Rachelle Bendele, Brittany Bechhold, Ashlee Balcerzak, Shannon Barnette, Stella Barnes, Linnea Beighley

ENR 3500

March 8, 2016

Development Response Two

Section 1:

The citizens of Atlantis identify with the city for being a leader in education and environmentalism as it is strongly connected to the ocean and the God Poseidon. The University of Poseidon has helped and initiated the city’s striving efforts to keep this leading title. Citizens feel cultural ties to Atlantis because of its go-green attitude and pristine ecosystems like the Ocean of Aphrodite. Although the recent lowered water quality resulted in a small initial decrease in cultural capital, the community has a chance for overall improvement in regards to cultural capital. These improvements, such as reconnecting to what the city stands for and environmental awareness, have the potential to be long lasting and increase cultural capital to an all time high. The community has shown excitement for the National Government’s financial assistance. In a series of meetings hosted at the University of Poseidon during this water pollution crisis, members of community showed an understanding for the long-term improvement to cultural capital, as well as various other capitals stated in section 3.

Because Atlantis is home to many descendants of gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, the descendants have contributed to matching the necessary local funds. The descendants, such as Atila, daughter of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and many others are deeply connected to Atlantis’s Greek tradition of leading in educational and environmental activism. The descendants have contributed 10% of the needed funds in an effort to uphold their cultural capital. The additional funds are coming from: taxes (5%), local government (about 20%), corporate or community foundations, such as The Atlantis Foundation which partners with the University of Poseidon through sponsorships (about 45%), and local NGO’s (remaining 20%). Advertising and meetings created the bridge necessary for funding. Local scholastic and environmental NGO’s, such as the Alliance for the Ocean of Aphrodite, which serves to protect the Ocean, have bonded over a common cause to collect donated funds for the Ocean’s cleanup initiatives. Once the local government, which ignited a series of other community sponsors, initially sponsored the Ocean’s pollution cleanup and granted aid, additional funding was generated at an increasing rate from foundations and NGO’s.

Atlantis is seeing other initiatives in communities surrounding water crises. A real life example in Flint, Michigan “was formed out of an identified need for a more well lead, publicly accountable nonprofit with diverse funding that decreased dependency from any one source of funding” (BEST Project). This NGO is called the BEST Project. The BEST Project organization was found to be inspiring by locals in Atlantis because of the ability it gave for relief from only drawing from one source of funding. The BEST project has served as a model to help Atlantis plan, using multiple donors, to match the funds the National Government has given. The community followed the guidelines provided by the BEST Project and worked with multiple NGOs to help diversify funding. For example, one NGO, which is founded on the incentive to create classroom and educational funding in the marine laboratory research facility, has been contributing donations.

Atlantis built partnerships and other fundraising efforts to solicit and obtain the necessary-local funds through varying processes. In order to gain the additional funding, the city needed to bridge and bond with supporting organizations and groups. Examples of such groups are taxes to Atlantis citizens (5%), local government (about 20%), corporate and community foundations (about 45%), and local NGO’s (20%). The remaining 10% is from the previously stated descendants. They bridged for funding by advertising and reaching out to citizens of Atlantis, such as local scholastics and environmental NGO’s like the Alliance for the Ocean of Aphrodite, which bonded the different groups together over the common cause to reduce pollution. Once the local government backed the projects and granted aid, the prevalence of funding coming from foundations and NGO’s increased. Through various town meetings, local’s suggestions, and personal requests, local government supported the projects and granted the assistance.

The authority and influence social power that came from the governmental support was a key factor in gaining more support. As we discussed in class, authority social power remains consistent regardless of who occupies the Authority position, thus making its decisions a strong collective effort. Locals and groups who saw the support from government and decided to also help were considered to have influence social power. The corporations and foundations, having influence social power, are relevant and effective in making or preventing decisions. They decided to contribute because the support coming from having their name on the new academic facilities, infrastructure, community programs etc. will benefit themselves in the future. Investing in these causes is going to create a spiraling up effect, which they can say they helped with.             

Atlantis’ funding shows an example of the Regime theory. Since Atlantis relied more heavily on corporate and governmental businesses for funding, it supports the more systematic trend. Like we talked about in class, they relied on the government and big corporations more because of their organization and financial resources. The influential power that the big businesses have leads to more corporations helping. The funding is for positive causes that lead to their business looking good and others wanting to get in on the cause. Although the majority of Atlantis supports the new costs, there are a few groups who are opposed to the funding. Those opposed to the funding and implementation of these programs are mainly older taxpayers, like the residents living in the rural areas of the community, who claim they won’t be personally using the amenities and thus shouldn’t have to pay. This has contributed to a partial decline in social capital because of the disagreeing viewpoints on matching the National Government funds.

These efforts relate to Atlantis’ history, developmental goals, and action plan. Since the city has strong pride in their cultural capital, that helped the funding by receiving aid from local descendants for the projects. That contributes to a strong social capital, for the majority in favor of the amenities, and human capital among the community members because they came together and provided for Atlantis to show their pride. The efforts also relate to the developmental goals and action plan previously set by Atlantis. Those goals include being more environmentally conscious, and retaining the youth demographic. Since the funds are going toward things like clean up programs, educational programs, sustainable infrastructure, and research, all of these will have a positive impact on the original goals and action plan.

The funding that Atlantis receives will greatly affect the community. A majority of the funding Atlantis receives will be put towards the University of Poseidon’s marine laboratory and research facility as well as hiring faculty and staff to run it. A smaller portion of the funding will go towards leading clean up efforts along the community’s shoreline. The remaining funds will be used to provide construction plans for University of Poseidon’s satellite campus to be located in Bikini Bottom.

The portion of funds going towards clean up efforts will go towards purchasing new, clearly marked, trash and recycling bins to put on the piers and boardwalks along Ocean of Aphrodite's coastline and throughout the city of Atlantis. Additionally, educational signs will be used to inform tourists, who were depositing trash and plastics into the ocean leading to Atlantis’ water crisis, about the dangers of plastic and trash pollution. These dangers include disrupting the ecosystem as the plastics and trash breaks down and can be accidentally consumed by marine organisms (E.B.). This reference is used to demonstrate the harmful effects that come when plastics in particular are in a water ecosystem. The establishment of the satellite campus in Bikini Bottom ties into Atlantis’ educational initiatives. Atlantis’s culture and history is largely based on education and the university hopes to expand educational opportunities in a developing community.

        The community of Atlantis will set up boards of individuals for each project to effectively oversee the allocation and spending of funds. The Trustees for Poseidon, an advisory board for Atlantis’ educational and community environmental projects, will be set up to properly use the given money to ensure the facility is built in a timely fashion and the additional money is being used for education and research. The same boards will collectively lead Atlantis to develop further shore clean ups, educational boardwalk/tourists outreach on proper trash and recycling disposal, and oversee the purchasing and organization of Atlantis’ new trash, recycling receptacles, and signs. The Trustees for Poseidon will consist of community members and descendants of Mount Olympus Gods and Goddesses in addition to some professional help like economists, projects managers, builders, and outreach specialists to make sure that all plans are carried out correctly and have been considered by multiple viewpoints. It is important these individuals collectively serve on the board because they are diverse and can represent all the citizens of Atlantis.

        The spending of these funds aligns with the previous goals Atlantis set. One of the goals the community set was to become environmentally conscious when it comes to the ocean. The community is reaching this goal by spending money on building a research facility and by buying new, clearly marked trash and recycling receptacles. In addition, the public and tourists will be educated about the detrimental effects of plastic in the ocean by posting educational signs along the boardwalks and other highly traveled areas. Another goal of the community’s was to retain the youth demographic. The money will help reach this goal by building the research facility aimed at the younger community members. Atlantis will be achieve this by hiring recent graduates from the University of Poseidon to run the research efforts and to lead the educational programs. Another way the community is using the funds to retain youth is by organizing the beach clean ups that are not only aimed at older members of the community, but at the youth in the hopes to educate them about the oceanic conservation.

A goal relating to retaining youth is building K-12 programs with a focus on the environment. The community is using funds to reach this goal by building the research facility with children in mind. The community does not want the facility to solely be for college students but for all students (About Stone Laboratory). The Stone Laboratory is referenced because this institution supports youth by offering high school classes and school field trips to the laboratory. With kindergarten and elementary school field trips, middle school overnight educational visits, high school course offering, parent and children workshops, as well as weeklong summer camps, the community aims to use the facility to educate the youth and the community.         

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  Financial capital has the potential to mainly increase, but is also slightly declining in Atlantis. There is a potential for increase because Atlantis now has the necessary finances to help the community. The community aspects being helped include: the construction of a marine research laboratory of Atlantis’s coast to conduct experimental research and more on water pollution, the construction of a new satellite campus for The University of Poseidon to expand environmental initiatives through higher education, implementation of large scale trash and pollution cleanup in the Ocean of Aphrodite, and the establishment of proper recycling receptacles throughout the city of Atlantis and along the coastal beaches, which is a destination for tourists and the highest for pollution. This capital is also because the community has to invest money in order to get a payoff.  For example, Atlantis is spending money on trash and recycling receptacles in order to keep the ocean clean. Although some of the finances may be declining, the financial capital has allowed more of Atlantis’s capitals to grow and is outlined below.
  

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  Due to the National Government’s grant, built capital has also increased. Built capital is in the form of physical infrastructures such as the Atlantis’s coastal research laboratory and satellite campus construction located in Bikini Bottom, which will be funded through the grant and matching donations. Additionally, trash and recycling receptacles have been bought to ensure trash and plastics are properly disposed. These infrastructures will support the city’s initiative to promote education and environmental awareness.
  
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  Corresponding to the increased built and financial capital, human capital has spiraled up because the money and infrastructure, given from the National Government, will expand educational opportunities in Atlantis and developing cities such as Bikini Bottom. Atlantis’s culture and history is based on education and the University of Poseidon has been following this motto by encouraging prospective students to pursue environmentally related degrees and careers. Additionally, the University’s marine research laboratory will offer research and educational outreach to students and the public to ensure water quality safety and create an environmentally aware community. The Stone Laboratory influences the construction of Atlantis’s marine laboratory. This influence is noticed in a variation of ways. Like Stone Laboratory, the marine research laboratory institution is one of the largest and most successful freshwater laboratories that also offer educational opportunities to the public (About Stone Laboratory).
  
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  Atlantis’s political capital is currently declining, but has the potential to increase as political officials have felt empowered after receiving the National Government’s financial assistance to tackle more community issues such reaching one of the city’s goals, retaining youth in the area. Political officials have been youth focused and are planning to establish youth focused research efforts at the University of Poseidon’s research laboratory. The capital is declining because residents are worried the government may become too involved with the money and use its power to influence decisions on behalf of the community.
  
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  According to Emery and Flora, “social capital is key” and can influence other community capitals (2006). Emery and Flora is referenced because social capital is also the key to success and spiraling up effects in Atlantis. In association with political capital, political officials are seeking to use social capital to bridge the gap between Atlantis and the National Government to receive future funding to retain youth through leadership opportunities such as environmental research at the University of Poseidon’s laboratory. The city of Atlantis has also been bridging social capital through citizens in favor of the National Government’s grant and have been working together to help with the Ocean of Aphrodite’s clean up. Although social capital has increased in this aspect, it has also declined. Social capital has declined with residents in the rural part of Atlantis who are not in favor of taxes to match the National Government’s funds and fear tuition may increase at the university. Bonding social capital has been established between these individuals because they share similar beliefs of not wanting to pay for amenities they will likely not use.
  
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  Atlantis’s history and culture is connected to the marine and oceanic ecosystems, hence the name Atlantis. Cultural capital has increased because the citizens are deeply connected to their cultural roots. The financial assistance provided by the National Government has helped the city uphold its tradition and further identity what it stands for such as education through the establishment of a satellite and marine laboratory, oceanic and marine knowledge with the research potential at the new research laboratory, and environmental activism through the Ocean of Aphrodite’s pollution cleanup efforts.
  
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  Natural capital has increased because pollution reduction efforts for the Ocean of Aphrodite have taken place in the form of properly disposing coastal trash and plastics through the use of recycling receptacles. Some of the National Government funding will be put towards buying new and clearly marked trash and recycling receptacles to ensure the Ocean is kept clean. Buying these receptacles will connect natural capital with built and financial causing a higher built capital, as well as partially reduce financial capital. Additionally, the purpose of the National Government’s financial assistance was aimed at improving the ocean’s conditions and cleanup initiatives have done just so. University of Poseidon’s satellite campus and research laboratory will also help save the environment by spreading environmental education and awareness.
  

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  Atlantis expects to see an overall upward spiral. The pollution crisis initially did impact the community in a negative way but the leadership from the university has rallied the city to push for a spiral up. Long-term residents have seen the environment and the ocean in a much better form and have pushed for change. Young college students also pushed for change because they feel they were brought to Atlantis by the green standard the college strives itself on. These people's voices have been heard. The NGO’s and grassroots campaigns have been huge and created momentum for change. Human capital is heavily expected to spiral upward due to the addition of the heavily anticipated research facility and the satellite campus. Built capital is also on an upward trend resulting from the new water law changes. Community incentives developed by political leaders have created positive change in green energy used by homeowners and businesses. Community coalitions have formed and the citizens are donating money to the cause.
  
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  Finances have not felt any spiraling effects. The accounting shows that while there are many large investments that will cost money, payoff has already shown in the form of the community being on board.
  
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  Atlantis has felt the effects of two capitals spiraling downward. It has been noticed that both social and political capital are on a downward trend. Atlantis’s social capital is decreasing because it has outlying rural and low-income areas. These rural citizens have been upset with the city’s push for matched funding. There has been political discussion of rising taxes to create a hire match fund but the rural community cannot afford for higher taxes. They also fear that the expansion of the college means higher tuition, which the rural citizens fear they cannot afford.
  
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  Political capital is also feeling the effects of a downward spiral trend. Atlantis takes pride in being a self-serving community, as do the politicians. The local politicians feel the federal government has made the guidelines too strict and the politicians want more freedom to use the funding in the ways they feel will help the ecosystems as well as the economy begin to rise. Using the article Measuring Success in Communities using the CCF, for political capital to be successful rural communities must first feel congruity amongst themselves before they can establish bridges with other communities (Jacobs, 2011). To battle this issue, politicians are looking to expand on a trusting relationship with the rural community by being transparent in their tax use.
  

About Stone Laboratory. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://stonelab.osu.edu/about/

Best Project. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from

http://www.unitedwaygenesee.org/best-project

E. B. (n.d.). How Plastic In The Ocean Is Contaminating Your Seafood. Retrieved from

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/12/250438904/how-plastic-in-the-ocean-is-

Emery, M., & Flora, C. (2006). Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation with

Community Capitals Framework. Community Development, 37(1), 19-35.

Great Lakes Issues. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.greatlakes.org/issues