White Violet Center for Eco-Justice is a non-profit eco-justice education center focusing on organic agriculture

Organic food

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

, spiritual ecology

Spiritual ecology

Spiritual ecology is a recent term that refers to the intersection between religion and spirituality and environment . Practitioners of spiritual ecology fall into three categories: the scientific and academic, spiritual or religious environmentalism, and religious or spiritual individuals who...

 and social advocacy. Founded in 1996 by Sister of Providence Ann Sullivan, the center is a ministry of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840...

, Indiana. The center grew out of the Roman Catholic women religious congregation's commitment to eco-spirituality and sustainability.

The center maintains a herd of alpacas, 343 acres (1.4 km²) of state-certified organic

Organic food

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

 farmland, bees, a berry patch, a farmers' market, classified forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

 and orchards. White Violet Center hosts field trips, workshops and film series to educate both children and adults. The center has hosted a variety of speakers including cosmologist Brian Swimme

Brian Swimme

Brian Thomas Swimme is on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, where he teaches evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He received his Ph.D. from the department of mathematics at the University of Oregon for work in singularity...

, beekeeper Günther Hauk, author Judy Cannato

Judy Cannato

Judy Cannato is an American Catholic author, retreat facilitator, and spiritual director. Educated at Ohio University and John Carroll University with master's degrees in education and religious studies, she is an associate member of the Congregation of St. Joseph and maintains an office at , a...

 and essayist Scott Russel Sanders.

White Violet Center is considered an "engaged project" by the Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 Forum on Religion and Ecology. It is also featured in Sarah McFarland Taylor

Sarah McFarland Taylor

Sarah McFarland Taylor is an American academic and author. She is currently Associate Professor of Religion in the Department of Religious Studies at Northwestern University, where she also teaches in the Environmental Policy and Culture Program...

's 2007 book Green Sisters: A Spiritual Ecology.

Philosophy

The White Violet Center mission statement states the center exists "to foster a way of living that recognizes the interdependence of all creation. Grounded in an understanding of Providence Spirituality as hope and healing, the center offers leadership and education in the preservation, restoration and reverent use of all natural resources."

As a congregation, the Sisters of Providence have practiced this mission by installing a biomass

Biomass

Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....

 boiler to heat and power the buildings on their motherhouse grounds, producing biodiesel

Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....

, maintaining a significant recycling

Recycling

Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...

 program, and using sustainable irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 systems for the organic

Organic food

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...

 gardens and orchards.

Herd

White Violet Center's herd of alpacas operates under the name White Violet Farm Alpacas. The center acquired its first six animals as a donation in 1998. White Violet alpacas entered in shows have won numerous awards from associations including the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association (AOBA).

The animals are named after significant figures in Sisters of Providence

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840...

 history. . Alpacas with names like Providence Theodore Guerin (after congregation foundress Saint Mother Theodore Guerin), Providence Raphael (after former general superior Mary Raphael Slattery

Mary Raphael Slattery

Mother Mary Raphael Slattery, S.P., was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 1926-1938. During her term, her business sense helped the congregation through the Great Depression...

), and Providence Pere Michel (after an early gardener for the sisters) pay tribute to this past.

Fiber

All fiber from the herd is processed and utilized. Staff members and volunteers spin, knit and weave handmade products, and the center offers fiber workshops to teach these skills.