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It’s almost the weekend, and today’s highlight is all about the online store! There are lots of great options for sustainable, plant-based and zero-waste items. Haven’t checked the store in a while? There are many options that you may have missed. Plus, two new partners have been added this week- and more may be coming soon! Happy browsing!
The online store saves you time – by finding a range of sustainable, plant-based and zero-waste items, all put together for you, in one handy spot! No need to search the internet – everything you need is in one spot for you. Whatever you are looking for – there’s a good chance that the online store has it, and we might even have some new favourites that you didn’t even know you were looking for! Plus, new partners are being added regularly, so check back often to see the newest sustainable items! 😃
CBC Keith Baybayon says he struggled with self-acceptance as he reconciled his sexual identity with his Catholic faith. He says flying the Pride flag at his school will help LGBTQ students feel more included and safe. (Jared Thomas/CBC )
Although this is only a small step in the right direction, it is worth celebrating. At the same time, there is still a shocking level of resistance – within the Ontario Catholic system and in other places, to a move as modest as flying a flag to demonstrate inclusion. For the record, the “faith-based” resistance to full acceptance of our LGBTQ+ members is not new, and it’s not something I am going to use space articulating here (but it is cited in the article, above). I’m sure that we’ve all heard it before, and the focus here is on how to move forward, more positively, not on giving space to outdated and discriminatory ideas.
So, in order to help transform the conversation from negative, to positive, I (along with countless others that are working for more inclusive faith groups), would like to suggest the following as a reframing of how we view our faith and actions, for ourselves, and others:
Instead of the too-often used, traditional, inaccurate and discriminatory stance:
“My faith tells me, based on centuries old (mis)understandings of gender and sexuality, that you – and your basic core identifiers, or what you do with your body – are wrong, and I am right. For me to live true to my faith, I need you to change who you are, in order for me to tolerate you.”
Let’s switch to:
“My faith tells me to love my neighbour, so I am called to accept and embrace the diversity (including gender, sexuality and many other things) that we all bring, without judgement or prejudice.”
“My faith tells me to be a good neighbour, so I am called to serve others, instead of demanding that others change their core identity to appease me.”
“My faith tells me that if I own two coats, and my neighbour has none, I should share – so therefore, I am called to give up my big house and move somewhere smaller, live simply, share my wealth, support a universal basic income and work to end wealth inequality in the world.”
“My faith tells me to care for creation, so I am called to stop eating animal products, use zero waste instead of single use products, switch away from my gas vehicle as soon as possible, and vote for governments that take the climate crisis seriously.”
My faith tells me to not kill others, so I am called to actively support peacebuilding instead of militaries, not own a gun, ensure that I am not glorifying war or weapons in any way, and actively vote in governments that show love to our global neighbours instead of engaging in war.”
“My faith tells me to live at peace with others, so I am called to learn the history of racism and discrimination in the world, locally and globally, and actively work to deconstruct any misperceptions I may have about systemic racism in our world. Likewise, I am called to actively welcome refugees and other newcomers with open arms.”
and so on…
Or, in the super-simplified form…
“My/our faith calls me/us to be better global citizen(s), and to serve others, without discrimination. One of the worst things we can do is latch on to the misguided idea that all we need to do is force someone else to change who they are (“be straight instead of LQBTQ+”, “don’t get an abortion”, “don’t be a refugee”…) and then that will be our ticket into heaven. Over and over, in countless faith traditions, we are called to change our own actions (giving up our own wealth, serving the poor and refugees, giving up our own power and status) instead of forcing change on others, especially on aspects of core identity, that break modern anti-discrimination laws in many countries. God calls us to give up our own privilege and wealth, (which is very hard to do), instead of demanding that others change who they are to appease us.”
So, with that, let’s get Pride Month going!😀
More info:
Taking a stand for her father and her family, she’s raising the Pride flag at her former Catholic school – CBC
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Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing!
The Guardian: ‘Not anti-beef but pro-planet’: recipe website reveals it secretly took cows off the menu.
Interesting update here from a food/recipe website. (Full disclosure – I am not specifically familiar with this food website, and have not specifically tracked their work in the past, although it appears to have a fairly extensive catalogue of recipes, and a significant user base.) They stopped adding/promoting recipes that contain beef – although some older recipes will remain visible for the time being.
The food website Epicurious will no longer feature beef in its recipes, in an effort to help drive more sustainable consumption.
The decision to cut cows from the menu was announced on Monday, but the organisation is confident readers will not miss the meat – because it actually made the change a year ago and has not published a beef recipe since.
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“We know that some people might assume that this decision signals some sort of vendetta against cows – or the people who eat them. But this decision was not made because we hate hamburgers (we don’t!). Instead, our shift is solely about sustainability, about not giving airtime to one of the world’s worst climate offenders. We think of this decision as not anti-beef but rather pro-planet.” (Bold mine).
One of the interesting pieces with this change is that it was made a year ago, without an announcement, and they have been watching the results, which have been positive over this test period. Their conclusion: people want great recipes – regardless of whether they have red meat in them or not. Not sure if they are planning on testing this theory further, but I would guess (and would love to see the data) on what would happen if they continue to shift their focus toward vegetarian and vegan recipes – which appears to perhaps be in their future.Some hints on their website appear to suggest that dairy may be the next to get cut, but that is only speculation, at this point.
If their followers simply love great recipes, what might they (and countless other recipe websites) offer if they switched – either further or completely – to plant-based recipes?
News@UofT: Is a calorie always a calorie? Not when it comes to almonds, U of T researchers find.
Looking for more great reasons to eat nuts? In addition to the lower emissions from a plant-based foods (more details on the website) compared to animal-based foods, here’s some more research, from the University of Toronto, looking specifically at the health benefits of almonds.
Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that a calorie labelled is not the same as a calorie digested and absorbed when the food source is almonds.
The findings, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, should help alleviate concerns that almonds contribute to weight gain, which persist despite the widely recognized benefits of nuts as a plant-based source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
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The researchers found that after digestion, about 20 per cent of calories derived largely from fat in almonds remained unabsorbed, which they observed in stool samples. That translated to about two per cent less energy absorbed from the diet overall among study participants. (Bold mine).
A person eating the same amount of almonds in a daily diet of 2,000 to 3,000 calories would absorb 40 to 60 calories less than would be predicted by Atwater factors, on which many food labels are based.
The research does not specifically identify other nuts, but it’s certainly plausible/logical to guess that some of the same benefits would apply to other nuts, as well. So, here’s yet another reason to eat lots of nuts! Happy snacking!
Out of the many tragedies that have emerged from this pandemic, one of the few silver linings is the possibility that, once we have demonstrated the ability to completely shut down and restart our societies, we will, collectively, use that towards restarting in a manner that is safe and sustainable, for people and the planet. The power to do so is in our hands – all we have to do is make the choice, individually and collectively. The data could not be more clear – we know what we need to do, and we know how to do it.
US urged to cut 50% of emissions by 2030 to spur other countries to action Guardian
Global lockdown every two years needed to meet Paris CO2 goals – study Guardian
NYTimes: Volvo Plans to Sell Only Electric Cars by 2030 NYT
Carbon dioxide emissions must fall by the equivalent of a global lockdown roughly every two years for the next decade for the world to keep within safe limits of global heating, research has shown. (Bold mine).
Lockdowns around the world led to an unprecedented fall in emissions of about 7% in 2020, or about 2.6bn tonnes of CO2, but reductions of between 1bn and 2bn tonnes are needed every year of the next decade to have a good chance of holding temperature rises to within 1.5C or 2C of pre-industrial levels, as required by the Paris agreement.
Changes of this scale, as with the pandemic, are multi-faceted, including individual actions (eg wearing masks, staying home when needed to protect ourselves and others), governmental (eg clear public health orders, income support as needed), business (eg switching to curbside pickup or work from home, where applicable). Likewise, for the climate crisis, we need all levels and sectors involved, doing everything possible to get us to where we need to be.
So, in the most immediate term, reducing our emissions by 50%+ over the next few years (and then further after that) is not a small task. How are we going to get there, and what actions can we take, starting today, to get us there, in each sector?
Reducing the size of our home by 50% will reduce our heating/cooling emissions in half (as a rough estimate, simply because we have less space to heat/cool). If, by extension, we also own less stuff, there are emissions reductions (and other gains) to be found there, as well.
Switching from an animal-based diet to a whole-foods, plant-based diet has a significant impact (exact % depends on what you were eating before, and whether you switch fully or partly to plant-based etc)
Living in a higher density area helps reduce driving-related emissions, as more day-today trips are within walking distance (as does using public transit or an EV when you aren’t walking or biking)
Significantly reducing or eliminating flights will take out a significant emissions source, depending on how much you were flying before and how much you reduce. Before flying, consider whether the flight is essential or not.
Electing governments that are serious about tackling the climate crisis
Supporting businesses that are working to tackle the climate crisis (zero waste and others) instead of business-as-usual
Countless others – far too many to list here. 🙂
Naturally, different people will tackle things in their own order – and for someone who already lives in a small home in a high density area, downsizing is obviously not the place to start. However, most of us have room to improve, and places to start. What changes have you already made? Which are you interested in trying next? Which are you most curious about? Which do you think will be easier or more challenging?
We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other out, and build a better future for everyone!
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There are always lots of amazing deals on sustainable, zero-waste items in my online store! Check the website for details!
It is shocking (and quite disturbing) to me, that some faith groups still believe that they are called to a mandate of exclusion, instead of inclusion, on any of a wide number of otherwise protected identifiers, including gender and sexuality. Over and over, to the best of my knowledge, faith group and their major texts call for love of neighbour, welcome of the stranger, living simply and service to others. Nothing in that suggests, or allows, discrimination based on who we are at our core, or an acceptance of destruction of creation. And yet, some faith groups still fight for the right to discriminate, and avoid talking serious action on the climate crisis – and it must end.
Major Evangelical Adoption Agency Will Now Serve Gay Parents Nationwide
At a time when we are facing multiple global crises (including a pandemic and a climate crisis), faith groups should be leaders, setting an example of how to care for all of creation – including all people, animals, and the environment. Instead, some groups still put their energy into excluding others, and denying women the right to a full range of reproductive health services, as though that is the way to a better world for everyone.
A justification that I sometimes hear from others is that something can be found somewhere in one’s ancient texts to justify discrimination. In response, I would suggest that many people only take texts literally on things that are life-limiting for others, without requiring us to change ourselves. I’m suggesting a different approach (along with countless others).
Want to take the Bible or other ancient texts literally? How about focusing on the countless times that we are told not to accumulate wealth? Living simply requires a lot more from us than telling someone else how we think they should live their lives.
Think swapping out “My faith says that you should be straight” and replacing it with “My faith says that I should be less wealthy, live in a smaller home, eat more lentils, help others more, create less garbage and drive less often.”
Likewise, the admonition to not kill or steal features in many faith texts: how about putting our energy into banning militaries and the theft of natural resources (and extreme wealth discrepancies, locally and globally) that is contributing to climate change? The list could go on and on…
For faith groups to be relevant into the future, we need to, collectively, move beyond this idea that we can live our own lives as we wish, while excluding others, and destroying the planet. We can, and must do better, together. We can do it. 🙂
There has been a lot of talk, in recent years/decades, about the idea of eating keto/low carb/like someone who lived in a cave. However, I think we can do better than that.
(Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. What I am offering is what I believe is common sense advice, and the opportunity to do some further reading and research for yourself and/or with your health care provider).
With that, comes this idea that eating bacon and eggs, steak and burgers is being true to our ancestors in some way.
So, for a person who likes eating bacon and eggs, the idea that continuing to do so is not only healthy, but being supportive of one’s history and ancestors, might have a certain appeal, even if it’s not actually supported by the evidence.
And, it turn out, the link is likely not that clear, and there are a number of gaps in the logic. For example, among others:
our bodies have changed over time
the diet that was eaten way back then clearly did not consist of freezers full of plastic-wrapped, factory farmed steaks and other similar items, bought in bulk at the grocery store
our lifestyle now is widely different than it was in the past
we understand far more now than we did, even 50-100 years ago, about the climate and emissions impacts of an animal-based diet and the need to switch to a plant-based diet
the global population now is very different than it was long ago.
Actually, yes. Cavemen used to eat meat whenever they could get it, but this wasn’t often. In fact, almost never. You try hunting animals that are bigger and/or faster than you with the most rudimentary of tools, and you’ll quickly see how hard it is to snare your supper.
So, we actually ate very little meat and, thanks to recent improvements in DNA analysis of ancient teeth fragments, we know that we survived mainly on foraging for plants, nuts, and berries. Foraging is great because it keeps you in tune with nature: in season, eating locally and physically nimble and fit.
So, where does that leave us now? To reduce emissions, help ensure that everyone has enough to eat and be healthy, and to live in balance with people and the planet, the best evidence suggests a (heavily or fully) plant-based diet as the best path forward. Looking for more ideas, or resources? My website, along with countless others, have info and resources to help make the switch to plant-based eating easier to do.
Eating consciously, along with minimalism (rethinking consumption) mindfulness (rethinking our urges) environmentalism (rethinking our relationship with nature), is vital as we look to come back from Covid better and more harmonious than before.
Everything is up for grabs when you consider how unhelpful much of our perceived wisdom is.
So eat like a caveman and cut the meat. You’d never have kept up with that bison anyway. (Italics mine).
2020 was not the year that any of us were expecting, when the year began. A global pandemic forced a radical reset of how the world operates, in countless ways. Some of those changes were relatively easy – such as office workers switching to more remote meetings, with less travel for in person work. Other changes were much more difficult – in addition to the catastrophic death toll that results from any pandemic or other major crisis. Some of these changes, however, have resulted in a significant – if temporary – reduction in our emissions. Contrary to the frequently asked question – “When will things go back to the way they were?” – we were, globally, on a trajectory that was not sustainable. Therefore, we should, instead, be asking “How can we come out of this pandemic to something better than what we had before?” (as many people are already doing).
Covid Took a Bite From U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2020: NYT
BBC News – Climate change: US emissions in 2020 in biggest fall since WWII
Amid 2020’s gloom, there are reasons to be hopeful about the climate in 2021 Guardian
InsideClimate News: Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero.
InsideClimate News: Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to Zero.
Lloyd’s market to quit fossil fuel insurance by 2030: Guardian
What does coming out of this to a new, better normal look like? What changes do we need to keep? What new changes will we still need to make? There is not the space here to allow for a comprehensive answer, but there are a few key pieces to highlight:
We must continue with the significant, rapid reduction in emissions that we saw during this pandemic. The rapid pace of change that happened showed that change is possible, where there is a will. Now, we need to maintain the momentum of these changes, without the catastrophic pressure that comes from a global pandemic. Globally, we all need to act fast, without waiting for others who might be further behind in this process.
A Universal Basic Income is essential, for many reasons, and should be implemented as soon as possible.
Multi-party systems, with proportional representation, seemed to fair better (based on research that others have done), and also are key to reducing polarization and misinformation campaigns. Countries that still have First-Past-The-Post or other non-proportional systems should put serious effort into switching as soon as possible.
Food and travel/transportation are big areas of emissions, both of which we have significant control over in our daily lives. Changes are critical – and will need to go beyond what is easy or comfortable at times.
Moving into a better 2021 – and beyond – means living within our planetary boundaries, not taking more than our fair share and living simply, in balance with our global neighbours and with the earth. (Photo Credit)
Here’s to a new year, filled with lots of good things, including (but not limited to…) progress towards the end of this pandemic, strong climate action, electoral reform, peace and justice locally and globally, and civility towards each other.
Stay tuned for more website updates in the coming months. 💻😊
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Details are emerging regarding the Canadian federal government’s upcoming ban on single use plastics. While a great deal of work remains to be done, this is one small step in the right direction. What we know at this point is that the ban will includes the following items.
Even before this announcement, many people had already begun switching away from these types of items. This switch will make it even easier to avoid single use waste at a national level, for everyone!
Have you started switching to zero waste products already? Thought about it but haven’t made the change? Well on your way to a zero waste living? Where ever we are at now (individually and collectively), chances are that this new regulation will impact all of us in some way, and will help create positive changes for the country and the environment.
Ready to make changes? The Menno Adventures online store has lots of options to help you live more sustainably. Whatever you are looking for, we have it:
