Sustainability and Stewardship

1. Sustainability and Stewardship Krista Barzen-Hanson Shannon Stein

2. Goal • To explore the connections between sustainability and stewardship (because the two words are often used interchangeably) • Where they intersect • Where they diverge

3. Methodology • Research • Compared definitions found • Developed questions from definitions • Created interviewee list • Performed interviews • Made comparison table • Analyzed responses

4. Web definitions • Sustainability : • meeting current needs without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by balancing environmental, economic and social concerns • Stewardship: • the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care (natural resources)

5. Benedictine Definitions • Sustainability • Benedictine Values: To be content with living simply… • RB80 Ch. 48: All things are done in moderation • Stewardship • Benedictine Values: To appreciate and to care lovingly for all the goods of this place • RB80 Ch. 31: Regard all utensils as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar

6. Our definitions • Sustainability: • Social, economic, and environmental pillars. Conserving resources now so they are available for future generations. • Stewardship: • Managing and caring for resources and people.

7. Questions • What does sustainability mean to you? • What does stewardship mean to you? • Where do you see the terms overlap? • Where do the terms differ? • Do you have a preference? • Do the connotations of sustainability and stewardship make one term seem better than another?

8. Interviewee Breakdown • 4 students • 3 professors • 3 Sisters • 2 faculty members

9. Sustainability • People with our complete definition: • 17% • People who only mentioned 3 pillars: • 8% • People who only mentioned the future: • 50% • People who did not mention specifics: • 25%

10. Stewardship • People with our complete definition: • 8% • People who mentioned resources: • 58% • People who mentioned people: • 8% • People who did not mention specifics: • 25%

11. Preferences/Connotations • People who had no preference: • 42% • People who preferred sustainability: • 25% • People who preferred stewardship: • 33%

12. Trends • Monastic Community • Environmental Studies • No Preference

13. Surprises • Restructuring the Economy • Don’t worry about yourself • Sustainability as a “buzz word”

14. Take-Aways • Different mindset • Importance of terms

15. Improvements for Study • Larger sample size • Greater variety in sample • Continue face-to-face