Hope

September 22, 2022 Cj Willie EarthConnection

Almost every day, the headlines on the news and in newspapers are announcing another climate
catastrophe – flooding in Pakistan, Eastern Kentucky, Australia, China, Brazil, and Montana…, a
hurricane devastated Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic while another one forms in the
Gulf, extreme droughts and fires in the U.S., Portugal, Spain, France, Italy…The list goes on, and
the catastrophic effects are real for millions of people. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and
helpless. But in the midst of all of the above, there are incredible initiatives taking place to
diminish the effects of climate change.

Here is some of the good news:
• Youth everywhere are organizing and speaking out challenging politicians in their
countries to take action. Young leaders like Greta Thunberg and Xiya Bastida are at the
forefront, but thousands from throughout the world are joining them and lifting their
voices and engaging in action.

• Environmentalist, author, and journalist Bill McKibben founded 350.org in 2007, a
global climate movement to defund fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy.
Through online campaigns, grassroots organizing, mass public actions, and collaboration
with an extensive network of partner groups and organizations, 350.org mobilized
thousands of volunteer organizers in over 188 countries. (www.350.org)
More recently, McKibben founded the Third Act for people over 60 who want to change
the world for the better by using their political and economic power to move Washington
and Wall Street to work towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable society and
planet. (thirdact.org) According to McKibben, “We back up the great work of younger
people and we make good trouble of our own.”

• Janine Benyus opened up the world of biomimicry through books, articles, Ted Talks, and more. Biomimicry is described as a “practice that learns from and mimics the
strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges and find hope.” She is
President of The Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit organization whose mission is to
naturalize biomimicry in the culture by promoting the transfer of ideas, designs, and
strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design.
Learn more about biomimicry at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAXzlHpSs8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_GFq12w5WU&t=54sDr.

• Dr. Jonathan Foley and Jamie Alexander work with Project Drawdown, whose mission is to help the world reach “drawdown”—the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby stopping catastrophic climate change—as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.

Project Drawdown conducts ongoing reviews and analyses of practices and technologies
that can reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere and also are
1) currently available, 2) growing in scale, 3) financially viable, 4) able to have a net
positive impact, and 5) quantifiable under different scenarios. Their work shows the
world can reach drawdown by mid-century if people make the best use of all existing
climate solutions. Project Drawdown recognizes that “more solutions are needed and
emerging, but there is no reason—or time—to wait. Now is better than new, and society
is well equipped for transformation today.” (www.drawdown.org)
If you want to learn more about Project Drawdown and how to have an impact on
global warming and be supported by others with a similar desire, sign up for a five-
session series that will empower you to be part of the solution to global warming
rather than part of the problem…

WHEN: 5 Thursdays, 7-9 PM (EST)
Oct. 6 – Nov. 3, 2022
WHERE: All sessions will take place on ZOOM. Register to get the Zoom link.
COST: It’s free!
SPONSOR: Pachamama Alliance of the Cincinnati Area (PACA)
TO REGISTER (send name, email, and phone #) to:
Jim Vogt (jimvogt2@yahoo.com) or
Jennifer Melke-Marks (jennifer.melke@yahoo.com) (Jennifer is an SC Associate)

• Faith Communities Go Green (FCGG) is a local collaboration between The Green
Umbrella and Equasion, whose mission is to partner with religious communities in the
Greater Cincinnati area to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all by
mobilizing their moral voice to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change.
(www.fcgg.org)
Several upcoming events sponsored by FCGG to which you are invited are the
following:
Green Cincinnati Plan: Faith Communities Meeting
Date/Time: September 28th, 12:00 to 1:30 PM
Location: William Howard Taft Building conference room
250 William Howard Taft
Lunch will be provided
Details and registration at https://greenumbrella.org/event-4956402

FCGG Book Club
Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by
Katharine Hayhoe
Date/Time: Thursday, October 27th from 7:00-8:00 PMDiscussion facilitated by Janet Steele
Free virtual event. Go to www.scearthconnection.org to register.

There is lots to be hopeful about. As the young activist Xiya Bastida said recently, “A vibrant
and regenerative future is possible-not when thousands of people do climate justice activism
perfectly, but when millions of people do the best they can.”

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Nyuntu Ninti

April 5, 2022 Cj Willie EarthConnection

Nyuntu Ninti

(What you should know)

I have written often of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its increasingly dire warnings about the state of our planet. The most recent report released this year states that the world is running out of options to hit climate goals. In a statement released this week by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres he chastised the governments of high-emitting countries stating that they “are choking our planet, based on their vested interests and historic investments in fossil fuels.” He continued by saying that the latest IPCC report is a “file of shame cataloging empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unlivable world.” The changes that are needed to prevent catastrophic destruction to the planet indicate that the world must roughly halve emissions in the next eight years.

These warnings are not new, but are repeated with greater and greater urgency. However, I do not wish to dwell on the IPCC report, but rather heed Pope Francis’ call for an “ecological conversion.” He reminds us that “a change in lifestyle could bring healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political, economic and social power. Purchasing is always a moral–and not simply economic–act. Today, in a word, the issue of environmental degradation challenges us to examine our lifestyle.”

A change in lifestyle requires a change in consciousness; a change in the way we view and relate to the world around us. The title of this blog, Nyuntu Ninti, is an aboriginal term meaning “what you should know”. The Anangu people of Uluru, Australia, have existed for about 40,000 years. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans in 1788, two hundred thousand  aboriginal people lived in harmony with each other and the land. After their arrival thousands of aborigines died from diseases and their culture almost destroyed. Today, however, these people, like so many indigenous people of other lands, are reminding us of what is truly important. Here are some of the principles that guide their lives and which they offer us:

  • Everything here (in our land) is family. The trees are our family, all the animals that live with us are our family.
  • Our elders have always taught us that we are connected to everything; that “being alive connects you to every other living thing that’s around you. You’re never lost and you’re never, ever alone-you’re one with everything else that there is.”.
  • We never take more that we need. We don’t destroy anything that cannot produce again.
  • We believe Mother Earth looks after us and we in turn must look after her.
  • Everything is ours. Everything is family. No one is without when you think and live that way.

At a time when the world is in such upheaval and violence and hatred are the headlines in the news daily, perhaps we need to reevaluate what is truly important in life; to allow ourselves to have a conversion of heart. I would like to conclude this blog with the Aboriginal Ten Commandments which invite us to base our lives on love and respect.

Aboriginal Ten Commandments

Honor and Respect the Great Creator, the one who is above all.

Honor and Respect the Earth for we are physically and spiritually connected to all living and non-living things as we are their custodian kin.

Honor and Respect our ancient philosophy whereby ‘what is good enough for one is good enough for all’ as no one is above another, for all are equal.

Honor and Respect all members of Humanity for we are one ancient family, united and related through our kinship systems.

Honor and Respect every person’s right to freely practice and express in their own way their unique forms of spirituality, faith and beliefs.

Honor and Respect our ancient rule of sharing with one another so that no one is ever left without.

 Honor and Respect our ancient rule of caring for one another so that no one will ever feel alone.

Honor and Respect both our Elders and Youth for each are very important when it comes to generational change and the advancement of our Peoples.

 Honor and Respect that violence and substance abuse have no place within our lands, homes, and families.

 Honor and Respect other peoples home boundaries and never walk into the home 0f another without first being invited in, as it is our ancient way.

Pope Francis calls for an ecological conversion; a change of heart. The aboriginal wisdom shared above is an invitation to look at our lives and the changes that we are called to make. Imagine a world where Honor and Respect were the touchstones of our lives.

Resources:

Randall, Bob and Melanie Hogan. Nyuntu Ninti (What you should know). ABC Books, 2009.

Kanyini. A youtube film about the Anangu people of Uluru, Australia

The Aboriginal Ten Commandments

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A Change of Heart

December 30, 2021 Cj Willie Environment

A Change of Heart and Mind

Pope Francis has called for a change of heart and mind regarding protection of Earth. He has stated very clearly that actions which support the future of the planet “presuppose a transformation on a deeper level” and reiterates St. Pope John Paul II’s words “We must encourage and support an ecological conversion.”

Leading global sustainability scientist, Dr. Kimberly Nicholas, says it is time for humanity to adopt a new mindset. Dr. Nicholas says very bluntly that humans are standing on the edge of a cliff brought on by an Exploitation Mindset which sees producing and consuming more material goods as the path to progress and purpose. She proposes a Regeneration Mindset where “we’d conceptualize ‘growth’ as a process of renewal and restoration and care for what matters most.” “This point of view”, she continues, “means finding a way for everyone, now and in the future, to live a good life, within the limits of the biosphere.” Both Pope Francis and Dr. Nicholas are calling for a transformation in the way we view the world and interact with it.

Scientists from around the world are telling us that our planet is in great peril. A previous blog cited the most recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This report cited that “Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole climate system. Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, and some of the changes already set in motion—such as continued sea level rise—are irreversible over hundreds to thousands of years.”

As the New Year begins, it is an opportune time to reflect on our own lifestyles and ask what steps we can take to move towards a Regenerative Mindset. Dr. Nicholas cites three principles of regeneration: 1) Respect and care for people and nature; 2) Reduce harm at its source, not by treating its symptoms; and 3) Turn our impulse to build toward the building of resilience.

The first principle challenges us to recognize that humans are not the only inhabitants of planet Earth. We share this space with a host of other species; thousands upon thousands of plants and animals as well as rivers, mountains, rocks, glaciers, oceans and more. Each is essential to the well-being of the whole. Where do you see yourself in the community of creation? Do you recognize the value of all that is not human? What steps will you take to live more sustainably and in harmony with the world around you?

Governments are beginning to take steps to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, but that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause of the problems. According to Dr. Nicholas, “To reduce harm to people and nature, trace it back to its origins and look for systemic solutions that stop the harm as completely and quickly as possible…The solution to pollution is not dilution but prevention: designing systems from the start that work with rather than against physics, chemistry, and biology.” Take the time to become better informed about climate change, its causes and effects, and then share your knowledge with others and consciously make choices that reduce your carbon footprint.

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks and maintain essential functions. Resilient systems are flexible and work best when they start at the local level and then expand outwards. How can you work with others to make your local community more resilient?

A Regenerative Mindset calls for an ecological conversion. Ecological conversion is defined as the “transformation of hearts and minds toward greater love of God, each other, and creation. It is a process of acknowledging our contribution to the social and ecological crisis and acting in ways that nurture communion: healing and renewing our common home.”

What commitment will you make as the New Year begins that will nurture communion and lead towards the healing and renewing of our common home? Imagine if everyone took just one step…

 

 

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