"If I die young..."

I've never blogged twice in one day, but all of a sudden I have an intense need to say something.  I was reading about Treyvon Martin's murder here when The Band Perry began singing "If I Die Young" on my playlist.  That's when it hit me... the heavy blow to my chest... the huge lump in my throat... the tears in my eyes... and the tingling in my fingers to write.

For those who are not familiar with the recent story of  Treyvon Martin, to sum things up best I can, a 17 year old was shot on his way home from a convenience store in Florida, by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain.  Zimmerman called 911 to report a "suspicious person" (Treyvon) as he was patrolling the area because of recent break-ins.  Against the advice of the 911 dispatcher, Zimmerman followed Treyvon, approached him and shot him, out of self-defense, he claims.  Zimmerman has still not been arrested for this irresponsible, knee-jerk homicide.  The police ran a blood-alcohol test and criminal record check on Treyvon, but not on his killer, Zimmerman.

Is it coincidental that Treyvon Martin was a young black male?  I think not.  As much as I would love to believe that our nation's history of racism was buried long ago, this is far from the truth.  Young black men are repeatedly profiled and sterotyped as "dangerous."  Our prison system reveals this.  Even though black people are no more likely to abuse drugs than white people (one report I read said 70% of drug users in America are white), almost 50% of people in prison for drug crimes are African American (in some states 80-90% of all drug offenders sent to prison have been black).  State and local law enforcement agencies receive more federal funding for the higher number of drug arrests they make.  So where do the police go to round up their numbers?  ...To poor people of color, an easy target.

I am still finding it incomprehensible that this teenager, talking on the phone with his girlfriend, a bag of skittles and an iced tea in his hands, was thought to be suspicious.  And secondly, that Zimmerman, a very large man with a loaded gun, felt his life was threatened by this skinny, unarmed teen to the point where he would decide to shoot him.  I just don't get it.  And I don't get why it has taken a national, public outcry for an investigation to begin.  Except that this is an all too familiar story within our nation's history.  The death of a "shady" black man has very often not been enough to necessitate an investigation or a fair trial.  May God have mercy.

And lastly, I must say that young Treyvon would most likely still be with his family if people like George Zimmerman were not allowed to carry loaded guns.  I have heard of way too many children being caught in crossfires just in Philadelphia.  There is a Florida law known as "Stand Your Ground" that allows a person the use of force as self defense if the person "reasonably believes" it is necessary.  Since that law was passed in 2005, the number of "justified homicides" in the state has sky-rocketed.  We are not a safer people when we put guns into the public's hands.

"And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singing
Funny, when you're dead how people start listening"

~Lyrics from "When I Die Young"

Let's not wait for another young death to begin listening.  Let's respond today.

There are ways we can help.  We can add our voice to Change.org which is calling for the prosecution of George Zimmerman.  We can also call on our senators to help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people through this link.  And of course we can check our own prejudices and biases, pray for Treyvon's grieving family, and agree to live peaceably with all our neighbors.

Spring is Sprouting!

It's spring! The season of new life, new beginnings. Dry brown branches are being speckled by hews of baby green, transforming the bare forests to deep green in a matter of a few short weeks.  Funny, twisted shoots are peeping out from a thawing earth, mysteriously revealing flowers of every color of the rainbow.  Gray skies melt to blue.  Harsh, howling winds are replaced by cool breezes, carrying the melodies of bird-songs.  The sun stoops closer to our part of the planet calling forth new life.

Gardeners are getting dirty.  Farmers are tilling their fields.  And the rest of us are growing excited for fresh, local produce.  Last year I wrote about my excitement for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) vegetable co-op to begin again at Lancaster County Farm Fresh.  This will be our 4th year that we have bought a vegetable share with our neighbors to split.  This means that we will be getting locally-grown, organic, delicious produce from May to October! And not only that, we will be keeping many family farms in business, in an era when small farmers are forced to sell their land due to a loss in profits.

So if you live in any of these counties... Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, or Delaware... you still have time to purchase a vegetable, fruit, flower, or herb share from Lancaster County Farm Fresh and have it delivered to a pick-up site near you.  Consider sharing a share with another family.  It's a great way to eat healthy, take care of the land, and support small, business owners.  I call that a win-win-win!

Click on this link to learn more about LCFF!

The Lorax, a Tree-Hugging Friend

Environmental Science.  Sixth Grade.  It ruined me.  Or better put, it opened my eyes to my part of ruining our precious planet.  It is where I learned about population over-growth, landfills, pollution, and global-warming.  It was the fire under my feet that urged me to urge my parents to begin saving our "recyclables" and to begin a compost pile in the corner of our yard, next to the woods.  And it's what eventually caused my husband to label me a "tree-hugger" when we were first married (all for telling him that we needed to get a recycling bin!)  

My husband has come a long way (he blessedly bought me a composting sphere for Christmas two years ago!), and I now have two offspring who bring trash in from the outside, shaking their heads and saying, "Some people just do not care about our Earth, Mommy!"  Ahh... nothing warms a mother's heart more.  

So it should come to no surprise when I tell you that I cried at the end of The Lorax, the new film based off of the children's story by Dr. Seuss.  We took the kids to see it last Saturday for our first big-screen movie as an entire family.  And, boy, was this worth seeing!  Sure, it's an extreme example of environmental destruction, but the message is powerfully relevant for our times (and for anyone trying to live a glo-burban life).  

The Onceler reveals to the audience that environmental destruction is rooted in greed.  His desire to do something BIG, to be RECOGNIZED, and to make LOTS OF MONEY fuels his decision to chop down every last tree, with no regard to how the trees are such an important part of sustainable life.  The trees are not only beautiful and mysterious, but they make up an essential part of the habitat for the bears, the birds and the fish.  The loss of the trees is also the loss of the lives that depend upon them.  

Living in suburban America, I realize that I am part of this larger Greed.  Where I live, where I shop, how much I drive my car, what I buy... all of these decisions contain a carbon footprint.  Sometimes it's easier not to care, not to wonder whose water is being contaminated by my trash or what river is drying up due to the furniture I buy (deforestation) or whose lungs are being contaminated by my car's emissions.  These thoughts bring with them a sense of responsibility, a knowledge that my actions affect others' lives, that I am just one being here on Earth and yet am also connected to this beautiful web of life.

But the inspirational message from The Lorax comes when the the hero of the movie, a teenage boy named Ted, realizes that his voice matters, and declares, "I'm Ted.  And I speak for the trees."  He makes a decision to challenge the assumptions of those in his town.  He questions their belief that plastic can replace Nature, that Capitalism does not have consequences, that human life is disconnected from the rest of Creation, that humans have the right to abuse Creation.  

Ted challenges me.  I can pretend that my life has little ripple effect, but I know that this is not true. Having any global awareness at all reveals the fact that American consumerism (i.e. greed) fuels much of the environmental devastation around our globe... from warring over oil, diamonds, gold, and titanium... to wanting to eat cheap, fast food... to building economic empires... to chasing the latest and the greatest stuff... This lack of contentment, this lack of reverence for our God-given home... it snags at each of us.  

And so what to do?  How to contain the "spirit of the Lorax"?  I think it begins with educating ourselves.  When we begin to understand what is happening in our world and what we can do about it, we then can make choices that are healing, rather than greedy.  Secondly, I look to my pocket book.  Where am I spending my money?  In a culture that is driven by the dollar, do I want to encourage greedy businesses that make heavy carbon footprints on this earth?  Or would I rather support the many, creative enterprises (often times very small) that value human life and environmental sustainability?

For a better understanding of where our stuff goes when we're bored with it, check this out: The Story of Stuff

For a look at the impact of global-warming, check out An Inconvenient Truth.

To learn more about Rain Forest Devastation, read this.

To learn about earth-friendly, alternative cleaning products, click here.

To shop fairtrade check out: Fair Trade USA, Ten Thousand Villages, or Green America 

To better understand our role in the food chain, watch Food Inc.

How are you trying to follow the spirit of the tree-hugging Lorax?