Enough: current events

March 25, 2020

Mindful Social Distancing

How do we hold ourselves together when the world appears to be coming apart at the seams? How can we help others if we can't even leave our homes? Actually, the biggest way we can help others right now is by doing just that: not leaving our homes. And while staying home, perhaps we can slow down and practice mindfulness. Perhaps we can take the time to do things we didn't have time to do before. But in our lack of movement, let's not become passive.

While we're stuck at home, businesses are closing their doors and losing money - and while the big corporations will survive (some, like Amazon, will even thrive), the small, local businesses may not have the resources to come back from this. When you spend money in the coming weeks, think not only about what you purchase, but where.

Food

When shopping for groceries, visit small, locally-owned grocery stores, farm stands, and farmers markets. Not only will you be supporting local businesses, but these places are often less crowded than the big chain stores, making it easier to stay at least six feet away from other shoppers. Remember that grocery stores are considered essential businesses and thus will not be closed - buy only what you need for a week or two, so that others may purchase what they need as well.

If restaurants have not yet closed in your area, order delivery or takeout from a local restaurant rather than a chain. This is also an excellent time (if you are financially able) to buy gift cards from local businesses, whether to give as gifts or to use yourself once the businesses reopen. Those who are celebrating birthdays or anniversaries during this time of social distancing may appreciate receiving one in the mail!

Entertainment

Before you sign up for streaming services, think creatively about where else you could put that money. Many libraries offer free digital services, including ebooks, audiobooks, online classes, and sometimes even movies. Consider donating some of the money you save by using these free services back to the library.

If you prefer to purchase hard copies of books, check to see if your favorite local bookshop has an online store, or order from Powell's Books. Another way to support a local bookshop is through Libro.fm, an audiobook company that offers both individual audiobooks and monthly memberships. The money you spend there will go to a bookstore of your choice!

Of course, with the weather warming up, you can also go outside. When choosing a hiking or biking trail, look for lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path options. If you see a lot of cars in the parking area when you arrive, move on to a different trail. Several national parks have had to close part or all of their parks due to overcrowding. Those that remain open aren't charging entrance fees, so if you visit one, consider donating the entrance fee via their website to help keep the park running.

Staying Connected

You may not be able to hang out with friends or visit family, but there are many ways to stay in touch. When the cabin fever sets in, pick up your phone and call someone, write an email or good old-fashioned letter (this is also a great option for kids!), or arrange for your book club or small group to meet via video chat. Contact your pastor or look through your church directory for church members who might appreciate a phone call or letter.

Above all, remember that a pandemic, by definition, affects many people: this isn't about you or me, but us.

August 27, 2019

Fires In the Amazon: What’s Happening and What You Can Do

The Amazon Rainforest is on fire. This exotic place may seem half a world away, but whether you realize it or not, what happens to the Amazon impacts you, and your actions affect it.

Making up half of the earth’s tropical forests, the Amazon Rainforest is both the largest river basin and the most biologically diverse ecosystem in the world. One-tenth of the known species on earth reside in the Amazon Rainforest, and there are many besides that have yet to be recorded. Less often talked about are the people who live there: more than 30 million individuals, including 400 indigenous groups.

Additionally, the Amazon’s 300 billion trees store one-fifth of all the carbon contained in the earth’s biomass, and when those trees are cut down—or burned—that carbon is released into the atmosphere. As you likely know, more carbon dioxide equals more global warming, which means hotter summers (this past July was the hottest month on record), colder winters, more extreme storms, and sea level rise. Often called the lungs of the world, the Amazon also produces 20 percent of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere.

What’s Happening

Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon Rainforest is within Brazil’s borders, and 72,843 fires have been reported in that area so far this year—a record number. Unfortunately, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has done nothing in response and has actually blamed NGOs for starting the fires. The real cause is intentional deforestation, according to the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM). Tracts of forest are commonly cut and then burned for cattle ranching, soybean farming, and other uses. From July 2018 to July 2019, deforestation more than doubled. In fact, Bolsonaro, who began his term in January, has encouraged farmers and loggers to clear the rainforest.

Other countries in the Amazon have also seen record fires this year, most notably Venezuela and Bolivia.

What You Can Do

Act

Tell BlackRock, the world’s largest investment firm, to stop investing in oil, mining, and agribusiness companies destroying the Amazon. Send a message and sign a petition!
Know your beef. About 80 percent of deforested areas of the Amazon Rainforest are cattle pasture. Reduce your beef consumption and only purchase grass-fed beef from local farms to both combat climate change and avoid supporting destruction of the Amazon. Remember that leather comes from cows, too!
Support indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon by signing this petition to halt the Brazilian government’s assault on social and environmental protections.
Reduce your consumption of paper and wood products, and look for recycled items or the Rainforest Alliance seal when you do purchase them. Think furniture, building projects, writing and printer paper, notebooks, paper towels, and disposable dishes, cutlery, and napkins. (Hint: you can usually do without the last four items!)
Tell the Brazilian government to save the Amazon Rainforest and protect indigenous lands through this petition.

Donate

Amazon Watch works “with indigenous communities to stop the destruction and defend their rights and homes.”
Rainforest Action Network’s Protect an Acre program distributes grants to frontline communities, indigenous-led organizations, and their allies to protect rainforests around the world.
Rainforest Trust establishes legally designated protected areas through purchase or designation.

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