Urban Friends work for food sustainability

I'm now working for an urban organic farm/CSA. It's located in North St. Louis, Mo., which is mostly abandoned city lots. We are reclaiming the land for small-scale farming. We have 23 family shareholders, and we provide local produce for a couple of Catholic Worker hospitality houses. The farm is part of the Catholic Worker movement. We are lucky to have an orchard with the farm, with bees, and a few chickens.

At the farm we are just finishing our outdoor kitchen, where we will be teaching cooking and nutrition classes to neighborhood youth and families. We also have a work-study program for youth coming out of drug/truancy court.

Another project we are really excited about is the opening of a farmer's market in North St. Louis. We received a grant to identify local farmers and inner-city gardeners and help them establish a farmer's market. The market will also be able to accept food stamps to really make us more accessible to this low-income area. It's an exciting time to be there.

I think I've stirred up some local interest in QEW. I announced at Meeting last week an initiative to promote local, sustainable food sources. We are going to meet and talk about that soon. With a little prompting, my food coop is buying more and more locally, and we are beginning to address issues of sustainability. One Friend, whom I least expected, was telling me about something she had read in the Canadian Friend. She said they were talking about QEW and she had to find them. I directed her to your website, and I'm hoping this small group will spark some new support for QEW.

—Anna Sandige
St. Louis (Mo.) Friends Meeting

QEAN's 2007 report: 'We are no longer voices in the wilderness'

Many Friends with concerns about ecology are members of the Quaker Ecology Action Network (QEAN). QEAN maintains an e-mail discussion list and hosts special interest groups at Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM), regional gatherings, and local meetings and worship groups. QEAN members encourage their local meetings to take actions consistent with CYM's Sustainability Minute and the subsequent CYM Minutes in support of the Earth Charter.

While the dominant topic of discussion has been the connection between peace and environmental concerns, the conversation has been complex and wide ranging. Air travel, water, sustainable lifestyles, nuclear energy, food security, biotechnology, sustainable communities, biofuel, toxic substances, and other themes have been explored by the group. ...

Organizational matters have also been significant. The website has been re-designed and the associations with the Earth Charter Initiative and Quaker Earthcare Witness have been maintained. A representative to Quaker Earthcare Witness has been nominated. We are mindful of efforts of other Canadian Churches, KAIROS, and Faith & the Common Good, and know that we are not alone as a faith community in this matter.

At CYM's 2006 sessions we... made a short presentation to Consultation & Renewal, particularly in reference to Environmental concerns. We support CYM's involvement in Quaker Earthcare Witness. Two of our members are active in the Quaker Institute for the Future.

QEAN members continued to be involved in their own meetings and communities. Several meetings have considered the Earth Charter Queries sent last year. One QEAN member helped organize a very successful Sustainable Lifestyles Symposium at Camp NeeKauNis in August, attended by people from 14 different communities. "Youth Explore the Earth Charter" workshops have been held on Vancouver Island.

Along with other environmental groups, QEAN has been thrown off balance by the recent surge in public awareness and concern about global climate change and other ecological issues. Our situation has changed dramatically, from being voices in the wilderness to being part of the main conversation. It remains to be seen how this will affect QEAN's work.

—Arnold Ranneris and John Scull, co-clerks

EarthLight shines again in this 'best' and new articles collection

EarthLight—Spiritual Wisdom for an Ecological Age

Edited by Cindy Spring and Anthony Manousos

Friends Bulletin, 2007. ISBN 0-9700410-2-0 $20.00 US

Although BFC's "sister" publication, EarthLight magazine, stopped publishing a couple of years ago, devoted readers cherish their back issues as sources of spiritual wisdom and encouragement in these often gloomy times.

Now, with the help of Friends Bulletin, EL's 15 years of "celebrating the living Earth and our 13-billion-year story of the universe" have been distilled into a 344-page book, along with many new articles in the same tradition of spirituality and ecology.

Articles by more than 40 leading thinkers and writers are grouped according to the seven EarthLight principles of "Conscious Evolution," "Sacred Relationship," "Collective Wisdom," "Mutual Learning," "Conscious Choice," "Inclusivity," and "Celebration."

In his inspiring introduction, "Spiritual Ecology: a Practice of the Heart," former EarthLight Editor K. Lauren de Boer writes, "More than just a theory, spiritual ecology describes a way of being in the world. It is ancient in the sense that peoples have lived it in many times and places. It is contemporary in that it integrates the discoveries of science and a new sense of our evolutionary story."

For more information please contact the Friends Bulletin editor at <friendsbulletin@aol.com> or go to <www.westernquaker.net>.

A resource from QEW!

Earthcare for Friends
A Study Guide for Individuals and Faith Communities

Edited by Louis Cox, Ingrid Fabianson, Sandra Moon Farley, and Ruah Swennerfelt

THIS 270-PAGE, 18-unit study guide is designed to help Friends understand:

• Specific ways that human activities have been despoiling the Earth, God's creation, and how this damage is intensified by today's materialistic culture.
• Different ways of living and thinking that can bring harmony among humans and between humans and the natural world.
• Why stewardship—living in ways that protect the health of the earth—is necessary for a vital relationship with God and with others.
• What the Bible, Christian tradition, and Quaker tradition teach about care for the Earth and its inhabitants.
• How Earthcare is a natural expression of the historic Quaker testimonies of peace, equality, justice, simplicity, and integrity.
• The remarkable convergence of modern science and faith traditions in understanding that all things are ultimately interconnected.

Earthcare for Friends provides practical adult education materials, including:

• Thought-provoking articles and practical steps that can be taken as individuals and faith communities.
• Helpful questions and queries for reflection and discussion.
• Sources of inspiration—songs, scripture, prayers, sample sermons, and responsive readings.
• Earthcare resources—books, websites, organizations, videos, etc.
• Activities to illustrate basic ecological issues and help us see where to focus our energies.

Available from the Quaker Earthcare Witness office, for $18.00 US plus $4.50 postage and handling. ($1.08 tax added for Vermont residents.)