On our theme of Overcoming the Challenges to Peace, this session will explore how we move past our often competing interests to act collectively. This lively and entertaining introduction to the promise and past successes of Collective Action will range from preventing local parks from being overwhelmed by dog droppings to saving the whales to deterring aggression between nations. The conclusion: collective action is a highly effective means of overcoming challenges to peace. Speaker Ross Smillie is a retired United Church minister and the co-chair of our network. His study of collective action was part of his graduate work in environmental ethics at Duke University