Water
“Where I live … we have less than 4% of our original forests left. Forty percent of waterways have become undrinkable. And our problem is not just that we’re using too much stuff, but we’re using more than our share.”
Click here to read Annie Leonard’s compelling script, “Story of Stuff,” in which she helps us to understand that “what we really need to chuck is this old-school throw-away mindset. There’s a new school of thinking on this stuff and it’s based on sustainability and equity: Green Chemistry, Zero Waste, Closed Loop Production, Renewable Energy, Local Living Economies. It’s already happening. Some people say it’s unrealistic, idealistic, that it can’t happen. But I say the ones who are unrealistic are those that want to continue on the old path. That’s dreaming. Remember that old way didn’t just happen by itself. It’s not like gravity that we just gotta live with. People created it. And we’re people too. So let’s create something new.”
To view a 4-minute animation about the “life cycle” of plastic, please click here
Immigration/Trafficking
According to a recent Time Magazine article , “Federal officials lost track of nearly 1,500 migrant children last year after a government agency placed the minors in the homes of adult sponsors in communities across the country, according to testimony before a Senate subcommittee Thursday. The Health and Human Services Department has a limited budget to track the welfare of vulnerable unaccompanied minors, and realized that 1,475 children could not be found after making follow-up calls to check on their safety, an agency official said. … Federal officials came under fire two years ago after rolling back child protection policies meant for minors fleeing violence in Central America. In a follow-up hearing on Thursday, senators said that the agencies had failed to take full responsibility for their care and had delayed crucial reforms needed to keep them from falling into the hands of human traffickers.”
Hati
As we know, in 2010, Haiti experienced an outbreak of cholera, which had been eradicated from the island. The epidemic has killed 9,750 people so far, and dozens more are infected with the disease every week. The UN, which has admitted responsibility for this outbreak, has promised to give $400 million to help the Haitian people recover and prevent future epidemics, but so far only 2 percent of the promised funds have materialized, according to the Thompson Reuters Foundation, you can read the article here. In fact, “Eight years after the disaster Haiti remains the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. World Bank figures show only one in four rural Haitians has access to a toilet, and less than half to clean water.” Experts agree that improving water and sanitation systems is necessary to combat the spread of cholera.
Click here to learn about how the AMSSND Water committee has begun collaborating with the Haiti committee and our partner Beyond Borders, to increase access to clean water in Haiti. Here is a video by Sr. Kits about work being done to build water security on Lagonav in Hati.
World Fair Trade Day - May 12th
World Fair Trade Day takes place this year on May 12. It celebrates the tangible contribution that Fair Trade provides to sustainable development, especially the economic empowerment of small producer; to gender equality in workplaces; and to responsible production practices. It puts power back into the hands of people.
Fair Trade benefits the most vulnerable and delivers sustainable livelihoods by developing opportunities for small and disadvantaged producers. These companies and organizations are committed to respecting the workers by ensuring fair and prompt payment of their wages; by protecting women and children from slave labor conditions; and by providing safe working conditions.
These companies are eliminating Human Trafficking from their localities. They are also challenging the corporate control of food, increasing the market viability of small farmers and their co-operatives, and reshaping our food system in ways that benefit all of us.
Actually, Fair Trade offers us more than just an alternate way to do our shopping.
It highlights the need for change in the rules and practices of conventional trade and shows how a successful business can also put people first. It is a tangible contribution to the fight against poverty, climate change and economic crisis. It proves that greater justice in world trade is possible. For more information and resources on Fair Trade or Ethical Trade, click here .
Sr. Rosa Troches, SSND, will speak on "Hope in the Midst of Crisis: A Call for Solidarity in Honduras' "Kairos Moment"
On Monday, May 14 (7pm), we invite you to attend an evening of sharing with Honduran Sister Rosa Maria Troches, SSND, on the extreme human rights crisis in Honduras, how she and other religious are accompanying the people, and the need for solidarity from the U.S. faith community. The event will be held in the SSND Villa Assumpta Chapel (6401 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21212).
