So I was in Michigan last weekend giving a talk on global water issues.  One night in my hotel I was watching ESPN (sports is one of my horrible vices, but that is probably another post…) and I came across this commercial.  In the spot, Bono, the great champion of human rights goes through a litany of social ills (hunger, poverty, war, immigration, etc.) and concludes that all of these are irrelevant because for “one month, every four years, we all agree on one thing…”  And that one thing? Soccer.

I was quite (and still am, I think) disgusted by the suggestion.  Two reasons:

1) Is agreement about soccer (or any sport for that matter) really something to hang our hats on?  I mean, we have no political will to address the great evils of our time, but we sure can appreciate guys running around and kicking a ball?  Really?

2) Is Bono a sellout?  Why trivialize such horrors?

So I’m wondering… Did I misread the ad?  Is it saying something different?  I really want it to, because I really like Bono.

If I am not misreading the ad, am I just being a grouch?  I understand that people need entertainment, and it is nice for us to find the things that unite us (but I will repeat my–perhaps now tired–refrain, to what end are we united?).  Also, I understand that we need to have diversions that help us cope with the darker and more difficult parts of human existence.

So the million dollar question: does this ad go overboard, or do I need a bit of perspective?

-David Creech

I sat down to dinner last night feeling quite proud of myself. That lasted all of about 30 seconds. I was proud of myself because I’d found time to make a dinner from scratch that my family really likes – pizza. But then I realized that, technically, to make something from scratch, you have to start from nothing. Ha! A laughable notion! I began thinking about just how much I started with, and how many people and places went into the food I “made from scratch.” Out of curiosity, I even looked at some labels to see where things came from. Here’s what I came up with (and by the way, I live in a northwest suburb of Chicago):

water – Lake Michigan
whole wheat flour – Ted’s Organic Grains in DeKalb, IL
white flour – no idea where it came from, and I no longer have the packaging
canola oil – Canada
salt – U.S.A. (where, precisely? Anyone know where our salt comes from?)
yeast – Canada
parmesan and romano cheese blend – Argentina and Italy
olive oil – Italy
spinach – Sandhill Organics in Grayslake, IL (part of my CSA box)
tomatoes – Canada (a surprise this time of year; I was expecting Mexico or Chile)
goat cheese – no idea and I no longer have the packaging

So, my dinner from “scratch” actually came from at least four countries on three continents, and with a surprisingly strong showing from Canada! And I’m fortunate enough that I can take all of this for granted. I had to look most of it up, and I still don’t know even what country two ingredients came from.

Then I thought about how many people helped make my pizza. How many people did it take to grow and harvest tomatoes, spinach, wheat, olives? How many people did it take to care for the goats and sheep, collect their milk, and turn it into cheeses? How many languages were spoken in the process? What are their lives like? How many people were involved in the packaging, distribution, and eventual stocking of those items? For that matter, how many people are involved in making the water out of Lake Michigan come out of my tap in a safe and appealing way?

Food ties us together in so many ways, and my sustenance – my life – is dependent upon so many others, most of whom I’ll never meet and often don’t even think about. I give thanks for them all, and proceed in the fight against hunger with the humility of knowing how lucky I am to be well-fed, and how much of my feeding I owe to others.

What did you eat for dinner last night? How many countries were represented? Please leave a comment. I’m curious!

-Nancy Michaelis

Disaster strikes.  Then what?  Pray, donate money, help people.  Do what you can as you follow the story in the media.  Haiti.  Chile.  Malawi.  Name the disaster of the month as we approach hurricane season and are called to respond at a moment’s notice when our brothers and sisters are in need, usually around the world but sometimes in our own backyards.

Photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT International

When devastation engulfed Haiti on January 12, organizations around the world clamored to touch down on Haitian soil let alone begin instituting any kind of aid that would respect the hurting local infrastructure and Haitian people.  But the ELCA was already there, already in Haiti working with and through Lutherans to build better communities and improve lives.

ELCA World Hunger has been on the ground in Haiti for many years, providing millions of dollars and supporting many programs through local work of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). It’s because of this work on the ground and relationships with the LWF and partner organizations like Action by Churches Together (ACT) that the ELCA is able to take your gifts and translate them quickly into food, water, clothing and shelter for people who need it now more than ever.

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Disaster Response are providing water. A water purification system with pipes, filters and pumps transported from freezing-cold Norway to scorching-hot Haiti is providing 10,000 homeless Haitians with clean drinking water. The ACT Alliance brought in desperately needed special water and sanitation facilities. The “water factory” is based in the Belair neighborhood of Port-au-Prince and provided the first clean water many people had access to after the earthquake.

Long before the spotlights cast themselves on the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and long after they will have faded, the ELCA has worked, is working, and will continue to work on the ground in Haiti for justice and stability.

The ELCA is present in many countries throughout the world, working through companion churches and with international partner organizations to provide the daily relief and development work that can, in a moment’s notice, support a readied infrastructure of support when disaster strikes already poverty-filled areas.

–Aaron Cooper is writer-editor for ELCA World Hunger

I just got done reading Joel Makower’s book, Strategies for the Green Economy. I have to admit, I was very impressed with how many different perspectives Makower introduces to his readers. For instance, I was challenged to think not just about the negatives of big box stores, but also about their positives. Looking at the entire picture was enlightening. It turns out corporations that I had no idea had a green heart are making strides toward sustainability, zero waste production and eradicating toxic chemicals.

Much of the book focused on messaging from a business perspective. How and when should companies tell their green story? How good is good enough when it comes to a green initiative? I found it thought provoking to consider Makower’s points about companies who come out and say, “Hey, we’ve done this green thing!” and then getting called out by activists for every other thing that they haven’t done. A favorite quote from the book reads, “Consumers, even activists, can accept imperfection in incremental solutions when they know that the company understands the issue at hand, is sufficiently concerned, and is taking adequate steps to change things, including influencing others—suppliers, competitors, and legislators—to join them in becoming part of the solution.” I also found it interesting to learn more about how consumers view “green” products and the accompanying research which suggests a product’s effectiveness must be proved, not just proclaimed.

It’s more than just messaging and box stores though, Strategies for the Green Economy asks important questions that relate to everyday life such as, “What are the opportunities in the green economy for those at the lower end of the economic ladder? Where are the jobs, the access to renewable energy, the affordable organic produce, the availability of wellness programs?” In other words, how does the greening of business positively affect all people?

More than anything I was encouraged by the research, facts and outlook of a book that focused on the greening of the business world, and how it can continue its climb. Makower, in fact, believes that green is not going anywhere, and when it comes to sustainability suggests that this goal will be surpassed as real market leaders look toward being restorative. Restoring the earth, providing green jobs to the lower end of the economic ladder, and encouraging corporations large and small to “green-up” seems to me like a pretty decent way to begin to impact hunger—as companies take care of resources, the environment and people on a large scale.

There are so many thought provoking ideas, notions and facts between the covers of Strategies for the Green Economy that a blog cannot truly do it justice. Check it out for yourself at your local library or grab an e-book!

~Lana

In Guyana and Suriname, it’s hot. Mosquitos and rain are my constant companions. Right now, I’ve got one eye on the sky, so I can grab the sheets and towels from the line before the rain begins. The longer they can hang outdoors, the better, because it’s so humid, it can take two days for clothes to dry. It rains so often and so copiously, I don’t feel guilty taking several showers a day.

I’m sweating inside the “Lungs of the Planet”–the Suriname-Guyana portion of the Amazon rainforest, home to a multitude of plant and animal species, and an important ally in fending off global warming, as these trees recycle carbon dioxide into 20% of the world’s oxygen.

95% of Suriname and 75% of Guyana are covered by rainforest. Considered developing countries (scoring  #97 and #114 respectively on the Human Development Index, out of a possible182), they are urged by conventional economists to increase their wealth by kissing their forests goodbye. Guyana listened to the World Bank and the IMF in 1991, and awarded a 50-year, gazillion-dollar contract to a Malaysian logging company. That’s one reason why it has so much less forest than Suriname today.

Now that contract has been revoked, and Guyana’s president, Bharrat Jagdeo, is promoting an alternative point of view. Instead of earning money by destroying our rain forest, he’s asking, why not keep our forests intact, and focus on harvesting their renewable products like nuts, fruits, medicinal plants? Better yet, how about paying us to leave those forests alone? For his advocacy, Mr. Jagdeo was recently named a “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations.

In Guyana, people are very proud of the president's new title and international recognition

What Mr. Jagdeo is talking about is a concept called ecological or ecosystems services. From this perspective, the rainforest doesn’t have to be turned into furniture in order to have value. It’s intrinsically economically valuable, because it takes carbon dioxide out of the air, and sustains animal, plant, and human life. Also, the services it provides would be expensive or impossible for humans to duplicate, like figuring out how to turn all that CO2 back into oxygen by ourselves.

The concept of paying something to do nothing with a natural asset is hard to grasp for people like us, who are used to paying for something in order to consume or do something with it.  By contrast, this is not buying, but paying just to let something… be.

I’m excited about it, though. In my view, the economic paradigm that demands continual growth is going to have to change if we are to adopt more sustainable ways of living. Ecosystems services is an early sign that our whole idea of what constitutes profit and success will shift.

You can read more about payments for the ecological services of rainforests here For rainforest countries, these are important tools for preserving the forest and earning much-needed income.

Consumers like us need tools that help reduce our consumption of rainforest products. At the website of Rainforest Relief: exposing and challenging rainforest consumption you can learn how to avoid buying tropical wood products,  and see who the world’s biggest buyers are. How astonishing to learn that the government of New York City is the biggest consumer of tropical hardwoods in the US! It uses the wood for outdoor boardwalks.

It’s a two-step process. As Suriname, Guyana and other countries get paid for the intrinsic ecological value of their resources, fewer tropical wood products will be sold.  Demand will go down as we convince NYC and others to replace tropical wood with recycled plastic lumber, but income in rainforest countries will rise as alternative compensation becomes more common.

I look forward to the day when I can profit in all senses from the very existence of the rainforest. Meanwhile, I’ve got a couple more weeks of sweaty, firsthand appreciation ahead of me!

Anne Basye, Sustaining Simplicity

It is finally close to the frost-free date here in Chicago – the date that gardeners have been waiting for to get their hands dirty!  But what does that have to do with world hunger?  “World hunger” sometimes seems too big (and too complicated) of an issue.  But how about planting a few extra plants and helping others learn how to grow food?  This summer, I challenge you to grow food for your family AND donate some of your produce to your local food pantry.  Wouldn’t it be great to get your church involved too?

Planting extra to share is not a new idea, but one that seems to have become increasingly popular with the economic downturn.  More people seem to be gardening this year, and many in my community have been reminded of just how important food safety nets are.  Here are just a few examples of how churches are helping to get fresh produce into the hands of those who might not otherwise have access:

Cincinnati, OH:  Lutheran Church of the Resurrection’s “Garden of Eatin’” community garden donated approximately 700 lbs. of food to a local pantry in 2009.  http://www.lcresurrection.org/earthministry.php?submenuheader=1

Milwaukee, WI:  All People’s Church converted a vacant lot to a community garden that provides healthy produce to their food pantry, and more . . . http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Responding-to-the-World/ELCA-World-Hunger/Hot-Topics/LifeLines-Newsletter/Milwaukee-Sum10.aspx

Does your church have property that could be used for a community garden?  A high percentage of renters who are unable to grow their own food where they live?   An existing relationship with a local food pantry? 

Before dropping off your fresh produce, call ahead to your local food pantry to make sure they are equipped to accept it.  Join ELCA World Hunger’s social networking site – The Table – to share your plans for community gardening and sharing!  http://elcaworldhunger.ning.com/group/communitygardeningandsharing

Erin Cummisford

Each week I (or one of my colleagues) prepare sermon starters based on the lectionary that have hunger related themes (check them out and/or sign up to receive them here).   For those of you who use the Revised Common Lectionary, you know we have been working our way through the book of  Revelation.  As I was preparing May 16’s reflections I got grumpy. We are to read Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21.  Now, skipping over redundant passages or litanies of names or food laws, I understand.  I mean who really needs to know who begat whom or whether or not we can wear polyester.  I get it.  But this picking and choosing in Revelation is absurd (I told you I got grumpy).

The book of Revelation is a tough book.  It has some of the most beautiful images of worship, redemption, and hope.  It also is incredibly violent and vindictive.  What the lectionary has done throughout our journey through this tricky book is to cut out all of the latter.   So for the passage in question, Jesus is offering hope and solace and healing.  Any of the passages about judgment are removed (read for yourself here).  The lectionary is careful not to upset our modern sensibilities.

Now, I am not one who is all keen on fire and brimstone.  I don’t really want to know what horrors await fornicators or what plagues will afflict anyone who adds or removes words from the book (note the irony!).  But I do think that we are intelligent people who don’t need to be protected from the text (my feminist friends might disagree with me–let me hear your thoughts).

So how does this relate to hunger and poverty?  Well, as I so eloquently put it in my sermon starter, “Talking about poverty and hunger can make us very uncomfortable.  The statistics are daunting.  The solutions are difficult.  The whole problem in some or another may implicate you and I somehow.  It takes courage to speak about these issues.”  Yet it is precisely by speaking about these issues and engaging that discomfort that we can begin to actually bring changes.

So although it may upset us (and those around us!) I think we have to speak.  We have to engage.  We cannot be like the lectionary.

– David Creech

I”m struggling today with my willingness to contribute to the causes world hunger. I read Peter Sawtell’s “Eco-Justice Notes” from Friday, April 24. In it, he talks about the eruption of Ejyafjallajokull and the ash that disrupted flights around the world. Mr. Sawtell says:

“The interconnection of commerce, culture and climate has become real. I made a comment to friends last weekend that what we were seeing in Europe may be just a taste of how the world will soon change. The dramatic scale of action that is needed to minimize global heating should mean that the travel and trade that we now take for granted will be seen as luxuries. If we are responsible in dealing with climate change, then we will no longer see fresh produce rushed around the world. The short business trips and quick vacations to far-away lands that now seem routine will be a thing of the past. The quiet skies over Europe may be the new “normal” within a few decades.”

What? I can’t fly anymore!?

Now, I know how bad flying is for the atmosphere and the climate. I’ve known that for a long time. And I know how bad climate change is for everyone, but especially those living in poverty. Still, somehow this particular article hit me more personally than others, and I bristled as I came face to face with a problem: I love to travel, and I’m not ready to give it up. I’d even go so far as to say I value travel. Not only do I find it enjoyable, but I think I’m a more educated, appreciative, and broader-minded person because of the places I’ve seen and people I’ve encountered. Travel has changed my perceptions and enhanced my life. I want to do more of it, and I’m not likely to tell others to knock it off, either. (In fact, I know some folks who could really benefit from some global exposure!) But here Mr. Sawtell tells me my actions are irresponsible. If I’m serious about tackling climate change, I need to stop with the elective flying. And I see his point. I don’t want to trash the planet. I don’t want to add to the burdens already borne by those living in poverty. And I wouldn’t have to go anywhere. Which leaves me wondering: when your values clash, which one wins? How do you choose, and then how do you live with the choice?

What do you think? Insights welcome…

-Nancy Michaelis

~ Lana

Sources:

• FAO – www.fao.org
• WHO – www.who.int; www.wssinfo.org
• USDA – www.usda.gov
• World Food Program – www.wfp.org

According to the World Health Organization, in 2008 there were 247 million cases of malaria and nearly one million deaths—mostly among African children. In Africa, a child dies every 45 seconds of malaria, and the disease accounts for 20 percent of all childhood deaths there.

April 25 is World Malaria Day.  On this day devoted to addressing one of the most widespread fatal diseases of our time, we know that bed nets are one of several important tools to combat this disease.  Bed nets are important and the most publicized form of prevention, but that’s one of many aspects of combating this far-reaching epidemic.  It’s also about education, safe drinking water, and a global cooperation of people and organizations working together with affected communities to halt this disease.

The ELCA is part of an inter-Lutheran effort to combat malaria: the Lutheran Malaria Initiative.  As this work gains momentum, consider what you can do to support it.  Learn how youth are getting involved.

Like hunger, whether you understand malaria on an academic level or by virtue of experience with the disease, a communal gut reaction is needed to the widespread devastation this epidemic continues to cause.  As one of the body of Christ suffers, so do we all.  As one of the body of Christ has AIDS or malaria, so do we all. 

Those who have the ability to act have the responsibility to act.  Whether malaria, AIDS, hunger, and countless other justice issues in the world that disproportionately affect people living in poverty, let us step forward boldly as a public church whose witness is visible in endless acts of human connection and meaningful systems of change.

-Aaron Cooper is writer-editor for ELCA World Hunger