By Megan Robertson

Santa Barbara A Rocha is participating in Advent Conspiracy. We want to encourage everyone to consider conspiring with us to celebrate Christmas in ways that truly honor the Christ child and show the world –and our loved ones what matters most to us. Advent Conspiracy is a movement that has been growing each year since its beginnings in 2006. The focus of Advent Conspiracy is to encourage Christ’s body to reconsider Christmas –to consider relational gifts over big-dollar (or even small-dollar) stuff, to consider giving more to those in need out of our surplus, and to simply stand against the tide of rampant consumption that marks our culture –especially at Christmastime.

Consider this year making a goal to spend 10, 25 or 50% less than you did last year. Think of ways you can make a gift of spending time with a loved one. It could be making a special date with a sibling, spouse, child, or friend in which you do the things they like best. You can give restaurant certificates, museum or zoo memberships, or homemade coupons for special times together. Even consider serving our body or community together. Making a gift for a loved one does not have to be out of the question either –even if you don’t consider yourself crafty or creative. Try it on just one person even! Think of making the focus relational. How can I communicate that this person is important to me and make special memories in the process? A new sweater or kitchen gadget, in the end, doesn’t really do it all that well anyway.  For the gifts we do buy, work hard to purchase things that were fairly made –that respect human dignity and don’t harm God’s creation. We can purchase gifts that are life-giving to those who produced them

Not only do we honor those we love with more thoughtful, relational gifts, we also honor those in need that we may never know. Let’s seriously consider giving away the money we didn’t spend! The opportunities are everywhere. We can participate in Operation Christmas Child. You could give an extra gift to a missionary or your favorite ministry. Or simply give more at church. Many groups participating in Advent Conspiracy choose to give out of their surplus to Living Water, a ministry that brings clean water and the message of Jesus to villages all over Africa. In the end, what matters is that we try to live the message of God’s glory and peace to all people in the way we celebrate Christmas. Let’s see it as worship.

Lastly, when God’s people work to love the world while we’re in the world, and yet not of the world, we make a big statement. We don’t have to step out of celebrating. Jesus is worth celebrating! We just don’t have to do it like the world does. Let’s be counter-cultural in how we do Christmas -not just to be counter-cultural, but to remind ourselves and everyone else of what really matters –the baby Jesus who came to be in relationship with us.

Please check out the Advent Conspiracy website at: adventconspiracy.org

MarBorg presented its newest contribution to community trash collection — a comprehensive and free drop-off site for hazardous materials in the city of Goleta, CA.

The new ABOP — short for Antifreeze, Batteries, Oil and (latex) Paint — facility is at Marborg’s recycling location on David Love Place in Goleta. It will be open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and it will take the majority of hazardous materials that people have in their homes, as well as electronic waste.

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This article, written by Cari Stone, is gratefully re-published from a work originally titled “The Green Scene: Why Should I Care?” Email rich@arochasb.org for a complete copy in .pdf

Today’s entry is the last in this five part series from the article and is intended to be digested as a unified piece. I have chosen to create artificial sections in order to invite the reader to start the journey via smaller bits over the course of this week, but also have the immediacy of consecutive blog entries devoted to this article in order to preserve the author’s original intent.

Laundry Lines, Organic Gardens and Chickens: Living Green on the Westside
“Simplifying means having less, wanting less, being satisfied with what you have or less than what you have. It does not mean boredom. People with too many things are the most easily bored.” – J. Matthew Sleeth
For two families on the West Side, becoming more environmentally conscious has been a team effort. Marty and Megan Robertson and Rich and Jill Dixon possess a significant amount of natural affinity to begin with. They’re all educators by trade. Both couples have children and they’ve each traveled as families around the world. They also live five doors away from each other. As Jill puts it, “We’re way intermeshed…in a good way.” Through their travels, the families have seen both promising examples of earth stewardship and sickening results of global carelessness.
For the Robertsons, the initial impetus for change came about through a month long stay at the A Rocha Field Study Center on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. This 10 acre property combines the practical work of what they refer to as creation care with establishing a meeting ground for people of faith to research and dialogue on these subjects. The Robertsons explored the property and its surrounding areas, worked in the gardens and lived communally with others.
Once back to Santa Barbara Megan admits, “We didn’t know yet how to articulate what we’d learned. We didn’t have a strong sense of what it would look like for us.” And so, they took a few steps in their neighborhood home to create a more farm-like setting. They bought chickens, began gardening and paying attention to where their food came from.
Meanwhile, the Dixons were experiencing their own adventures abroad, from Oaxaca, Mexico to China. In Mexico, Jill recalls, these issues started taking shape. “For us, it was a justice issue. There were entire villages in this region where everyone had left.” These once shade-grown coffee farmers had nothing because the sun-grown producers had taken over.  The link between our consumption patterns and other people’s lives came into clearer focus.
China was the trip that left them truly shaken by these truths. “Rich and my brother would go on these bike rides and rivers would just be filled – like eight feet high with trash,” says Jill. Their children also experienced the startling ramifications of pollution. As they traveled the region the kids initially concluded that China was “foggy.” It took Jill and Rich explaining and their own asthmatic systems reacting to inform them that this gray sky was not a coastal covering – it was smog.
Last year, the Roberstons were finishing out their sabbatical in the UK at another A Rocha Field Study. As Megan recalls, “Everything was kind of congealing at that point.” They’d seen great examples of hope from the field studies and tragic realities of consumption including plastic bags rolling across the Egyptian desert like tumbleweeds. They knew things had to change for them back home.
Simultaneously, the Dixons were exploring Nova Scotia and were taken aback by the citizens of Prince Edward Island. “That was eye-opening,” Jill remembers. “They are so militant about their recycling. They’re an island. They had nowhere else to put this stuff.” Even the small cottages the family stayed in as paying guests required diligence in this area. This left a deep impression on them. So also did the clotheslines that hung behind residences. “Everyone had a laundry line – everyone.” Both families ended up reading J. Matthew Sleeth’s book, SERVE GOD SAVE THE PLANET around this time as well, and were ready to partner with each other when they returned.
While their homes today exhibit great strides in the area of environmental consciousness, they’re both quick to state that this transformation occurred over time – years really. For Megan her first step was purchasing canvas shopping bags. For Jill, it was hanging a laundry line. Today both households own chickens, recycle diligently, have expansive edible gardens and composting systems to enrich their soil. Neither uses clothes driers and both wash their dishes by hand. Upon returning from sabbatical, the Robertsons unpacked their house and sold nearly half of their possessions at a garage sale.  The Dixons have begun this process as well – beginning with Jill’s sock drawer. Come to find out, she had twenty-one pairs. She decided eight was adequate. Both avoid buying things new, and try to share the resources they do have. “I still think about shopping and wanting things that are new and nice, “says Jill. “My big question right now is this – is it a want or is it a need?”
Lest we begin feeling sorry for the kids in these homes, it seems they’re the ones keeping the momentum going. Alyssa Dixon loves gardening with Rich and she and eight year-old Sarah Jane Robertson were recently overheard discussing how interesting it is that most people don’t know that the smaller and less aesthetically pleasing organic strawberries from their gardens taste better.  Sam Robertson recently encouraged Megan to take the step of buying organic milk reassuring her that despite the extra expense, God would take care of them. Kids are so black and white,” says Jill. “They don’t understand why if it says in the Bible that God cares about all these things, why we don’t take care of them as well.”
To reach Jill Dixon or Megan Robertson directly, you can email them at jill@zinkwazi.com or megan@zinkwazi.com

This article, written by Cari Stone, is gratefully re-published from a work originally titled “The Green Scene: Why Should I Care?” Email rich@arochasb.org for a complete copy in .pdf

Today’s entry is part four of five from the article and is intended to be digested as a unified piece. I have chosen to create artificial sections in order to invite the reader to start the journey via smaller bits over the course of this week, but also have the immediacy of consecutive blog entries devoted to this article in order to preserve the author’s original intent.

Buy Nothing New 2008: One Couples Attempt to Move beyond Immediacy
“Our culture shouts and screams just one thing: consume. How do we resist the world’s cornucopia of goods, services and merchandise when we are told by every input, both conscious and subconscious, that there is some thing that will make our lives a little bit better, fuller or more convenient?” – J. Matthew Sleeth
Benji and Greta Bruneel are fairly recent additions to SBCC. The native Californians spent the past three years in Texas attending graduate school. Now both are employed at Westmont and are feeling fairly established. Recently, they’ve embarked on a somewhat surprising venture for their stage in life – a year of purchasing nothing new except consumables.
The idea was initially Greta’s. “I’ve always been interested in these types of things,” she admits. “Richard Foster’s FREEDOM OF SIMPICITY was really huge for me in terms of having a desire to learn more about having a simple life.” That coupled with an excerpt out of Sojourners magazine highlighting a group in San Francisco who’ve adopted a lifestyle of buying nothing new left Greta inspired for she and Benji to adopt a similar standard for 2008.
Benji wasn’t so sure at the outset. “Here we were,” remembers Benji. “We just went through three years of grad school where we had to scrimp. Why would I now choose to buy used stuff when we have jobs? At the core of it, I was struggling with the idea that I’m entitled to these things because I work, so why would I not?”
When January 1st arrived, they were equally on board albeit a bit apprehensive to see how their decision would take shape. The first few weeks were tough. “There’s something to be said about retail therapy,” admits Greta. Their first real hurdle presented itself when Greta’s watch broke…in January. An entire year without a timepiece with her professional schedule seemed unrealistic. After coming up empty-handed at the thrift stores, she was surprised by two of her coworkers handing over watches of their own that they no longer needed. “It allows others to bless you and give,” says Greta.
Benji too began to appreciate some of the upsides of this venture. “I think the thing I’ve experienced more than anything else is actually how much we already have. That we can go a year without buying things and it’s going to be okay – we’re not going to be in dire straits.” They’ve both began to realize how much our society has adopted the concept of immediate indulgence and replacement rather than letting things wear out. “I’ve learned how much we want things immediately,” reflects Greta. “Living this way makes you more creative in how you’re going to get it in terms of borrowing it or finding used sources like Ebay. It’s also taught us a lot about patience and deciding whether we really need the thing or not.”
While the Bruneels remain undecided as to what they’ll do come 2009, they’re optimistic that this year will change their paradigm with regard to consuming. “One of my hopes,” says Greta, “…is that we’d be more discerning consumers. This is going to grow that tendency in us. I’d love to see that built up in us more where thrift stores for instance don’t have a stigma attached to them, but rather I’d see them as an opportunity that we can take advantage of.”
To contact Benji or Greta personally, you can reach them online at greta_bruneel@hotmail.com or benji_bruneel@hotmail.com.

This article, written by Cari Stone, is gratefully re-published from a work originally titled “The Green Scene: Why Should I Care?” Email rich@arochasb.org for a complete copy in .pdf

Today’s entry is part three of five from the article and is intended to be digested as a unified piece. I have chosen to create artificial sections in order to invite the reader to start the journey via smaller bits over the course of this week, but also have the immediacy of consecutive blog entries devoted to this article in order to preserve the author’s original intent.

Organic Local Eating: How Two Housemates Are Rediscovering Food
“More and more, North American consumers will eat produce from distant places they will never visit, though they might easily have grown the vegetables in their own backyards.” – James Mackinnon
Housemates Kelly Soifer and Ruth Loomer are seeking out greener living one step at a time. For Soifer this has involved cycling, utilizing public transportation, recycling and forgoing eating beef. For Loomer, a childhood spent in the National Parks left a lasting impression. Returning to these destinations as an adult and witnessing, for example, the diminishing glaciers has held deep significance. In college she began recycling and also talking to students about the environment.
Most recently the two have decided to commit to eating solely local (California grown) and organic produce. For Ruth, pesticides, issues surrounding the treatment of immigrants and the implications of tainted water runoff were enough to move her in this direction. Kelly was driven by, “…spiritual justice and time.” She realized that this decision would force her to slow down in so many ways and teach her how to wait for things. The two have familiarized themselves with the local markets in town and Kelly in particular has settled into a routine that involves shopping at these venues throughout the week.
Another produce source that’s taken on more meaning than ever is Ruth’s 15X2 garden off of their townhome’s patio. By summer, this plot will yield broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, green onions, corn, cucumbers, artichokes and tomatoes. Although gardening does not come without its own set of challenges including small spaces and hungry wild rabbits, Ruth was still quick to encourage people to get their fingers dirty. “Even if you have an apartment and all you’ve got is a tiny spot,” says Loomer, “…grow something that you can eat because there’s just something so fun about this. For me, it connects you to where it all starts.”
As we neared the end of our discussion over a meal of locally grown curried vegetable with rice, I asked about the challenges of this decision. Ruth admits that the cost increase took some getting used to. “It is hard to get over that initial hurdle. But when you consider the displaced costs – we’re paying for it in a lot of other ways.” There have also been some difficult goodbyes for her as she’s finished off some of her dietary staples of the past. A meat and potatoes girl by admission, this shift has taken some getting used to. While she will still cook an occasional roast, she’s found that her options within the free-range, grass fed category are costly and limited. For Kelly, time is another huge factor. “My menu is now governed by what I can get at the farmer’s markets,” says Soifer. “I’m not doing things according to what I want, but rather according to what I have.” She went on to reflect on how her view of efficiency has changed over time. “A huge part of going green is that you have to slow down. To be green is to seek the anti-productive …to not make efficiency your highest value.”
To Contact Ruth Loomer or Kelly Soifer directly, you can email them at rloomie@cox.net or Kelly@sbcommunity.org

This article, written by Cari Stone, is gratefully re-published from a work originally titled “The Green Scene: Why Should I Care?” Email rich@arochasb.org for a complete copy in .pdf

Today’s entry is part two of five from the article and is intended to be digested as a unified piece. I have chosen to create artificial sections in order to invite the reader to start the journey via smaller bits over the course of this week, but also have the immediacy of consecutive blog entries devoted to this article in order to preserve the author’s original intent.

Potential First Steps
-Go and purchase four canvas bags from Traders Joes or another grocer this week. Once you purchase them, assign a designated spot in your car to keep them so that when you go to shop the following week, they’ll be there.
-Use public transportation, your bike or walk to accomplish one errand or meeting each week rather than using your car.
-Grow something this season that you can eat. If you’re in tight quarters, consider a small herb garden. If you’ve got more room, select a fruit or vegetable that costs more to buy – your yield will taste that much sweeter knowing you didn’t have to purchase it at market price.
-Log on to www.proquo.com and opt out of the junk mail and catalogues you don’t want to receive.
-The next time you want something new to wear, venture into the world of thrift stores. Those who’ve shopped before us recommend Alpha Thrift and Goodwill in Santa Barbara and Family Thrift in Goleta.
-Invite friends over and cook an all-organic, locally grown meal together.
-Purchase your produce from a local Farmers Market this week. Log on to www.sbfarmersmarket.org to get the complete schedule and location options for the area.
-Change out all of the light bulbs in your house with energy efficient bulbs. If that feels like too much, select one room each month to do until you’re done.
-Consider composting. Log on to www.santabarbaraca.gov/recyling-trash/residents¬_food.htm for more information on how to get started.
-Designate one home group night to the subject of environmental stewardship. Come prepared to each share one thing you are willing to change this summer in this area of your life.
-Instead of buying your children new books this summer, dedicate one morning a month to visiting your local library. Help your kids to see the value of borrowing these books rather than buying new ones.
-Forgo using disposable water bottles. Instead, replace them with a permanent and safe drinking container. Log on to www.kleankanteen.com for one alternative.
-Commit to being an educated recycler in your home. Log on to www.lessismore.org to find a list of those things you can in fact recycle.
-Buy a “used” copy of J. Matthew Sleeth’s SERVE GOD SAVE THE PLANET on www.amazon.com and commit to reading it over the summer.
-Find someone else who you can partner with in the area of environmental stewardship. It seems from the interviews I did that collaboration is vital. Take some first steps together.
-If space permits, hang a clothesline on your property and forgo using your dryer over the summer.
-Commit to not purchasing any goods and services on your Sabbath.
-Take your kids or a friend to visit Fairview Gardens in Goleta. Children and adults alike will love exploring this organic farm and purchasing fresh crops on your way out. www.fairviewgardens.org
Related Reading
CRUNCHY CONS by, Rod Dreher
FREEDOM OF SIMPLICITY by, Richard Foster
IN DEFENSE OF FOOD: AN EATERS MANIFESTO by, Michael Pollan
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN: ONE STUDENT’S GUIDE TO SERVING GOD AND SAVING THE PLANET by, Emma Sleeth
OUR DAY TO END POVERTY: 24 WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE by, Shannon Daley-Harris
PLENTY: ONE MAN, ONE WOMAN, AND A RAUCOUS YEAR OF EATING LOCALLY by, Smith and Mackinnon
SERVE GOD SAVE THE PLANET by, J. Matthew Sleeth, MD
SIMPLER LIVING, COMPASISONATE LIFE: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE by, Michael Schut
STUFF: THE SECRET LIVES OF EVERYDAY THINGS by, John Ryan
THE ORGANIC GOD by, Margaret Feinberg

Related Web Sites
www.adventconsiracy.org
www.arocha.org
www.boldergiving.org
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
www.earthcareonline.org/
www.freecycle.org
www.healthyfamiliesnow.org/
www.newdream.org
www.paperbackswap.com
www.restoringeden.org/
www.sojo.net
www.storyofstuff.com
www.treehugger.com
www.100milediet.org

This article, written by Cari Stone, is gratefully re-published from a work originally titled “The Green Scene: Why Should I Care?” Email rich@arochasb.org for a complete copy in .pdf

Today’s entry is part one of five from the article and is intended to be digested as a unified piece. I have chosen to create artificial sections or parts in order to invite the reader to start the journey via smaller bits over the course of this week, but also have the immediacy of consecutive blog entries devoted to this article in order to preserve the author’s original intent.

The Green Scene – Why Should I Care?
By Cari Stone
“To move from thought to action, we must feel some discomfort with who we are. We will not develop any discontent if we compare ourselves to people who behave more selfishly than ourselves.” – J. Matthew Sleeth
Several months ago I came across journalist Michael Pollan’s book, IN DEFENSE OF FOOD: AN EATERS MANIFESTO. His mantra of, eat food, not too much, mostly plants didn’t strike me as particularly dramatic, since I’ve had a mostly vegetarian diet for years. Yet as the story developed, I began to realize that this poignant read was one of many entry points into an arena, environmental stewardship, that I’ve failed to take seriously in my life. And so, like any other type-A, compassionate achiever might do, I read the book in forty-eight hours and promptly panicked.
For initial solace I turned to comparison. When I stacked myself up against a Midwestern fast food enthusiast for example, I came out okay. Likewise, Walmart consumers, pesticide producers and litterers all left me on the up and up as well, and with a severe case of inertia.
I then turned to personal inventory. There were things that I had done. I’d purchased Trader Joes canvas bags years ago so as to not waste their disposable counterparts. I buy almost all organic produce, including heavily packaged red peppers and basil from Mexico in winter. Hmm. I’m a consistent, although not very educated recycler. While our bin sits on the curb each week, my accuracy rate as to what ought to be in this container and what actually is in it (i.e. cans with tomato paste remnants and questionable wax-lined cartons), falls in the B- range.
Understanding my propensity to spin aimlessly through loads of content only to find myself further overwhelmed by it all I opted to take a big breath. I then purchased an additional four books, and spent countless hours on the internet in order to further deprecate…oh I mean educate myself on how my family and I might adopt a bit more of the green lifestyle.
To be honest, the further I delve into this topic, the more dramatic my moods have swung. On one side of the spectrum I find myself feeling fairly adept at going about my everyday life without truly considering how my choices are impacting the greater good. I mean really, I’m a fairly personable individual who most would describe as thoughtful and considerate toward those around me. However, lately as I climb into bed at night and attach my Mighty Bright book light to my latest read on this subject my soul contracts. (I’m including a list of recommended readings for those who’d like to join me in my unrest). Why is my family of three traveling the town in a car designed for six? Why do I continue to purchase a Pete’s latte without regard for how my patronage may impact shade grown villagers in far off places? Do I really need an 1800 square foot dwelling? What messages am I sending my daughter through these and other everyday decisions? And where exactly does highlighting my hair and using plastic baggies to pack my husband’s lunch fit into this whole equation?
I’ll try not to belabor my point anymore than is necessary. Put simply, what I’ve grown to understand is that the area of environmental stewardship is one that I as a believer am obligated to do something about. Ignorance alone classifies these topics as merely a left-sided agenda. God’s love for creation is evident from the beginning of time. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:1,31 In the next chapter we find that, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:15). And throughout Scripture we find examples of how creation itself praises and adores its creator. “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord.” (Psalm 96:11-13)
What I’ve realized over the past few months is that this topic seems particularly onion-like in its properties. For me, that initial book by Pollan acted as the papery outer skin. As I removed it, I was confronted with another layer and then another - many of which have left me with proverbial tears running down my face. This is daunting stuff! For whatever reason I’ve found it to be particularly overwhelming, uncomfortable and even a bit out there when I’m really honest about it. And still, my soul continues to nudge me forward.
In my quest for more knowledge and insights into this subject, I’ve spent time with some individuals in our midst here at SBCC who’ve implemented significant changes in their lifestyles over time. Their insights are tremendous and you’ll find their stories in pages that follow. First, you can read an interview with housemates, Ruth Loomer and Kelly Soifer. Having taken other steps towards a green lifestyle in years past, they’ve most recently resolved to eat only local (California grown) and organic produce from here on out. You can read the why behind this decision and also learn how they’re setting about doing this. Benji and Greta Bruneel are young married professionals who’ve decided to buy nothing new outside of consumables this year. So what happened when Greta’s watch broke one week into this venture? Lastly, I spent some time with the Robertsons and the Dixons. These families have traveled the world. Yet what they’ve brought back to their homes in Santa Barbara is a resolve for a simpler life – including live chickens, clotheslines, organic gardening and much more.
A common thread between all of these individuals and their stories is that they started small – each of them took an initial step. For me, I’ve vowed to slow down on the reading just a little in order to catch my breath and figure out what, beyond my incessant ponderings and my Trader Joes canvas bags I can do to move a bit further down the road. For my husband, he’s committed to read Matthew Sleeth’s SERVE GOD SAVE THE PLANET while our family is on vacation so that he and I can move past my prolific and somewhat scattered monologues on the subject toward a more effective team approach within our home.
In closing, I’ve included in this article a list of potential first steps, a few book recommendations as well as some valuable online resources which I hope will help you further connect to this topic and begin to consider how you might better care for creation too.

Tomorrow- Part 2: “Potential First Steps” by Cari Stone