A Grassroots Journey of Transformation
Sweet Water Sustainability Institute
by Tricia Mills Baehr
Sweet Water Sustainability Institute (SWSI)sits on 144 acres of rolling hills, pastures and forest. In addition, 111,000+ square feet of building space and infrastructure is there waiting like a blank canvas full of possibilities. Gifted to a group of possiblists (someone who believes anything is possible) by Meiji Gakuin University of Tokyo in December of 2010; SWSI is in transition to be transformed into a multifunctional, educational, non-profit institution available to all ages, from children to elders, concentrating the education of wellness, creative expression, personal growth, agriculture, and sustainable living practices which encompass all aspects of the mind, body and spirit. SWSI supports the cultivation of ecological sustainability with the practices of organic farming and gardening, permaculture, composting systems, green building, alternative and appropriate energy technologies including solar and wind power, and locally sourced arts and hand crafts.
SWSI has partnered with LifeSigns US, a nonprofit organization that provides women who are facing financial and environmental challenges a place to discover and develop a positive and productive lifestyle that serves them and the community in which they live. This will be done through programs that offer life and career skills, general education, and personal and professional developmental coaching. LifeSigns goal is to strive in setting a standard for all women, by empowering them with the knowledge and skills needed so that they may lead by example, thereby causing others to follow. What a great addition to the SWSI campus, now women participating in the LifeSigns programs will be exposed to wellness, creativity, agriculture and sustainable living practices to empower them even more.
SWSI is continuing to make connections with other non-profit organizations and starting dialogues about how working together through the SWSI campus can assist in missions and visions for a brighter future. In addition, SWSI has received its first grant from the East Tennessee Foundation through the Joyce and William Bricker Fund. Providing a combination of educational resources for healthy, peaceful, sustainable living through for fee services, scholarships, in residence programs and work trade is how SWSI will accomplish its mission.
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