Let It Shine: Focus on the Climate

This weekend I spent a lot of time focusing on our climate!

Saturday was the Pennsylvania Renewable Energy Festival in Kempton, Pennsylvania. I learned about solar, wind, and geothermal energy. There were informative talks all weekend as well as vendors set up to discuss renewable energy solutions. We learned about the importance of local food to sustainability.

In the evening was a wonderful concert by Ben Sollee, as part of his Ditch the Van tour. He is touring the US on his bike with cello in tow and performing all across the country. He also spoke about mountain top removal coal mining; he is from Kentucky and sees the destructive impact not only to the land and streams but to the entire culture of Appalachia.

Sunday my friends Hong and Sally Foo had a Bahá'í Fireside Brunch at their home. A fireside is an opportunity to discuss with friends topics of spiritual importance. I chose a discussion on the Bahá'í International Community Statement "Seizing the Opportunity: Redefining the Challenge of Climate Change". We discussed the importance of ethical and moral considerations when finding solutions to climate change. We must no longer view ourselves as isolated state units pursuing our own economic interests, we have the opportunity to view ourselves as inhabitants of one interconnected biosphere. We broke into small groups to talk about practical ways to solve the environmental crisis at the individual, community, and international levels. Many of our discussions focused on the importance of education to instill these universal values of responsibility, justice, and care for the Earth in our children starting at the earliest ages. We also talked about the importance of public service, so that youth can develop the ability to initiate projects which translate this new awareness into action.