Comments on PeaceBang: Poverty and Sustainability

Here is St. Paul on of our local congregations has...

2007-03-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

Here is St. Paul on of our local congregations has a task for on sustainable agriculture, and one of the things it does is act as a pick up site for folks to buy food from local farmers. And not far away is Mississippi Market, one of the Twin Cities many food co-ops, which deliberately located their building in a marginal neighborhood to be more accessible to folks who normally don't shop at

Foodfight!(Sigh)Permit me to dispute (I just like ...

2007-03-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

Foodfight!

(Sigh)

Permit me to dispute (I just like arguing with Peacebang, in part).

It is true that the bulk (yeah, that's a pun of mild intent) of the population is eating junk. It's also true that the American population at large (oh, again) is not yet so economically stressed that we are driven to having no choice. We are not unable to

Whole Foods is my Tiffany's (as in Breakfast at). ...

2007-03-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

Whole Foods is my Tiffany's (as in Breakfast at). Sometimes I like to go there and just look at all the beautiful things that can be grown, and absorb the feeling of hope that people are working to improve the world. I eat my local/organic food (local and organic is first choice, than local, than organic from someplace else) with an easy conscience... largely because I think that supporting small

I too have had a sense of "Whole Foods decadence" ...

2007-03-07T23:54:00.000-05:00

I too have had a sense of "Whole Foods decadence" when I stop and look at what we have at middle-class/affluent American grocery stores (the regular grocery stores are like that too where I shop). I vacillate between gratitude for what I have available to me and a sense of shame for the unnecessary volume of options for our consumer lifestyles. I hope some of the trend towards wider

The Food Project in Weston MA grows organic food, ...

2007-03-07T23:14:00.000-05:00

The Food Project in Weston MA grows organic food, largely with youth paid labor, plus volunteers. Harvest is given and or sold in urban neighborhoods of Boston. It is a good place for youth to work for a summer.

Also, legislative work to eliminate transfats should make a real difference in public health.

A Woman of the Cloth

Amen, Peacebang. I have had the same unease about ...

2007-03-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

Amen, Peacebang. I have had the same unease about my buying organic when lots of folks just plain can't buy for lack of supply or funds. It's hard for those who aren't affluent to imagine, but there are folks--like those who eat in soup kitchens--for whom just getting basic calories and nutrients is a challenge. In my big liberal university town, the food pantry receives contributions of

My farmer friend Sarah here on Whidbey Island remi...

2007-03-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

My farmer friend Sarah here on Whidbey Island reminds me that local farmers have to be able to make a buck, when I complain about the price of farmers' market produce.

My congregation here on WI is plotting (literally) organic pea patches for community use. There are very few here. We may put one in at our new building and offer free or extra-low-cost produce at some point.

Just speaking more along the lines of sustainabili...

2007-03-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

Just speaking more along the lines of sustainability, organic does *not* equal sustainable. Much of the organic produce available in places like Whole Foods has been trucked or flown 2,000 miles (especially for those of us living in the Northeast; Philocrates alluded to this). I'll take local over organic any day (and locally grown organic over any of the rest!).

That aside, I completely

In this world their are some people who are not ab...

2007-03-07T04:29:00.000-05:00

In this world their are some people who are not able to get even for there livelihood and the people who has enough should feel concern about their starvation and should help.similarChristianity Today

A key feature of the Berkeley (all organic) and Oa...

2007-03-06T23:47:00.000-05:00

A key feature of the Berkeley (all organic) and Oakland Farmers Markets is that they take food stamps. This is a very big deal.

Also, as one of the two (next step world hegemony) vegan UU bloggers that I know of, I think in general "righteous vegan warriors" are at least somewhat happy when WalMart or other mainstream retailers sell more organic and recycled goods. Its not necessarily a

I live in the Ky and in both Lexington and Louisvi...

2007-03-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

I live in the Ky and in both Lexington and Louisville (the two largest cities in the state) our farmers market has worked with the government to ensure customers who have food stamps are able to use them to get fresh produce. There is also an initiative, driven by our schools, to educate parents about healthy food choices. They send home recipes that take less that 30min to make and require very

our farmer's market takes food stamps, as does our...

2007-03-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

our farmer's market takes food stamps, as does our local co-op, i believe. it is possible to eat healthily and cheaply at our co-op. we don't have a large budget, and we're able to do it. the problem in kentucky, is that culturally, most folks are prone to think that vegetables cooked in lard are healthy.

Organic growing methods are gentler on the environ...

2007-03-06T22:02:00.000-05:00

Organic growing methods are gentler on the environment, it is only ironic that it costs more. I see this issue more as a both/and than an either/or. It is also sheer foolishness that we grow vast monocultures and then burn tons of fossil fuels to move the feed to the livestock and then waste the best fertilizer (the stuff that comes out of the livestock) since it is no where near the fields

Two thoughts (from a non-righteous omnivore who is...

2007-03-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Two thoughts (from a non-righteous omnivore who is also a fan of locally grown produce):

Helping to bring farmers' markets into low-income communities would be an excellent step in the right direction. A few UU churches provide organic produce for food banks and
;-)

G*dd***t, PB! I was in the middle of composing thi...

2007-03-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

G*dd***t, PB! I was in the middle of composing this exact post!

Get outta my head!

Seriously, between UUWorld and Time's cover story this week, I keep coming back to justice issues. I may put my stuff up anyway, but for me it's coming back to the larger issue of helping the wider world meet basic needs before we move onto the hight consciousness issues, or at least contributing

Thank you. Been pondering many similar thoughts a...

2007-03-06T17:50:00.000-05:00

Thank you. Been pondering many similar thoughts and haven't been able to articulate them to my satisfaction - you hit the nail right on the head, there.