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People give different names to the era they hope humans will soon transition into: The Great Turning. The Era of Sustainability.

Thomas Berry, cultural historian and Greensboro native, envisioned an "Ecozoic Era," one in which humans live in a mutually beneficial relationship will all communities of life on the planet. It is his definition that Greensboro couple Nelson and Elaine Stover are using to educate people through classes and a "Universe Story" walk on their property.

I find eco-spirituality a fascinating aspect of the global sustainability movement. All over the world, people are calling for the reinvention of human beings and society while imagining how those societies would work. One component of that is changing how we perceive God, a higher being, or the purpose of the universe. Thomas Berry has offered one view. So have others, such as eco-philosopher Joanna Macy.

But if you want to learn more about Berry's ideas and how to translate that into practice, the Stovers can help. Nelson will be giving 30-minute presentations at various places during the year and the couple will offer a weekend workshop called "Our Great Work: Toward a New Earth Resolve" in March.

From the flier:

"This 2-day course allows participants to live for two days in a new context thereby: 1. Communicating the urgency of The Great Work in the 21st century; 2. Awakening participants to the vision of a time when humans live in a mutually enhancing relationship with the entire community of life systems; 3. Modeling and eliciting holistic involvement in the Earth community; 4. Inspiring a spirituality that discovers awe and beauty in the natural world; and 5. Instilling in participants a realistic hope for coming generations."

Find more information here or contact the Stovers at stovern@bellsouth.net.

My Nana’s homemade pickles ranged from the lip puckering sour green tomatoes to the smoldering dilled cucumbers. And I could devour a half jar of her picked okra in an afternoon.

Those childhood memories of my paternal grandmother’s canning abilities inspired one of my “slow living” resolutions for 2009, to start preserving my own food.

To be honest, I only remember the artifacts of her efforts, not the process itself. Only until recently did I discover the various ways of pickling vegetables (or that beets, green beans and onions could be on the menu).

I suspect that many my age have no hands-on experience with canning, fermenting, dehydrating or even freezing. I grew up for the most part on 30-minute Hamburger Helper and the pop-a-top Del Monte green beans.

I've been mulling for the past week whether to participate in any of the various local food challenges going on in North Carolina and across the country. Not because I don't think it would be possible. In fact, I believe North Carolina is one of the best states to do it in. I just don't know if I want to add more rules or guidelines to my life.

I actually thought about participating in the 100 Mile Diet last year and blogging about it for the News & Record, but I scrapped the idea once I became pregnant. Now that my daughter is six months old, I feel comfortable trying it. Plus, eating locally is becoming more popular and I've got to be in the in-crowd, now don't I? (Yeah, right.)

I've been gardening in a small plot and shopping at the farmers markets in Greensboro and Colfax since last spring. Resources such as Slow Food Piedmont Triad and Local Harvest have helped me find sites for all kinds of goods, such as locally milled flour, chicken and herbs. I just need to decide how strict I want to be and how long I want to go. Do I cut out rice and pasta, salt and pepper? Do I go for a week, a month or the rest of the year? What restaurants in Greensboro would be off limits?  

Whatever I decide, I have made the commitment to increase the amount of locally-grown and produced foods I eat. I like feeling connected to farmers and artisans in Guilford County and North Carolina and being able to ask them face to face about their products. But I want my purchases and food preparations to be both a joy and learning experience, not a guilt-ridden chore. 

I am fascinated by the prospects of consciously participating in the evolution of my species and the transition from one age to another. I find myself a big picture thinker, so I need frameworks under which to operate and be motivated to make sacrifices so that my family and community can live more sustainably.

One resource that I have come upon is the Center for Ecozoic Studies, which publishes literature on the burgeoning Ecozoic Age, made popular by Greensboro ecologist and cultural historian Thomas Berry. He maintains that we are moving from the Cenozoic Age that began with the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to the Ecozoic Age. Why is this new age so important? The health of the planet has been endangered because of human activity, according to Berry, and we need to move to an era where the well-being of the entire planet is our primary concern, not just the well-being of humans. Berry also says it is the responsibility of every human to participate in shepherding in this new era.

Of course, that task is supremely difficult. Herman Greene, founder of the Center for Ecozoic Studies wrote (starting page 92) that:

"What we are dealing with is something very different than any social cause we might have been involved in before, or that any human has every been involved in before. This doesn't, however, mean we can't learn from and apply our experience. It just means we can't predict this future -- the ecozoic future-- from the past, and we can't "solve" this problem of how to get to an ecological age the way we have solved past problems.... Our world is changing faster and faster and in general is moving in the direction of more stuff, more industry, more cities, and more human impact. It is kind of like there is a GREAT BIG FREIGHT TRAIN moving across the whole Earth. What are we to do to get out of the way? The answer is something like disassemble and reassemble the freight train before it hits us and change the crew... and we are the crew."

Which I took to mean that humans must simultaneously create a new way of life while living in the existing one (although some argue nothing less than an evolutionary leap is needed). What more, not everyone agrees that we are on a freight train or that we are in any way culpable for the problems we are facing. But all over the world, people are making changes, even in Greensboro. They see the current way as a dead end, our longstanding institutions as dysfunctional, our very symbols and verbal constructs as obsolete, and our business practices as in need of a change.

Yet, we've got to pay the bills. And we've got to maintain our sanity because this journey is daunting. Personally, that means going to work everyday while trying to build the connections and skills that will enable my family to meet its needs and stay relevant in the next age (and I'm not talking power lunches and green schemes). That means living simply, learning to garden, researching more and watching little television, making peace with the circumstances of my life, and taking the personal risk of seeming a little "out there" in my conversations in order to attract those of like mind. All the while realizing there are no guarantees.

What more could I do? And how are you straddling the ages?

I expect that everyone who makes a major lifestyle change has that symbolic act that represents to themselves and to the world a new beginning. Perhaps it is the cutting up of a credit card, the tossing of a whole pack of cigarettes into the trash or the dusting off of a book of neglected sacred literature.

I often reflect on what act encouraged me to transition to a more sustainable, natural lifestyle. One defining moment that gave me the courage to ignore cultural expectations and be true to myself was the decision in the fall of 2006 to cut my hair.

What's the big deal about that? Well, I had never before cut my hair more than a few inches. I loved the feel of my hair brushing my shoulders and blowing in the wind, and to be honest, I was somewhat beholden to a popular cultural expectation that beautiful woman have long, straight hair. All of a sudden, I said poo to that. I wanted to wear my hair in its natural state.

Below, my before and after pictures:

Now, getting a relaxer is considered a rite of passage among many women in African-American culture. My first relaxer was a no-lye "Just for me" kiddie perm I received at age 10. I was hooked for the next 15 years. Over time I started to learn certain things about myself: I didn't like seeking out beauticians or sitting in their shops for half my Saturdays to get my hair done. I tired of shelling out $60 for a retouch -- not including the cost of its "support staff" of conditioners, hair sprays, cremes and gels -- and spending so much time wrapping, curling, rolling and drying my hair (relaxed hair doesn't air dry well). I also questioned the wisdom of loading my hair up with lye and other chemicals on a regular basis.

I did face some discouragement from family members when I told them I was considering going natural. To this day my mother occasionally asks if I am growing my hair back ("you've got to look presentable at work!")

But I found courage in peers who had made the change years before and had gorgeous afros or locks as proof that going natural didn't mean looking unkempt (although I admit I've since had my own bad hair days). That little bit of empowerment emboldened me to pursue other steps, such as changing my diet and narrowing overall the types of chemicals I will allow in my home.

My biggest learning lesson was that most of the opposition I feared didn't exist. The world didn't stop turning and I received more compliments than criticism.

What was your symbolic act and do you regret it?