Eco-act 21-04: Garden Calendar!

We’re starting a community garden…but dispersed! As you may recall, we are aiming to get our community gardening at home (in any form!). Our hope is that tending to the earth would reconnect you to God and all of Creation, and that any surplus you grow could contribute to Union’s robust food ministries. (For more info on our vision for Eco-Faith in this next year, read more here).

Union Gardens

Read on for a nifty planting calendar

To start you off on your way, we’ve developed a Planting Calendar detailing the kinds of produce you can grow, when, and how to get them going. Additionally, in the “Union Weekly Use” column, we’ve listed the quantity needed for our weekly burrito roll, with current recipes in mind. Obviously, there are some blanks in that column! We would welcome any and all produce that you contribute and can either add them to burritos or distribute fresh produce to Compass House or LUV.

If you would like access to the spreadsheet itself, click here. Otherwise, feel free to download this picture to print out for your reference.

Let us know what tips or tricks you might have in the way of starts and prepping your soil for a fruitful harvest. And, we will be starting a What’s App group to share ideas and/or a monthly zoom chat on a Thursday night — stay tuned!

We’ll be prepping our gardens right alongside you. Happy planting!!

* Useful references: Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard, McCrate and Halm; The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide, Seattle Tilth

** Assuming approximate last frost date of April 15th, per Sky Nursery

Eco-act 029: support local

This week, we’ve been reading this excerpt of Wendell Berry’s article “The Idea of a Local Economy” — and we highly encourage you to read it. Berry articulates so well how and why local economies matter in the big and small scheme of things. We invite you to consider a few quotes, as big corporations and multinational companies continue shaping our world (inequitably for the poor and people of color…and inevitably for all of us who share the land and its resources):

One begins to ask, What is here, what is in me, that can lead to something better?

…So far as I can see, the idea of a local economy rests upon only two principles: neighborhood and subsistence. In a viable neighborhood, neighbors ask themselves what they can do or provide for one another, and they find answers that they and their place can afford. This, and nothing else, is the practice of neighborhood. This practice must be, in part, charitable, but it must also be economic, and the economic part must be equitable; there is a significant charity in just prices.

…The “free trade” which from the standpoint of the corporate economy brings “unprecedented economic growth,” from the standpoint of the land and its local populations, and ultimately from the standpoint of the cities, is destruction and slavery. Without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land no voice.

This example of the practice of neighborhood has us wondering in what ways are we operating out of equitable subsistence…out of providing for and receiving from our community (burritos - food security and care, our garden box - hands in the dirt and free food, tutoring - education and connection). The ending of this excerpt highlights the colonial economy that we all find ourselves in, which is poignant (especially as we try to decolonize our lives…see our recent post on accounting truthfully for Thanksgiving). How does this show up in your life and other spheres? What hits you from this article? Let us know in the comments.

shop local

keeping here vibrant✨

So, here’s where our holiday series gets practical. What better way to stand up to climate change than by supporting the hardworking businesses and people in our community?! Reduce shipping and transportation emissions and pick up your items in person (maybe even walk or bike there?). As Black Friday approaches next week, we encourage you to opt-out of the fanatical deals/consumerism that really only benefits “big box” corporations — many of whom have gotten a whole lot richer in this pandemic. And for you online shoppers, we were displeased to find out that many online shopping returns do not in fact get restocked…they often end up in the landfill in the tune of 5 billion pounds!

Anyway, as we head back into greater covid restrictions, our small businesses need our help (and if the federal gov’t won’t help…we will show up for our beloved small biz community!). So, we invite you to shop small and shop local on #SmallBusinessSaturday, 11/28 instead of Black Friday, and in addition to REI’s call to #optoutside (which by the way, they have great ideas about safe outdoor activities to get you reconnected with Creation!).

We especially recommend the Seattle-based company, Intentionalist, whose search tool you can use to find BIPOC-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, disability-owned, family-owned, and women-owned businesses. You can sign up for some of their games and play bingo by frequenting certain stores — they even have a curated gift list to help your impact go further this holiday season. In the ways of food, may we suggest supporting Seattle Restaurant Week (errr, month), happening until 11/21. Finally, here’s an updated list with covid-updated eateries. You can also refer to previous Eco-faith posts for more local farmers, book stores, etc!

So. Vote with your wallet by re-circulating your money in your local economies and let us know how you are practicing neighborhood in the comments below!

Eco-act 028: thankfulness, and thoughts about two traditions

With mid-November and colder weather, we anticipate Native American Heritage Month & also Thanksgiving. But in 2020, is this just “muscle memory?” After all, this month falls at a dark moment in a dark year. Holiday travel will be curtailed. Family gatherings will be smaller or relegated to zoom—or even canceled. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a TV-only event, featuring no high school or college marching bands, no live spectators.

In all of this, we must also acknowledge the truth about Thanksgiving — that Native people showed generosity to settlers yet their treaty rights, land, and ways of being have not been honored — they have been decimated. Still, some 400+ years later, we hope that you might learn more about Native American Heritage Month and find ways to practice gratitude to the Indigenous tribes whose land we occupy. (As Kitchen Table Conversations discussed this week, often good meaning “woke” people get things wrong — it is messy. Check out this poignant, satirical play by Larissa FastHorse for more: The Thanksgiving Play).

While our present moment is one of complexity, there are still many reasons to be thankful: our health, for most of us. Our veterans. Our friends and family, resilience, the promise of vaccines, warm memories of better times. Jojo’s release. Our community’s care for food security.

living grateful

decolonizing Thanksgiving, celebrating climate wins

We can also find reasons for gratitude regarding our environment and climate change. Consider …

• Young people everywhere who are setting aside panic, indifference or despair and acting to support climate justice. And not just Greta Thunberg. How about high schooler Tseng I-Ching and her discovery of a Styrofoam-eating bacterium? How about Julia Bennett and Isabella Schaak and their efforts to remove single-use plastic from their Minnesota high school? And how about so many more young people, known and unknown to us, in school and after graduation, working to make the world a better place even before they inherit it?

• Walmart's on-track project with its partners to remove 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from its supply chain by 2030 — hopefully not just a move of corporate green-washing but of genuine commitment to our collective future.

• Apple's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030; and since the company’s own electricity requirements are already being met 100% through renewable sources, further progress will be accomplished through its suppliers.

• The growing role of wind and solar in meeting global electricity requirements

• Lyft's plan to operate a 100% electric vehicle fleet by 2030

• The efforts of Seattle/King County and other government bodies to tackle recycling and climate change more broadly

By themselves, of course, these and similar efforts will not be enough to stop or reverse climate change. Much more needs to be done — especially at the policy/institutional levels. But these developments point to a broader understanding of and response to climate change. They do give us reason to hope and call us to gratitude this month (and always).

As we plan our Thanksgiving dinners, perhaps we can also take a moment to reflect on the story of the first Thanksgiving—specifically, the fact that two groups attended. Our traditions are likely built around grandma’s cranberry sauce or Aunt Jane’s pumpkin pie, or …. But does any part of the feast honor the Native people whose food and traditions were shared — might we decolonize our Thanksgiving meals? In addition to the tips listed, note that Three Sisters Salad uses ingredients demonstrating companion planting, an earth-wise technique employed by Native American planters for perhaps 10,000 years. Food, land, history, sustenance. Something to think about as we plan our gardens for next growing season!

And here’s one final thought as we approach Thanksgiving: the following day is Black Friday, the unofficial “tradition” that kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Before we jump into it, perhaps we can take a deep breath and think about how to tailor our gift-giving (and gift requests!) with climate change in mind. How can we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our own shopping trips, and by the UPS/FedEx/Amazon vehicles that will deliver our gifts—and handle our returns? Can we reduce the wrapping materials that would normally clutter landfills in the holiday aftermath? Can we repair/repurpose/re-gift a piece of furniture or clothing to avoid recycling or disposing of it? Can we think of recycling as the last resort? (The best case is having nothing to recycle in the first place!)

We have reasons for gratitude this Thanksgiving, personally, and with respect to climate change. Governments and corporations have begun to act in, larger, more responsible ways. A host of individuals are rising to the occasion, and each of us can contribute in a variety of ways. In fact, maybe this is the biggest thing we can be thankful for: our ability to act. What a blessing! The game isn’t over … it’s still on. Happy Thanksgiving!

Eco-Act 027: Gifts that Ripple

It’s the day after the election, with many of the results still pending. What is clear, is that regardless of the outcome, we need to continue acting with hope, purpose, and solidarity to care for the most vulnerable parts of Creation — human and non-human. Chances are high that thinking about eco-faith holiday gifts is probably low on your list of priorities, or even what you have the attention for right now. So let’s keep this short!

Green Gifts

of the Spirit

As we continue with our segment on planet/people-conscious gift-giving this holiday season, we invite you to think creatively about what kind of gifts you might give. Specifically, could you support organizations or creatives stewarding right relations with our (BIPOC, LGBTQ+, poor) communities, God, and all of Creation on behalf of your loved ones? As a reminder, climate change most and first impacts Black, Indigenous people of color, LGBTQ+, poor, and other underserved communities. Supporting individuals and orgs that seek to center these groups is part of practicing eco-faith and ensuring that all human and non-human relations flourish.

Beyond limiting consumerism, how cool to think that our generosity and giving to our loved ones could go farther and positively ripple out to other parts of our communities this season. Consider planning with your gift receiver (or make it a surprise!) and support some hardworking orgs or folks with a one-time or ongoing gift. Here are a few ideas to get your creativity moving:

• Sunrise Movement: “Sunrise is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. [They’re] building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.”

• Community Alliance for Global Justice: This Seattle-based education and advocacy group focuses on food justice, agriculture justice, and trade justice, in order to “support…the movements for healthy local food economies here and everywhere.” Their program specifically works with many BIPOC farmworkers to ensure better working, living, and market conditions for the communities who grow so much of our food.

• Black Farmers Collective/Yes Farm: We’ve already covered this Seattle-based, Black-led farm collective (and other Black farmers!). Support their efforts toward a more “sustainable, equitable future for communities of color [by] eliminating food scarcity and undoing the commoditization of the food industry.”

• Art: Creative expression through various art mediums is a critical, imaginative part of our collective liberation! Consider donating to cultivate the arts in our region. Read more about Acts on Stage’s upcoming screening of 12 Angry Men. Also, check out the important work that Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery is doing in Burien to center Latinx artists and community events. Finally, consider supporting the Wing Luke Museum for Asian American Pacific Islander histories, especially in the Seattle area.

And remember, support doesn’t always have to look like pure donations. You can purchase produce, craft goods, services, and other experiences from these communities to sustain their businesses and creatively liberative offerings.

Do you have any particular artisans or companies that you like to donate to or purchase from? Share your favorites in the comments!

T&J Edition 11: Presence & Prayer

Dear Union family,

Below is a reflection by Nichelle, a prayer for this upcoming election, and ways to remain engaged and prayerful in this uncertain and challenging time.

Pressing towards justice.

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A Reflection

There is no denying that we are living through one of the most challenging times of the last 100 years. The prolonged period of quarantine and isolation related to the pandemic, the social unrest, the changing climate and wildfires, and the uncertainty around the upcoming election is a recipe for anxiety and fear. I feel it. My chest is tight. It feels hard to take a deep breath. I'm a little edgier and testier with my kids and husband. My thoughts are racing and weird dreams plague my sleep. How are you doing? Are you feeling this time viscerally in your body?

This morning I picked up my phone and casually started to browse the news, and came across articles that immediately increased my anxiety. My heart began racing, and my stomach clenched up tightly. I practically threw my phone down, and had this realization that I need to approach this time in a different manner. Constantly marinating in the media and shocking headlines is only contributing to my anxiety. Do I unplug for the foreseeable future? Head to the mountains? Develop my family's escape plan if everything goes sideways next week? I find myself trying to escape, forget, or pretend this isn't happening. And then I feel God calling. Do you feel God calling? Most of the time I would say I hear God calling, but as those words appeared on the screen, I realized there was truth in those words. In those same parts of my body that feel anxiety, there is a deep feeling of God's presence, a knowing that God is calling me to be present in my body, and in my relationships, and in my community. This is not the time to escape, but rather to be seeking God's justice and wholeness and restoration.

Sometimes, actually often, I don't really know what is next after experiencing God's calling. So I took time over the last couple of days to seek wisdom from leaders that are actively seeking God's justice, wholeness, and redemption. I looked on Facebook and Instagram, and the blogs and websites of people like Austin Channing Brown, Lisa Sharon Harper, Eugene Cho, Brenda Salter McNeil, Bryan Stevenson, and Dr. John M. Perkins. I was blessed beyond measure as I perused their sites. This anxiety and fear that I feel? We are all feeling it, I am not alone. But more than that I was encouraged and reminded of the determination and commitment to be seeking God's justice every day, regardless of what news story is grabbing the headlines today or next week.

How are you feeling the presence of God right now? What has been an encouragement for you to continue seeking God's justice? We would love for you to share with the Union family!

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A Prayer from Bread for the World

Dear God, our Creator, through our elected leaders and our government, you sustain all you have made.

We pray especially for people who are seeking election to political office in our country. Grant them integrity and wisdom to focus on matters that strengthen our government and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Give us courage to challenge candidates to address issues of hunger and poverty. As we prepare to cast our votes, may we be guided by your vision of justice and mercy.

In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.

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Opportunities to learn, advocate and act. This is a long list, so just choose one or a few things that you can realistically do!

LEARN

• Stretch your understanding of God's love by participating in a Bible study led by Civil Rights and Social Justice icon Dr. John M. Perkins. Scroll to the bottom of the webpage to find 25 different studies with various Christian leaders.

• Join Foxy and Jason Davison in the next Love Not Fear discussion group on December 5 @ 3PM where they will be discussing HOUSING. In preparation, read The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. Register here.

• Sign up to receive the upcoming T&J Advent series and hear the stories of how those in our community are wrestling with justice.

• Save the date! Union will be hosting a socially distanced screening of "12 Angry Men" and a time of discussion about race and equity on November 22nd @ 4PM.

ADVOCATE

• Sign your name to this petition that asks the 2020 presidential and congressional candidates to commit to protecting and boosting anti-hunger programs so that all families have enough to eat during this crisis.

• Send candidates and elected officials emails, letters or other correspondence and tell them how you would like to see them pursuing justice in their work.

ACT

• Be sure to vote by November 3rd @ 8PM! Look here for your nearest ballot drop box in King County.

• Join Union in Prayer for Racial Justice on Saturday November 21st @ 10AM.

• Food insecurity is only increasing! Please donate your time or money to your local food bank, or join the Union burrito-rolling team on Saturdays (Sunday this week). Contact Adrienne for additional details.

• Tutoring is available at 415 every weekday. Contact Kaeli if you would like to be a tutor/mentor or have a child that could benefit from a 1:1 connection.

Truth & Justice Studio MISSION STATEMENT :: Truth & Justice creates space to educate and mobilize people by lifting up marginalized voices as catalyst for social change. We are a community within Union Church in Seattle, WA.

Eco-Act 026: Eco-faith in the holiday season

Before we begin, we remind you to vote! You’ve likely heard enough about this but we want to recognize the importance of voting (especially for initiatives/candidates who will fight for environmental justice!), as this is our last post before next Tuesday, 11/3. Also, feel free to join us 10/29 for our first ever eco-faith discussion on gardening. Now, to continue with our regular programming:

Today we begin exploring ideas for living into our eco-faith, purposefully and hopefully, as we prepare for and enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas. Welcome!

Let’s start by acknowledging three hard realities that co-exist with the holiday season:

Christmas icons and climate change: Many of our holiday traditions are rooted in the notion of a cold, snowy northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, a Smithsonian Magazine article identifies several important seasonal symbols under climate attack:

• Northward-receding habitats have put reindeer populations at risk.

• Drought, heat, and flooding have made Christmas trees more difficult to grow—and more expensive.

• Global warming threatens to make white Christmases a quaint memory.

• Extreme weather conditions challenge cocoa and maple syrup production and increase their price.

• Santa’s North Pole home base and workshop will sink or face relocation as the polar icecap disappears.

Holiday feasting and food insecurity: According to the National Turkey Federation and the University of Illinois, U.S. turkey consumption has almost doubled since 1970, with nearly 90% of Americans surveyed eating turkey on Thanksgiving; roughly 46 million turkeys are downed that day, followed by 22 million more at Christmas. But in this pandemic year, turkey farmers worry about reduced demand, even as a “new study from the University of Washington estimates statewide food insecurity is at 30%.” Hmmm …. Too much and yet not enough.

Christmas gifts, greenhouse gas emissions, and landfills: Gallup data suggests a COVID-driven decline in Christmas spending this year. But the pandemic makes online shopping more appealing—with negative consequences for the environment. Most delivery trucks generate exhaust fumes, after all. And a less obvious factor is the ease and convenience of gift returns: those items require transportation too—and The Guardian reports that much of what is returned “ends up in landfills. Each year Americans return about 3.5 billion products, and five billion pounds of returned goods ended up in US landfills.” The article continues “… data shows that 88% of consumers think that returns go right back on the shelf and are resold to the next consumer…. But in reality, the majority of returned items cannot be resold as new. …the landfill waste from returns alone contributes 15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere…. Clothing sales have a particularly high return rate, between 40 and 50%. That’s because, as one market research firm puts it, ‘the bedroom is the new fitting room.’”

Wow. So how might we respond to these realities? We could let them diminish our holidays. We could settle for less comfort and joy. We could just plow ahead and allow some guilt or resignation to dampen our spirits.

Eco-Faith

& the season before us

Or we could mindfully, intentionally seek ways to adapt our holiday traditions to today’s environmental realities. We could enjoy all that’s good and important and meaningful about the holidays at the same time that we care for our environment. For example …

• We might buy a live Christmas tree or, if we choose a cut or artificial tree, plant a live tree as well.

• We could make it a point to donate food as a way of sharing our blessings and reducing food insecurity.

• We could think long and carefully about the gifts we give—and ask for—this year. Are they really needed? Must the gift be purchased new, or could it be a used item? Could something be repaired or repurposed and thus transformed into a welcome gift? Could our pre-loved items be donated to those who would appreciate them? Could we give experiences instead of things? Could we shop with a view to minimizing packaging and same-day deliveries? Could we re-gift items instead of returning them?

Together, let’s choose this much more purposeful, hopeful second path! Let’s set aside our eco-anxieties and take one—or a few—earth-friendly actions that might just add to the warmth and joy of the season. Our goal over the next few weeks will be to offer some ideas for you to consider as we all look for ways to care for the earth as we care for each other.

Eco-Act 025: Re-capping Waste

Waste. It’s been a joy to explore this summer but as we take our cue from the seasons and transition into fall, we want to explore some of the things we’ve learned since July.

Here are a few reminders from our journey through waste:

• Where does it go?: The City of Seattle has excellent resources when it comes to waste. Have a question about disposing of an item? Check out their accessible site!

• Recycling: According to Seattle Public Utilities, our city does a great job, though there’s always room for improvement.

• Trying Ridwell: We’ve heard of many Union folks trying this waste subscription company! Though I (Adrienne) had an experience working as a driver that raised some questions, I would affirm that the company does channel all the waste where it needs to go.

• Swaps: There are many ways to switch out single-use plastic, look for alternatives, and support zero-waste (local) stores!

• Join the Circular Economy: What ways are you participating in creating less waste, sharing more, and giving items new lives?

Waste

is what you do with it

• Food Waste to Security: We have more than enough resources to feed those who are food insecure. In addition to the above link, check this post out for more volunteer opportunities.

• E-Waste: Learn more & proceed intentionally.

• Heart Posture: Beyond simplicity and resisting consumerism, we can and must frame our actions and our hope from the lens of justice. Often communities left out of the dominant culture’s centering of care are the first and most impacted by climate change.

• Small acts are communal: beyond supporting the county’s plans (SCAP), we as individuals can make adjustments in our everyday lives that have huge impacts.

So what has stuck for you? Hopefully, you can take one or a handful of these ideas and put some of them into practice this fall. Creativity abounds with every plastic yogurt container: be it in the creation of sculpture art or as a new indoor garden of seedlings.

To bring it back from our first post in July, waste (in all its forms) means a lot for Christians. As waste continues to have devastating impacts for our global neighbors who receive legal or illegal waste generated by the US, for sea creatures and ecosystems, and for the land/air in general that gets polluted with industrial toxins, we’d point to the Gospel according to Matthew:

“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you” (7:12), and

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (22:39)

And that should be reason enough. Do you have any more waste tips or tricks to share, or any new ideas you learned in this waste deep dive? Let us know in the comments below or email Adrienne!