We Begin with the First Step

Whatever it is, the first step is how we begin. Wherever we may want to go, we begin our journey with our first step. Whether we’re about to cross the street, or to embark upon an epic voyage, it all starts with the first step. We take that step from where we are today. The present situation, with all its possible shortcomings and imperfections, is where we begin.

Significant global climate change is one aspect of our common situation today. Some still express skepticism about whether it’s real, while others complain about its impact. Still others have begun to focus their energies on reducing the causes of that change. I’m convinced that climate change is a real and present danger to the Earth, and I want us as a congregation and as individuals to begin to address it. So this past Sunday, April 22^nd, I offered the Fellowship a modest challenge.

I asked at least five Fellowship households to take a “first step” in a particular direction. I asked them to identify themselves to me as willing to track their household consumption of resources over the next year. The specific resources I have asked them to track are electricity, natural gas, gasoline, and water. The information for each of these should be pretty readily available on utility bills and at the gas pump. Writing down the amounts shouldn’t be too time-consuming. I’ve asked members of the Fellowship to do bigger things before, but I think this is a first step. I think that if we begin to pay attention to our resource consumption, we’ll start to consider ways to be more efficient in our use of these resources. That’s one of the next steps, but the first step is to pay attention to the consumption itself.

I’m pleased to report that five households did “sign up” at the door; several have already been tracking some or all of this information. And a sixth household has already emailed me its average daily resource consumption for the several years.

Why did I ask you to do this? Well, first, let me say that it’s not because I’m nosy about the patterns of consumption of individual members of the Fellowship; I have enough to keep me busy without worrying about that! Rather, it’s because I’ve wanted to do this for my own household, but somehow it has never come to the top of my “to-do” list. Because you will be doing this with me, I’m more likely to take the few extra minutes each month to be mindful.

As a congregation, we have begun to take another step, too. Fellowship member Deb Czarnopys-White is organizing a “Green Sanctuary” effort here. The Green Sancutary program is a Unitarian Universalist program that helps us consider both our individual ecological responsibilities and those of our congregation. I hope that my challenge will complement the “Green Sanctuary” effort. Contact Deb or see the display in the Fellowship Commons for more information!

Incidentally, there’s nothing magic about the number five. I chose it because I was pretty confident that at least five households would sign up (helping me to take my first step!) rather than because I only want five households to do so. It’s not too late to sign up, if you are willing to do so—just call or email me (529-2439 or bsasso@juno.com) and let me know that you want to be part of the Fellowship’s Resource Consumption Challenge!

In celebration of this beautiful Earth,

Bill S.