Saving The Bay And Beyond
December 24, 2007 | In Making A Diff. Lifestyle |
Table of contents for A Grand Vision
- Saving The Bay And Beyond
- The Chesapeake Bay - An Introduction
- The Chesapeake Bay - My Vision
Peter at I Will Change Your Life tagged me to write a post that included my eulogy.
Photo by @n@bou
This came at an opportune time, as I was thinking of writing a post about not giving up on your dreams. As the next step in my journey towards becoming a full time activist, I have taken a good look at the problems with the environment. Although I know I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg, I’ve already realized I will not be satisfied with doing little things for the rest of my life. I know I have to start there, but I also know that I must do more. As I was trying to figure out how that would all play out, Peter tagged me.
Writing a eulogy felt morbid at first, but it opened up my mind to think big - much bigger than I had been thinking just days before. Suddenly, a five year plan wasn’t long term enough. Armed with a knowledge of the magnitude of the environmental crisis, I developed a long term plan in my mind. Starting tomorrow, I will go into that plan in more detail, and share with my readers the steps I complete as I work on that plan. In the meantime, here’s my stab at a eulogy, and the vision of someone who refuses to give up on her dream of making a real difference in the world.
Photo by foundphotoslj
Today we lay to rest Cathy Crovis, a woman who lived a long and fruitful life. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Cathy loved the water since she was a baby, and it called to her throughout her life. Before graduating from high school, she was a girl scout for 12 years. This started her life of conservation early. She then attended the beautiful St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she was in contact with the water daily. She majored in biology, which was to serve her greatly in the years to come.
After college, Cathy tried the private sector for several years, working in the insurance industry. Although her love of the water drew her back again and again, the skills and knowledge she gained during those years helped her when she started Ripples of Improvement. Many of you may not know of the humble beginnings of this great organization, but Cathy started it as a stand alone blog. Run out of the second bedroom in her suburban apartment, it was intended to be a simple recounting of her efforts to spend more time as an activist, and get back to her love of biology.
The Vision
However, faced with a growing realization that environmental efforts in the Chesapeake Bay needed more than one lone voice on a blog, Cathy set her sights much grander. Understanding that money and the fight over available funds and political battles was the center of the conflict, Cathy envisioned a different perspective. What if politics and the lack of money could be withdrawn from the equation? What if everyone could be made to work together, to agree to a consensus on what should be done? What if this could be accomplished by a mastermind group of the brightest minds already working on the problem - combined with the donated talent and private sponsorship for the funding? What would happen if someone else agreed to pick up the tab and forced everyone to think without the concerns of the financial cost?
This daunting vision overwhelmed her many times, but little by little, she assembled others who shared this vision and she began to get the word out. Within five years she had gotten everyone to agree to a unified plan for cleaning up the Bay. Although she faced opposition at every turn, she never gave up. In fact she welcomed all objections - turning them into challenges and puzzles to overcome in the race for a solution.
After All The Hard Work
It took another five years of hard battle, but almost exactly 10 years to the day after she had this vision, Cathy Crovis had managed to organize and mobilize the citizens of five states and dozens of organizations to agree to a solid plan and secured the necessary political backing, volunteer efforts, and private sponsorship to get it done. It was a landmark effort.
During this time, Ripples of Improvement went from a simple blog, to an extensive website, serving as the center of the organization’s efforts. Governors and Congressmen were known to converse with tourists, activists, and even a few watermen on the message boards.
I tell you now of the origins of Ripples of Improvement to show you how far the organization has come. That little blog started what is now a multi-million dollar enterprise. Formed to be a virtual voice for one woman, it now serves as a voice for an entire region and the model for similar efforts throughout the world.
In the 75 years since Ripples of Improvement was founded, Cathy has been called “the woman who saved the Earth”, accomplishing what many feared was impossible. She’s received the Noble Peace Prize and given over 5,000 speeches, although to her dying day, she was still amazed to be honored to that extent. However, more than her environmental work, she was proud of her family and close friends.
Love of Family
She and her husband, John, were married for 75 years and raised two children. Everyone knew how in love they were their entire lives. She was quick to say that her success could not have been achieved without his support. Together they made a formidable team, drawing everyone they could to their side, fighting for not only the Bay, but the liberty and freedom of everyone. They prided themselves on raising their children to be good citizens and realize the value in every human being, no matter what another’s belief. Today, their grandson is the CEO of Ripples of Improvement and their great grandchildren are active in the organization as well. Their values of hard work and fair consideration for everyone have been the backbone of generations.
Cathy most wanted to be remembered as the woman who refused to stand by and watch her dreams die. She took a stand 75 years ago and started something that grew, fueled at times only by her dedication and belief that if she didn’t go for her dreams she would regret it for the rest of her life. She loved the Bay, she loved her work, and she loved her family.
Many loved her in return. She will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.
*****
I hope you enjoyed my vision (and I hope it wasn’t too over the top to add the part about the Nobel Peace Prize!)
And to keep this thing going, I tag John at The Pageless Book. I’m new to the blogosphere, so I don’t have anyone else to tag, but I’m looking forward to his reply!
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Er, um, tagged? As in “tag - your it”? So I have to write about my own death? *sigh* I don’t think I like this game…
OKAY, okay - I’ll do it… but you owe me!
Namaste.
John,
Yes, as in “tag - you’re it!” And, writing about your own death may be morbid; however, this is writing about your life - or more specifically, your vision of what you want your life to be. Surely you don’t just want your life to be about one website, do you? I challenge you to think broader than that!
Grand vision you have there! Totally inspiring! Hope that your dreams will come true.
I’ve also posted my eulogy a couple of weeks ago. Care to read it? It’s here
http://tinyurl.com/2lfm8p
All the best,
Evelyn
Evelyn, Thanks for stopping by! I dreamed big in writing my eulogy. So, even if only half of what I wrote comes to pass, that’s great! I did find the exercise inspiring for myself and I’m looking forward to the next stage of the journey.
P.S. I did check out your post and enjoyed it very much. Please see my comment there for details.