March 27th Newsletter

March 27, 2015

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New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future

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Upcoming Events

April 22, Wednesday, Earth Day Celebration at Farmers Market      11:30am-1pm

April 25, Saturday,     Green Festival,          Farmers Market area, 10am-4pm

May 21, Thursday,        New Pioneers 10^th Anniversary Dinner Celebration,                        St. Catharine College Dining Room, 5:30pm

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION, April 22

Once again we will be gathering with students and teachers from North Washington Elementary School and community leaders to celebrate this earth that is our home. Join us for music, messages by our judge and our mayor, a short keynote by St. Catharine Berry Farming Program student Shelby Floyd, and a great lunch as we remind ourselves how grateful we are for this planet that gives us all life, and as we give each other encouragement in the work of keeping our earth healthy and strong.

SECOND ANNUAL GREEN FESTIVAL, April 25

     The first annual Green Festival was such a success that everyone wanted to do it again. Vendors share local food, crafts, products, skills and services. Bring the kids, have a locally grown lunch or snack and see what your neighbors are up to. Energy around this event is already very high among the planners and the vendors. We can hardly wait for Spring and all the good events it will bring this year.

     Want a booth focused on some form of sustainability to sell or to teach? Contact us soon at NewPioneersSF@aol.com for an application. There are still some spaces available, so help us out by encouraging your friends, neighbors, or other contacts.

NP 10^th ANNIVERSARY DINNER, MAY 21

Mark your calendar for this rescheduled date if you had bought tickets for March 5 (before the big second snow!) at St. Catharine’s. There will be a great locally sourced meal, silent auction, awards given to Mary Berry, director of the Berry Center and daughter of Wendell, as well as to Martha and Arthur Young, and lots of good companionship at the tables. A few tickets ($35 each) are still available and can be purchased at the New Pioneers office.

SR. CLAIRE REFLECTS ON PRINCE CHARLES’ VISIT

     I was privileged to be among the invited guests who welcomed Prince Charles of England to Louisville last Friday, a high-profile two-day event hosted by Christy Brown, Wendell Berry, and Mary Berry and organized by a large multitude of multi-talented Kentuckians.

     Two aspects of the event inspired me equally. The first, Prince Charles' intense personal passion for waking up the world to the disaster we are creating to the natural world; the second aspect, the significant efforts being undertaken by greater Louisville to create a more sustainable city and region here in central Kentucky. It was a transfiguration-like experience to be at the African-American Heritage Center and to sense humanity standing on its tiptoes, being and becoming the very best we can be as humans who know we ARE nature, not apart from nature, and we CAN become responsible enough and smart enough to do what needs to be done to reverse course.

     It was also a thrill to feel the immensity of the standing ovation for Wendell Berry as he came forward in the cathedral to introduce HRH, as we know that over the years Wendell's work for sustainability had not been any more appreciated than that of Prince Charles.

     I was deeply honored to be part of a small roundtable of local, national, and international religious leaders joined by the prince for a conversation about how people of faith can redirect our energies in the face of the global ecological crisis.

     Every once in a while we catch a glimpse of who we humans are capable of becoming in sync with divine energy, and this was one of those sacred moments. I am grateful indeed.

‘Dreamers and Doers” Premieres at SCC

     The brand new documentary by Springfield native Michael Breeding titled Dreamers and Doers: Voices of Kentucky Women premiered before a packed house last evening in Pettus Auditorium at St. Catharine College. Produced by the Kentucky Commission on Women, the film highlights the many contributions to the growth of the Commonwealth made by Kentucky’s women over the centuries – often with little or no recognition or at the cost of extreme criticism.

     The premiere screenings are taking place during Women’s Month in four locations: Frankfort, Louisville, Lexington, and Springfield. Springfield/Washington County women are named four times in the film. Former St. Catharine College president Martha Layne Collins provides the main thread throughout the documentary. In her introduction before the screening, Lieutenant Governor Crit Luallen spoke warmly of her affection for Springfield, and especially of her close friendship with former mayor and cabinet colleague Mike Haydon. We can be very proud of our community!

     Building a sustainable community will require the best gifts of all, certainly including the best gifts of our women. Kudos to the Commission and to all those who made this film possible, as well as to the women of St. Catharine College who made last night a first-class event. Thanks for helping us all stand taller as we left campus last night!

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