“Again Jesus spoke to them, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

“But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Luke 18:16

As you carve your jack-o-lantern this Halloween, it can also be an opportunity to reflect on John 8:12. If Jesus were here today, what might he say if he learned that some of the face paint that kids are putting on this Halloween and throughout the year contain common allergens, some at levels that even exceed industry recommendations? Or that some of the face paints contain small amounts of lead (while the health effects of absorption through the skin is not well understood, it is recommended that people not put lead around the mouth or on the hands to avoid ingestion)? We, as disciples of Christ, can walk with our torch of justice by ensuring that vulnerable populations, such as children, are not exposed to toxic chemicals when possible.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a new report Tuesday called Pretty Scary. They tested face paints and theater makeup for lead (a neurotoxin), nickel, cobalt, and chromium (common allergens linked to contact dermatitis and skin sensitation). It is concerning that the products did not list any of these chemicals on their labels. Some products even said they were “hypo-allergenic” when they contained these common skin allergens. Check out the report here to learn more.

Jesus called on his disciples to welcome the children. We, too, should welcome and nurture children by ensuring that they grow up healthy and humble. They should understand the importance of caring for their bodies as holy temples (I Corinthians 6:19-20), in addition to vulnerable populations and God’s Creation. One place to start is to ensure kids  eat a healthy diet (don’t eat too much Halloween treats; or better yet, try and pass out healthy options), get plenty of exercise, and avoid toxic chemicals when possible.

The FDA currently does not have a lot of regulatory power or resources to regulate the chemicals in our cosmetics products such as face paint, deodorant, colognes, and makeup. It will take bold witness from people of faith and Congress to ensure that children and performers can express their creativity on Halloween (or any other day) without worrying about what is lurking in their face paint.

New Healthy Spa Toolkit

Additionally, while exposure to these common allergens, and potential exposure to lead is certainly a concern, there are personal care products that contain lead in higher amounts or are applied directly on the lips; other they contain scarier chemicals linked to other life threatening additions such as cancer or reproductive harm.

To learn more about safe personal care products, download our Healthy Spa workshop guide and toolkit for people of faith.

I have been reading and searching for a definition for sustainability that would underscore our work here at Eco-Justice for some time now.  I’ve read countless things that have probably confused myself more than anything, but I’ve found poetry and other abstract ideas that point towards an idea of sustainability suggesting maybe the definition exists beyond basic reasoning.

I’ve seen definitions that fit an economic relationship with the world.  Seeing the world as a mine full of resources that may not be able to replenish itself at the rate in which we are harvesting.  The economic understanding of sustainability, hopes to offer an understanding of enough in hopes that our children and their children will have the resources they need to survive because we conserve today.  This definition however identifies everything by placing a value on resources, objectifying the world.  Everything becomes classified by its value producing a world in which something’s importance is reflective of its value.

The environmental definition involves terms such as bio-diversity, sustaining the earth and atmosphere, and seeing the world as a delicate system to which we must care for.  Whereas the economic definition objectifies the world in which resources have value based upon their importance in the world, the environmental definition observes the world as a fragile network of relationships in which we must handle with delicate care.  This definition creates tension as to best practices for the caring of the world and limits the partnership between humanity and creation.

Both definitions maintain a hierarchical understanding in which humanity is set apart of the world.  We either are the harvesters or the caretakers who enter the world as a foreign place and try to prepare for a future in which our children and their children can exist.  I do not want to suggest that they are bad definitions as environmentalist and business professionals are working extremely hard to raise awareness for creation hoping to awaken us from our slumber and abuse of the worlds resources.  However I think the definitions are incomplete lacking an understanding of connection and partnership between Creation and Humanity.

I found this poem as I read Dr Janet Parker’s Sermon “From Apocalypse to Genesis” that was published in Yale Divinity School Journal Reflections (Spring ’07) and was also awarded the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Sermon of 2007.  To conclude her message, Dr. parker uses a poem/prayer by Wendell Berry calling for a faithful sustainable relationship.

“When despair for the world grows within me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”    Peace of Wild Things-Wendell Berry

As I read Berry, I find myself remembering the end of a beautiful poem called “Being Human” by a group called Climbing Poetree.  The last line a beautiful reminder of what Berry, and a definition of sustainability seek to remind us;

“effort gives way to existence.”

Sustainability is existing in the world realizing the beauty of life is living within our means, economically, and environmentally, as partners with the world and with each other so that tomorrow we can awaken again to the wonders of life.    Our efforts to faithfully live sustainable lives require us to consider how our faith informs the relationship between humanity and creation.  This understanding will affect our work in communities whether that be church communities, or small groups but also in our daily practices as we live out the gift of life.  Sustainability means I have enough, they have enough, the world has enough.  Some will enter this conversation by engaging the world on a global scale seeking to help peoples or eco-systems around the world.  Others will interact based on personal decisions about how they spend their money, and where they purchase goods.   All of which is a journey towards reestablishing a deeper connection with Creation, with our neighbor, and with God.  Our efforts to understand sustainability will give way to existing in relationship, an equal partnership in which we grow more fully in our understanding of the unknown.

I used to work at the Share Foundation: Building a New El Salvador Today with U.S. faith communities that accompanied communities in El Salvador to empower women and youth and and provide them with opportunities. In Fall 2005, I was in Wisconsin to help with a delegation from Chalatenango, El Salvador that shared with their sister parishes about emerging threats to mine for gold in El Salvador. This would mean that the communities living near the mine would possibly be displaced, suffer from health conditions related to the mining pollution, and that cyanide would contaminate the Lempa River- the lifeline that thousands in the country depend on for water.

The churches decided they wanted to accompany their brothers and sisters in Chalatenango and Cabanas and thus began a campaign. Since I left, the communities have achieved some successes. So far they have prevented any gold mining projects in El Salvador.

But they also face challenges. Pacific Rim, a Candian mining company with a subsidiary in the U.S., announced a law suit against the Salvadoran government under the Central American Free trade Agreement for not allowing them to go forward with their mining permits. This is the first international dispute filed under CAFTA. Another challenge the communities face is death threats. In June 2009, Marcelo Rivera was disappeared and murdered. He was one of the leaders of the National Working Group Against Mining in El Salvador. Jamie Moffett, a U.S. film maker, made a short film about Marcelo.

Despite these challenges, the National Working Group Against Mining in El Salvador continues to work to protect God’s Creation and human rights. For their efforts, they received the Letelier-Moffitt Memorial Human Rights award last week in Washington, DC. I attended an event with them and the broader Salvadoran community in D.C. on Saturday to honor their courage and hear their stories.

Next week is Bristol Bay Wild Salmon Week here in Washington, DC, and I couldn’t be more excited – mostly because it is a great excuse to endulge in some delicious, delicious salmon!  But, there is also a very important issue, whcih calls us to attention, as the watershed that produces these salmon, Bristol Bay, is currently under threat.

The Bristol Bay watershed supports the world’s largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery.  This bountiful resource provides a sustainable supply of food for the Alaska Native subsistence communities that rely on it as their primary source of food, and a healthy sustainable source of seafood to people throughout the world. However, this watershed, and the tremendous salmon fishery that it supports, is at serious risk from two significant mineral development issues: a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommendation to open this area to mining and a proposal to develop a massive copper and gold mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.

Stewardship of the lands and waters God has entrusted to our care is both a critical part of our call to protect creation and a responsibility shared by all citizens. For more than three decades, these 1.1 million acres of BLM land were closed to mineral development because of unresolved land claims stemming from the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.  In late 2008, the BLM released its first ever Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the Bristol Bay area, and -despite local and national objections – the BLM recommended that 99 percent of the public lands be opened to hard rock mining and oil and gas development.

The proposed Pebble Mine is a direct and inevitable threat to this sustainable and internationally significant resource. Based on current ore projections, the proposed mine will be the largest mine in North America, generating 9 billion tons of harmful mine waste (tailings) that will be stored behind earthen dams, and remain on the landscape in perpetuity.  The mine and its associated infrastructure will create a massive industrial footprint at the heart of this pristine salmon-based watershed.

It is through water that all of Creation is gifted with life; life, in all of its forms, is not possible without water.  Furthermore, Lands and wilderness provide refuge for the body and soul, offer blessings of sustenance like soil and water, and serve as stunning reminders of God’s power and grace in our lives.  So, what can we do?  You can vote with your fork anytime – supporting the industry by buying salmon from the region, and eating at restaurants where it is served. Also, the documentary “Red Gold” features this region, and its threats, and is available for viewing.  In fact, combine the two, and partner a salmon tasting with a film viewing!

So, protect Bristol Bay.  And eat some delicious salmon at the same time!

“The blessings of God are evident all around us, including in the sacred spaces that make up our houses of worship. These sacred spaces are where we come to be spiritually nurtured, enriched, and recharged. These spaces become a gathering place to meet in fellowship with our neighbors, and are the center of our mission activities. Even as we are blessed as communities of faith with gathering places for our worship and ministry, we have responsibilities to be good stewards of these sacred spaces.”

The Earth Day Sunday 2010 Resource, Sacred Spaces and an Abundant Life: Worship Spaces as Stewardship, is available now.  This resource asks us to recognize that everything we have including our worship spaces belong to God.  It encourages us to consider the way we use these gifts God has entrusted to us, and to be mindful of the impacts that may have on each other and all of God’s Creation. It challenges us to use the blessings of our worship spaces in ways that reflect God’s goodness and love, and provides the information and resources we need to do just that.

Click here download

Email info@nccecojustice.org to request hard copies (available soon)

What’s Inside?

• Resources for worship and Bible study
• Energy efficiency and conservation:  environmental and fiscal stewardship
• Protecting the health of members and vulnerable communities:  reducing toxic products and materials
• Water and Land Conservation: Ensuring God’s waters and lands remain clean, healthy and abundant

Click here to learn more about the topics covered in the Earth Day Sunday 2010 Resource.

Why So Early?

This year’s resource provides congregations with so many ways to become better stewards of their houses of worship; we wanted to give Congregations the option of starting a project now and celebrating their success on Earth Day Sunday.  Check out the Commissioning service for Creation Care groups found in the bulletin insert.

Environmental and Fiscal Stewardship

As you begin to determine the church budget for next year think about ways environmental and fiscal stewardship intersect.  Many of the suggestions for conserving water and energy will save your congregation money, ensuring more money for church missions.

We are called to be like the faithful servant Jesus describes in Luke 12: 42-44.  “Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.” (43).   Let us begin to do the work to which we have been called.

Last week was climate action week, a global campaign to empower people from around the world to push world leaders to respond to the challenge of climate change. On September 21st, over 2,600 events in 134 countries were organized around the theme a “global wakeup call.” Participants called their leaders asking them to take action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Here in the U.S., over 1600 people participated in the kick off to the global wake-up call, which occurred in Central Park in New York on Sunday, and throughout the week, people of faith called their senators and added their voice to the call for justice for God’s people and God’s Creation.

In addition, People of faith are encouraging President Obama to attend the Copenhagen Climate Negotiations this December by participating in the Countdown to Copenhagen Campaign. Over 50 congregations from around the country are hosting post card drives, sending thousands of post cards asking President Obama to personally attend the meetings, and making a commitment to take personal action to reduce their climate emissions. You can join them and sign the postcard on line. Click here. Last week, a chorus of voices lifted the moral concern of climate change to world leaders. But, our work is not yet done. On October, 11th people of faith can contemplate the issue of climate change as it impacts God’s Children and celebrate the many wonderful ways in which children connect to the natural world around them. Click here to download worship resources.

Click here to watch a powerful video connecting climate change and human rights.

From Chloe Schwabe -

From September 19-26, a delegation of Presbyterian Indigenous Yupik tribal leaders, youth and elders from the Arctic/Bering Sea villages of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska came to Washington D.C. They shared their history, culture, and the importance of their traditional diet of foods for physical and spiritual sustenance. They spoke with people of faith, environmental justice and health advocates and government officials at a forum held at the United Methodist Building on September 22^nd. Additionally, they met with members of Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the military to educate and discuss solutions, such as community-based research, to the challenges they face.

The former military based on the Island disposed of toxic waste on the Island, including massive amounts of fuels, solvents, poly-chlorinated biphenols (PCBs), pesticides, and heavy metals. The contamination still causes illnesses in the community and in the rest of God’s Creation in the Arctic including increased rates of cancer as the chemicals persist in the environment. Some people have been displaced from their land due to the contamination. Despite this, the community is still grateful for the role that the military played in protecting them during the Cold War.

In addition, the Arctic has become a hemispheric sink for persistent chemicals that travel hundreds of miles into the region and accumulate in the bodies of wildlife and people. “The Indigenous Arctic peoples are suffering the most from these chemicals,” says Vi Waghiyi, a Yupik woman from St. Lawrence Island, “because the chemicals – pesticides, perfluorinated compounds and toxic flame retardants, to—are long lasting, and drift North on wind and water currents from where they are applied in the Southern latitudes. That means these chemicals are also in our traditional foods and affecting our health and the health of our children.”

The delegation from St. Lawrence Island calls upon policy makers to hold the military and chemical industry accountable for violations of human rights. They urged policy makers to assist in their community-based research and advocacy efforts to protect the health of present and future generations.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10.10

“On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food, their leaves will not whither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” -Ezekiel 47.12

The Bible speaks of the efforts to ensure that we live abundantly. It doesn’t mean that we have a house full of stuff- but many of us manage to have that too. I know even with the my efforts to live with a small footprint that I still accumulate things. Things I use, things I dont use, things people give me or leave behind, and things I used to use but haven’t “disposed” of in some way or another.

New healthystuff.org tests 5000 consumer products for safety

I don’t think that a basement full of boxes is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said “he came so they would have life and have it abundantly.”  But it certainly seems hard to get around this issue of stuff. In these more challenging economic times I try to take the time to think about the three following questions:

1) Do I need it?
2) How toxic is it?
3) Do the long term health impacts outweigh the short term costs of buying something that may cost more but is less toxic?

A new website was just created that can help me answer #2. Healthy Stuff.org tested 5000 car, toys, apparel, and pet products for safety and gives them a rating. based on this information I know what the safer options are and I can decide the answers to the other questions.

Additionally, by making mindful choices to choose products that cause less harm, I can better reflect the spirit of Jesus’s words. Safer products mean I can care for my body, protect Creation from toxic chemicals, and also protect vulnerable communities and workers near the manufacture or disposal facilities. Abundant living should really reflect a justice filled world that honors the health and safety of all God’s people and Creation.

Learn more about environmental health from a faith perspoective at www.nccecojustice.org/health

We know we can’t survive without adequate sources of both food to eat and water to drink – things that God provided in abudence in Creation, and called us to be stewards of.  However, we have done a great amount of damage to both the waters that sustain us, and the fields and animals and food system that keep us fed.

This weekend, the New York Times had an article about the neglecting of Clean Water laws, and the impacts that is having on our nations waters. The Times found that the Clean Water Act has been consistently violated across the country, resulting in polluted water that can’t be used to shower in, much less drink. The Times noted, “one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails to meet a federal health benchmark in other ways.”

We also know our food system is broken – as factory farms and over processed foods have caused us to be less healthy as a nation. We no longer connect with the land and animals that provide us with the food we eat.  More than 30 percent of children eating school meals are obese, and farmers make up less than 2 percent of our population – just for two examples of a system that is badly broken.

The great part is that there are things we can do about both of these!  The Clean Water Restoration Act is making its way through Congress – currently in the Senate, and soon to be introduced in the House – to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act and restore its orignial intent. Keep an eye here for chances to take action as that moves through Congress.  And last week I had the chance to attend a reception with the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policies Food and Society Fellows – who are thinking of innovative ways to correct our course and how we interact with our food.  Fred Bahnson is encouraging every church to have a community garden.  There is a movement called One Tray, seeking to change the food kids eat in school one tray at a time.  And Curt Ellis, director of King Corn, is coming out with a new documentary looking at how the chemicals we use for our food get into our water supply.  And those are just three of the ideas that are coming from this collection of 23 fellows.

So, we have problems.  We have not been stewards of the food and water resources God created. But we have the chance to change.  Look for ways you can get involved in reconnecting with the food you eat and the water you drink.

Recently the FDA released their long awaited findings after testing major brand names for lead in lipstick. They actually found higher lead levels in lipstick than the report released by the Campaign for  Safe Cosmetics found in 2007.  The FDA found blood lead levels ranging from .09 parts per million to 3.06ppm. The FDA’s average level of 1.7 ppm is ten times higher than lead levels they allow in candy. On an interesting note, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no safe level of lead. We also know that lead accumulates in the body over a lifetime and is linked to neurological and motor functioning. Lead has also been linked to miscarriages and infertility. And YET, the FDA  says that it is safe for women and children to ingest small amounts of lead daily! Maybe the FDA should take a cue from the CDC.

Another troubling aspect of this report is the lack of public access to the findings. Even though it was funded with U.S. tax dollars, it was not freely released to the public. Instead it was quietly placed in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists that cost $35. The FDA also did not release the brand names of the lipsticks they tested and the lead levels for each brand.

As people of faith, we know that we were “fearfully and wonderfully made” with careful design beginning in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-17). We were made perfect and beautiful in God’s reflection (Genesis 1:26). Wearing lipstick and other makeup is a choice. The Bible speaks a lot to the value of wisdom. At the minimum need companies and our governemt to equip us with all the information so that we can make wise choices for our health when browsing the cosmetics aisle of the supermarket. Ideally, our products would be fully tested and regulated to reflect the precautionary principle.

New Healthy Spa Toolkit

In place of tighter regulations from the FDA and industry, the National Council of Churches just released Made In the Image of God Healthy Spa Workshop Guide and Toolkit for Congregations. It discusses our mandate to care about this issue as people of faith, provides safe cosmetics recipes to make at home or at church, and online resources for additional action and witness.