3 RItes: LIFE emphasizes responsible stewardship of nature and questions our dependency on fossil fuels

The audience enters “The Wasteland,” an installation of plastic waste that is a mash-up of a DIY haunted house and Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The audience observes and interacts with the performers who engage in various activities: a conjoined duet, obsessively sorting and stacking waste, and a plastic tea party in which the audience is invited to partake. The audience journeys from “The Wasteland” into “The Greenhouse”, where they can join in activities that advocate for being better stewards of the earth, such as coloring in a chalk mural depicting images and quotes by Black environmental activists; participating in a creative reuse workshop; the presentation of a Dumpster Award to a corporation with a horrible pollution record; and a Green Award to a local environmental justice group; as well as discussions about the Buen Vivir movement, which advocates for a shift in values, where a nation’s success is not determined by corporations and the GDP. Instead, what determines a nation’s success is the well-being of its citizens - how many people have access to health care, education, food, affordable housing, and are living above the poverty line. Buen Vivir redefines values, humans are not owners of the earth and its resources, instead we are stewards of the earth.