“Right relationship” is part of the IHM Sisters’ mission statement; it means honoring and respecting the sacredness of all creation. Being in right relationship with the whole Earth community led us to our belief that sustainability is a moral mandate for the 21st century.
A Moral Mandate
Today’s IHM community is at a unique and historical moment. Through research, discernment and study, we came to a renewed vision for bringing about the dream of God on Earth. Our community was inspired, through learning and prayer, to renovate our home and to renew our campus and our lives in ways that express our commitment to sustainable living.
A sustainable way of life means that the needs of the present are met without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.
Our IHM community considers sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century. Our growing ecological consciousness places all humans in interdependent relations to one another and to all life on the planet.
Living sustainably involves changing the way we think about life on this beautiful planet. It calls for us as a human species to move from being a disruptive force on this earth to a benign presence. We use resources wisely so that we don’t use them up. We think beyond today and immediate gratification and change how we live so that future generations will have adequate resources. It is a mandate that requires transformation.