What Does it Mean to Live Sustainably?
We are living at a turning point in human history. This time holds great promise
alongside great danger. Because of the actions of human industry, we have succeeded
at negativelyinfluencing the biosphere of planet earth. It is time for us to learn about
these consquences. It is time for us to listen to the natural world around us. It is time
to dispense of harmful ways of living and to create a new, more harmonious and
sustainable future.
Living sustainably means adopting practices and habits that have a low impact on the environment, while enriching local resources and building community. Living sustainably will mean something different to each individual, depending on his or her geographical location and life circumstances. It will probably involve embracing organic food, avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers, using alternative transportation means when possible, participating in community gardens and shifting to more sustainable consumer patterns. It can mean everything from planting pollinating-attracting plants in your backyard to building a LEED-Gold-Certified building for an entire corporation.
We believe that there is tremendous hope in the current situation, because it is encouraging us to rediscover harmony with our natural surroundings and with one another. We believe that in seeking the wholeness of the natural world and of our communities, we encounter the wholeness that God intended for all creation.
Mission
The mission of the Sustainable Living Ministry at First-Plymouth is to increase awareness of the inter-connections between food, environment, climate change, community and spirituality in order to work toward ecological justice.The Sustainable Living Ministry is comprised of a leadership group of individuals with knowledge and passion in these areas who create public programs and field trips for the congregation and the greater Lincoln community.
Areas of involvement:
• Public lectures
• Cooking classes
• Sustainable Gardening
• Book group
• Field trips
• Greening the First-Plymouth plant
Meetings are held on the 3rd Thursdays of each month at 5:15pm. Please contact Rev. Kim Hinrichs, associate minister, if you would like to be a part of the leadership circle at kim@firstplymouth.org.
2011-2012 Program Calendar
| Public Lectures with Organic Potluck Lunch, Sundays, 12:45-2:15pm, Pilgrim Hall | ||||
| September 18 | Tom Henning, CEO of Assurity Life | |||
| November 13 | Chuck Francis, Professor of Agronomy, UNL | |||
| February 5 | Charuth Loth, Shadowbrook Farm & Dutch Girl Creamery | |||
| March 25 | Ken Winston, Attorney, Nebraska Sierra Club | |||
| May 13 | Dave Vetter (tentative), Grain Place Foods | |||
| Cooking Classes, Saturdays, 9:00-11:00am, Mayflower Kitchen | ||||
November 12 February 4March 24May 12 |
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| Rain Garden Volunteers tend to the rain garden in the columbarium March through November. New volunteers are always welcome. Contact Judy Dougherty at jdougherty@neb.rr.com. | ||||
| ‘Honor the Earth’ Special Events – April & May, Watch the Herald for more information. | ||||
| Field Trips Field trips may include visits to local farms, gardens and arboretums, a landfill, local prairie and others. Watch the Herald for more information. | ||||
| Dish Disciples Volunteers wash dishes every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening to help reduce our reliance on disposable products. Contact Carole Curry at ccurry10@windstream.net or Nancy Shelley at nshelley@brookspanlaw.com to participate. | ||||
| Landscape & Gardening Committee Volunteers are always welcome. Chaired by Sue Guild. Contact sguild@inebraska.com for more information. Fall Clean-up: Friday, October 21st, 9am-12pm Spring Clean-up: Friday, April 6th, 9am-12pm | ||||
A Closing Quote:
“While peak oil and climate change are undeniably profoundly challenging, also inherent within them is the potential for an economic, cultural and social renaissance the likes of which we have never seen. We will see a flourishing of local businesses, local skills and solutions, and a flowering of ingenuity and creativity. It is a Transition in which we will inevitably grow, and in which our evolution is a precondition for progress. Emerging at the other end, we will not be the same as we were; we will have become more humble, more connected to the natural world, fitter, leaner, more skilled and, ultimately, wiser.”
Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing), 2008.
For more information, contact Rev. Kim Hinrichs, Associate Minister, at 402-476-7565 x243 or at kim@firstplymouth.org.