Why I missed last week’s post.
In addition to running a sustainability consultancy, I have a few other areas of interest in my new solo venture. When I launched Kibo121, I decided to focus on three areas of interest. The first would be sustainability and guiding media tech on its path to a sustainable future. The other two include working with girls in STEM -- more to come on that shortly – and the ability to work with professional associations on an interim basis.
Last week, I was in Austin, Texas, to attend the annual conference of the National Organizations of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) meeting. The first annual meeting since 2019, the annual conference was a big success. A sold-out event!
Austin is a fun town. It’s sort of the New Orleans of Texas with loads of fun restaurants, bars, and music. It’s also the home of a famous bat colony. And talk about sustainability! In the 1980’s, Austin’s Congress Street bridge was renovated so well that it became the cozy home of the Mexican free-tailed bats. Literally, hundreds of thousands of bats come out at dusk and go on the hunt. They are a natural part of the ecosystem and help keep down insects. Check out Austin bats.
I’ve been working with NOSSCR since March as interim Executive Director, helping the organization through a major transformation. And what an amazing group of people!
My last blog post was all about the definition of sustainability. In addition to environmental concerns, true sustainability is all about social and economic concerns. And this is where my interests converge.
NOSSCR is a bar association (note: a bar association is an association of lawyers. The term bar derived from the bar separating the lawyers from the general public in a court room) whose work is focused on helping people get access to the social security insurance and disability that they deserve. Like many government processes, getting access to benefits is not always easy or clear. It’s a space made up of people who are struggling to get help and their representatives are devoted to helping them get the help that will make their lives more manageable and livable. There’s not a lot of money in this side of lawyering, so you have to want to do this work. And thank goodness for these dedicated professionals.
The UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDG’s) describe more than environmental concerns. NOSSCR exposes me to the social and economic concerns that make up the three parts of the sustainability triangle.
I am learning from NOSSCR about social services as well as how the political system works. I’ve learned that to influence the government, money matters along with tight political connections. It is a dynamic that is new to me and very interesting. I am intrigued by how this system works and I look forward to seeing how I can adapt what I learn from NOSSCR for my work in sustainability.
