MANNA
The E-Newsletter of the Alliance for Sustainability

Making sustainability a reality worldwide through support of ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just & humane initiatives on a personal, organizational & planetary level.

Welcome to this our hot July MANNA which features a profound article by Ram Dass on how we can move from fear to true peace, along with how misleading food labels are, how 400 Americans could save 8 million lives annually, how Catholic healthcare is shifting toward sustainability and how you can make a difference.

We're pleased to welcome Janelle Jurek as the new co-editor. Janelle brings a wealth of overseas living and work experience with computer systems and a real sense of sustainability on all levels from having lived two years in Sweden. She'll be reflecting on that in future issues.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, suggestions and articles.

Sustainably,
Janelle Jurek and Terry Gips, Co-Editors
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MANNA
The E-Newsletter of the Alliance for Sustainability

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we used when we created them.— Albert Einstein

* Letter from the Editors

* Alliance Activities
- A Word from Our New Manna Co-Editor

- Sustainability Book Club Meeting August 13

- Planning for the 2004 Living Green Expo – Want to get involved?

* Take Action! Make A Difference
- Take Action on Coffee

* Personal Sustainability

- Ram Dass on Heart to Heart Resuscitation – From Overwhelm, Fear and Denial to True

Peace

- Your Food Labels May Be Deceiving by Tara Parker-Pope

* Organizational Sustainability
- Kinko's upgrades 7 paper stocks to at least 30% post-consumer recycled content

* Planetary Sustainability
- 400 Americans could save 8 million lives annually by Jeffrey D. Sachs

* Spirituality & Sustainability
-Do No Harm: Catholic Hospitals Work to Minimize Ecological Impactby Nancy Frazier O'Brien

- Thank you for Your Memberships and Donations

- Thank you to all the Current Alliance Volunteers

- How you can Contribute and Our Wish List

Alliance Activities

I recently returned to Minnesota after living in Sweden for 2 years and am even more discouraged at the direction I see in the United States regarding health, environment, food safety, product design, packaging, recycling, treatment of workers, open space, transportation; in short 'sustainability'. I wonder why my abundant country continues to choose a path of self-destruction. By joining with others to learn and act, I hope my activities with the Alliance for

Sustainability will help both people and our planet.

Conventional marketing is out. Green marketing is in. -- Jackie Ottman, Green Marketing

At our last meeting, people said they enjoyed reading the first two online chapters of Jacquelyn A. Ottman’s Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation so much that they’d like to read the rest at our next meeting, which will be 7:30-9 pm Wednesday, August 13. This time we’ll look at chapter’s four and on which feature Ottman’s provocative case studies of well known green marketing efforts that failed and succeeded. Whether you come or not, it’s available FREE online: www.greenmarketing.com/Green_Marketing_Book/welcome.html .

We’re returning to our regular home, the award-winning Ecopolitan Restaurant, Minnesota’s first entirely organic, vegan and raw restaurant which also incorporates the Natural Step Framework and is certified by the Green Restaurant Association. Come enjoy its delicious food, juices, largest selection of organic wines anywhere, and exotic drinks like Young Coconut Blend and Comet's Tail. Thanks to the restaurant’s generosity, no purchase is necessary. The Ecopolitan is located at 2409 Lyndale Ave S., Minneapolis.

The Alliance has been intensely involved in working with state agencies, numerous groups and individuals on plans for the May 1-2, 2004 Living Green Expo at the Minnesota State Fair. Please contact the Alliance if you might be interested in helping out, iasa@mtn.org .

In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy. - John Sawhill

Does your church, office, or school serve fair trade coffee?

SoJoMail, Sojourners www.sojo.net  July 16, 2003

There's an appalling imbalance in the coffee industry today. While Folgers' sales topped $1 billion and executives at Folgers' parent company, Procter & Gamble, pocketed nearly $37 million in 2000, the average coffee farmer earns about $300 a year.

Something needs to change! Sojourners - in partnership with PuraVida - provides SojoBlend coffee (fair trade, organic, and shade grown). PuraVida guarantees coffee farmers a set price at least four times higher than the industry average, regardless of world price fluctuations. They also go one step further and contribute 100 percent of profits to grassroots ministries in Costa Rica.

Here are four steps you can take:

1. Ask your religious leader to promote justice while brewing the day's coffee at your church, synagogue and mosque events.

2. Ask your employer to wake up workers with coffee that makes a difference.

3. Ask your school to offer a responsible coffee option for all-night study sessions.

For more information, e-mail jandersen@sojo.net, call (800) 714-7474 x235, or visit www.sojo.net/sojoblend

By Ram Dass   Edited from complete article which is available at <Sean, can you insert link to complete article here>

It's evident that we are living in interesting times, and I think we're feeling that we understand better every day why that was considered a curse by the ancient Chinese. Everything is shaky: social structures, political structures, economic crises, ecological crises--all of it changing, all destabilizing at once.

In the presence of human unconsciousness, what is generated by all that change and instability is fear. People get frightened, and when they get frightened, they use certain mechanisms for coping with it. They go into denial -- "Global warming is not really happening." They look for a talisman to ward off the evil, like holding up a cross against a vampire, so they become fundamentalists or they become ultra nationalists. There's more ethnic prejudice, more racial prejudice.

Everybody's scared. The poor are scared of the rich, and the rich are scared of the poor. How could a society that is experiencing the pain we're in not be looking for solutions? The problem is, when there is worldly power, then there is also a vested interest in preserving that power, in not upsetting the apple cart. So instead of a search for solutions, we see more massive levels of denial.  Nobody's willing to bite the bullet and propose real solutions, because it might mean we'd have to give up something we enjoy, and we don't quite want to do that.

The question we need to ask ourselves is whether there is any place we can stand in ourselves where we can look at all that's happening around us without freaking out and where we can begin to find ways of acting that are at least not contributing to further destabilization. That place, that new perspective is what I call the "soul-view." Let me share with you this little model I've worked out about who we are as human beings. I call it the "Three-Plane Consciousness Model." If I were to take a picture of who I see you to be, the picture would show three levels---three different levels of who you are, planes on which you have an identity.

Number One is what I call ego, that's the level we all know very well, the plane of the body, mind, and personality, of all those things we think we are. Number Two I call the soul; the soul measures time not in days and years but in incarnations, and it's the level that was around before we as egos were born and that will be around after we as egos die. And Number Three is...just Number Three. We all have different names for it, and wars are fought over what to call it, so I avoid all that by just calling it Number Three.

I see our task as learning to live on more than one of those planes simultaneously. When we are creating social action out of that kind of consciousness, it's coming from a totally different space, a different motivation, than when it's coming out of our egos with all their conflicting wants and needs. It goes beyond empathy---it's the experience of oneness. That change in consciousness is what the world needs. I believe that the basic institution for social change is the individual human heart and that we change hearts one by one through a process I call "heart-to-heart resuscitation." It's the kind of love that's contagious---It's passed from heart to heart to heart, from soul to soul to soul.

And it encompasses everybody. I know---there are certain people around whom it's very hard to keep your heart open. You probably have your own list; I know I have mine. Nowadays one of the names on my list is Dubya. I find it very hard to keep my heart open to him, to remember that he's a soul, too. So here's what I do: I have a Puja table, a little alter, in my home. So I have a picture of Christ, and a picture of Buddha, and a picture of my guru---and a picture of Dubya. In the morning I light my candle, and I light my incense, and I greet everybody---"Good morning Christ," and Good Morning Buddha,and Good morning Maharajji"---all so sweet and loving---and then, "Hello, Dubya." I see how far I have to go in keeping my heart open.

If our actions are to be truly compassionate, that's the kind of change in consciousness that's required. If our actions are truly to lessen suffering in the world, and not just shift it around a little, they have to come from the deepest quietest spaces of our hearts.  Acting from that deep consciousness is the most profound social change possible, and it's a change that each one of us, individually, can make. For the full article please go to www.mtn.org.iasa/ramdass.htm .

By Tara Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal edited and cited in The Agribusiness Examiner July 16, 2003, Issue #269  www.ea1.com/CARP/

The United States fell eight places in the latest sustainability rating of developed countries, placing in the bottom 20 percent. Recent changes in human rights and environmental policy are the key reasons the U.S. was demoted from 17th to 25th rank in the 2003 Country Rating Report. -- Munich-based research firm, Oekom Research, www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/1157.html

By Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, The New York Times, July 9, 2003 excerpted from Sojourner's SojoMail  www.sojo.net July 16, 2003

The top 400 income earners in the U.S. had an average income of $174 million each, or a combined income of $69 billion in the year 2000. That $69 billion is more than the combined incomes of the 166 million people living in the four countries that George Bush visited last week: Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and Botswana.

In 1995, the top 400 income earners paid almost 30 percent of their income in taxes. After the Bush tax cuts and other factors, the proportion will be less than 18 percent. Based on their income in the year 2000, that tax savings translates to nearly $7 billion.

A World Health Organization commission determined that if rich countries contributed a total of $25 billion, the increased investments in disease prevention and treatment could save 8 million people from death each year in poor countries around the globe. The U.S. share would be $8 billion, given the size of its economy in relation to other donors.

When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colours, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow. -- Old Native American Prophecy

Anthropology has explored the human-environment interaction since the beginning of the discipline in the mid-nineteenth century. Environmental anthropologists have conventionally focused on traditional cultural knowledge and land management practices. More recently, anthropologists have examined the political ecology of conservation and the involvement of international nongovernmental organizations with local conservation efforts.

Anthropologists also study development - particularly the affects of development on traditional cultures. Many focus on "sustainable development" strategies or alternatives to the forms of conventional economic development espoused by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These anthropologists tend to study sustainable agriculture and forestry practices, fisheries management, ecotourism and other blends of traditional practices and commerce.

Although anthropology of development and the environment are well-developed sub-disciplines, the field has not yet turned its lens to the sustainability movement emerging throughout the developed world. Distinct from "sustainable development" the sustainability movement seeks to decrease resource use and lessen the ecological impact of the "North" or wealthier countries. The ultimate goal is for the human sphere of activity to operate within the natural cycles of the global ecosystem. This necessitates a restructuring of our economic and social systems and a fundamental change in cultural beliefs and practices.

Applied anthropologists apply their research in order to positively affect the lives of the people they study. Anthropologists can contribute to the environmental movement by identifying both the cultural barriers to sustainability and the cultural ideals that can facilitate a shift towards a more ecologically sound lifestyle. If environmental behavioral interventions and educational programs are to be affective they must address the relevant cultural issues. Sustainability is also a fitting subject for an anthropologist because it implies a process of culture change as a concerted effort of directed culture change on a massive scale.

Spirituality and Sustainability
Do No Harm: Catholic Hospitals Work to Minimize Ecological Impact

Calls from Catholic leaders as current as Pope John Paul II and as ancient as St. Francis of Assisi are bringing together Catholic health care officials -- as well as a variety of people representing other Catholic institutions -- to address the environmental impact of their daily practices.

"Ecology is a deeply spiritual issue," said Dominican Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski, ecology program coordinator for Catholic Healthcare West, considered one of the leaders in environmental stewardship among Catholic health care institutions. "It invites us to an exquisite awareness of the interconnection of all things," she added. "That is, if the planet is not healthy, we cannot be healthy. We cannot have a health care system that takes care of its people but does not take care of the environment."

The environmental cause -- especially as it affects children -- has brought major Catholic organizations together in the Catholic Coalition for Children and a Safe Environment, which meets about every six weeks to discuss and implement new initiatives. Among the coalition's members are Catholic Charities USA, National Catholic Rural Life Conference and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It is supporting US Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) Mercury Reduction Act of 2003, which would provide incentives for the reduction and safe disposal of mercury in homes, hospitals and schools. Catholic hospitals are continuing to work for environmental stewardship by actions that range from converting to more energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning systems and vehicles to switching to reusable dishes in the cafeteria.

Each coalition member also has taken steps individually to prevent environmental harm to children's health. Catholic Charities, for example, trained housing coordinators from 50 dioceses on environmental health issues related to housing, while members of the National Council of Catholic Women are working with their Jewish counterparts on several projects to protect children from environmental harm. The Catholic Health Association has joined in Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, an initiative of the American Hospital Association, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other health care groups.

August 8 Eco-Sabbath Celebration with Terry Gips at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association Conference (NOFA), Hampshire College, Amherst, MA www.nofamass.org

August 9 Sustainable Sweden Presentation and Personal Sustainability Workshop with Terry Gips and Annalee Wolf at NOFA www.nofamass.org

August 13 7:30-9 Alliance Sustainability Book Club, Ecopolitan Restaurant, Minneapolis

Sep 4-7 The Water of Life: Peril & Promise in the 21st Century -- 3rd Annual Century of the Environment Conference at Omega Institute, Rhineback, NY with Robert Kennedy, Jr., Ralph Nader, Vandana Shiva, Winona LaDuke, Anita Roddick and others. www.eomega.org/omega/workshops/

Sep 4 Natural Products Expo East – Washington, DCwww.expoeast.com

Sep 10 7:30-9 Alliance Sustainability Book Club, Ecopolitan Restaurant, Minneapolis

Contributing Members - Theodore Miller, Steve Kaplan

Skiers Ending Hunger – Susan Maureen Crawford, Julia Bartsch, Ella Kim

Thank You to all the Current Alliance Volunteers
Kate Lyon, Cathy Haskins, Robin Linde, David Grieder, Brandon Burmeister, Janelle Jurek, Joy Penman, Terry Gips, Laurie Savran, Ken Seguine, Steve Weinberg, Marci Heerman, Wendy Jedlicka, Janna Stender, Phyllis Harris, Ann Johnson, and Brad Johnson.

We'd like your support: Your tax-deductible donations to the Alliance will…
Provide much-needed support for our office and important collaborative projects, including Natural Step Framework Seminars, Sustainable City Initiative, Junk Mail Tree Project, Living Green Expo, and our Centers for Spirituality and Sustainability and Judaism and Sustainability.

Our on-line membership form is available at www.mtn.org/iasa/join.htm . You may also contact Sean Gosiewski at iasa@mtn.org or mail your contribution to the Alliance, 1521 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. We also hope you'll support our efforts by sharing this with others.

Our Wish List: A great way to help us out is to donate new or used resources needed by the Alliance, including a Powerpoint Projector, Digital camera, TV/VCR and cart, Kodak slide projector, Screen, Ergonomic office chairs, Computer table, Houseplants, Two-line office phone, and Current version of Filemaker Pro. These contributions are also tax deductible: iasa@mtn.org or 612-331-1099.

We love to include your comments, articles, quotes and factoids in MANNA . Also, let us know any steps you have taken to bring about sustainability in your personal life, workplace or community that you’d like to share with others: iasa@mtn.org .