World Environment Day Calls For Increasing Personal Responsibility

Church of Scientology Kansas City hosts an open house and conference to promote solutions to pressing environmental issues facing the community.

Two guest speakers joined parishioners from the Church of Scientology in Kansas City to share knowledge, goals, and work to foster change and improve environmental health in the greater KC area. 

Some 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. is wasted, according to Tan Nguyen, founder and president of NuWin Enterprises, a company committed to rethinking, reimagining, and reengaging the approach to water, agriculture, food loss and waste while increasing sustainability. Nguyen discussed how food waste creates harmful methane gas, and proposed solutions to convert food waste into productive commodities such as valuable fertilizer.  

“I greatly appreciate efforts like this to raise awareness and engage the community in a positive way,” said Nguyen of the event.

Tom Jacobs is Director of Environmental Programs for Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a nonprofit association of city and county governments and the metropolitan planning organization for the bistate Kansas City region. He described some of the collaborative regional efforts across the KC metro area to improve climate resilience, air quality, recycling and watershed management. Since 2001, he has worked with communities to solve environmental problems and create positive policies that cross city and county boundaries. 

“Kansas City has taken great strides towards becoming a more sustainable and resilient community. To make even more progress, each of us has a role to play in improving our environment,” Jacobs said. He urged those attending to become involved by planting trees and helping with neighborhood clean-ups. 

Church of Scientology of Kansas City Social Reform Officer Emma Ashton discussed the precept “Safeguard and improve your environment,” from The Way To Happiness, a nonreligious moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard. The Way to Happiness is the first moral code based wholly on common sense. Its purpose is to help arrest the moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust. 

Ashton explained why caring for the environment is a moral responsibility. 

“Today we are faced with numerous examples of man’s disregard for the future of our planet,” she said. “This can be seen plainly while walking or driving through most parts of our city, where litter and trash line our streets. At the root of all this is a lack of understanding, misinformation and carelessness of consequences, leading people to think that our current way of life is fine or that they can’t change it.” 

The Church of Scientology sponsors a chapter of The Way to Happiness Foundation to address this and other moral issues and their cumulative effect on society.

The Church’s next environmental event is a downtown clean-up Saturday, June 11, with volunteers from the Church, the KC Way To Happiness Foundation, the Downtown Neighborhood Association and other community partners. Those wishing to make a difference and help clean up the downtown area are invited to join in. 

The Church of Scientology Kansas City is an Ideal Scientology Organization dedicated in November 2019 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige. The Church works extensively with other religions, nonprofits and officials on programs to uplift and benefit the community. Its outreach activities are featured in a series of videos on an interactive timeline on the Scientology website.