Trek Day Twelve

noticing our impact
"Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the Lord." - from Psalm 98

The beautiful mountains of eastern Kentucky, rich in biodiversity and once crystal clear waters

In today's reflection, Liz McGeachy talks about the hard rains that pour over the mountains in eastern Kentucky where she lives. After the muddy rushing water subsides, it isn't just the evidence of soil erosion or the uprooted plants which glaringly mar the landscape. It's the trash. Endless plastic soda bottles, trash bags, milk jugs, tires, and forgotten appliances.

...it hasn't always been like this. In the region's preserved areas the water runs cold and clear over polished stone and the moss is thick and green under pines lining the banks. Areas like that used to cover eastern Kentucky -- before accumulation of cheap, disposable items became a daily part of our lives. 

Remembering an art teacher from a sculpture class she once took, she recalls sage advice:

Don't forget your sculpture may survive in this world longer than you do. 

Ask yourself what kind of impact your creation will have.

If the life I am living and the evidence of it I leave behind were an art project, what would it reveal about me and my priorities? Knowing that there is no such thing as "away," if all the trash I've ever created came back to my yard to roost, who am I, as evidenced by what I've done with my life as a consumer? By what I will leave behind, long after I am gone?

This reflection challenges us to confess the greed of our culture and the disregard for other lives, present and future, which are impacted by our insatiable consumerism:

Plastic-free local produce from Sola Gratia Farm

In today's global economy, almost all of us consume items brought to us from around the world. Our garbage, including the exhaust from our cars and factories, is spread around the world.  We cannot see the cost of our consumer items by looking out our front window. We must learn to see with new eyes if we are to "notice our impact."

Looking at this picture from the other direction, we could be evaluating our impact for the good. What trees am I planting, what soils am I improving, what waterways am I protecting, what alternatives to the destructive path we have been on am I helping to put into place? 

This image of my life as a sculpture that will outlast me will stay with me. What is it that I plan to do with my own wild and precious life?  (Mary Oliver)

Questions for Today

What needs to happen to preserve the beautiful natural places I love for future generations?

How could I shop differently to reduce the negative effects my life is having on the planet?

How might I improve life for others by choosing now to switch as much as possible to locally produced food and other items?

Why is everything wrapped in plastic and how can I stop it?