View Past Gatherings:
Saturday, Apr 18, 2015, 2:00 pm
Divestment seems to be everywhere! But what is it? Why is it popping up in our churches, colleges, foundations, and among our peers? How does the fossil fuel industry exploit Creation and our fellow humans? Does divesting our interests affect change? Find answers in this workshop where we will explore fossil fuel divestment as an act of stewardship and why people of faith are interested in this movement.
Speakers:
Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith
Saturday, Apr 18, 2015, 3:45 pm
There is plenty of safe, drinkable water for every person on the planet. Yet one in four people worldwide don’t have enough safe drinking water. Many private companies, enabled by governments, have successfully exploited the need for safe drinking water and turned a human right into a commodity. Absolving themselves from their duty to provide water access for everyone, local governments have allowed corporations to provide bottled water at a cost and freed themselves from any effort to clean up contaminated local water sources. While corporations profit, people in poverty must choose polluted water at the expense of their health, or divert already sparse resources to purchase wasteful, bottled water. In this interactive workshop we will explore what our faith teaches us about caring for our water sources; ensuring that they remain clean and safe, and available through public water systems. We will connect to water activists and share stories and practices that have been successful in promoting public access to safe drinking water.
Speakers:
Bryce Wiebe, Presbyterian Hunger Program
Lauren DeRusha, Corporate Accountability International
Sunday, Apr 19, 2015, 2:00 pm
Many Christian communities are known for their potlucks. We just get food! But are we walking our talk of equity and justice when we purchase and consume that food? In a society where we can access any food at any time of the year, we must be mindful of the growers, harvesters, and transporters that make our delicious dinners possible. Farmworkers labor in often harsh and dangerous environments that have plenty of room for improvement. Corporate interests also treat the food we eat as merely profit and not as gifts from God. Join us for a workshop to learn about a movement toward more equitable food for all and how you and your congregation can get involved!
Speakers:
Katie Furrow, Church of the Brethren
Nico Gumbs from National Farmworker Ministry
Sunday, Apr 19, 2015, 2:00 pm
Coordinated workshop offering in Eco-Justice and Global Economic Justice issue areas
Right now trade officials from the United States are meeting behind closed doors with Asian-Pacific, Latin American, and European officials to negotiate two trade agreements that together make up 80 percent of the global economy. With corporations representing the majority of informal advisors, who ensures that the integrity of God’s Creation comes before corporate profits? Much is at stake in these trade agreements as decisions are made about opportunities and enforcement of illegal logging and fishing, food safety, and fracking. Decisions will also determine if investor rights come before land rights of indigenous and other ethnic minorities. In this interactive workshop we will also explore what our faith teaches us about caring for creation and economic equality and what we can do to ensure that all God’s Creation, including marginalized communities, benefit from trade agreements.
Speakers:
Andrew Linhardt, Sierra Club
Manuel Pérez-Rocha, Institute for Policy Studies