Intentional Living

We affirm and support the interdependent web of all life.
— Unitarian Universalist Association, Seventh Principle.

In an effort to broaden our understanding of the issues involved in re–creating a healthy planet, several of us at Northlake began a series of workshops sponsored by the Earth Institute. “Interdependent web”, indeed! We thought we were going to explore voluntary simplicity and simpler living, but found that it was impossible to talk about healthier eating, for instance, without getting snared in the economics of Latin America; we couldn’t think about reducing junk mail without getting involved in Washington, DC. Soon, we started to feel an immediate interest in our local politicians, and were sharing slips of paper with web addresses written on them and boycotting the malls at Christmas.

Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way: a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” said that you don’t have to make big, dramatic changes in your life to change your future. Think of a compass, she said: a tiny 2–degree change in direction today will put you in Hawaii instead of Mexico next fall.

We offer here a map of the territory we’ve discovered during our struggles to make conscious choices and “walk our talk”. We hope something here reverberates with you and helps you find ways to make “10 small changes to save the planet”.

• The Meaning of It All — Lots of good reasons to give a darn.
• Living the Life — Just tryin’ to walk our talk.
• It’s the Money, Honey! — Finances, bargains and thrifty ways
• Use it Again, Sam! — Recycling, using it up, making do
• More Power To Ya! — Energy, natural resources, and sustainability
• Reaping What We Sow — Eating on a small planet
• I Get Around — Low–impact travel
• Gimme Shelter — Alternative housing, intentional communities, healthy homes
• All God’s Chillun — Honoring life on Earth

If you would like to know more about Northlake’s Intentional Living Group, or about the workshops we’ve been holding, you can e–mail Brian Goldstein at .

Every mountain climb begins with a single step; you, too, can make a difference!