Eugene Friends Meeting

Eugene Friends Meeting

of the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers")

Posts filed under unity with nature

Sustainable Meat and Dairy?

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)

So … What IS Sustainable Food?

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)

Organic Quakerism

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)

Buy Local Food – and Get to Know Your Farmer

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)

Sustainable Food Systems

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 and Our Testimonies

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)