The New Normal: Intentionally Designing Our Future

220 East Hickory Street,Mankato MN 56001

06 November, 2021

Description

Join us for our 16th Annual Earth Conference, The New Normal: Intentionally Designing Our Future. Over the past 18 months we have been forced to make myriad lifestyle changes due to Covid-19. While none of these changes were easy, there were some that, perhaps unintentionally, produced positive outcomes. As a society, we were forced to slow down. We spent more time outdoors, we questioned systemic injustices, and we realized the importance of prioritizing mental health. As things have begun to reopen and people are rushing to get back to “normal,” we have to ask ourselves - what are we rushing back to? Can we take the lessons we learned during the pandemic and use them post-Covid to shape a more purposeful, just, and sustainable world? We will look at these insights through three lenses: our relationship with Earth, eachother, and ourselves. How can we take the lessons learned from the struggles of the past 18 months and use them to begin crafting a more intentional life and community? We have the power to choose what we let back into our post-Covid lives. How will you intentionally design your future? Schedule: 8:30 Check-In: Enjoy Fair Trade Coffee and Homemade Muffins 9:00 Welcome and Opening Reflection 9:20 “Relationship with Earth” by Robert Blake followed by Q&A and group discussion. 10:20 “Relationship with Each Other” by Destiny Owens followed by Q&A and group discussion. 11:20 “Relationship with Self” by Diana Gabriel followed by Q&A and group discussion. 12:20 Closing Reflection and Door Prizes Speakers: Relationship with Earth:During quarantine many of us found refuge in nature. Being outside was one of the few places it was safe to be. What did this time teach us about our connection to Earth? While cities were in lockdown air quality improved and water pollution decreased. Society cannot afford to complacently return to that pre-pandemic disconnect. How can we continue to foster that deeper connection as our busy, consumer-driven lifestyle re-emerges? Robert Blake: Owner, Solar Bear and Executive Director, Native Sun Community Power Development Relationship with Each Other: In the wake of George Floyd’s murder there was a shift in our nation’s consciousness. People took to the streets demanding justice, ready to dismantle systemic racism. But this is not a quick or easy job and we as a nation have a short attention span and are easily distracted. We have barely begun to scratch the surface in the fight for true racial justice. How can we keep the focus on ending systemic injustice that gripped us back in 2020? Destiny Owens: Founder, Black Excellence Around Minnesota (BEAM) Relationship with Self: There isn’t a single one of us who wasn’t effected by Covid. While we all weren’t in the same boat, we all weathered the same storm. Focusing on our mental health because a necessity as we dealt with so much change and so many unknowns. Things may be returning to “normal” but we have all been changed in the last 18 months. What have we learned about ourselves? Will these learnings help us make choices that will shape a more balanced and healthy future? Diana Gabriel: Certified Life Coach Please Note: Participants have the option of attending in person or watching via Facebook livestream. (You will choose when registering, but you can make changes until Nov. 5, we just ask that you let us know.)In case of Covid surge, conference will be moved to Zoom for all participants. The Living Earth Center is a non organization based in Mankato Minnesota that is focused on finding common ground and strengthening sustainable connections within our local and greater global community. The Center seeks a sustainable future for all through education, advocacy, and collaboration among all spiritual traditions and diverse cultures. We are most visible for our work managing Mankato's oldest Community Garden. This organic, two-acre garden provides a vibrant gathering spot for individuals and families to grow food. It is also where we maintain - with the help of many volunteers - a food shelf garden, growing organic food to donate to our neighbors in need. The Children's Peace Garden Project connects children from pre-school... to pre-teen with the Earth through an early experience gardening. We also offer educational and Earth centered spiritual enrichment programs, an annual fall conference, seasonal Earth celebrations around the solstices and equinoxes as well as workshops and skill-building classes. Our Resource Library has books and DVDs to check out. Our advocacy efforts seek change on local, state and national levels and we network with groups in solidarity with issues of sustainability.