Faith Communities for Sustainability

Welcome to the Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability Website

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Faith Communities for Sustainability is part of an effort to assure the sustainability of the Walla Walla Valley in the face of the significant challenges we face locally and globally. FCS specifically seeks to enlist the religious congregations in our valley in educating their members, greening their facilities, and engaging in leadership to the broader community regarding a moral and practical response to the wide-ranging impacts of climate change, uncertainty of fossil fuels, population pressure, toxic pollution, and the economic crisis.

Since our formation in the late Spring of 2008, we have hosted a community-wide Creation Care Workshop featuring Earth Ministry staff from Seattle. We also initiated a “Give it a Rest” program of Car-Free/Ride Share Days of Worship, suggested RideSharing Protocols for organizations and events, and an Alternative Gift Ideas project which is continuing. In addition, in 2009 we sponsored a Community Gardens meeting to explore ways to establish and support community and neighborhood gardens, and in 2010 a community foodsharing meeting from which ongoing efforts are underway to facilitate and coordinate local resources. In 2011, we began work on providing recycling services to churches, businesses and agencies, and multi-family residential units throughout Walla Walla.

Also in 2009, we presented a resolution calling on the board of Valley Transit to take steps to maintain and expand current bus and transit service in the Walla Walla area, including a reasonable increase in fares and in the sales tax rate. We also called a public meeting to discuss the importance of local transit service. Following these actions, over 2000 people signed petitions to place a funding measure for transit on the Feb. 9, 2010 ballot. In response, the Valley Transit board unanimously agreed, and on February 9, the ballot measure was approved by over 76% of the voters in an unprecedented endorsement of local public transportation.

Faith Communities for Sustainability includes participants from Assumption Catholic Church, Baha'i Faith, College Place Presbyterian Church, Congregation Beth Israel, First Christian Church, First Congregational Church, First Presbyterian Church, Pioneer Methodist Church, St. Patrick Catholic Church, Unity Church of Peace, Vineyard Free Methodist Church, Walla Walla Friends Meeting, Walla Walla University Church, and others.

For more information about Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability, including meeting times, email faithcom@charter.net, or telephone 509-522-0399.

See links above for our Alternative Gift Ideas, Congregational Recycling, Resolution on Valley Transit, RideSharing Protocols, Green Days of Worship, and Contact Information, along with links to related organizations.

RESOLUTION ON LOCAL TRANSIT SERVICES, August 10, 2009 (leading to a successful transit election)

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Faith Communities for Sustainability is part of an effort to assure the sustainability of the Walla Walla Valley in the face of the significant challenges we face locally and globally.

We understand that because of sales tax revenue shortfalls, the Valley Transit board is reviewing options including fare increases and cuts in local transit service.

Bus and other transit services are critical to personal mobility, economic vitality, and conservation of resources in our community and region. Valley Transit currently provides a basic level of service that should be expanded to meet our community's needs rather than being reduced.

We urge the Valley Transit board to take steps to maintain and expand current bus and transit service in the Walla Walla area, including a reasonable increase in fares and in the sales tax rate.

Most other transit systems in our state collect .006 cents, while Valley Transit has not raised its sales tax rate of .003 since its inception in the 1970s, even after the serious loss of Motor Vehicle Excise Tax funds in 2000. At the very least, no services should be cut for budgetary reasons until voters are given an opportunity to avoid cuts through approval of a rate increase.

(On February 9, 2010, the ballot measure to provide additional funding to Valley Transit passed by a vote of 76.33%-23.67%.)

Community RideShare Protocols for Organizations & Events

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RideSharing is a good way to conserve resources, reduce our carbon footprint, build community, and increase mobility.

These suggested protocols for organizations and events have been developed for use in a variety of circumstances, involving both people who know each other and people who are strangers, and may be revised or adapted as needed.

1. Appoint a RideShare Coordinator (RSC) for each organization or event. The RSC should be familiar with the community and with area bus schedules, and be able to arrange for reliable drivers.

2. Include in announcements of each meeting or event that ride-sharing can be arranged by calling or emailing the sponsor’s RideShare Coordinator (RSC), with contact information for the RSC.

3. Include in opening and closing remarks at each meeting or event that riding-sharing for riders and drivers will be coordinated through the RSC, and where the RSC is located on the premises.

4. Where security is an issue, RSCs should try to match female riders or drivers with riders or drivers of the same gender unless otherwise requested by the participants.

5. Where security or liability are issues,all riders and drivers should be asked to show the RSC their motor vehicle license/photo ID, and to sign a standard RideShare form, which includes their license/photo ID number and a waiver and indemnity agreement holding the sponsoring organization harmless from any resulting liability. RideShare forms should be retained by the sponsor. At the RSC’s discretion, riders and drivers for whom the sponsor has a previous form on file may be allowed to participate without completing a new form. An example of a suitable form is attached below.

6. Drivers must be currently licensed and insured, and should be adults. Minor riders should be permitted to participate only if their parent or guardian has signed a Rideshare form for them.

7. Any participant misconduct should result in suspension of participation.

RIDESHARE AGREEMENT FORM

The undersigned, in consideration of the privilege of participating in the RideShare service of _________________________________________________(insert sponsor name and/or event), agrees to comply with the rules of such service, and hereby waives any claim for damages for negligence or other wrongful act or omission of the sponsors and any officer, employee, agent or volunteer of said sponsors, other than drivers, in connection with said service.

The undersigned understands the potential risks involved in participating in such service, and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless said sponsors and persons from any and all damages or expenses relating to claims made by, on behalf of, or with respect to the undersigned or any minor child, ward or other person designated below, and from any claim arising from acts or omissions of the undersigned or said minor child, ward or other designated person, and hereby authorizes any necessary emergency medical services required by said persons arising from such service.

I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THE ABOVE STATEMENT.

Signature:_________________________________Date:
Name of Signer (print): ________________________________________________________
Name of Minor/Ward/Other (print): ________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________
Phone: ______________
Email: ___________________________________________________
License/ID #:______________________State:___
Special needs, if any: (wheelchair, equipment space, etc) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6/9/09

Contact Us

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To contact Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability, email faithcom@charter.net or call 509-522-0399.

ALTERNATIVE GIFT IDEAS

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ALTERNATIVE GIFTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability has some gift suggestions for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Birthdays, Anniversaries, or as a Thank-You-- WALLA WALLA ALTERNATIVE GIFTS.

Whether it is our custom, ritual, requirement or obligation, we all are probably making a list and checking it twice to make sure we have not left out someone we "need" to give a gift to. Some of us may go overboard and collect many gifts for that special someone, or for our grandchildren. We may also pick up a "little something" just in case someone we don’t have on our list should favor us, so we will be ready to reciprocate.

If your Aunt Mimi doesn’t need or want another box of scented powder, or box of candy, she may be hard to shop for. Often our dilemma is how to thank someone who has done something nice for us, when you want to say a special thank you, but don’t want to make the gift too personal (or expensive). Faith Communities for Sustainability recommends that you give a real and significant gift to someone locally who needs it, and send a card telling Aunt Mimi that in her honor a needy person has been blessed by something they truly need.

Our recommended list includes a new suggestion for this year: Toilet Paper. That may not seem like a "real" gift, but it is one of the things that food stamps does not cover (like other personal-care items), and frankly, it is a basic need for all people. My personal challenge is to everyone is: if your give $40 through Help Line for the TP project, I will give the other $3.06 to finish funding the cost of one case.

We are already receiving funds from the community for this and our hope is that we can order at least one full pallet of TP ($1280) so that we can supply our food banks, Christian Aid, Help Line, and the Women’s Shelter with enough product (to quote Dan Willms) "to wipe out poverty, at least for awhile!"

If this idea doesn’t strike your fancy for gifting, please consider one or more of the following recommendations:

20 one-way bus tickets that don’t expire, $15, or a month-long bus pass for someone who is disabled, low-income, a student, or a senior citizen, $10. These may be purchased from HelpLine or Valley Transit and can be distributed to someone who needs help by HelpLine, 16 S Colville St., Walla Walla.

Scholarships for GED or ESL--$25 will enable an adult to participate for a quarter’s study at Farm Labor Homes or WWCC, either to improve their use of the English language, or to advance in their general education toward a high school equivalency certificate. These scholarships are available from Friends of Farm Labor Homes, c/o Cindy Gregoire, Treasurer FFLH, 2904 Old Milton Highway, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Scholarship contributions may also be made to WWCC.

Scholarship for a garden plot at the Community Garden at Rees and Sumach--$30. The recipient will be asked to pay $10 toward their plot, to help value the opportunity to garden and produce food for their family and perhaps their neighbors. Contact: Rees & Sumach Community Garden, PO Box 1222, Walla Walla, WA 99362, email rees.sumach@charter.net or call 522-0399.

Diapers for a child are always welcome and can be delivered to the YWCA, Catholic Charities, or HelpLine. We suggest that you consider the bio-degradable ones, which are available at several grocery stores in the area.

Another suggestion for yourself or someone else is the solar-powered emergency radio (and cell phone recharger) available from the local Red Cross, 175 S. Park. $30. There are many other ideas in their web store that would be valuable in emergency situations.

This list is our suggestions, most of which involve very little packaging or use of natural resources. If you have a favorite charity to which you would like to donate in honor of someone, that’s another fine idea. The opportunity to be helpful and supportive for those less fortunate in our community is always with us, and you may find that the greatest gift you have given is to yourself in knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life.

Sarita McCaw is a member of Faith Communities for Sustainability and is an Elder at First Presbyterian Church in Walla Walla.

THE SEASON OF GIFTS

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by Noah Leavitt

There’s no denying it – from late November through late December we think about gifts. Gifts we have been given by God the Creator. Gifts we have been given by friends, neighbors and coworkers. Gifts we need to buy for our children. Gifts that, especially this year, seem a bit too expensive but so hard to resist.

Whether Christmas or Kwanzaa, Eid al-Adha or the winter solstice, Las Posadas or Boxing Day, the moments to give are nearly endless.

For Jews, who celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah in mid-December, gift giving is a complex affair, both a burden and an opportunity.

The Hanukkah story is well-known. The holiday celebrates the victory in 165 BCE in of the scrappy band of Judah Macabee and his brothers over the Syrian overlord, Antiochus, and the Maccabees’ successful retaking of Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees entered the Temple, which had been badly desecrated, they found only a single day’s supply of holy oil which was needed to cleanse the sacred space. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days until additional oil that was fit for sacred use in the Temple could be prepared.

The lesson is that the combination of a miracle of the enduring oil – together with the courage, faith and strength of the Macabees, allowed Judaism to survive this perilous time.

For thousands of years, Jews have recalled the story – and message – of Hanukkah through a variety of traditions. For instance, each night lighting one of eight candles in the menorah (candelabra) to recall the extra time the Jews had to prepare the oil. Or spinning a dreidel (a kind of top), to recall that during Antiochus’s reign when Jews secretly gathered to study the Torah, despite it being outlawed, they had a kind of toy top ready in case they heard solders approaching. If the soldiers appeared, they would hide the Torah and pretend to play with the top. It is even traditional to deep fry donuts and other foods as a way to recall the abundance of the sacred oil!

Gift-giving, however, has never been a part of the 2000-year commemoration Hanukkah celebration. That has changed, however, over the past 50 or 60 years, mostly in North America, where the Hanukkah season falls close to Christmas, prompting many Jewish children to ask their parents what they will be getting this year! Unfortunately, those gifts often become disconnected from the themes and message of Hanukkah.

Judaism doesn’t view this challenge as having a simple “yes” or “no” solution, but rather asks whether it is possible to find a way to give a gift consistent with the holiday or the teachings. Because, of course, one could interpret Hanukkah to be a story about how God gave the Maccabees the gift of enough sacred time (enough oil) in order to restore the sacred space in the Temple.

This year, gift givers in Walla Walla have a helpful resource with which to address dilemmas like this one. Faith Communities for Sustainability, a network of about a dozen local congregations, has created a way to give gifts consistent with an understanding of our faiths’ instruction that we are put on earth to care for life and God’s creation.

The group has created a “catalogue” of five practical, locally-based, gifts that increase awareness of our stewardship responsibilities, reduce our carbon footprint, and contribute to a more just and sustainable world. Some of these special gifts include ticket books for Valley Transit, biodegradable diapers, compact fluorescent bulbs, and plots in Walla Walla’s new community garden. If you’d like more information about these special gifts, go to http://faithcommforsustain.blogspot.com/2009/11/alternative-gift-ideas.html

So, as we all recall the gifts we have been given and those we want to give – no matter what our faith - let us try to find ways to give them consistent with what this month is truly about: compassion, joy, charity and holiness.

The author is the President of Congregation Beth Israel in Walla Walla.
nsleavitt@hotmail.com

Congregational Recycling

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Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability, in partnership with Sustainable Walla Walla, the Sustainable Living Center and Basin Disposal, Inc is pleased to announce a new curbside recycling program for churches, businesses, agencies, and multi-family residential complexes within the City of Walla Walla.

Basin Disposal will now collect recyclables on a weekly basis from participating businesses and organizations as well as residential complexes with more than 10 units in the City of Walla Walla for a charge of $6 per month per 96 gallon container.

As with the City’s curbside program, BDI will provide the recycling container and will accept mixed recyclables .

The following clean recyclable items can be placed into the 96-gallon wheeled cart:
• Paper and mail
• Newspaper and advertising
• Phone Books
• Magazines and catalogs
• Cardboard and paperboard (cereal boxes, etc.)
• Milk and juice cartons
• Plastic bottles and jugs (no lids or caps)
• Aluminum cans
• Tin or steel cans
•
Unacceptable Items
• No glass (see drop off sites below)
• No food or soiled paper or boxes
• No paper towels, tissues, or napkins
• No plastic wrap, packaging, or grocery bags
• No garbage, no food waste
• No Styrofoam containers or pellets
• No plastic cups, plates, utensils, or take-out containers
• No light bulbs
• No toxic containers (antifreeze, oil, etc.)
• No lids or caps
• No window glass or mirrors
• No ceramics, dishes, glassware
• No yard clippings or leaves

To enroll, click here for an enrollment form to return to BDI, or contact BDI at 525.1711. For more information, contact Sustainable Walla Walla, 522-0399, sustainableww@charter.net, www.sustainableww.org, Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability, faithcom@charter.net, www.wwfaithcom.org, or the Sustainable Living Center’s Smart Business Program, 525-8849, www.sustainablelivingcenter.com.

12/11

GREEN TRAVEL TO WORSHIP

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April 17-23, GREEN TRAVEL TO WORSHIP
sponsored by W.W. Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability

Walla Walla Valley Faith Communities for Sustainability invites your congregation to participate in Green Travel to Worship during Earth Week 2011. From April 17-23, we are inviting area faith communities to encourage their members to look for low-energy ways to get to their services and meetings. Green modes include biking, riding the bus, walking, carpooling, scooters, and other light travel alternatives to four-wheel single occupancy vehicles.

Participating congregations are asked to report how many of those attending their worship services the week of April 17-23 did so by green travel. We will provide awards to those with the highest percentage and/or highest numbers of attenders using green modes, as part of the community-wide Green Travel awards ceremony at the Walla Walla Farmers Market at noon on Sunday, May 1. Individual participants in each participating congregation can also receive "I Travel Green" stickers entitling them to ride free on Valley Transit all week and to discounts on Earth Day, April 22 from participating merchants.

We hope your congregation will participate in this opportunity for better stewardship and care for the earth and its inhabitants. Please click here for the Green Travel to Worship response sheet. For more information, email faithcom@charter.net, call 522-0399, or visit the website of our partner organization, Sustainable Walla Walla at www.sustainableww.org.