Food and Faith

The Christmas Tree Conundrum

The first winter I was out of college, living in an apartment on my own, I did what I thought was the environmentally responsible thing, and ran out to buy an artificial Christmas tree.  I convinced my parents to do the same thing.  “How can we cut down all these trees?” was my main argument.  However, over the years since then, I have heard another side of the debate, which has many more facts attached to it than my gut-reaction to Christmas trees.  This morning, NPR had an interesting story about environmental issues attached to Christmas trees.  You can listen to the story here. 

via presbyterian.typepad.com

I'm still debating whether to get a Christmas tree or not. I just put up a string of lights in our dining room, so that just may clinch it.

For several years, my boss would give me one of those miniature cedars wrapped in shiny red foil. They always died. But one finally survived, so I planted it in our yard and it grew like a weed on manure. Three years later, I chopped it down for the tallest tree we've ever had.

But, this year, unless my teenagers rebel (you know, they just don't make teenagers as rebellious as they used to...), no tree for us.

What's the Christmas tree all about anyway?!

What does it mean to you?

Here are some reflections from Katie Holmes on the Christmas tree conundrum. Enjoy.

Voices of change (Cancún #3)

Climate change is a serious issue and one that threatens our survival and all species on the planet. The solutions that are needed are urgent and must be initiated at the local level, then institutionalized in our institutions. But who said it can't be fun solving the problems that face us; combining creativity with human evolution should be a fun path to travel on. Enjoy the voices of change.

“Welcome to the Nightmare, Welcome to the Hope” (Cancún # 2)

Historically, the manipulators of people and enforcers of injustice have used religion as the tool for colonizing the mind and body of subjects. Contemporarily, consumerism has been the tool used to make the rich richer, enslave the working class, marginalize minority groups, exploit “lesser-developed” nations and degrade mother earth.

Traveling through Cancun has been a profound and empowering experience. It was ironic, as I spent more time in Cancun, the reality of the United States became clearer. Here in the states we’re told that consumption and growth are the keys to progress.

A Mayan Mistica (Cancún # 3)

One of the Highlights from the trip. Please pay attention to the fire halfway through the clip.

Will they get it right in Cancún?

In Cancún, Mexico, governments have yet another opportunity to commit to a global action plan to save the planet. Will they?

Update below gives some indication, but only time will tell. And while we wait for Blain's next post, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has great information for you with staff reporting from the negotiating halls and the various civil society meetings and protests. You can follow these on their site.

IATP has also released a new series of papers focusing on agriculture-specific challenges and solutions for climate change.

And if you like stories, visit the Voices of Climate and Agriculture!

Finally, you can read their blog entry, "Will they get it right in Cancún?".

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Cancun Midpoint Update | Question of Kyoto Threatens Progress
Mounting opposition to the Kyoto Protocol by select developed countries in Cancun is testing the tenability of whether global climate change regime is achievable; however, a subtle tone of optimism floats through the corridors of the varied venues hosting this year’s major climate change negotiations as the first week of negotiations come to a close.

Better living through science?

In our modern world of medicine cabinets and pharmaceuticals, our food is not omitted from the pill-bottle dependency. Which means, the meat we eat is infused with chemical stimulations such as antibiotics.

In this Associated Press report on antibiotics in pigs, sent to me from my purveyor of hormone-free, farm-raised, close-to-home pork and poultry, farmers talk about the effect of raising pigs on antibiotics - including human resistance to medical treatment, which killed over 65,000 people in 2008.

According to the research, 70% of antibiotics in the United States is used on farm animals, 13% of those healthy animals.

We're talking dollar$, not sense.

I wonder -how much money is the pharmaceutical industry making, first providing antibiotics for our food, then alternative antibiotics for us when we get sick and can no longer be treated by antibiotics we now have resistance to from eating on a regular basis?

Besides that - How many of us are being treated with antibiotics without even knowing? What is the effect of injesting antibiotic infused meat for people with deadly allergies to things like penicillin? What other "biotics" are we killing in our race to exterminate all "bio" from our food system?

And most importantly - How it is possible we as a society and meat consumers specifically are provided with such product without labelling? I think it is an atrocity that products be labelled "hormone-free" "antibiotic free" instead of a list on each package of food of exactly what it is I am buying. I want the package to say, "This pork chop is generously packed with doses of antibiotics. Eat at your own risk."

 

Climate and social justice (Cancún #1)

Blain Snipstal and Bethel Erickson during the Agrarian Road Trip in June

Blain Snipstal, HEART Road Trip alumnus, is currently in Cancun during the UN COP-16 Climate Talks on a Rural Coalition delegation and sponsored by the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Along with thousands of people from civil society, many coming by caravan through Mexico, he is participating in the Alternative Global Forum on Climate Change and Social Justice (see news report about small farmer participation). This is his first post from Cancun with thoughts prior to his departure on Dec. 3rd.

I write this to you as I am experiencing the final days of my academic experiment (well, at least for now). Academia, for me, was a microcosm for experiencing the dualities, tri-alities, and quasi-alities that our collective amalgamation of life, which we call the world, can offer. In my final days; the world is shrinking; its once enormity is now no more than an infinitesimal dot or splash in a sea of consciousness. Perhaps, nothing is what it seems. Each day, the limitless of life is shown above the codifiers of our human experience. Another binary is broken; forever shattered and swept beneath the curtains of the past. For me, individual thoughts, apart from physiological needs, have become focused in their originality.

Prosperous progress for the evolution of progeny; devout service to, and unflinching faith in, the eternal.

Several years ago, I came across a quote by Gandhi;

"The world depends for its existence on the act of generation, and as the world is the playground, of god and a reflection of his glory, the act of generation should be controlled for the ordered growth of the world. he who realizes this will control his lust at any cost, equip himself with the knowledge necessary for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of his progeny, and give the benefit of that knowledge to posterity."

Profound words. It begets the questions: What are you doing in this world, if it's not for the betterment of humankind?

Happy birthday to EAA!

How can an acronym be born and have a birthday?!

When it was born 10 years ago and stands for Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance!

Okay, that was kind of silly. But we do celebrate these 10 years of collaborative action and the Presbyterian Church USA's past seven years of involvement!

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), one of the most diverse international Christian organizations existing today, celebrates its tenth anniversary on 9 December. Over 70 churches and Christian organizations are currently members of the Alliance, from Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. These members, representing a combined constituency of tens of millions of people around the world, are committed to working together in public witness and action for justice on defined issues of common concern.

The need for an alliance to strengthen campaigning efforts for peace, justice and human dignity was identified in meetings between the World Council of Churches and heads of Christian development agencies in the late 1990s. The EAA was created to focus advocacy by churches and related organizations on a few selected topics, and provide a space where diverse churches, organizations and Christian groups could collaborate.

The founding assembly of the EAA was held in Geneva, 7-9 December 2000. Trade and HIV and AIDS were the first two issues selected for joint action. Members of the EAA currently collaborate in ongoing campaigns on Food ('Food for Life') and HIV and AIDS ('Live the Promise').

"I have seen the EAA grow from an idea to a solid and effective, internationally recognized agent for change," stated Rev. Dr Richard Fee, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and Chairperson of the EAA's Board of Directors. "We've marked many successes over these past ten years but there is no doubt that the need for churches and Christians to continue to speak and act together is as urgent as ever."

"The Global Week of Action has become a dynamic way for congregations in the United States to educate and act around critical trade and food justice issues that affect our partners overseas as well as people in our own communities," says Andrew Kang Bartlett of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, who serves on EAA's Food for Life Campaign strategy group.

While you may not make the anniversary celebration at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 9 December (you knew that was coming with the 'Centre' spelling, right?), but you can get engaged by downloading the Week of Action on Food Guide to use as an educational tool with your congregation! Download the beautiful PDF Food Week guide right here

The list of current EAA members is available here

And you can view a timeline of highlights over the past ten years here (PDF)

Host a Performance of Leaps and Bounds

Recently I have been hearing a lot about an opportunity for people of faith to think about eco-justice issues through art.  Leaps and Bounds is a one-woman theatrical performance that explores how faith speaks to economic and environmental issues.   Through multiple tools including song, prayer, storytelling, and movement, performer and developer Tevyn East helps communities of faith explore the intersections of “faith, ecology, and the global economy.”  Watch a promotional video for the performance. 

via the Environmental Ministries blog Eco-Journey! presbyterian.typepad.com

The advantage to hosting a performance of Leaps and Bounds is that you get to experience it! It is full-body, multi-sensory learning that may blow your preconceptions. Oh, and it is wonderfully entertaining too.

Learn more at the Affording Hope Project website

This year the Advisory Committee of the Hunger Program approved a small grant to the Affording Hope Project to help support this important project.