And The Good News Is...

(This post was published in the Huffington Post on November 21, 2013,  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/) Sustainable Dubuque: “The Masterpiece on the Mississippi” , that’s what the people of Dubuque affectionately have named their city, and they have every right and so many reasons to be proud of their community. I was recently invited to keynote the Growing Sustainable Communities Conference in Dubuque. My plan was to give my speech and spend a couple days learning about their sustainable “activities” and “programs”.  My condescending attitude was shattered within hours after I arrived. Cindy Steinhauser, the Assistant City Manager, picked me up at the airport and before taking me to my hotel she took me on a city tour.  I was tired and even a little annoyed because my trip was full of long lines, long delays and a bumpy flight, so all I wanted to do was check into my hotel and regroup. When Cindy began to weave the compelling story of Dubuque’s Sustain...

And The Good News Is...: DreamMakers: Innovating For Good : This was posted in the Huffington post on August 7, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/d...

This was posted in the Huffington post on August 7, 2013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michele-hunt/dreammakers-innovating-fo_b_3716985.html My passion is to seek out and shine a light on people who found the courage to create big, bold visions and are transforming their visions into reality, to help make the world a better place. I call these people DreamMakers. They take on seemingly intractable problems like poverty, the degradation of the planet, global health, illiteracy, hate and prejudice… These visionaries are accomplishing extraordinary results in the face of tremendous obstacles.   I believe we learn best through stories, especially personal stories of challenge and triumph. I have interviewed numerous DreamMakers for my book series, documentary and my articles - it seemed like I was always talking to the same person. Although they are highly diverse and unique in their own way, they share some common c...

This Post was published in the Huffingtom Post on 07/22/2013 The Trayvon Martin tragic injustice has sparked a long overdue conversation in America. What is at the heart of racism in our country? Why is the fear so intense between the black and white communities? Why can't we find the courage to authentically talk about it? I am so proud of our president for calling on us to engage in thoughtful conversations in our homes, churches and communities across the nation. He is asking us to talk about why an innocent young black male has to fear for his life walking home, why he becomes a suspect when he enters a store, or feared when he steps into an elevator -- normal activates most of us take for granted. He is also asking us to go deeper, to get to the heart of the matter. I was very happy to hear the president talk about the need to understand the "context"; the background and circumstances that got us to this horrible place. Context matters, it gives us the framewor...

And The Good News Is...: Thanks to the Internet, “We The People” Now Have t... : There are some people who choose the dark side of life, those who commit acts of terror and destruction as we recently witn...

There are some people who choose the dark side of life, those who commit acts of terror and destruction as we recently witnessed with the horrific Boston Marathon Bombings. Those who choose to hurt and abuse people and the planet remind us of what humans are capable of when they act out of fear and hate. They make it easy for us to forget that the vast majority of people in the world are good. We know this because of the tremendous outpouring of love and support people give one another in times of tragedies and heartaches. Compassionate, caring people far out number the bad ones - not by hundreds, thousands or even millions –- but by hundreds of millions. Most people want a life of love, peace and prosperity and yet throughout history the majority of people have been controlled by a small group of self-serving people. We were under the illusion that we were powerless to change things; that collective mind-set is dramatically changing. Empowered by Internet technolo...

And The Good News Is...: Is it better to understand than to be understood? : (Posted in the Huffington Post on March 1, 2013)  My family and I were sitting around my mother’s dinning room table when this question ...