Everyday we roll the cube and are challenged with a new task. What are some practical ways to live each of the 6 sides of The Earth Cube?
Everything IS a GIFT!
Reflect
Each person, each thing, is present as a gift for the other. If the pine trees glisten in the sun – it’s a gift! If a new baby crawls on the ground – it’s a gift! When we begin to see that everything around us has something of value to offer us, a sense of appreciation and gratitude grows within us and a desire to preserve and protect it for future generations.
Live it
- Take a walk outdoors. Stop and find an insect – what shape and color is it? Where does it live? Does it live in a community?
- Be grateful for all things in your life and treat them with care. The water you drink every day, the nutrients you take in, the medicines at your disposal. Thank nature for giving us these things.
- Wound and blessings. Look at every daily difficulty or obstacle as a gift.
How am I a gift for others and the environment? Are there gifts I don’t see?
Many studies have linked GRATITUDE to better health
How did you live “Everything is a GIFT”?
ONLY What IS Needed!
Reflect
How are we going to live sustainably on this planet? By taking only what is necessary to live our lives in relationship with everything else. Like a tree that draws up only the water and nutrients needed to grow and bear fruit, we too need to separate our wants from our needs. Let’s minimize our negative impacts by maximizing our positive ones. Let these individual choices be the inspiration for collective change!
Live it
- Turn off computers at night. A computer and monitor in “sleep mode” can minimize electricity usage and costs.
- Think twice before making a purchase. Do you really need a new cell phone? Is your purchase driven by a desire to be accepted by your peers?
- Monitor food waste at your home. Are you cooking too much for your family? What is thrown out from your refrigerator each week?
What does my daily lifestyle say about my respect of the earth’s resources?
in half
How did you live “ONLY what is needed”?
SMILE on the World!
Reflect
Nothing speaks louder than positive actions to make the world a better place! Stopping to recycle our waste, re-using or re-purposing an old object, quickly turning off the shower, planting a community garden, eliminating the need for daily private transportation – all these are the ‘little things’ that bring about efficiency and sustainability in the environment. Every action during the day has a consequence! Don’t just ‘think’ about being pro-earth, make the move, and see the wonderful things that can result from it!
Live it
- Hang your clothes to dry. This will save money and reduce your Carbon Footprint. It will also extend the life of your clothes.
- Use both sides of paper. Print double-sided and put the drafts in the recycle bin.
- Repair instead of replace. Fix electronic devices and clothes instead of buying new ones. Eliminate excess trash and pollution.
- Recycle or give away used items. Before you throw things away, look for another way to use them, or find someone else that might need them.
- Purchase used products or those made with recycled materials. Clothes, wooden matches, cardboard containers.
How could changing one habit make a difference for the next generation?
Community gardens foster neighborhoods of trust, reciprocity and sharing
How did you live “SMILE on the world”?
The time is NOW!
Reflect
How are we going to live sustainably on this planet? By taking only what is necessary to live our lives in relationship with everything else. Like a tree that draws up only the water and nutrients needed to grow and bear fruit, we too need to separate our wants from our needs. Let’s minimize our negative impacts by maximizing our positive ones. Let these individual choices be the inspiration for collective change!
Live it
- Do something small every day and share it. For example, after living one side of the cube, post it on social media or just by talking to friends. Spread your passion and good works person to person.
- If you fail one day, simply start again the next day. The worst enemy of environment change is quitting from frustration and guilt. It’s ok to start over again and again.
- Today not tomorrow. Action not inaction. At the end of each day, ask yourself: ‘What did I do?’.
What individual sustainable choice could be an inspiration for my community?
2010-2019 was the hottest decade on record
How did you live “The time is NOW”?
We’re All CONNECTED!
Reflect
Though it’s not always apparent, everything on the planet is in relationship with everything else – the cities, the forests, the ocean, the air. Everything. When something happens to one, it affects everyone and everything, nearby and far away – for good or for bad. When something is unhealthy – a smoking factory, a contaminated stream, a strip-mined mountain – everything and everyone around it also suffers, and our most vulnerable neighbors suffer the most.
Live it
- Buy local products to reduce gas emissions caused by transporting products to distant markets.
- Plant a tree or flowers in your neighborhood, school, or workplace.
- Don’t throw trash in public places. Hold onto your garbage until you find a trash can.
- Calculate your carbon footprint. Measure the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere because of your own food, energy and transportation use – then change your habits, in large or small ways, to reduce your footprint.
What can I do today to build a more positive connection?
people
Spending time with grandparents increases the
well-being of children
How did you live “We’re all CONNECTED”?
DISCOVER Amazing Things!
Reflect
The world is filled with all sorts of incredible things between its highest mountain peaks and its deepest valleys on the ocean floor. An immense variety – of people, animals, plants, insects, microbes, soils, rocks, rivers, lakes, waterfalls – is waiting to be encountered by us! With each encounter we are forever changed – a new awareness, an increased sense of wonder, a widening of the soul inspired by beauty, a humble respect for the power of nature. These discoveries lead us on a journey of engaging moments, meaningful activities, and purpose-driven living!
Live it
- Learn something new about the environment. Research threatened wildlife; find local species of flora and fauna needing help; find out where your local stream flows.
- Explore nature nearby. Go to the countryside, practice ecotourism, travel to beautiful places, or dive for the first time. Feel the power of God. Rest in the arms of nature. Refresh and renew yourself to return to daily work.
- Watch documentary films. Observe and understand the beauty and complexity of nature.
What natural phenomenon can you experience to see the world differently?