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Urge a Yes Vote on the Urban Ag and DC Food Security Bill of 2014 September 8th, 2014
The Garden at 391 Michigan Ave., NE at the Oblate headquarters in Washington, DC
If you live in Washington, DC, please join us in supporting the Urban Agriculture and DC Food Security Bill of 2014. The legislation is moving through the City Council this month, and your voice is needed!
DC City Council Member David Grosso, who spent time visiting the Garden at 391 last April, introduced this legislation, with the idea of building on the legacy of the urban farming act of 1986 and the DC Healthy Schools Act of 2010. This bill takes those initiatives a step further by opening up more public and private land to grow healthy food. Passage of the Urban Agriculture bill is very important as a way to develop local food growing capacity.
Gail Taylor, the farmer of the lower field at the Oblate headquarters in Washington, DC has been building the soil and productivity on the city plots that make up Three Part Harmony Farm for the last 3 years, but she and her fellow farmers need these policy changes to take the next step to really grow (in so many different ways!).
Please get involved in this brief grassroots effort to make sure the City Council knows how important this issue is to residents of DC.
Contact the Chairman and members of the DC City Council Finance and Revenue Committee. They are currently in the mark up phase of the bill.
Please feel free to use these points as a guide:
“Hi, My Name is:
I live in Ward:
I’m calling/ emailing to let you know that the D.C. Urban Agriculture and Food Security Act of 2014 is an important piece of legislation for our city and that I hope it will be passed soon.
• The Act encourages private, District landowners to lease their land for agricultural purposes and encourages urban farming on unused city owned land in response to problems of blighted property.
• The Act responds to the District’s continued struggle to address chronic hunger amongst residents with a local solution: encouraging urban farmers to donate a portion of their produce to District-based food banks and shelters.
• The Act enables urban farmers to sell their produce both on and off the leased land, bringing easy, fresh food access to neighborhoods across the city, including those currently identified as food deserts.
Thank you!”
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Please write or call:
- Chairman Phil Mendelson: (202) 724-8032; pmendelson@dccouncil.us
- Jack Evans: (202) 724-8058; jackevans@dccouncil.us
- Muriel Bowser: (202) 724-8052; mbowser@dccouncil.us
- Marion Barry: (202) 724-8045; mbarry@dccouncil.us
- David Catania: (202) 724-7772; dcatania@dccouncil.us
Thank Grosso and Cheh for their leadership, and the other supporters of the bill as well:
- David Grosso: (202) 724-8105; dgrosso@dccouncil.us
- Mary Cheh: (202) 724-8062; mcheh@dccouncil.us
- Jim Graham: (202) 724-8181; jgraham@dccouncil.us
- Kenyan McDuffie: (202) 724-8028, kmcduffie@dccouncil.us
- Tommy Wells: (202) 724-8072; twells@dccouncil.us
Thanks to Three Part Harmony Farm for the information in this post. For more information on Three Part Harmony Farm, visit: http://threepartharmonyfarm.org
Please Support UN Resolution for an International Bankruptcy Process September 5th, 2014
We would like to share this prayer and action request from our colleagues at Jubilee USA. JPIC Director, Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI co-signed the recent Jubilee letter on this issue to Ambassador Power:
Friends,
On Tuesday, the United Nations General Assembly could vote on a resolution to not only stop vulture funds, but to actually prevent the world’s poorest economies from defaulting. A majority of countries support it – thanks to the work we have done together, the world is largely united against predatory behavior.
Yesterday, Jubilee’s executive board officers sent a letter to the United States UN Ambassador Samantha Power urging her to support this resolution.
Please pray for Ambassador Power as she weighs her vote, and we hope your entire faith community will pray for the UN process this weekend. We would be honored if you would share your prayers with us by replying to this email.
This resolution is an opportunity to win a financial reform Jubilee USA has championed since our inception: an international bankruptcy process for countries. As the Argentina case highlights so clearly, we need a bankruptcy system to stop predators and end the specter of default. Winning this resolution moves us closer to building an economy that serves, protects and promotes participation of the most vulnerable.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
Fr Seamus Finn, OMI Elected Chair of ICCR Governing Board September 2nd, 2014
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI and Sr. Judy Byron, OP
at ICCR meetings in NY
Our own Seamus Finn, OMI has been elected Chair of the Governing Board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. This is an acknowledgement not only of his substantial experience in the field of faith constant and socially responsible investing, but also of the value of his strategic thinking in this area, for ICCR and other faith-based investing initiatives.
Oblates and ICCR Meet with Walmart CEO August 30th, 2014
Oblates and ICCR meet with new Walmart CEO Doug MacMillan at company headquarters in Bentonville AK in July
Anglican Bishop of Colombo Supports Priest Attacked by Right-wing Buddhist Group August 19th, 2014
The Anglican Bishop of Colombo, Rev. R. Canagasabey, today rejected as false, allegations against one of his priests – human rights defender Fr. M. Sathivel – by a mob led by right-wing Buddhist monks (Bodu Bala Sena) which invaded the Oblate-run Center for Society and Religion on August 4. Issuing a statement, the Bishop said,”I do not in any way condone such action against a peaceful gathering and as his Bishop affirm that Rev. M. Sathivel is a long standing and a credible Priest of the Diocese of Colombo with over 25 years of parish and community work with a justice and peace consciousness.”
Read the full statement as a PDF: Bishop of Colombo statement rejecting false allegations against Fr Sathivel-18Aug2014
Learn more about the Centre for Society and Religion, Sri Lanka
