Eco-Act 010: Exploring Waste

knowing our waste

and where it goes

For the next subtopic within our eco-faith initiative, we are taking a deep dive into waste (of all kinds!) — and simple things you can do to learn more, act, and reduce waste. This post and eco-act invitation is really just an introduction to waste. Later, we will delve more into plastics, e-waste, toxic waste, consumerism, and maybe even sprinkle in a few more ideas about food waste and compost! Ultimately, we also hope to offer ideas on how you can live a lower waste lifestyle (any things you already do??).

So to start, let’s get a lay of the local systems and municipal offerings. We are privileged to live in a city where residential and commercial compost is taken by Seattle Public Utilities (or other commercial providers), people are (mostly) cognizant of sorting waste, and zero or low-waste lifestyles are encouraged (reusable water bottles or mugs, etc). Wherever you are located, it’s important to get acquainted with the resources your city provides! Here are a few great Seattle resources to get started:

• Where Does It Go? List: This detailed tool gives a breakdown of where to toss everything from dryer sheets to asbestos by Seattle Public Utilities.

• Buy Nothing Project: Started in 2013 on Bainbridge Island, two friends created what has now become a global gift economy phenomenon! Read more here, and be sure to check their group locator page, as well as Covid-19 statement.

• Eco-Collective: This is an amazing zero-waste store in Ballard that has many home essentials and a bulk bar (full of oils, shampoo, cleaning solution, spices). They do rigorous product testing and give detailed product info about end-of life disposal as well.

Finally, what is the importance of waste for Christians anyway? 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 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. We hope you’ll join us by sharing some ways you are reducing or reusing waste. Let us know in the comments below, or email Adrienne!

Eco-Act 009: planting with purpose, awaiting the harvest in hope

Planting with purpose

awaiting the harvest

Throughout this past spring we “planted some seeds:” we shared some ideas about food—growing it, mindfully choosing what to grow, buy and eat, even how to reduce the amount we waste. Our purpose? Originally, it was to take on the seemingly unstoppable, despair-inducing, “game over” force of climate change by identifying positive, “person-sized” steps each of us can take to act with a “game on” attitude instead—to act in hope. These positive steps included:

• Tending a garden (eco-act 003)

• Re-growing scallions (eco-act 001)

• Intentionally replacing a meat-oriented meal with a plant-based meal, regularly or occasionally (eco-act 002)

• “Eating local” as a way of celebrating, supporting and connecting with our local environment (eco-act 007)

• Grocery shopping mindfully to reduce waste (eco-act 006)

• Enlisting worms to make use of food scraps (eco-act 004)

For those who have taken any of these or similar small steps, may they have (re)kindled a sense of environmental purpose, direction and hope in you. May (re)connecting with the rhythms of planting, growing, consuming and conserving given you a sense of your place in them. If you haven’t yet, it’s always the right time to jump in: there’s still time to plant, always time to shop and eat mindfully, always time to let nothing be wasted.

Of course, this spring unfolded into a season sadder, darker and more discouraging than anyone could have imagined. And we were reminded—or perhaps taught for the first time—that climate change is linked to environmental/racial justice, and that it hits marginalized communities especially hard. Acting with purpose and waiting in hope seems especially difficult here because many corrective actions feel systemic rather than “person-sized.” None of us can single-handedly close a factory that pollutes nearby poor neighborhoods, for example.

But we can leverage our individual power by supporting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-owned farms, restaurants, organizations, and other businesses. We can vote, show up at budget/council meetings, and ask more of our school boards. What are some other actions you could take?

• Support Black-owned businesses & communities on Seattle Good Business Network

  • Check out the “Food & Beverage” section; be sure to click on “Additional Black-Owned Food Business Lists”—and look in all three sections

  • Under the “Donate” tab, check out “Black Community Food Initiatives”

  • Under the “Learn” tab, check out “Local Food/Farm Groups”

• Revisit our posts on centering Black Environmental Justice Activists

• Learn Native history & recognize Settler Colonialism as the “original sin” of the US, especially in terms of environmental/social justice

Whether it’s gardening, managing a worm bin, adjusting diet and food shopping habits—or taking a step toward environmental/racial justice, we would love to hear what you have been up to. And we hope that your purposeful act has given you hope.

Eco-Act 008: Learn Native History

Colonization was the first environmental injustice

start there.

As our eco-act for this week, we invite you to learn more about Indigenous histories and movements for environmental justice. Also, please join us in the KTC author talk this Tuesday.

Water Protectors at Standing Rock pictured above. Adrienne reflects below on what the Kitchen Table Conversations have covered in the Environmental Justice (EJ) conversation this spring/summer.

Starting earlier this year at 415 and moving in March over to Zoom, we have been privileged to create a safe space to engage in really, really difficult conversations around Indigenous-settler relations, and specifically environmental (in)justice. Our group is open to all and offered through kakáo, which has allowed us to have a diverse cross-section of folks at the table. The group is facilitated by Lydia Heberling, consistent 2nd Sunday facilitator, former kakáo barista, and PhD at UW studying Native American Literature. Lydia has thoughtfully connected us with media and art, dynamic speakers, and a variety of sub-topics within Indigenous movements.

Some common Indigenous EJ themes and questions that we have explored include:

• “Environment” definition: Beyond just the naturalistic, pristine wilderness that we often think of, our environment includes the schools, businesses, housing, health care systems, green spaces, and people around us. Such social realities invite us to think about the history of how our environment came to be, and how such factors continue to shape community.

• Progress & environmentalism: The program of progress and environmentalism does not often acknowledge or support the complexities and varied histories of Native communities. An example: animal activists are divided over Makah whaling, which is covered in their treaty rights. Here are a few articles: KUOW & Seattle Times Opinion piece. Rather than understanding complexities, environmentalism tends to fetishize and extract Indigenous culture for its supposed mystical wisdom and relationship to the environment.

• Colonialism as the original environmental injustice: As the above suggests, environmentalists do not always center Indigenous EJ as a starting place. The legacy of settler colonialism includes one of forced removal, slavery, ecocide, and continual separation from ancestral land and thus cultural practices that tribes rely on. “If we assume an estimate of eighteen million Indigenous people on the continent…in 1492 and compare that to the Native American population count of roughly 228,000 in the 1890 census…we see a population decline of approximately 99 percent.” (Gilio-Whitaker, 49). Our praxis of environmental justice must address the devastating legacy of Colonialism and how BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) are affected disproportionately compared to white people.

• History, Christianity, Capitalism, & Western society: Unfortunately, Western ideals around Manifest Destiny and the belief that Native life (bodies, culture, ways of being) was inferior to Christian doctrine and social norms were popular among European settlers since first contact was made. Such racial and religious presumptions justified ill-treatment and removal of Natives, and continue to perpetuate the idea that corporations and the US gov’t/legal system know better than Indigenous communities. For many of us as Christians embedded in our capitalist society, we have wondered what a way forward could look like that accounts for our religion’s history and our current complicity in our nation’s Settler State policies that continue erasing Indigenous people.

• Indigenous EJ histories: Different tribes have different histories. There have actually been many attempts to address Native EJ at the US Federal level (ie: the EPA), however, tribal consultation and recommendations have not historically panned out, especially with the tangle of corporate / gov’t interest, and inconsistencies in Federal and State recognition of tribal sovereignties. Many Native protests and occupations have led to increments of change, though their struggle has been continual for the last 500 years. Environmental injustice and our current climate crisis is not recent history for Indigenous communities.

Other topics discussed include the health of Indigenous land, ecosystems, and people; the National Park formation and the harmful roots of the conservation/preservation movements; Native food (and land) sovereignty; Indigenous women in the EJ movement; what a new framework for coalition building could look like; and Christian confession and responsibility.

Overall, the space created by the virtual Kitchen Table Conversations has been especially formative and fruitful. As we continue to faithfully resist ongoing racial injustice (really any injustice) in our country, we have been reminded how necessary it is to do this critical work in community. KTC will be taking a summer break for July, stay tuned for updates!

Many of these topics have been guided by our reading of *Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s book As Long as the Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. We have the incredible opportunity to talk with her this Tuesday and we hope you’ll join us!

Eco-Act 007: “eating local” vs. eating intentionally

“eating local” vs. eating intentionally

it’s the WHAT that matters

We describe local food fans or “locavores” as people who intentionally choose locally grown food whenever possible. Definitions of “local” vary, but let’s say it means within 100 miles of home. Locavores see a variety of benefits to intentionally eating local, including food that’s fresher, tastier, and healthier, and supporting local farmers and small businesses. Many of us probably agree.

Is “eating local” also kinder to the environment? Hmm…. We know that organic food, grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, doesn’t have to be grown nearby; we enjoy organic berries sourced in Mexico or South America, for example. Still, most of us are probably comfortable with the notion of some link between local and organic.

How about greenhouse gas emissions generated in transporting food? Does eating locally grown food help the environment by reducing “food miles?” It turns out that “…the share of emissions from transport … is generally pretty tiny; the distance our food travels to get to us actually accounts for less than 10 percent of most food products’ carbon footprint.”[1] So we can’t automatically take a carbon footprint victory lap just because we choose locally-grown food.

What matters more is WHAT we eat. Global data published in Science in 2018[2] deals with a variety of protein-rich foods and shows a range of carbon footprint impacts. The worst offenders? Beef and lamb. Better choices: poultry and pork. Better still: dairy and fish. And the most eco-friendly: plant-based protein sources.

So, at the end of the day, what might our eco-acts be? First, we can be intentional about what we choose to eat. Maybe we cut back on the beef and lamb, choosing options with a smaller carbon footprint. And second, we can happily eat locally grown food for its freshness, great taste, and health benefits; because we can relatively easily ensure we’re buying organic; because we love farmers’ markets; and so that we can continue to have a sense of where our food comes from—small farms, greenhouses and orchards located not too far from us.

Last, we encourage you to purchase food from local Black-owned farms, restaurants, and businesses. Here is a list of Black-owned Seattle food spots; see our post on farms here. Intentionally eating from these local businesses is one part of the greater movement toward creating a society where Black lives truly matter. And this seems like a way of caring for and connecting with the greenness and life of our local world.

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[1] “How to reduce your food’s carbon footprint, in 2 charts,” Sigal Samuel, February 20, 2020

[2] The Science study and “Our World in Data” were both cited in the Sigal Samuel Vox article referenced above.

Eco-Act 006: Let Nothing Be Wasted

Again we encourage you to center, learn from, and support Black environmentalists. Here are a few more to add to our list from last week’s post:

@marandas_world [Low-Waste, Sustainability Parent]
@greengirlmagic [Climate/ Environmental Justice Lawyer]
@rasheena.fountain [Environmental Educator / Writer]
@climatediva [Climate Advocate / Writer]
@climateincolour [Climate Conversation Bridge]

reduce food waste

(this outranks electric vehicles & solar farms!!)

News about climate change and our environment seems overwhelmingly negative these days, doesn't it? It leaves us feeling anxious, guilty, angry, resigned … or thinking in panic "we've got to DO SOMETHING!" But what? Well, here's a positive step to consider.

According to Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, the #3 most powerful environmental action we can take is to REDUCE FOOD WASTE. Think about it: shrinking food waste outranks electric vehicles and solar farms in potential environmental benefit. And each of us can act on this TODAY.

The USDA estimates that 1/3 of available food is wasted each year in our country. And greenhouse gases are released in producing, transporting, storing, and disposing of this food in landfills.

Clearly, what we produce must be better aligned with what we consume. But this adjustment will take time. Positive steps we can take RIGHT NOW are available. We can align our family shopping more closely to our actual eating patterns, for example. Here’s a list of 20 steps that start there and then go on. You can also send some of your food scraps to a worm bin to create nice compost for your garden.

We can also make and donate meals to put our unneeded food to excellent use. Union offers several ways to do this.

The bottom line is that we CAN DO SOMETHING. And in so doing, maybe we can relax a bit, knowing that we’re following the guidance of Jesus after he had fed 5000: “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:12)

Eco-Act 005: Center Black EJ activists

center Black EJ* activists

Black Lives Matter. *Environmental Justice

This week as we continue to lament, reflect, and act on police brutality and white supremacy in our communities and country, we want to amplify and share Black voices in the environmental justice field. We invite you to read “A Little Patch of Something” by Imani Perry (written 6/3/20), where she talks about the long history of Black planting and tending alongside racialized atrocity and grief. Closer to home, you can also read more about Seattle’s Black womxn farmers and support some of their work.

Here are other people to learn from and support in the Black environmental justice community…

In Seattle:

• Black Farmers Collective: Seattle-based YES Farm!! BFC is a group of urban food system activists dedicated to providing opportunities to improve the health of [Black] communities through all aspects of the food system. Donate!!

• FEEST: is an organization led by youth of color in South Seattle and South King County working to improve health in our schools. Youth leaders celebrate food and culture at community dinners and build power to win policy changes that increase food access for all students. Donate & volunteer!

• Feed The People: Chef Tarrik Abdullah & others in the Seattle Kitchen Collective have been providing AMAZING free meals in Seattle to any who need it.

• Nurturing Roots Farm: is a community farming program focused on educating youth & community members on healthy food choices. Creating community through gardening.

Elsewhere:

• Natl. Black Food & Justice Alliance: NBFJA organizes for Black food and land, by increasing the visibility of visionary Black leadership, advancing Black people’s struggle for just and sustainable communities, and building power in our food systems and land stewardship. On their Support page, you can donate and support other actions; check their resources on the Info page.

• Soul Fire Farm: Soul Fire Farm is committed to ending racism and injustice in the food system.

• Aja Barber: is a writer and fashion consultant. “[Her] expertise is in race, intersectional feminism and ... fashion (focusing mostly on sustainable and ethical fashion)”. (Patreon)

• Amber Tamm: farmer, horticulturalist, floral designer

• Black With Plants: D’Real learns from plants and works in concert with communities to make strategic gains towards Indigenous Sovereignty and Black Liberation. Donate (Venmo, Paypal, Patreon, Cash App) @blackwithplants.

• Leah Thomas: intersectional environmentalist, activist, eco-communicator. She has a helpful article on the Good Trade, created the text graphics shared in this post, and is the subject of the other illustration by Alja Horvat. She also has a great list of other intersectional environmentalists on her Instagram feed!

These are a few of MANY Black folks doing this work (and admittedly, many here are young)! Who else do you follow and support? Drop their info in the comments below! To close, we share this list from Leah Thomas and commit to a more intersectional environmental justice. #blacklivesmatter

Eco-Act 004: Worm Bins!

start a worm bin

& cultivate great soil!

This week, we have our first eco-act of hope + purpose to share from the Union community! We hope you enjoy this tip from Bob Tissell:

“I have been sending my kitchen scraps to the worms for years in my home worm bin. I bought the first set of worms from a nursery, and I have been so successful that I now have 3 bins, and plenty of worms to share with others.

I use old insulated coolers I found at yard sales, often for free. These keep my worms warm in winter and cool in summer. Sawdust, shavings, or wood chips make up the bedding. ”

Bob says he would like to share his worms with anyone interested in starting their own worm bin. Message him at bertdonsell@gmail.com if you want free worms!

There are many different ways to build or buy your own worm bin (see below). The worms will eat up your food scraps and produce castings, or nutrient-dense compost. Sprinkle that (and any worm tea that you collect!) on your garden, add it to your potted plants, etc.

Here are a few more worm bin resources to get you going:

• WSU’s Cheap & Easy Worm Bin — great tips, troubleshooting for a multi-bin system

• Cornell’s “6 Easy Steps…” — very simple read for one bin

• Mother Jones’ take — longer read but very informative, especially the part on harvesting the nutrient-dense worm castings

We hope your worms and food scraps flourish and transform your dirt into soil full of vitality and life! As Adrienne’s mom says, “Soil is a living ecosystem full of nutrients. Dirt is a four letter word”. (Yes, we know soil is also a four letter word…)