Sustainability starts with me - phase 1

Sustainability is my present focus. At work I am the default, de facto lead for the team that is supposed to to some good with no impact on staff time. At home I am always looking for ways to walk more gently.

This leads me to right here. At home we bought a new, energy-efficient fridge. So new and clean, my husband doesn't want all those magnets and flyers to go on the new fridge. What to do with those things? One of these is a small poster from the E3 conference 2 years ago. E3 stands for economy, education, and environment. It illustrates the interconnectedness of what we do.

I quote:
it all comes down to personal choices--at work, school, or church, people must choose sustainable behavior. Imagine e3 as a wheel and the spokes carry messages (goals) out from the center (individual behavior). People may learn at school, work, or club, and bring that behavior home, changing their own behavior.

I am seeing this interconnectedness very clearly. Hope to harness it to amplify my peacemaking.

More dividends from the silent weekend

Daily life has resumed but the weekend's ideas are still in me. I carried out one of them yesterday (a simple one), and have begun a few others (gently nudging my husband toward one green action and another that supports a nonprofit and issue we care about, talking to conservatives, practicing good listening skills). Also I am working on reducing my personal chatter.

I had some stuff to feel contrite about--I was immersed in a Tom Clancy novel, and shirked my tasks and stayed up too late. Finished the book today and plan to sleep well tonight!

And the spirit brought me more gifts! My coworker Ginger met a man who attended Westtown and identifies as a Quaker. Another Quaker in my town!! This is exciting.

Ginger is brimming with ideas and I am going to help her.

How is this for a cool idea. Does your city have a sister city? If so, why not set up a student exchange with that city and have the students learn about the green and sustainable practices the host city is doing!? And participate in a community forum to share the status of carbon reduction, alternate energies, local food, whatever, from their home country! Then when the students return home, they hold another forum to share what they have learned. And somehow (haven't figured this all out yet) find ways to implement what the student ambassador learned from sister city.

How else can we build peace with sister cities? I am glad my city has a sister city and I hope we can use that mechanism to increase the level of harmony in the universe.

Peace, y'all

Molly

peacemaking through environmental ed

Today I salute my coworker Ginger. She is a peacemaker even if she doesn't know it. She tends to be on the agressive side interpersonally, and complains a lot. Still--she is always, always seeking to make the world a better place. She is trying to build and strengthen community, promote justice, link people in good ways, help children--all through the lense of environmental education. Helping children understand nature and how to help it is a form of peacemaking. Working to build a stronger and healthier community is peacemaking.

Recently I read a summary she wrote of a summit of community members working to improve the "E3" process in our counties. The three E's are economy, education, and environment. The three need each other. The big move toward green this and green that, even greenwashing, indicateds businesses and business folk see the value of the environmentalism to their bottom line. (Hooray!) What struck me intensely was how all of the elements of the plan support a peaceful community, one that is in greater harmony with Mother Earth.

Hooray for you, Ginger.