On Friday, Nov. 7, the third annual Faithfully Advancing Sustainability Together (FAST) conference kicked off in the Calvin University chapel. The conference, organized by the Sustainability Fellows cohort, brings together students from regional universities to learn about and discuss sustainability.
The conference opened with a poem by Emily Dickinson, read by Environmental Education Coordinator Tom Hartzell, framing the conference within a vision of inspiring hope. “Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul / And sings the tune without the words / And never stops at all,” read Hartzell.
Keynote speaker and 2021 Taylor University graduate, Michaela Stenerson, talked about her journey from being a nature-loving child in Ohio to becoming an education specialist at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
From her time at Taylor majoring in sustainable development, to a fellowship with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, Stenerson was always passionate about helping people and loving nature. However, following her internship, she “was left with hope to take action, but also there was a part of my brain that started to see humans as just kind of the bad guy and all … It’s easy to see humans as a parasite on the earth.”
The book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer gave her a “new perspective on how we can relate to the earth.” For Stenerson, Kimmerer reframed “what the goal is … to harvest from the world in a way that allows the world to still thrive along with future generations,” explaining that she “really began to see the integration of people and nature, and how caring for the environment is caring for people.”
As an environmental educator in the estuaries of the Indian Lagoon on Florida’s east coast, Stenerson has seen the environment around her facing both global and local challenges. Climate change and shifting weather patterns, coastal development and rainwater runoff are all posing a challenge for the local environment she works in. Through it all, she is witnessing a community coming together, coming to understand the value of place-based conservation by learning about and protecting their local environment. “We are able to have fun in the water, but also care for it,” said Stenerson.
According to Stenerson, part of making lasting change is about recognizing the utility of an interdisciplinary approach. “We need scientists, but also educators, managers and administrators, and even artists,” said Stenerson, “You don’t have to be a scientist to do this kind of work.” “God promises to restore all things, and He has not left us alone to suffer. He’s invited us to be part of this healing work,” said Stenerson.
Day two of the conference featured 12 different breakout sessions, ranging from beekeeping, watershed discipleship and solar programs for congregations. Between sessions, attendees met for meals and poster exhibitions. In an open mic time in the afternoon, called “SEY What” (Sustainability Education and You), students had the opportunity to give a short presentation on what they are passionate about. “We are all experts on something,” said Hartzell.
For Hope student and second-time FAST conference attendee, Hunter Beck, “the biggest thing has been the opportunity to mingle with people in different disciplines, and from all different places … finding out what students are doing at other schools and sharing our knowledge.”
Calvin sophomore environmental health and conservation major Bethany Carlson echoed Stenerson’s interdisciplinary approach, commenting that the FAST conference was “inspiring for all the people attending … I am an environmental major, but students from all majors are here, so we get to learn how to work towards sustainable action even if it’s not doing research and writing.”
For Hartzell, this conference marked an important milestone for the Sustainability Fellows cohort. “This is the best one that we’ve put together in terms of being well organized,” said Hartzell, “How competent these students are and how good they are working as a team … it all felt pretty smooth.”
As for the future of the conference, Hartzell was confident: “FAST feels well established now, that this will be a legacy of the cohort, which will persist in the capable hands of Earthkeepers. I’m so grateful that we can make this contribution to the community.”
