Photo Credit: Lorenzo Muschi-Unsplash

If you are rationally minded and a believer in the ability of scientific study to isolate facts and build an understanding around those facts, then you are likely very concerned about the future of humanity on this Earth.

No one wants to talk about the possibility of near term human extinction but in our Wisdom Circle we will. Our wisdom search is based on the premise that the current climate and pollution crises mean early extinction of most species, including humans, in about ten to twenty years, and that extinction is already well underway and too late to reverse. In these monthly small group conversations, we explore our emotional responses to this unfolding tragedy and examine spiritual and ethical issues as we prepare ourselves for what is certain to come very soon.

We are your hosts, Thom Hawkins and Charles Jacobsen, and our Wisdom Circle meets the first Sunday of every month from 12:45 to 2:30 in the Fireside Room of Throop UU Church, 300 S. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Our meetings are non religious and open to everyone. the public. We share heartfelt wisdom and look forward to the continuing enrichment of this conversation as we struggle together to cope with the tragic reality of diminishing life on our Earth.
 
If you don’t yet fully share the conviction of near term human extinction, you are stilll welcome to participate in our wisdom circle as long as you focus on how you might feel and act if you were to accept our premise of near term human extinction. If you have questions about the evidence supporting our premise, please go to the many resources available online and in print that we will mention. We are not here to discuss and debate the evidence, but feel free to share with the group relevant references from your own reading and observation.
 
It feels good to treat the earth respectfully, so keep doing what you can to mitigate the damage and to adapt. Action is the best antidote for despair, much better than false hope. Just don’t become attached to outcomes, because nothing can stop imminent extinction at this late stage. Thank you for having the courage and compassion to consider joining us.

In spite of envisioning pre-Tupperware family Christmases in the 50s which were easily Zero Waste, the norm today for disposable living made attaining a Zero Waste wedding challenging. We are grateful to have held our event at Throop Church Hall, the 10 year home of Transition Pasadena.  
 
We congratulate ourselves on avoiding single use plastic to a very high degree. No plastic bottles, no drinking glasses, no plastic plates or utensils thanks to Throop’s 100 China plates and ragtag mix of silverware. One difficult-to-avoid concession was clamshells for berries.
 
Here are the challenges we faced:
Using plates means needing dishwashers.
Hiring dishwashers is a lot more costly than buying disposable plates! I am grateful to three Transitioners who volunteered to wash dishes, Sylvia, Greg and Stephen. A truly wonderful gift!
With six people total running the kitchen, we underestimated the five hours it would take to serve dinner and clean up afterwards.
 
Next was finding a caterer who will not use plastic.
Tender Greens was our final choice. The 0.6-mile sourcing added to the plus column. Since their salads are delivered in plastic clamshells, we only ordered hot food from them. We tossed our own salads from bagged salad mixes. This was a fail on SUP but smaller enviro-impact and far less costly. Hot food was delivered in aluminum chafing dishes. We reused them the following day to chill and transport skewered fruit to the newlyweds’ dance party. These aluminum pans came in a sleeve of thin corrugated cardboard, emblazoned with red logo. Use as lasagne mulch in the garden is debatable. Recycle is a possibility for both the pans and sleeves.
 
The final test was drinks on a warm summer day.
We collected 100 second-hand wine glasses, a new resource for Green Circle’s Plates for the People. One wine glass was at each place setting to be used for wine, fruity canned sparkling water, or spa water from jugs and the champagne toast. No one went thirsty for lack of having three separate glasses. Beer drinkers seemed to get their beverage of choice down without a glass.
 
Linens were rented, costly but responsible. Appetizers, accompanied by David Cutter’s Piano a la Carte were finger foods, no plates needed.  Cookies, delivered by Karen’s Apron Strings Community Bakery in her reusable containers, were served in paper pastry bags.
 
A large Zero Waste event is a challenge, but attainable. It would have required more helpers to cook the food and make salads from scratch. But that’s how weddings and funerals were in days gone by. I fear my generation is the last to remember that. Do younger folks raised on convenience have a harder time envisioning another way of doing things? When I weigh the financial cost added to avoid convenient plastic it is far outweighed by the benefits of knitting community. And the feel-good for bride and groom and parent-hosts for reducing environmental impact? Priceless!
 
------Therese Brummel
 

I've noticed that I don't have to explain to people I meet what sustainability is about. It seems to be on everyone's mind and certainly that's true for Climate Change. I think it's a good time for a community brainstorm. This could be any community and any group of people large or small.
 
I've been thinking about this for years and my preferred way to do it would be something called Open Space. The following is a paraphrase taken from the website <www.openspaceworld.com>
 
Open Space (Technology) is a simple way to run productive meetings, for five to two thousand or more people. It's also a powerful approach to leadership in any kind of organization, for everyday practice and during turbulent change.
 
This is not electronic technology but simply a way to organize people in space and time. In the most common form of Open Space meeting, every issue of any importance, to any person           willing to take some responsibility for it, gets posted on the community bulletin board, sometimes called the Marketplace wall. As work on those issues progresses, notes and other products get posted as well.  Simple enough on the surface but with depth that just keeps on going.
 
After more than thirty years and in more than 140 countries, Open Space has been a daring and marvelous exploration of the vastness and the urgency of personal and organizational transformation. For others, it’s just an exceedingly effective, and efficient, meeting methodology.
 
What sets open space apart from anything else I've participated in is the complete hands off from the organizer(s) to the participants. Because the agenda is completely participant driven, the "real meat" of an issue quickly rises to the surface where it can be discussed and solved in a respectful and open manner. Rarely will management ever hand over that much authority to front line "staff".
 
An Open Space event begins with a provocative question or theme that participants have a stake in. For example, how can Pasadena residents create a more sustainable community in the face of resource depletion and environmental degradation? Here are a couple descriptions to give you a better picture of Open Space:

The Village Market Place.
After the organizer hands off the process, self selecting participants create groups to discuss aspects of the theme. Using the sustainable community example above, someone wants to lead a group around issues of transportation. That person would post the name of the group on the wall. Someone else might want to discuss the issue of conservation. As people come forward and post their group names on the wall, this becomes the marketplace.
 
Rule of Two Feet.
Once there are no more new groups then everyone in the room is told to self select a group that most appeals to them. Then groups move off to start their discussions. It's possible that a group member might realize they don't want to be in a particular group. That person must employ the Rule of Two Feet and leave the group. Nothing needs to be said. Just leave and return to the Marketplace to choose another group. 
 
If this kind of a meeting sounds appealing to you, please email me back at [email protected]
 
----David Cutter