S.A.V.E. saves environment through education, action

By Dennis Bova
January 21, 2025

SYLVANIA – The number of groups that promote protecting the environment are legion, from ones on the international stage, like the United Nations Environment Programme, to ones more commonly known, like Greenpeace.

But there’s a longtime group based at Lourdes University in Sylvania that’s been going about its mission in relative anonymity: S.A.V.E. – Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment.

S.A.V.E. was founded on Aug. 10, 1990 by three women who “felt we needed to do something about saving our Earth,” said Sr. Rosine Sobczak, the remaining one of the three women and the S.A.V.E. coordinator.

Read the rest of the article on the Toledo Free Press website.

Lourdes University, a corporate sponsor of S.A.V.E., has partnered with Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District (Lucas SWCD), Lucas County Auditor’s Office, and several other local agencies and institutions for the inaugural Lucas County Farm Connection event. This free event will take place July 20, 2024, from 10am-2pm at MacQueen’s Orchards in Holland, Ohio.

S.A.V.E members will be on hand to share info about the organization at the event.

MacQueen Orchards uses apple-processing methods that were chosen to minimize any environmental impacts. The family-friendly Lucas County Farm Connection will welcome and bring together both the
agricultural and non-agricultural communities to learn, play, and inspire forward progress for sustainable food production in Lucas County. There will be a main-stage speaker series, a children’s area, food trucks, a tour of MacQueen Orchards, and a business and agency expo.

Emphasizing the importance of home-grown food and grain produced in Lucas County, the event
organizers will make attendees more aware of local farming, and all that it entails, in both rural and urban
settings.

Registration is required, but the event is free to attend. All those registered by July 14 will receive
a free MacQueen’s freshly made donut.

Eco-Spirituality is easy: Put down your phone and go outside.

Many people today are on their phones constantly, walking on the sidewalk, grocery shopping or even when crossing a street. Need a quick answer? Check in with Siri! Our lives are filled with distractions, news, background music and even texting during meals.

Could boredom be a reason for such behavior? I challenge all of us to “Take on Boredom this Spring” by setting smartphones and computers aside to help us de-clutter our minds and spend time alone in quiet receptivity. Stillness and less distractions are needed for inner strength to lead us forward. Bravely, risk boredom and find ‘device free’ time each day. Spring is a wonderful time to do this, and this spring in particular as we worry about our country and our Earth. Turn off the phone and focus on Spring and nature’s beauty.

We are an essential part of creation along with all non-human animals, all plants, and non-living entities that grace planet Earth. Rejoicing in the beauty around us is eco-spirituality, that is, teaching us about life and how to live it sustainably. Perhaps we need to alter our thinking, revise the old paradigms and celebrate Earth as our common home. This ecological examen may help us. When was the last time you really set aside time to take a walk, inhale fresh air, feel the wind and smell the fragrance of a flower? (When is the last time you did this without using your phone or camera once?)

Ask yourself: Where did I really feel God’s presence today? When have I seen people taking care of Earth? When did I see real beauty in a tree, grass, or flower? How do I feel energized after a nature encounter? This, my friends, is your eco-spirituality.

Leave the computer and phone alone for a little while and allow yourself to enter a new type of boredom this spring. Sit with the quiet and wait for your inner wisdom to come into your consciousness. Try this! Worry less and let peace follow this Spring!

Sr. Rosine Sobczak OSF
President S.A.V.E.