Sustainability? Let's Talk

by 
Richard Senerchia, for the Shuttle

Nick Buffone photo
Judy and Richard spread the word about sustainability at Mt. Airy Earth Day in April.

"We are a group of people who meet regularly to share — among ourselves and at times with the larger community — information, challenges and creative ways of living more sustainably."

This is a summary of the purpose of the Sustainability Club. We began last September with publicity and meeting-space generously provided by Weavers Way. We have continued meeting monthly on the third Thursday at the home of Judy Morgan and Richard Senerchia, who started the group.

It’s a varied group. Some participants are new to the idea and hungry for tips and ideas to improve their “sustainability footprint”; others are quite well-informed, and some could even be described as “activists.” A typical meeting starts with sharing success stories — and sometimes failures! — and then moves to a presentation by a member, followed by general discussion.

Presentations have covered a range of topics: water conservation, home cleaning and “green” renovating, recycling past present and future, zero-waste living, solar and renewable energy, composting, foraging, sustainable agriculture and better (and worse) business practices. It’s a long list and it shows how sustainability enters into so much of our lives.

Belonging to the Sustainability Club means you find yourself being more careful about a lot of things: You’re less likely to waste water at home (we’ve taken to using “gray water” in our garden), more likely to bring your own bags and containers when shopping, more careful about what seafood you buy (the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch app is handy there), less likely to shop at chain stores or Amazon. At our house, we now have a clothesline, a compost bin, a Sodastream (making our own seltzer so we don’t have to buy it in bottles or cans), bamboo toothbrushes, a growing collection of wine corks (real cork can be recycled, though not in curbside recycling) and solar panels on the roof.

Through our Facebook page, Sustainability! (www.facebook.com/groups/817062518481508), we keep informed of new developments, wins and losses in the struggle for a more sustainable world. As of now, we have more than 90 articles posted by members. We’ve learned a lot, and found there’s a lot to learn. We hope to continue educating ourselves, and others, and making changes to live more sustainably. The support and encouragement we’ve received from Weavers Way has shown us how strongly committed the Co-op is to sustainability.

Finally, through the Club we’ve made friends, people who share our commitment and interest; we have varied backgrounds and areas of expertise, but we are all committed to the importance, the challenges and the rewards of sustainable living.

For more information, contact Richard and Judy at judymorgan711@yahoo.com.