Cultivating A Culture of Collaborative Eco-social Conservation
contributing to continuance of people, animals & planet
Aligning with the communitarian principle and practice of ONE CLOAK demands the practical application of LOVE-IN-ACTION to contribute to the preservation, stewardship, and maintenance of the planet as a whole. ONE CLOAK TENETS reflect the communitarian conviction that all resources – whether natural or human generated, are part of a shared global wealth, meant to be used wisely and equitably to support the life and liberty of people and animals, while also utilized to preserve and extend the beauty and rich diversity of the earth.
In order to manifest this value as a living testament to our reverence and honor of the earth, communitarians must take deliberate actions to eliminate waste, conserve resources, and adopt sustainable practices in every aspect of their lives. These consumption disciplines are not just personal choices; they are commitments to a collective responsibility that spans the entire global network of communitarian unions; thus demonstrating a lifestyle and love-style of Collaborative Union that pools and shares resources guided by the principle of LIVING SIMPLY to make Ethical Consumption a consistent daily practice.
In their fifth year of association, communitarians are called upon to refine and strengthen their lifestyle changes, ensuring they are doing everything they can to avoid contributing to wasting The World. This essential shift marks a significant phase of progress toward integration into the eco-social lifestyle of ‘Deep Union’ by making us more acutely aware of how our individual consumer behaviours, positively or negatively, impact people, animals, and planet.
The mindset of conservation extends beyond material goods to encompass the broader implications of energy use, environmental impact, and even the mental and emotional well-being of others.
From active participation in On the Ground Every day Revolutionary Activism that involves planting and tending Permanent Agriculture FOOD FORESTS and Backyard Kitchen Gardens, associates gathering in local, regionally networked and on-line Friendship Circles to form eco-social ‘collaborative provisioning’ communitarian unions across the globe, understand that living sustainably is more than an environmental issue. It is an ethical obligation to honour the shared resources of the Earth and responsibly accommodate the life-sustaining provisioning needs of current and future generations.
Preventing Waste & Protecting the Planet
The tapestry of ‘One Cloak’ Tenets emphasize that every communitarian shares in the responsibility to prevent waste, not only for the sake of personal thrift, but also to ensure that future generations – as a birthright, have access to all they need to survive and thrive. The concept of “wasting the world” speaks to the harmful and irreversible effects of the unsustainable practices of overconsumption, pollution, deforestation, and the depletion of resources that undermine the planet’s ability to regenerate and sustain life. For communitarians, wasting the world equates to squandering the collective inheritance of humanity.
In practice, adopting an eco-social lifestyle, entails making conscious decisions and planning to reduce our individual and collective carbon footprint, minimize water and energy usage that combine to curtail excessive consumption. It also involves actively participating in collaborative efforts such as Making, recycling, repairing & repurposing programs, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy generation projects.
Transitioning to communal union requires the demonstrated recognition that an associate’s individual choices are deeply intertwined with the broader mission of the union’s to preserve the Earth for future generations, ensuring that the ‘common’ wealth they are entrusted to responsibly steward, is passed down as a legacy of abundance, rather than scarcity or extinction.
Seeding A Sustainable Tomorrow
Creating a Legacy of Responsible Environmental Stewardship
Guided by ‘One Cloak’ Tenets, communitarian associates are called upon to develop the knowledge, skills, and daily conservation practices that make true stewardship of people and the environment a way of life.
A crucial element of this practice is the understanding that wasting resources not only harms the planet; it also diminishes the opportunities for others to live their life with dignity, health and material security. When communitarians strive to avoid ‘wasting the world,’ they are also committing to the preservation of communal resources – such as time, labor, and emotional energy that combine to contribute to the physical and mental health of everyone in the immediate unions as well as rippling out to positively impact the wider-world.
This aspect of conservation is about respecting the finite nature of all resources, including human vitality. By embracing sustainable eco-social living, communitarians ensure that no individual’s energy, effort, or potential is wasted. This may manifest in everyday practices, such as equitable allocation of domestic & Right Livelihood production tasks, prioritizing rest and mental health, and fostering a culture where resources are shared and conserved to support everyone’s fulfillment and longevity. The aim is to create a balanced ecosystem within the communal unions where each member’s well-being is interconnected, and the depletion of one person’s resources, is acknowledged to weaken the entire fabric and functionality of the collective.
In essence, the ‘One Cloak’ principle of conservation is a multifaceted approach that includes environmental sustainability practices which involve the planned well-considered use of communal resources, both physical and human. By living in accordance with this central value, communitarians actively work to prevent waste in all forms, creating a model of living that honours the Earth and the ‘common’ wealth that is shared (according to need) amongst all who participate and contribute. In doing so, those who live communally – sharing all with all, earn the right to draw from the collective resources of the global network of communitarian unions’ resources to sustain themselves in a manner conducive to a life lived in right relationship with people and planet, thus affirming that human fulfillment and planetary well-being are inseparable.
