the Change We Wish to See in the World

I was flipping through the channels last night and came upon a documentary on the Sundance Channel called, "Go Further," wherein cameras follow Woody Harrelson and some of his friends for 2 months in 2001 on what they call the SOLTour - the Simple Organic Living Tour. Woody and a couple of his traveling companions take a bike trip together down the Pacific Coast Highway, from the northwest corner of Washington down to Santa Barbara, California, stopping at college campuses along the way to give talks about the environmental crisis that is upon us. Following the bicyclists is an eco-sustainable bus that runs on hemp oil instead of petroleum, uses solar panels as its power source, and is interior designed with sustainable materials. On board "the Mothership" are a yoga instructor, a raw food chef, and a junk food addict who's trying to go organic, to mention just a few.

The premise of Woody's message is that the world will change if we can change the way we all live personally. He discusses 5 ways to leave a lighter footprint on the Earth: reuse, recycle, reduce paper consumption; demand organic; reduce vehicle emissions; conserve indoor water use; and reuse shopping bags. These are simple things that everyone can do to become part of the solution in this fight for our home. A very good plot summary states, "We meet an entrepreneur who runs a paper company that does not harm trees; an organic farmer who believes Nature is his partner; a man who teaches environmental activists to use humor as a strategic weapon. And throughout, we see Harrelson test his belief that the transformation of our planet begins with the small personal transformations that are within the grasp of each and every one of us."

Read more about Woody's cause, which is a "communication hub that promotes simple organic living through conscious consumerism, the sharing of ideas and information, as well as encouraging peaceful civil disobedience." The website contains a lot of useful information on how we can achieve eco-friendly and simple organic living. I encourage you all to check it out. One golden nugget from the site, and the movie, is a poem by Woody, which is set forth below in its entirety.

THOUGHTS FROM WITHIN
I sometimes feel like an alien creature for which there is no earthly explanation
Sure I have human form
walking erect and opposing digits,
but my mind is upside down.
I feel like a run-on sentence
in a punctuation crazy world.
and I see the world around me
like a mad collective dream.
An endless stream of people
move like ants from the freeway
cell phones, pc's, and digital displays
"In Money We Trust,"
we'll find happiness
the prevailing attitude;
like a genetically modified irradiated Big Mac
is somehow symbolic of food.
Morality is legislated
prisons over-populated
religion is incorporated
the profit-motive has permeated all activity
we pay our government to let us park on the street
And war is the biggest money-maker of all
we all know missile envy only comes from being small.
Politicians and prostitutes
are comfortable together
I wonder if they talk about the strange change in the weather.
This government was founded by, of, and for the people
but everybody feels it
like a giant open sore
they don't represent us anymore
And blaming the President for the country's woes
is like yelling at a puppet
for the way it sings
Who's the man behind the curtain pulling the strings?
A billion people sitting watching their TV
in the room that they call living
but as for me
I see living as loving
and since there is no loving room
I sit on the grass under a tree
dreaming of the way things used to be
Pre-Industrial Revolution
which of course is before the rivers and oceans, and skies were polluted
before Parkinson's, and mad cows
and all the convoluted cacophony of bad ideas
like skyscrapers, and tree paper, and earth rapers
like Monsanto and Dupont had their way
as they continue to today.
This was Pre-us
back when the buffalo roamed
and the Indian's home
was the forest, and God was nature
and heaven was here and now
Can you imagine clean water, food, and air
living in community with animals and people who care?
Do you dare to feel responsible for every dollar you lay down
are you going to make the rich man richer
or are you going to stand your ground
You say you want a revolution
a communal evolution
to be a part of the solution
maybe I'll be seeing you around.