Other Footprints

This doesn't have much to do with the NWPP per se, but I felt like I should share it.

By now we have heard endless factoids about "Carbon Footprints"created by individuals, companies, manufacturers and every human endeavor on the planet. Carbon Footprints tend to be framed negatively to encourage us to use less by considering our impact.

This got me thinking about other "footprints" that aren't publicized nearly as much. Here are a few that bear some consideration:

Community Footprint: How do your daily actions and involvements with others in your community, physical or electronic, affect the health of your community?

Humility Footprint: How does your willingness, or reluctance, to admit fault or appreciate the vast complexity (and sometimes simplicity) of the world affect others?

Artistic Footprint: How does your creative work, in any field, and the intention with which it is shared, affect others?

Professional Footprint: How do the expectations and ethics of your professional conduct affect others?

I'm sure I could go on finding endless footprints, but I think Carbon Footprints carry another lesson. While we all are small, our impacts can be wide-ranging, for better or worse. It is not only important what we do with our lives, but how we do it and for whom. Putting our own needs and wants second to others can make a great difference to everyone. This of course is not a new moral lesson, just another way to think about it.

What does this have to do with the NWPP? It is always fun for me to see students and teachers enjoying the opportunity to work together while learning from each other. It is a unique event and I hear all sorts of stories from attendees that really enjoyed their experience. The NWPP then seems like a worthy footprint to leave that I hope will endure while providing something positive.

With that, see you this Saturday!