Friends,
 "That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics."
The above quote by Aldo Leopold, the late American scientist and environmentalist, speaks to the Fellowship of Reconciliation's steadfast commitment to "reverence for all creation."
As we wrote you last week, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the closing of the U.S. Navy bombing range in Vieques, Puerto Rico, an environmental justice campaign in which FOR members played a key role. Today, FOR continues its work in this area with campaigns on climate change and a framework for all of our work called "Demilitarizing Life and Land."
Help FOR continue to press for the demilitarization of life and land with your donation.
Do you share my frustration with the value the government is giving to greed and materialism over the need to restore the Earth's natural balance? Our lands are already toxic. We must not turn a blind eye of indifference to the existing assaults against our planet that stem from wars on foreign soil, nuclear weapons and waste, fracking, and, ominously, the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. According to a First Peoples' proverb, humankind is only one thread in the web of life. We are all connected; whatever we do to the "web," we do to ourselves.
 As you know, another issue of great concern to FOR is the environmental impact of a militaristic presence in the Middle East. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq have continued to suffer the abuses of war via the pollution of their waters and soil rendered toxic by chemical residue and heavy metals. Droughts have furthered increased desertification and the loss of natural wildlife. Research must continue, but initial studies reveal that the lifespans of Afghan, Pakistani, and Iraqi children have decreased due to possible war-related environmental conditions.
An active member of Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, FOR is part of a growing coalition of organizations and individuals that are advocating for our Earth's protection. As you may recall, this past March, I and other members of IMAC were arrested at a White House demonstration opposing the Keystone XL pipeline and supporting a carbon tax as a way to bill man-made climate change to the biggest companies causing it. And, in fact, all of FOR's work is framed under a vision of "Demilitarizing Life and Land," laid out in 2011.
If you consider this work for environmental justice in the United States and around the world as important as I do, please make a tax-deductible donation to FOR today to signal your support.
In peace and sustainability,
Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation |
