April / May 2008 Newsletter
Finding
WEALTH in a Sustainable Lifestyle.
Many people have never
heard of the term “sustainability” and would be puzzled by another,
“voluntary simplicity”.
Because of a wonderful course offered by the Great Lakes
Earth Institute (part of a national network formed to promote a
sustainable lifestyle among Americans), the members of the core
group of the Ozaukee Community Awareness Forum learned more about
these two terms, what they can mean in our lives, and had a ton of
fun too!
According to
the introduction in the discussion booklet, “simplicity is a
movement, a practice, and for many, a purposeful way
of living in a complex, consumptive society.
The course examines the view that each person can, at the
same time, improve the quality of life, reduce expenses and reduce
environmental impact, resulting in a sustainable lifestyle, one that
helps us “step more lightly on the planet”.
The goals of such a lifestyle are to build our lives around
different values than those we see in our culture of consumption,
and to live with purpose and compassion.
In addition to
Voluntary Simplicity, other topics are: Exploring Deep Ecology,
Discovering a Sense of Place, Choices for Sustainable Living,
Globalization and its Critics, and Healthy Children, Healthy
Planet. Discussion
groups are forming all the time.
Please contact Peg Cadigan, Coordinator, at 262-692-9744, or
via email at:
contactglei@yahoo.com.
Organize a group of neighbors or church members!
According
to the World Wildlife Fund, an average U.S. Citizen requires ten
hectares of the planet, approximately 2.5 acres, to support his or
her lifestyle, while an average European needs over 5 hectares, 1.2
acres. An average
person in
From:
National Catholic Reporter, June 22, 2007
There are actions we can all take to reduce our carbon imprint and
at the same time make our lifestyles more purposeful and joyful.
Here are some suggestions from a variety of sources, which
incorporate much different values than those of our consumerist
culture:
- Conserve
energy and water by taking shorter showers and making sure
dishwashers and washing machines have full loads
- Use paper
products made with recycled materials, as well as other “green”
materials (read labels!); do not use bottled water
- Protest
“free trade” agreements and sweatshops
- Write
letters to labor exploiters and environment destroyers why you
refuse to purchase from them; support good companies and let
them know why you support them
- Cut back
on oil and gas consumption (at $3.39 a gal., this will save
money too)
- Downsize
your care, home, wardrobe, everything in your life
- Support
non-profits with time and money
- Support
local merchants, including farmers’ markets
- Vote for
enlightened school boards, commissions and politicians (run for
office yourself!)
- Insist
that those who use your money (banks, pensions, mutual funds,
companies) make socially and environmentally responsible
investments
- Speak out
whenever forums present themselves
- Discuss
the costs of pollution, poor working conditions, public
subsidies, corporate exemptions, and other environmental, social
and political factors that should be included in the prices we
pay for goods and services but are not; let people know that
when we do not pay for these very real expenses, we rob future
generations!
- Avoid
big-box stores, or ask whether their workers in developing
countries are treated humanely and paid decently
- Strive to
produce as much of your own energy as possible
- Circulate
money within the local economy for as long as possible
- Ask of
any proposed change or innovation:
What will this do to our community.
How will it affect our common wealth?
- Include
local nature (land, water, air, wildlife) within membership in
the community
- Shop
consciously; purchase items whose packaging, ingredients and
methods of production are sustainable and support life
- Make
everything you own last as long as possible
- Purchase
at consignment and thrift stores where everything is recycled
- Reduce
waste at the source
- Practice
“precycling” – make your own, rent or borrow, maintain and
repair equipment, etc.
- Join the
“True Cost of Food” movement, promoted by the Sierra Club; go to
the website
www.truecostoffood.org.
A 15 min. video is available.
However, as
Albert Einstein wrote:
“The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by
using the same thinking that created the situation.”
In other words, we need to redesign the industrial
revolution, this time taking all we know about ecology into account.
A book
entitled THE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, by Wm. McDonough and
Michael Braungart, tells us that “it is time for designs that are
creative, abundant, prosperous and intelligent from the start.
The model for the Next Industrial Revolution may well have
been right in front of us the whole time: a tree.”
(Quoted in “Voluntary Simplicity”, GLEI)
The above suggestions were gleaned
from the book, Secrets of the American Empire, by John Perkins
(available at the
For
additional reading:
Simple Prosperity: Finding Real
Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle,
The
Power of Enough,
Lynn A. Miller
Rain
Barrel Program:
Sponsored by Ozaukee Bank and City of Port Washington, the
rain barrels are set up to accept downspout water from residential
rain gutters, to use on plants and lawns.
A rain barrel is on display at the entrance to city hall, and
can be purchased for $45.
They have screened water catch openings at the top, an
overflow opening on the side and a spigot at the base.
Contact Ozaukee Bank for more information.
You can also see a rain barrel demonstration at the
Sustainability Fair on April 26 (see notice below).
Earth
Day, 2008:
This weekend, we will
observe the 38th annual Earth Day.
A recent column in the Milwaukee Journal described Earth Day
as a quasi-religious event which makes a difference only for a day.
He had a point – we can’t just change a few light bulbs;
where we must urgently make changes is in our lifestyles, embracing
one that makes a lighter footprint on our Earth.
This year, make Earth Day count for more than a day!
Earth is our only home!
Voting
Smart:
If
we had a chance, what questions should we ask the presidential
candidates (or candidates for any office)?
www.votesmart.org
makes these suggestions:
-
How would you govern if elected?
-
How will you relate to Congress?
-
What priorities will you work on, short-term and long-term?
-
Who will your advisors be?
-
What process will you use to make decisions?
-
How will you defend the U.S. Constitution and Bylaws?
Saturday, April 26:
Plan now to
celebrate Earth Day 2008 by participating in a Sustainability
Fair, in collaboration with Wellspring Organic Farm and
Dates
and Locations to be announced:
OCAF will
sponsor showings of the following videos:
-
NO END IN SIGHT, the most current film on the
-
THE ELEVENTH HOUR, a very startling but informative film describing our climate crisis and what we can do about it; produced by Warner Bros., and narrated by Leonardo de Caprio
-
WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? A film about our consumerist habits which is both humorous and informative. This film stars “Rev Billy” – you won’t want to miss it!
Saturday,
April 19 – 9 a.m. – Grafton Village Hall
Monday, June 2
– 7 p.m. –
Monday, June
16 - 7 p.m. – Port Washington Police Dept. Community Room
Make your presence felt at
one of these meetings, and let Congressman Sensenbrenner know your
opinions about important issues like the occupation of
F.Y.I
Senator Kohl:
(202) 224-5653
http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.html
Senator
Feingold: (202)
224-5323
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
Rep. J.
Sensenbrenner: (202)
225-5101.
http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/contactform