August 12, 2018
A Practical Step Toward Solving the Problem
Part 2 of a Series on the Environment from the Question Line Duo
We are thrilled with the response, the support and the number of you who told us you are ready to do more.
We promised one solution to climate change each week. And we are going to keep this simple. This may feel like a tiny effort in the face of an enormous problem. Keep in mind, you are not alone. You have a world-wide family of folks partnering with nature, committing to doing this work alongside you.
Margaret Mead's words are true: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Our First Challenge
According to drawdown.org the #3 most impactful solution to climate change is to reduce food waste.
Where to begin? We can't say this enough: Keep it simple.
Let your efforts grow through avenues that are already a part of your life, or right there knocking on your door.
1. Choose your start point.
Name your goal. This is your DDP (definition, direction and purpose). Here are a "few" examples:
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I'd like to reduce food waste in my home.
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My family would like to reduce our food waste.
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I'd like to reduce food waste at my workplace.*
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I'd like to develop solutions to reduce food waste on my farm.
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I'd like to work with restaurants in my community to reduce food waste.*
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I'd like to partner with other farmers in my community to reduce food waste.*
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I'd like to teach my employees how to reduce food waste.
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I'd like to develop a lesson plan to teach my students how to reduce food waste.*
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I'd like to develop a plan to teach the toddlers at the daycare where I work, not to waste food.*
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As a volunteer at my local [school cafeteria, senior center, church, community center, prison], I'd like to introduce procedures for reducing food waste.*
Got the idea? Don't complicate it. You'll see better, quicker results when you keep it this simple.
* It's important not to impose any work with nature where it's not your assigned role and responsibility. You won't be asking nature to work with others and you don't need to pull others into your work with nature. Nature is your partner and personal consultant. This work is to help you personally be more effective and successful in your projects, never to manipulate others. It's like working with an accountant when you need someone with more knowledge and experience than you to complete your tax return, or asking an electrician to help you with your home improvement project. There are times we all need more expertise than what we carry in our own head. This is a time. Nature has the expertise we need.
2. Take your goal to nature.
The easiest way to begin is to follow the instructions given in Idea #9 of this article, inserting your DDP to reduce food waste:
Or you can expand your work with nature to address this by setting up a soil-less garden. If you've been thinking about trying soil-less gardens, this is a fantastic way to get started. It's a win/win/win.
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You learn how to partner with nature to achieve balance and success in a project or goal (a tool of immeasurable value to be used in every aspect of your life).
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You do the third most impactful thing there is to address climate change.
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You bring hope to us all.
Working with nature on a soil-less garden project can be quite simple and rewarding. Machaelle explains what you'll need to know to get started in the Workshop DVD and Companion. To make it that much easier, we have broken it down into manageable pieces in our series on soil-less gardens (or "SLGs") here:
The article gives you a little background on SLGs and tells you how to begin. If you are brand new to Perelandra and the concept of soil-less gardens, it would be better to start here:
Some Excellent Resources
Throwing out half a hamburger equates to the same water usage as taking a 60-minute shower.
Saving food saves money and helps to slow down global warming and deforestation.
Twenty percent of the food we each buy never gets eaten.
If a very wise friend sent you this link and you missed the beginning of our series, start here:
Thanks for being here with us,
Jeannette and Beth
Your Perelandra Question Line Duo