Think having a green corner in your parish newsletter or bulletin is a great idea, but don’t have time to research or write one? Episcopal Climate News is here to help! Every Monday, to help Christians live out our faith in daily life, Episcopal Climate News offers a free green-living tip and a theological quote that your parish can use in its weekly newsletter or bulletin. Just copy/paste the text below, and feel free to edit/shorten as your space requires. Share this week’s column on Facebook.
Living on God’s Earth
By Episcopal Climate News, facebook.com/EpiscopalClimateNews
This week’s earth-friendly living tip: Buy fair trade products
What comes to mind when you hear the words “fair trade”? Better wages for workers? Family farms instead of large corporations? Sure. But what about stronger environmental standards?
According to Fairtrade International, in order for a product to be certified Fairtrade, it must meet the Fairtrade Climate Standard: “Farmers must make sustainable agriculture and climate adaptation part of their farm management, tackling issues such as water scarcity and soil erosion. Looking to the future, farmers are introducing renewable energy to mitigate carbon emissions from the production process.”
In addition to the price of their products, Fairtrade farmers and workers also receive “the Fairtrade Premium,” which many choose to invest in environmental projects. For example, in Kenya, members of the Sireet OEP co-operative have planted over 150,000 trees.
So the next time you’re shopping, whether for yourself or your parish, make sure you buy Fairtrade products to help both the human and non-human members of God’s creation! Fairtrade isn’t just for coffee, either. You can buy Fairtrade snacks, produce, backpacks, soccer balls, and even clothing. Find more Fairtrade products at https://www.fairtradecertified.org/products
Episcopal Climate News quote of the week: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Christian churches around the world unite in celebration of the “Season of Creation” from September 1 to October 4. The joint website, http://seasonofcreation.org, includes statements and videos from faith leaders calling on Christians to protect the good gift of creation. This week, we feature the statement from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church:
“We especially beseech the supreme God to gladden His creation so that human life therein may be joyful and fruitful… To commit a crime against the environment, against the natural world, is a sin. For humans to cause species to become extinct and to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for humans to degrade the integrity of earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forest or destroying its wetlands; for humans to injure other humans with disease; for humans to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life with poisonous substances: These are sins.” – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Episcopal Climate News 
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