How can your church help make a long term difference to the environment and in the short run help people to simplify their lives?
USAToday reports on the movement to simplify one’s life in the face of economic hard times and environmental concerns:
A third, 32%, say they have been spending less and intend to make that their “new, normal” pattern; 27% say they are saving more and plan to continue, according to a Gallup Poll in April.
Nearly half of consumers, 47%, say they already have what they need, up from 34% in November 2006, according to the 2009 MetLife Study of the American Dream.
“People are feeling forced and inspired to get back to what is core to them,” says Julie Morgenstern, author of Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life. She says they’re valuing objects less and experiences and people more.
Change occurs when people observe others doing something. People are geared to regulating day to day behavior by imitating others. Our mental time frames are geared to the short term. Doing what everybody else is doing has been a very successful strategy over the long run to make change.
The Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) offers short courses that result in behavioral change in groups.
NWEI offers seven study guides for small groups. These self-guided discussion courses are offered in workplaces, universities, homes, faith centers, neighborhoods, and community centers throughout North America. Each program encourages participants to explore values, attitudes, and actions through discussion with other people.
From review in Drum Beat:
They target social inertia (reluctance to make big changes in lifestyle) by bringing together a group of people to discuss an issue over several weeks. This results in lasting change in beliefs, attitudes and behavior for some of them. It would also predictably result in an improved sense of community, a good in itself. I got a chance to look at their “guidebooks” for the discussions, also called “courses”. They are brilliant! The discussion questions are really interesting! I would love to do this with my neighbors or parents at my kids’ school.
More about the courses here.