Tennesseetransitions

I’ve been quite busy the last few weeks with garden chores, civic work, a wonderful once-a-week discussion group taking a course called “Peace, Justice and Sustainability” and all kinds of fun things! But I’m always thinking of this blog and how I might best use it to inspire you, my readers, to find ways to create a way of living that’s significantly more connected, more vibrant and more fulfilling than the one we find ourselves in today. Now is the time- I swear it’s not too late- to take stock and to begin re-creating our future in ways that are not based on cheap, plentiful and polluting oil but on localized food, sustainable energy sources, resilient local economies and an enlivened sense of community well-being.

Since I started this blog almost three years ago, we’ve all witnessed what appears to be an increased rate of decline in the health of the Earth, as she reels from the affects of climate change and resource depletion. At first a gradual process, the changes are becoming increasingly faster as our Earth reels from humanity’s impacts on her. In these 3 years alone, we’ve seen everything from Sandy Superstorms to disappearing honeybees and monarchs, from California’s too-late-for-rationing drought to thousands of beached sea lions.

Along with the effects of climate change, perhaps you’ve also noticed the lack of good paying jobs, or the rising price of groceries and college degrees. Perhaps you’ve seen more potholes in your town, or fewer public works projects? Many of America’s towns and cities are experiencing gradual, but definite, declines in their abilities to replace and repair aging infrastructures, while large corporations often fail to provide living wages for their employees. Perhaps you know someone that is no longer able to afford tires for the family car, a new roof for their home, or even a needed prescription? Maybe that someone is you.

However, unless you’re directly affected, you might not take notice of the cumulative effects of these insidious problems. If that’s the case, lucky you! But I encourage you to not wait until the well runs dry to begin the work of adapting to these changes. There are things we can all do to transition to this new paradigm we’re all facing. I love this quote by a woman that overcame adversity like few of us have ever experienced…

I keep practicing and preaching local food production, and am currently involved with a group of people working to bring a food cooperative to our town, serving as coordinator of a large community garden and have started spending Friday mornings teaching a group of young women going through rehab how to grow and preserve food. But that’s my thing. Perhaps you are more interested in renewable energy systems, or developing websites or practicing wholistic health care. My chemist friend Gerald has developed and is marketing a line of green cleaning products, and another good friend is developing a close knit community of folks learning to play music. Maybe you have a useful skill you could turn into a moneymaking business; I understand that chimney sweeps are in high demand because of the increased use of wood stoves for home heating use. Home-crafted beers have taken the place of moonshine, and it’s difficult to find good, reliable repairs for almost anything! I, for one, could use the expertise of an orchardist to help me learn to grow fruit and berries organically. We all have strengths and talents that can be shared with others, for either love or money or both. Those skills are going to be the backbone of tomorrow’s localized economies.

Maybe you feel very strongly about a change you’d like to see in the world. like the group of students at Harvard that is currently staging a sit in the office of their president. Why? The students are asking that Harvard University divest its endowment from fossil fuels.They say Harvard has a responsibility to address climate change. “The impacts of the fossil fuel industry are going to be harming our future way more than the need for money”, said their spokesperson. Civil wars are being fought all over the world, nuclear agreements are being drawn up, while peace and climate talks are ongoing. Humans everywhere are hungry for change, and many are even willing to be arrested or die for their beliefs. (Surely I can be responsible enough to recycle my plastic)

Which brings me back to that course I mentioned earlier…our group members are trying to be that change we wish to see, but in a nonviolent way; every week we each declare an intention of some action we’re willing to take, either at home or in our community, that might help us live in a more peaceful, just and sustainable way. We’re concerned about our own futures, as well as those of our children and grandchildren and are committing to changing it, instead of just talking about it. Actions as small as turning off the water when brushing our teeth or writing letters to our elected officials are declared, as well as much larger ones that will require a great deal of time and energy to accomplish have been declared by our members. We swear it’s not too late!