Hope and Healing
Last week I went on a silent retreat to a monastery to slow down, hand over my anxiety, to reflect and learn. Speaking of learning, I learned that the monks there bake bread, tend their gardens, and compost–just like me! While I was there I read several books, one of them being Katharine Hayhoe’s “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.” It is a brilliant read. While it was full of information (as it should be), Hayhoe did an amazing job of simplifying the content and working through it with the reader, which was such a relief to me because, although curious, I am still doubtful about some things and didn’t go to school to study any of this sustainable/environmental stuff. Ultimately, as the book title suggests, she provides encouragement and hope as people dive into this journey of taking care of the Earth and fighting climate change.
“How you connect with others doesn’t have to fit any mold, example, or pattern. Whoever you are, you are the perfect person to talk about climate change with others who share your interests” (32).
Katharine Hayhoe is a Christian, like myself. She is also a Climate Scientist. One of the reasons why I started Waste-Free Dayton in 2020 is because of who I am; I am a follower of Christ and thereby it is my honored responsibility to steward (not manipulate) the Earth. This includes people, resources, plants, animals–everything, to the best of my ability. I believe it is integrated in who we are as Followers and helps bring God’s Kingdom on Earth (Shalom). Even forgetting about climate change for a moment, it can be draining sometimes to try to make the world a better place (it can also be very satisfying and fruitful–I believe showing love is part of who humans are!) That’s also one reason why we want to connect and collaborate with anyone, because we know it takes collaboration. We all have our different views, opinions, and beliefs, and Waste-Free Dayton welcomes all. All of us are here on Earth and all of us are being affected by climate change and problems around us.
So when Hayhoe shared reasons in the book why she is a Christian Climate Scientist, shared her struggles and was vulnerable, that helped because I could somewhat relate to that. She also lives in Texas (where I grew up), in Lubbock in fact (my mom grew up nearby, in the Texas panhandle, so I’ve been to those stretching plains many times). She also likes to knit (like me) and wants to connect with others (like me)–humans have their own lives, struggles, passions, etc. To create positive change we have to do something better than telling people why they should believe climate change is real. We need to genuinely connect with them.
I had so many take-aways, but here are the top ones for you:
Climate change is real, and it’s our fault
Notice what's happening locally.
Facts, fear, and guilt can sometimes be effective, but what works best is simply connecting with the other person and talking about climate change.
To read more info on each point, the entire post is on our Buy Me a Coffee page:
https://buymeacoffee.com/wastefreedayton/hope-healing Go give it a read!
