Intentional Community for Human and More-than-Human Beings, with Ruth Padilla deBorst | Ep. 146

In this episode, Forrest Inslee and Jo Swinney spend time with Ruth Padilla deBorst of A Rocha Costa Rica, sharing experiences and insights on creation care and community living. Ruth highlights the organization's growth, and its commitment to creation care, community engagement, and environmental justice. In particular, she describes the ways that her intentional community, called Casa Adobe, works to foster deep connection between people and nature, and people with other people. The conversation delves into the challenges of seeking such environmental restoration, addressing issues like river pollution, greenwashing, and the need for a more profound understanding of our particular places. Ruth also emphasizes the importance of caring for creation alongside others in community, advocating for a shift from an individualistic, consumption-orientation to shared responsibility and mutual support. The episode concludes with practical advice for listeners on how to engage in meaningful environmental action, and the ways that we can balance lament for the current state of the planet while at the same time remaining hopeful for the future.

Keywords

creation care, environmental justice, intentional community, A Rocha International, A Rocha Costa Rica, storytelling, ecological stewardship, community living, environmental activism, hope, indigenous wisdom, composting, theology of creation

Takeaways

•  Jo Swinney: "I am primarily a storyteller, trying to inspire people to do what they can where they are."
• Ruth Padilla DeBorst: "It's hard for me to imagine caring thoroughly for creation if we don't get off that train of consumption and accumulation."
• Ruth Padilla DeBorst: "The most powerful possibility of transformation is communal."
• Ruth Padilla DeBorst: "Recognizing the river as our sister is an expression of worship of God, not of the river, but of the creator."

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