Quakers have become vegetarians for many reasons throughout history. Some Quaker abolitionists in the 1700s, for example, were deeply committed to vegetarianism as an integral part of their spiritual path at a time when vegetarianism was very rare in the broader culture, because they had a commitment to respecting all of God’s creatures. (Read more in… (read more)
I’ve been writing about sustainable food for a month already, but it’s such a complex topic, I don’t feel like I’ve made a start. Let’s go back to basics: Sustainability means something can be maintained without depletion. When we talk about sustainable Earthcare practices we are talking about those that don’t deplete the earth’s resources, or damage… (read more)
In the 2019 Friends Journal Article The Ministry of Quaker Farmers, Rachel Van Boven interviewed Quaker farmers to find out how their Quakerism informed their farming practice. Among other things she talks about their choice to farm in an organic and regenerative way – a way that emphasizes building up the soil, not using it up as a… (read more)
Local food includes any foods grown, harvested, raised, and processed within our area. We naturally think of fruits and vegetables, but we can also buy locally grown herbs, dairy products, eggs, grains, and a variety of meats and seafood. Many locavores use a 100-mile rule. One of the biggest benefit of buying and consuming locally sourced food… (read more)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has a vision of U.S. agriculture: We have a safe, nutritious, affordable food supply that is ample for feeding everyone; Our food supply is produced by a legion of family farmers who make a decent living pursuing their trade; We protect the environment with farming systems that restore and conserve natural resources; And our fair and competitive agricultural… (read more)
Food unites and food divides. It both marks us into tribes and gives us opportunities to reach past our societal limits. From chicken barbecues to vegetarian-dominated potlucks, what we put on the table says a lot about our values, and how we welcome unfamiliar food choices is a measure of our hospitality. How do kitchen-table spreads of… (read more)
In a culture of gratitude, everyone knows that gifts will follow the circle of reciprocity and flow back to you again. This time you give and next time you receive. Both the honor of giving and the humility of receiving are necessary halves of the circle. … The earth gives away for free the power… (read more)
What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anaemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go From Here? (1967) My love for the planet, and for every being on it,… (read more)
Besides their intrinsic value as members of the Natural World, birds play many crucial roles in our ecosystems — including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal — and are essential to human welfare. With an estimated 1,200 species facing extinction over the next century, and many more suffering from severe habitat loss, we must feel the impulse… (read more)
We are showered every day with the gifts of the Earth, gifts we have neither earned nor paid for: air to breathe, nurturing rain, black soil, berries and honeybees, the tree that became this page, a bag of rice and the exuberance of a field of goldenrod and asters at full bloom. Though the Earth provides… (read more)
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