Inner Sustainability Series

Published on 25 February 2021 at 16:17

Sustainability is oftentimes discussed within the realm of technological solutions, policy measures or innovations. This could be called the ‘outside’ of sustainability. However there is also a growing awareness that at the base we are intricately connected to all life. This could be called the ‘inside’ of sustainability.

When the awareness of this interconnectedness is not experienced, this can give feelings of isolation, disconnectedness and a loss of respect for other lives, including natural environment. As long as other people and other life forms are recognised as part of a whole that we all belong to, it becomes very difficult to do harm to another being. When this connectedness is experienced consciously, decisions are made differently than when we presume to be on our own. This embodied sense of sustainability and interconnectedness is what we call Inner Sustainability.

This year, another series of events on this theme will be organised by a highly motivated team of people who are already invested in this topic in some way. The Inner Sustainability event series will take place every couple of weeks, with the last event - our yearly iWeek - in July. All sorts of events will be organised throughout these months, with the aim to inform, but more importantly to connect and become (more) aware.

27 February - Audio Nature Guide
Experience a welcoming and fun introduction to the sustainable organizations of Wageningen and join the 2021 Winter Regreening! You'll get a chance to meet new people and find out everything that is going on in this town. As we are on the brink of the first signs of spring, it is the perfect time to get back in touch with nature and reconnect with your sense of belonging. Evelien Konings is creating a special Audio Nature Guide for this occasison. On Saturday February 27th you will have an audio guide at your disposal to use anytime during the day. At 16.00 we will gather online to share our experiences and dive a little further into the topic of 'inner sustainability' together.
Click here for the event.

2 March - Introduction to Joanna Macy
Do you worry about the state of the world? Have you ever wondered how to stay sane amidst global challenges?
Lian Kasper will help us in dealing with such questions. We will meet online to dive into The Work that Reconnects by Joanna Macy to explore how the capacity of 'feeling with' our world is a very healthy sign of our care and love, and how we can use this capacity constructively to engage and empower. We will go through the spiral of the work using interactive exercises, experiencing the power of the four steps gratitude, mourning the pain for the world, seeing with new eyes and going forth in the world with new energy and inspiration.
Click here for the event.

10 March - Digital Sharing Circle: Nature Connection & Belonging
What does it mean to belong to a place? What gifts does nature connection carry?We dive a little deeper into our own sense of connection and 'inner sustainability', sharing our own visions and hearing each other. We will meet online to voice our own experiences with nature connection, sense of belonging and feelings of disconnect, and we will also just focus on making these feelings more collaborative rather than isolating. Moving in adaptation to this global pandemic, this event will be a new kind of mixture between a traditional sharing circle and a digital platform that allows for creative ways of sharing..
Click here for the event.

24 March - Deep Diversity Meditation
Join us for this Deep Diversity Meditation to celebrate life in all forms, and to experience diversity and inclusivity in the wider perspective of our natural history. What could be the value of looking at diversity beyond human beings? Aren't we all colorful expressions of life on this planet? Lian Kasper will guide you through the earth’s evolution. During this meditation, we will witness the formation of life on our planet, and how diverse life-forms cooperate, forming delicate ecological systems in which all members rely on each other. We will use this experience of 'deep time' to reflect on human cooperation and inclusivity among each other as well as within the wider natural system we are a part of. Regardless of ethnicity or color, we ultimately share the same ancestry; we all belong to this One World!
Click here for the event.

13 April - Inner Sustainability & Health
April 13 at 19:30 we are going to talk about the relation between inner sustainability and our health. We will do this together with Hilde de Smet, who is a doctor and natural therapist from Belgium. She uses herbal medicines and traditional therapies in her practice, and she can tell us all about a more holistic connection to our bodies.
Click here for the event.

4-10 July - iWeek
The iWEEK is designed to give you tools and experiential knowledge on how to deal with and address major societal and environmental challenges of our time. It is an i(nteractive)WEEK with workshops and spaces to exchange, allowing you to explore the principle of inner sustainability: how do you relate to others, yourself and nature?
Click here for the event.