September 2024 Blog
A Solar Insurgency?
Director’s Note, Rev. Douglas Day Kaufman
5 September, 2024
In May I spent a week with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partners in Puerto Rico. So much of MCC’s work in Puerto Rico is connected to climate change that Laura Pauls-Thomas at MCC East Coast invited Anabaptist Climate Collaborative to join. We brought our expertise in climate and to help tell the story. Natural disasters, climate adaptation, and colonialism all intersect on the island.
Hurricane Maria was devastating to the island in 2017. While some perished during the hurricane, many died from a lack of electricity that endured for months. Those who needed dialysis could not receive it. A lack of refrigeration meant medicines spoiled.
Puerto Rico has endured hurricanes for millennia; in fact, the word hurricane comes from the indigenous Taino language. But a warmer atmosphere fuels more powerful storms. Sea level rise means greater flooding.
So it was good to see MCC supporting Puerto Ricans in moving towards greater energy independence through installing solar panels. MCC Puerto Rico program director Jean Carlos Arce has made good connections with grassroots organizations such as Casa Pueblo (the People’s House) in Adjuntas. This organization began decades ago in opposition to an open pit mine proposed for the region.
The founder, Alexis Massol, told us about how they at first had trouble finding enough people to help them oppose the mine. So they started events teaching local children folkloric dances. This brought out families. They then started talking to parents about the importance of Puerto Rican culture and the need for Adjuntas to not be devastated by this large mine.
They eventually defeated the proposal for an open pit mine, but they still confront challenges. They intertwine social, cultural and natural preservation. They have started a nature reserve.
We were most interested in their work with solar panel installation. While they have done some larger installations, they also have done small installations for families in need. This program is called “Cucubanos” after a Puerto Rican beetle that emits light like a firefly. We visited one family receiving panels where the matriarch had a stroke leaving her unable to walk. Having solar panels means not needing to depend on intermittent power from the utility. While I call it solar independence, they call it a solar insurrection.
We encountered many other solar installations. We visited Pastor Debora from the Mennonite congregation in Utuado. Because of diabetes, their family also qualified for solar panels. Her husband told us about the abundance of fruit and vegetables there.
Two other organizations received solar panels from MCC grants. Both of them were smaller systems that powered DC rather than the usual AC appliances. These are much cheaper to install–there is no need for an inverter–and can still power lights, small appliances and phone chargers.
I hope to have ongoing contacts with Mennonites in Puerto Rico as they integrate their faith with the realities of climate change and colonialism.
A Faithful Farm Bill
Ally Welty Peachey, ACC Advocacy Intern
Photo by MCC/Chris Hon of Messiah University Students after congressional advocacy meetings.
This summer I interned on behalf of the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative as an Environmental Advocacy Intern in the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) National Peace and Justice Ministries (NPJM) office in Washington, D.C. I believe as people of faith, we are called to care for God’s creation. We care about our common, sacred home and work to promote the worth and dignity of all people.
One way I have been working to care for creation this summer is by learning about and educating others about sustainable farming and agriculture via the Farm Bill. Anabaptists have a long and rich history of agriculture and farming; learning more about it has helped me understand how our values are deeply rooted in our Anabaptist traditions.
On July 18, 2024, a group of seven students and two faculty members from Messiah University traveled to the MCC NPJM office for a day of advocacy meetings. The students learned about the Farm Bill, and planned meetings with their members of congress. The group met with four Senators and two Representatives from Pennsylvania and Maryland. The group was advocating for a ‘Faithful Farm Bill’ that protects the environment.
The meetings went well, and the staffers that the students met with were very receptive. After the advocacy meeting students were asked to reflect on their experiences, for a majority of them it was their first time engaging in this direct type of advocacy work. One student Chris Hon stated “I was just really grateful to be a part of this experience as I had never personally been a part of any lobbying that allowed me to directly get in contact with senator/representative offices! I think the Lobby Day was very inspirational and empowering.” Other students expressed similar sentiments, and many students expressed interest in future advocacy experiences.
The Farm Bill, introduced in 1933 and updated every five years, is a massive piece of legislation addressing the ever-changing agricultural needs of the American people. The Farm Bill covers everything from crop insurance to food security programs like SNAP. The original Farm Bill aimed to: ensure adequate food supplies for Americans, protect the country’s natural resources, and keep food prices fair for farmers and consumers.
While the Farm Bill mainly focuses on agriculture, it can be an environmental bill, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve the environment! The Farm Bill is the best opportunity to achieve meaningful policy reforms in climate, food, and agricultural systems that will help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change and preserve the environment for generations to come.
As Congress moves to pass an updated Farm Bill in 2024 it is important to acknowledge an increased awareness about the impact of climate change on agricultural land practices and food supply since the last Farm Bill of 2018. We know that: planting trees sequesters carbon and manages flooding, practicing no-till farming and planting cover crops builds a healthy soil, and building biodiversity on farmland helps make farms more pest and climate resilient. The next Farm Bill must reflect this increased knowledge.
The Farm Bill includes popular voluntary conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and Resource Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). These programs utilize climate-smart agricultural practices, including no-till farming and planting cover crops, to protect our natural resources, enhance farm productivity and resilience in a changing climate, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these climate smart agricultural practices have been used for years by Mennonite and Anabaptist farmers. The demand for these programs has far exceeded expectations, and backlogs continue growing. In the last year, less than half of the farmers interested in funding from these programs could access it, 74% of EQIP applicants and 60% of CSP applicants were turned away.
These agricultural conservation programs primarily benefit small to mid-sized farms and make it possible for these farms to implement climate-smart agriculture. In the US small farms make up 74% of all farms, but are only responsible for 2% of agricultural sales. Large farms in the US are responsible for 42% of agricultural sales but only comprise 1% of all farms. As the number of small to mid-size farms in the US is shrinking, it is crucial that these farmers have access to additional funding and support through conservation programs included in the Farm Bill.
In 2022 the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocated nearly 20 billion dollars of funding to agricultural conservation programs with provisions attached to ensure it goes towards programs reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, these provisions are at risk of being removed in the next Farm Bill. This would mean that this historical funding could be redirected to agricultural programs that do not benefit small to mid-size farms and do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We can support a Faithful Farm Bill that will demonstrate a commitment to our Anabaptists values of peace and justice for all. The Farm Bill can safeguard Creation, mitigate the impacts of climate change on farmers and communities, and fulfill our moral obligation to leave a habitable world for future generations.
Student & Alumni Retreat
This July, four students and eight recent alumni gathered in Harrisonburg, Virginia for a retreat focused on community building and collective brainstorming on ways of organizing effective and impactful climate action. This gathering served as an orientation for our Campus Climate Ambassador cohort for the 2024-2025 school year – a collection of students from Anabaptist college campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada committed to hosting climate events and enacting climate action on their respective campuses.
As part of the gathering, attendees helped dig swales for water management at Jubilee Climate Farm, hiked in Shenandoah National Park, made meals together, and discussed radical community-building and organizing principles.
A particular highlight of the retreat for many attendees was a conversation facilitated by Jonathan McRay at Silver Run Forest Farm. McRay, a forest farmer, led attendees in exploring what drew each of them individually to climate work, then helped direct folks to past and present climate- and climate-adjacent movements that could serve as inspiration for projects and potential opportunities for people to connect with. Jonathan’s knowledge and passion was infectious, and left attendees animated and was a source of many follow-up conversations throughout the rest of the weekend.
These gatherings, which we’ve hosted once or twice a year in collaboration with the Sustainability Alumni Network for the duration of the Ambassador program, are always a powerful source of inspiration and solidarity between geographically-spread folks engaging in similar work. We’re excited to see the work our ambassadors do in the coming school year!
Events
Doug recently published an essay in the September 2024 Anabaptist World magazine, also available online. Called “A schoolhouse for simple living: Three Anabaptist gifts, and one from others, for engaging the climate crisis,” it tells how attending an interdenominational climate training event impacted Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship in Woodstock, VT. Taftsville and the Mennonite Congregation of Boston attended “Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World” at Acadia National Park. This is part of an ongoing ACC partnership with Creation Justice Ministries. The BTS Center in Maine was the regional partner.
The Vacation Bible School at Silverwood Mennonite Church raised $1368 for our student ambassador program. This VBS in July was a partnership with several other Mennonite churches in Goshen, Indiana: Berkey Avenue, Eighth Street, Assembly, and Faith. Children from other congregations also attended and an anonymous donor matched what was raised.
Doug is preaching at College Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN, on September 15, 2024 and leading a wild church worship with Chicago Community Mennonite Church at West Beach, Indiana Dunes National Park, on September 22, 2024. He is also scheduled to preach at Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA, October 6 and Blossom Hill Mennonite Church, Lancaster, PA, October 13.
Doug will be speaking to students at Wheaton College in Illinois September 19. If you would like him to preach or speak to your congregation or organization, contact him at director@anabaptistclimate.org.
Anabaptist Climate Collaborative will be at two upcoming MCC Relief Sales. Look for us near the recycling information at the Michiana Relief Sale September 27-28 and then at the Virginia Relief Sale October 4-5. Doug will be in the Harrisonburg, VA area October 4-8 and then Lancaster, PA October 10-20. Let Doug know at director@anabaptistclimate.org if you would like to connect in person.
Resources
The Annual Environment and Spirituality Summit takes place online September 22-24, 2024. The theme is “Grounded and Engaged” with a keynote by Lama Rod Owen. This interfaith event also includes Christian eco-feminist and womanist theologian Dr. Melanie Harris. Faith In Place is the regional affiliate of Interfaith Power & Light and those in the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin also have the option of attending a watch party. ACC is a partner in this summit.
Climate and Peace: Stories from Around the World is a webinar sponsored by ACC partner Mennonite Central Committee, along with the Church of the Brethren and the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Learn from partners around the world how climate change is driving conflict within their communities and how they are acting to address this crisis. Hear how YOU can take action to advocate for international climate assistance and support peace globally! Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 11 am ET.
