Our roots are showing.
July voice Article
The roots of our faith are the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. Green Sanctuary embodies the Seventh Principle of honoring the natural world by our actions and choices. Our roots showed when people attending a forum decided to schedule the semi-annual clean up at Leif Erickson Park. They chose July 13th, later they organized the forum event on their own, using email to make plans.
This is the essence of the Green Sanctuary process and our seventh principle. Green Sanctuary is change from the bottom up. People like you and me decide that earth friendly is the way to be. This change is driven by the people at our church. The change to be earth friendly begins inside us not somewhere else by “them”. Earth friendly changes demanded by people like you and me transform our institutions and our parks.
Three insights occurred to me:
1. Our faith community is well on its way to the making the earth friendly lifestyle choices envisioned by Green Sanctuary. We are incorporating into our culture care of the earth envisioned by the seventh UU principle. What is more, by folding this activity into a forum we acknowledge that cleaning up the park is a form of worship, too. Worship is not solely a function ritual, music, or words but may also be found in our choices. For the July 13th forum we could have chosen to do many other less active things, like have a discussion. Instead we are cleaning Leif Erickson park. In my opinion, caring for the earth means making a choice that is informed by the roots of our faith. It also called living your values.
2. The speed at which this “Clean up the Park” Forum went from idea to reality was amazing. We know how to utilize technology (email and the Internet) to accomplish our plans.
3. Group decision making, goal setting, and planning like we’ve seen here, make me realize, we are a self-organizing group of people. We have the power to accomplish what we set our minds to.
If anyone wants to add their insights to this chain of events I related here, I invite them to do so at Green Kernels - Going Green Web Log. I have set up a page up which contains this Green Sanctuary article and you may add your comments there. Directions for finding the article are here. The instructions for registration are found here.
Run into problems contact me at 402-404-8235.
Thanks
Bob