October 2019 Newsletter
Our Home, Our Future, Our Choice
Facts & Figures
25%  of children under age  5  die each year because of preventable environmental hazards. Indoor and outdoor air pollution is one of the most extreme hazard.
World Health Organization

Over 8 million people die each year from air pollution – more than from smoking.
World Health Organization

This past July was the hottest on record (the 2nd hottest was in 2016)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

On August 2, Greenland lost 12 billion tons of ice   to melting, the largest single-day loss in recorded history.
The Smithsonian Institute

The rate of Antarctic ice loss is 5 times what it was 20 years ago.
World Economic Forum

About 174 million tons of plastic packaging are produced globally each year but just 20% is recycled .
National Geographic

It takes about 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose.
National Geographic

There are   1.4 billion cattle in the world that contribute about 40 %   of the  annual  methane -- a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere.
National Geographic

60% of items bought in a year are thrown away within a year
Greenpeace

In the U.S,  64 million  tons of carbon dioxide are released each year to make meat for dog and cat food — about  33%  of the impact of all American meat consumption.
Time
Oil and gas companies in the U.S. emit at least  9 million  metric tons of methane pollution a year.  50%  of all the industry’s methane emissions come from leaks.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Americans produce more trash than any other country on earth —  4.6  pounds per person, per day, which amounts to  251 million tons a year.  50%  of this trash is sent to landfills, where is slowly decomposes and produces green house gases. Plastic that is not recycled often ends up in the ocean and is especially harmful to wildlife.
Discovery

  • 1 reusable water bottle = 167 plastic water bottles
  • 1 reusable bag = 170 plastic bags
  • 1 reusable cup = 500 coffee cups
  • 1 metal straw = 540 plastic straws
  • 1 cloth towel = 7,300 paper towels
Unwaste the Planet
85% of registered voters support requiring electric utilities to use 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

For more on the Environment, click here.
Environment Resources
Climate Church, Climate World:
How People of Faith Must Work for Change
By Jim Antal. Argues that climate change is the greatest moral challenge humanity has ever faced. Hunger, refugees, poverty, inequality, deadly viruses, war - climate change multiplies all forms of global social injustice. Presents a compelling case that it's time for the church to meet this moral challenge, just as the church addressed previous moral challenges calls for the church to embrace a new vocation so future generations might live in harmony with God's creation. Read more.
For more on the Environment , click here.
The Pope Video: Protecting the Oceans
Using images from around the world, this short video highlights the importance of the oceans for all life on earth & how they are threatened by human action. Watch now.
For more on the Environment , click here.
Let’s Launch a Satellite to Track a Deadly Greenhouse Gas
A TED Talk featuring environmentalist Fred Krupp, who discusses his idea of a launching a satellite to track global methane emissions -- which would have a far greater immediate impact on global warming than carbon dioxide -- which gets the most attention. The collected data would then be openly shared with the public. This idea is part of TED's Audacious Project initiative to inspire and fund global change. Watch now.
For more on the Environment , click here.
Other Resources
The Bail Project
A national revolving bail fund to prevent incarceration and combat racial and economic disparities in the bail system. Learn more.
For more on the Criminal Justice System ,
Freedom for Immigrants
Through their visitation network, hotline, and other initiatives, works to abolish immigration detention worldwide, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system.
For more on Immigration , click here.
Out of Many, One
A documentary from Netflix, that depicts some of the many threads that continue to weave the tapestry that is America through the lens of five immigrants who are on their journey to U.S. citizenship. It is a reminder of our national motto, “E Pluribus Unum”, Out of Many, One. Watch the trailer.
For more on Immigration , click here.
Who is Dayani Cristal?
A documentary about trying to identity one of the thousands of anonymous people who perish in the desert trying to find a new home in the U.S. A companion book, Who is Dayani Cristal: An Examination of Modern Day Migration is also available.  Watch the trailer.
For more on Immigration , click here.
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
By Jemar Tisby. A narrative of how people of faith have historically -- up to the present day -- worked against racial justice and a call for urgent action by all Christians today in response. The book details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices and offers concrete solutions for improved race relations and a racially inclusive church. It is a call for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality -- a call that challenges black and white Christians alike to stand up and begin implementing a more equitable and inclusive environment among God's people. Read more.
For more on Racism , click here.
Suppressed: The Fight to Vote
A resource from Brave New Films, this documentary weaves together personal stories from voters across the state of Georgia to paint a picture of voter suppression in the 2018 midterm election where Stacey Abrams fought to become the first Black female governor in the U.S. The issues Georgians faced included polling place closures, voter purges, missing absentee ballots, extreme wait times and a host of voter ID issues – which disproportionately prevented many students and people of color from casting their ballots. It features experts, poll watchers and everyday Georgians speaking to the reality of voter suppression and the threat it poses in 2020. In a race that was ultimately decided by 54,723 votes, the film exposes that the basic constitutional right to vote continues to be under siege in America.
For more on Voting Rights , click here.
Ben Salmon
A website that focuses on the life of Ben Salmon -- a pacifist, c onscientious objector and critic of the "Just War" theory. He refused to fight in the First World W ar and was arrested and charged with desertion and spreading propaganda. He was sentenced to death, but later re-sentenced to 25 years hard labor.   Includes two short videos, The Life and Message of Ben Salmon and There is No Just War as well as books and articles written about him plus information about his cause for canonization. Learn more.
For more Peace resources, click here.
Faith & Racial Equity:
Exploring Power & Privilege
An 8-week program from JustFaith Ministries, that awakens groups to the economic systems, public policies, cultural norms, and hidden biases that empower some and oppress others. The first half of the module introduces a framework for understanding and recognizing racial disparities in power and privilege. Sessions 5-8 take a deeper dive into specific issues related to power and privilege, including affirmative action, the school-to-prison pipeline, the criminal justice system, and powerful biases in media representation. As with all JustFaith programs, participants explore how their faith should inform their response to their learning, as well as discern action steps for working toward racial equity in their own communities. This program is designed for participants who are willing to wrestle with hard questions and take an honest look at their own attitudes, assumptions, and choices. Learn more.
For more on Racism , click here.
Dicastery for Promoting Integral
Human Development
A department of the Vatican, that promotes the integral development of the person in light of the Gospel and in line with the Social Doctrine of the Church. It dedicates particular attention to taking care of the goods of justice, peace and the safeguarding of Creation, as well as issues regarding disarmament, human rights, human mobility, health and charitable works. In addition, the Dicastery follows issues regarding the necessities of those who are forced to abandon their own countries or those who are without one, the marginalized, the victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters, prisoners, the unemployed and victims of contemporary forms of slavery and torture and other people whose dignity is at risk.
The Dicastery is divided into four areas: Management; Research and Study; Pastoral Works and Diakonia; Migrants and Refugees. All these areas cooperate towards reaching the goals of the Dicastery in the fields of the Margins of Humanity, Safeguarding Creation, Faith and Integral Development. Resources include: videos, documents, projects, events etc. Learn more.
For more Justice resources, click here.
They Called Us Enemy
By George Takei, Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott. A memoir recounting Takei's childhood experience of being imprisoned in an American concentration camp during World War II. Tells the story of how in 1942 at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, his entire family was forced from their home and shipped to one of ten "relocation centers," hundreds of miles away, where they would be held under armed guard. This   firsthand account recalls years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. Read more.
For more on Racism , click here.
  Actions
Making a Living While Making a Difference
By Melissa Everett. A timely and informative guide to a working life built on principled choices and an entrepreneurial attitude. It’s about greener enterprises and technologies, socially responsible business, innovative nonprofit work, and reinventing government. This revised third edition acknowledges that while the path to finding a life’s work that is satisfying, sustainable, and financially feasible is not easy, there are simple steps to follow. With dozens of rich personal stories and a thorough look at the options, this is a comprehensive life and work guide for people who care about their communities and the planet. Read more
For more Public Witness resources, click here.
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
Focuses on how acts of public witness such as strikes, boycotts, mass demonstrations, acts of noncooperation, can build their effectiveness and win rights, freedom, and justice. The mission of the ICNC is to develop and share knowledge and resources on civil resistance with interested recipients throughout the world. This includes activists, scholars, educators, nongovernmental organizations, media professionals, and members of the policy community. Learn more.
For more Public Witness resources, click here.
Helping Others Makes Us Happier,
But It Matters How We Do It
A TED Talk from Canada featuring social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn who discusses her research that shows that helping others makes us happier. But in her groundbreaking work on generosity and joy, Elizabeth Dunn found that there's a catch: it matters how we help. Using the refugee crisis and hunger as examples, she shows that getting personally involved and seeing how our help makes a difference, boosts our happiness along the way. Watch now.
For more Volunteering and Service resources,
  Prayer
A Prayer for the Troubles of the World

For the troubles of the world

We pray for those in the world who have forgotten that all people are made in your image and likeness and are of equal worth in your eyes;
for those who suffer because of racial oppression and social injustice;
for those who struggle for human dignity;
for those who have lost their hope for the future.

We pray for the needy and suffering in the world;
for the hungry and thirsty;
for the homeless;
for the unemployed and unemployable;
for the victims of alcoholism;
for the victims of drug addiction;
for the sick, in mind or body;
for the lonely and elderly.

We pray for all parents, that they may give their children the love and guidance which will help them to find the right way in life;
for all children without parents;
for young people, that they may find hope for the future;
for peace between nations and goodwill among all people.

Lord, hear us!

Women of Sweden, from  Women of Prayer
  Important Dates This Month
Individuals Honored This Month
October 2nd
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
October 4th
While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.
October 5th
One is called to live nonviolently,
even if the change one works for seems impossible.
October 7th
If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies.
October 11th

The solidarity which binds all people together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist.
October 11th

Looking deeply requires courage.
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