Commitment to Earth Charter and Social Justice

Because of the Sisters' commitment to the Earth Charter and social justice, their perspective of the land goes beyond the property's development rights and its associated "Highest and Best Value." Instead, they believe that there are ethical and moral choices to be made in any land-use decisions. A land ethic, as they use the term, is an expression of a world view that simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively: the land. A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is an effort to understand and preserve this capacity.