From The Great Turning by David C. Korten:

"By what name will our children and our children's children call our time? Will they speak in anger and frustration of the time of the Great Unraveling, when profligate consumption led to an accelerating wave of collapsing environmental systems, violent competition for what remained of the planet's resources, a dramatic dieback of the human population, and a fragmentation of those who remained into warring fiefdoms ruled by ruthless local lords?

"Or will they look back in joyful celebration on the noble time of the Great Turning, when their forebears turned crisis into opportunity, embraced the higher-order potential of their human nature, learned to live in creative partnership with one another and the living Earth, and brought forth a new era of human possibility?

"It is the premise of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community that we humans stand at a defining moment that presents us with an irrevocable choice. Our collective response will determine how our time is remembered for so long as the human species survives. In the days now at hand, we must each be clear that every individual and collective choice we make is a vote for the future we of this time will bequeath to the generations that follow. The Great Turning is not a prophecy; it is a possibility."

Will we as the richest, most consuming nation in the world turn from Empire to Earth Community? What legacy will we leave our children's children? By what name will they call our time? Now is the moment of decision. Now is the time for those who are prosperous and powerful, as we sing in a favorite hymn, to turn "from greed to giving." Now is the time to change the world with not only our love... but with our awareness of the need for cooperation and creativity in order to survive as a world community.

Today is Earth Day, the day when the nation and its people focus their concern on saving the world's natural environment. Community activities are often family-focused. They aim to teach children (and often their parents) about reducing, recycling, and reusing... about composting organics and energy conservation in the home, school and workplace. Community groups often run projects to clean up public areas, such as Taunton's 17th Annual Citywide Cleanup Day, which is scheduled for next Saturday. Many churches, even the more conservative, evangelical churches these days, are joining in with their concern for the environment. There's a group called What Would Jesus Drive? There is a growing awareness of the sacredness of the Earth, of God's Creation, and our need to be good stewards of its treasures. Amen! This is all very good.

But Earth Day began in 1970 as a day of grassroots demonstration to spark a revolution -a non-violent revolution I might add -against environmental abuse. It began with purpose, as stated by one of its first founders, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. This senator from the Big Sky Country wanted his fellow politicians to put environmental protection on the political agenda. To his surprise, there was resistant among the powerful. Nelson didn't have immediate success... although he achieved a lot for the environment with his persistence over the next decade.

The public, including the millions who were involved in the first Earth Day, were far ahead of most of this country's politicians. And they were far, far ahead of the big corporations. Maybe that's no surprise to some of you here this morning. I know that you with backgrounds in biology are more keenly aware of what is going on in this area than I am. And some of you are more involved in saving the planet from over-consumption by being vegetarian... or from pollution through organic gardening. For all your commitments, I thank you and am most grateful!

Back to the beginnings in 1970. Because of the persistence of Senator Nelson and the early environmentalists, the federal government finally passed environmental protection laws and established the EPA. Thanks to the movement, we have now have wetland protection, recycling and hazardous waste disposal. Teachers teach children about environmental issues, with many resources in libraries and on-line available to them.

Because of government funding, our regional planning agency based here in Taunton supports the Taunton River Watershed Alliance to protect this scenic river. And I look forward to our annual outdoor service in May at the Boyden Wildlife Refuge. What a treat to gather together by that beautiful, beautiful river!

Earth Day has continued and grown since its beginning in 1970. It is now celebrated around the world. We can take heart in this. Yet despite this, despite the growing environmental awareness, despite the Kyoto Treaty, we are only too aware of how all this has not been enough. Yes, many of the rivers are cleaner in this country, but more lakes are dead from acid rain. Yes, the air over our cities may be less polluted. But the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is creating serious problems worldwide.

Global warming is becoming more serious year by year. I don't have to tell you this. If you pay attention to the news or have watched the Al Gore film, An Inconvenient Truth, you already know. It is a time of the Great Turning. What legacy will we leave our children's children? By what name will they call our time?

We know what should be done. It's obvious to the scientists and the concerned public. We need to do our best to reduce air pollution, to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, to eliminate toxic waste, to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. Overall, we need to reduce the drain on the world's limited resources... clean water and fertile soil. We need to further develop alternative technologies and be committed to using them. We know all this; it's obvious! So what's stopping us, particularly the richer societies from changing our ways?

The answer, my friends, is a particular mindset. It's a lack of moral maturity in the powerful leaders of many wealthy nations. America is not alone in this.

I don't think it's the mindset of regular folks like you and me. Our treasure... what we most value...may not sit in a financial bank but may dwell in gardens, woods and rivers. And we see and understand the need for greater cooperation and creativity at all levels of human society. We already know that much human potential is being wasted, that our real wealth is being squandered.

It's the mindset of the ones who are in control, the people of power and influence, the CEO's of major corporations and many of the politicians who ally with them. These folks are far removed from the reality of everyday life. It is the culture of competition and domination and of war, if necessary, to gain greater power. It is the mindset of an unfettered free market economy... and the survival of the "fittest"... if the fittest is defined as people like themselves. It was the mindset of the Holy Roman Empire and of the American Empire. The dominators are the strongest and smartest and most cunning who deserve what they get. And the others are just losers who deserve what they get because they are weak, shiftless and lack ambition. Or so this thinking goes. The Earth, too, is a thing to be exploited for greater wealth and power.

This is the Empire Society that the author David Korten refers to. This culture, which relied on conquest, has dominated the world for 5,000 years, but it is just now begun to imperil the Earth.

The morally mature individuals realize the shortcomings of the Empire Society. Instead of war and other forms of conquest, we value cooperation and partnerships. We see the need for creativity inspired by the common good and common goals. We need all these in order to turn the critical situation around.

Our view of human nature is very different, too. Instead of cynicism, we view each human being as having the potential for going either way... toward greed or toward giving. Therefore each human life should be nurtured and each person valued because of his or her potential to accomplish good, even great things. And of course, we also need to love and respect to Earth itself, our Ancient Mother, our sacred home.

How then do we turn the world from greed to giving? Is it even possible? Yes, says Korten. He spent much of his life working on economic development in poor countries and has studied the economic, social and spiritual effects of First World domination of the Third World. His theory is if we just understand the root causes, it may be possible to plant and cultivate new, healthier roots, which will overtake the old ones. In his opinion, many people in our society are in the uncommitted middle and will be swayed by the culture which is around them. Those of us who care can make a difference in the tone of this culture.

We are clearly at the point where something must be done. We are at the point of the Great Turning, where the roots of Earth Community must be cultivated with earnestness... and lots of organic mulch. Korten doesn't underestimate the powerful, but neither does he underestimate the power of those people who understand what's at stake. Much of the world gets it. Thus the great support for the Kyoto Treaty... and of local control of resources... and all sorts of cooperative efforts like Fair Trade, shade grown coffee.

As a brief aside here, I recently signed up First Parish Church as a member of Equal Exchange. There's a large box in our kitchen with several bags of Fair Trade Coffee. It's shade grown, which protects the rain forest. I hope you enjoy it and take advantage of our membership. I have plenty of informational material for you to read.

Maybe you don't believe in the butterfly effect, that the air current from the beating wings of one butterfly can cause weather changes on the other side of the world. But then many butterflies, perhaps millions of butterflies together, can have such an effect. There's hope in this!

Now don't misinterpret one point Korten made. He's not saying that competition by itself is bad. Competition can bring out the best in people, as any sports parent can tell you. But it can also, unless directed properly, bring out the worst. Unbridled economic competition leads to the excesses of power and greed... and total disregard for the well-being of all. It's the balance between healthy competition and cooperation that is critical.

And neither Korton nor I are claiming that everyone who has power or wealth is morally challenged. That's certainly not true! But Korten writes that the powerful, morally challenged folks delude themselves as much as they purposely deceive others about their actions. Like small children, they think magically. They believe in the free market (or unregulated) economy like a religious dogma. If economic conditions go awry, they will naturally correct themselves and goods and services will again be distributed fairly to everyone. That is distributed to each according to what they deserve.

The morally challenged are also blind, like young children, to the pains and sufferings of others. They are only concerned with their own needs and desires. They may, like children, lie or use rationalizations in defense of their actions. "Everyone is just looking out for themselves!" they might say. This is understandable in young children. It's morally immature and potentially dangerous in adults.

So how shall we counterbalance this? The story is not over. One solution is working together at the local level to take back power. The other, of course, is to be involved in political actions, which I'll leave to another time and place. We can start our own green projects, join others already in progress and teach our children along the way.

One example: Community gardens are sprouting up everywhere, often with surpluses to feed the hungry. Jim Watkins is involved in a similar project called "Plant A Row for the Hungry." This is where people are asked to contribute crops from their own organic gardens. Not only does this project feed needy people, but locally grown food cuts the use of fossil fuel in transporting food to market.

There are organizations such as the UU Ministry for Earth which provide guidelines and other assistance to congregations who want to become more environmentally conscious and an active role as leaders in their communities. The UU Ministry for Earth is linked to the Green Sanctuary movement, whose goals are very ambitious. There are many resources on all these websites.

I'd also like to mention an innovative organization called Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light. This organization helps congregations evaluate their houses of worship for consumption of electricity, oil or gas and water. It offers ways to reduce excessive consumption through purchase of new, more energy efficient equipment and better maintenance. It also gives discounts for using green, renewable energy through their network. It helps members who are homeowners become more energy efficient in their homes. I urge First Parish Church to join Mass. Interfaith Power and Light as a first step toward becoming a good steward of the Earth. It doesn't cost much to join and I think would be well worth it. And I know it would be a good learning experience for the adults and be a great example for our children.

On this Earth Day, let us be reminded of our seventh UU principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
We are just a small part of the sacred web, but our actions matter... to the world and to our souls.
Let us be a proud example of what can be done to reclaim power and to enrich all humanity.
Let us be remembered by our children and by our children's children for the part we played in the time of Great Turning... of turning toward an Earth Community.

Amen and blessed be.

David C. Korten, The Great Turning; From Empire to Earth Community. Co-published by: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. of San Francisco, CA & Kumarian Press, Inc. of Bloomfield, CT, 2006.