April 22, 2001
Earth Day Service

Save the Earth, Share the Crop

Our theme today is "Save the Earth, Share the Crop." We are here to promote awareness to these issues that continually challenge us and require our vigilance now more than ever. Our world's resources are not distributed fairly. Some lack enough to live, others have vastly more than they need. How do we build a world of enough that is distributed fairly? How do we build a world of enough that provides for generations and generations of health and happiness?

Did you see the article in the Seattle PI last week? The article that profiled Woody Harrelson's 1,500 mile bike ride from Seattle to Los Angeles. This ride is dubbed the "Sustainable Organic Living" tour. Harrelson is making this trip to promote awareness to lower impact living and, as he calls it, "going off the grid", or getting away from corporate products and influence. He is traveling on an old Chicago transit bus that runs on hemp fuel and has solar panels on the top. I wonder if it was serving all the beer to Norm and Cliff in the Cheers bar that gave Woody his perspective on life and sharing.

I also wonder what it will take for governments and corporations to also make changes that will make the difference to our fragile world. I am thankful, largely based on my living in a first world country, that I have choice of foods, products, and media. As noted in an article used by the Heifer Project International, poverty plays a major role in the environmental problems of many countries. This is because impoverished people often must make short-term choices based solely on their desperate need for food. For example, many farmers have no alternative to cutting trees for firewood or putting animals on overgrazed land - practices that harm the earth.

So, here in the first world, conscious of my luxury of choice, I am hopeful that by making informed purchases that my voice will be heard and that my impact on the earth will be less. But I am fearful that in this ever busy world, that we will forget the message or will just merely be overwhelmed by the abundance that is at our doorstep.

Crop Walk began in 1947, under the guidance of Church World Service, and its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe. Crop Walk was the first walk in United States to raise funds for a charitable cause. Today, some 2, 000 communities across this country sponsor Crop Walks. 25% of the funds raised will been given to the local food bank, Hopelink. While the remaining 75% of funds will go to international hunger relief efforts. In these countries, Crop Walks help to provide tools of hope that empower people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools, to wells and water systems, to nutrition-enhancing Moringa trees, to technical training and micro -enterprise loans, the key is people working together to identify their own developmental priorities, their strengths, and their needs.

In addition to a focus on working with the community, Church World Service supports sustainable farming practices. Sustainable farming refers to the thoughtful use of any natural resources. For example, in the production of food, we only use what can be replenished or restored to a level that sustains the species or the ecosystem or, as in clean water, the quality of the resource. Sustainable farming has a positive impact on the environment, promoting the long-term health of farmed land and waters as well as that of our own. Working to farm this way both locally and globally will positively impact the environment and our future food supply.

Like the Heifer Project International, Church World Service is now working with third world communities and donating animals (such as pigs, cows and goats). These animals provide a regular income to the farmers, potentially by the sales of offspring and/or their use in farming techniques. Furthermore, they aid in soil fertilization with the very manure that they produce. The consequence of not providing these farmers with information about sustainable farming is that they may make choices that harm the environment and the future food supply.

Listen to this story...

He was a lumberjack from the wooded mountains of western Bosnia. Then war swept through the hills, and Nidjo Runjo and his wife Mikla had no choice but to move to their daughter's home in Belgrade. As part of the reintegration program aimed at returning displaced people to their native regions, CWS gave Nidjo and Mika a cow and a chain saw - essential tools in starting their lives anew. "For some people, a cow may seem like nothing" said CWS Balkans director,... "For these people, a cow is life. It provides them with milk, cheese, butter, cream and offspring." Just 200 people had returned to the region when CWS began distributing 20 cows, three bulls, and 174 sheep to 38 families. One year later, more than 1,500 people had resettled there. "Everything I used to have is destroyed" says Nijdo. "But I'm not disappointed or angry. Now I'm back on my own land. And I know there are people who care about us, who pray for us, and who support us."

I encourage each of you to think of, give to, and pray for local and international hunger relief efforts. I was drawn to Crop Walk as it focuses on two of my passions, exercise and helping others. We live in a time where awareness to these issues is high, and there is much to get involved in. Look for activities in our local communities and abroad. Let's take that step.

I also believe that farmers need to be recognized as the principal ecosystem managers on Earth, and that society should encourage them to use natural resources sustainably. This will require incentives and support. From who? Governments the world over should take note and change the way their citizens use and abuse the environment in the race to minimize costs in the global economy. Not only the government, but each of us as consumers and advocates need to mindful of changes in our world. Be aware of government-directed policies that don't protect the environment. Speak out, write letters and advocate on behalf of the future of life on this earth.

Environmental awareness and hunger relief efforts both need our attention, perseverance, and support. They are issues that should be thought of in our daily actions. When I realized that the Sunday Walter John suggested as a Crop Walk service was Earth Day, I thought that it couldn't have been better placed. Crop Walk symbolizes to me, just one of several ways to get involved in helping those who are hungry. I see these two issues, Earth Day, a day that reminds us of our boundaries of this planet, and hunger relief efforts, as highly linked. If we continue to destroy our local environment, we'll overwhelm the global food markets with our demand. However, if we conserve and protect, would there not be more to share? And a positive example to follow.

I believe that a lot of the beauty of life is found in the little things that it is composed of. And I also believe, that the little things we do in life make a difference. Understanding that few, if any, of us here are farmers, can we still make sustainable choices? How about these - taking the bus or walking more often, eating less meat, buying organic products, conserving energy, or buying a recycled version of a product - they all add up to something. Here's an example: my Seventh Generation Kleenex box (which is made of 100% recycled paper) informs me that "you are making a difference. If every household in the US replaced just one box of 175 virgin fiber facial tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save 351,000 trees, 1.4 million cubic feet of landfill space, 146 million gallons of water, and 62,000 pounds of pollution. I would like to trust this information on the Kleenex box is true, and I still would be as happy if it were only a half-truth. More over, I hope the actions serve as motivation and example the world-around.

These issues of sustainable living tie into Earth Day and Crop Walk, as well as service with God for me. I found my relationship with God by growing up on a farm in Ontario, and being among the beauty of gardens, animals and the silence of walking through the nearby forest. On our farm I also saw the fragility of the living creatures and vegetables that we housed. It was just one part of the larger picture here on earth.

Furthermore, God's example is to extend love to all. In this way, food as a source of not only love but necessity, shouldn't be limited to just a handful of the world's growing population. Let us protect this precious place and it's hungry people, meeting the expectations of our creator. I encourage you to continue to engage in efforts that continue to work toward saving this earth and feeding the hungry. And may God be with us on this journey of many.