Subject: This Earth Day, urge Congress to care for creation

From: "Faithful America" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 19:00:33 GMT

Dear David:

This Sunday is Earth Day, a time to make radically responsible
decisions about how we are going to live on this planet - the
miraculous work of God. Few human activities have as much impact
on God?s Earth as the production and consumption of food. We
hope you will join with the National Council of Churches
Eco-Justice Program to ask your legislators to write a farm bill
that sustains the land and the people that produce our food,
just as our food sustains us. 

The Farm Bill, up for reauthorization this year, has the
capacity to create a more just food system - one that supports
local food systems, treats the land with reverence and respect,
shrinks economic inequalities, alleviates hunger at home and
abroad, and enlivens rural America. Our current farm bill does
not do nearly enough - about 60% of "safety net" payments go to
the largest 10% of American farms; nearly 3 out of every 4
farmers that apply to participate in conservation programs are
turned away because of a lack of funding; and recent studies
have shown that those counties receiving the most farm payments
are more likely to be losing jobs and losing population - this
is not a picture of a farm policy that is revitalizing rural
America. Our current policy is not serving the needs of small-
and mid-sized farmers, of rural America, or of God?s creation.

Ask your legislator to take steps to sustain a healthy food
system, just as our food sustains us. Ask your legislator to
support policy changes that:

Ensure that all farmers who wish to be good stewards to God's
land have access to working lands conservation programs, such as
the Conservation Security Program
Foster the growth of local food systems, cutting down on the use
to global warming causing fossil fuels to transport food,
supporting smaller farmers, and providing more nutritious food
options for consumers Target "safety net" payments to those
farmers who need them the most Please consider personalizing
your letter to your members of Congress by including a story
about your connections to farming, how important local foods are
to you, or why you value environmental stewardship on farmlands.
Your words do matter in Washington. Blessings as you speak out
for the earth and for those who care for it.

Vince Isner

FaithfulAmerica.org

PS: If you wish to subscribe to the NCC Ecojustice newsletter
Capsules here: This Sunday is Earth Day, a time to make
radically responsible decisions about how we are going to live
on this planet ? the miraculous work of God. Few human
activities have as much impact on God?s Earth as the production
and consumption of food. We hope you will join with the National
Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program to ask your legislators
to write a farm bill that sustains the land and the people that
produce our food, just as our food sustains us. 

The Farm Bill, up for reauthorization this year, has the
capacity to create a more just food system ? one that supports
local food systems, treats the land with reverence and respect,
shrinks economic inequalities, alleviates hunger at home and
abroad, and enlivens rural America. Our current farm bill does
not do nearly enough ? about 60% of ?safety net? payments go to
the largest 10% of American farms; nearly 3 out of every 4
farmers that apply to participate in conservation programs are
turned away because of a lack of funding; and recent studies
have shown that those counties receiving the most farm payments
are more likely to be losing jobs and losing population ? this
is not a picture of a farm policy that is revitalizing rural
America. Our current policy is not serving the needs of small-
and mid-sized farmers, of rural America, or of God?s creation.

Ask your legislator to take steps to sustain a healthy food
system, just as our food sustains us. Ask your legislator to
support policy changes that:

Ensure that all farmers who wish to be good stewards to God?s
land have access to working lands conservation programs, such as
the Conservation Security Program
Foster the growth of local food systems, cutting down on the use
to global warming causing fossil fuels to transport food,
supporting smaller farmers, and providing more nutritious food
options for consumers
Target ?safety net? payments to those farmers who need them the
most
Please consider personalizing your letter to your members of
Congress by including a story about your connections to farming,
how important local foods are to you, or why you value
environmental stewardship on farmlands. Your words do matter in
Washington. Blessings as you speak out for the earth and for
those who care for it.

Vince Isner

FaithfulAmerica.org

PS: If you wish you can subscribe to the NCC Ecojustice
e-newsletter Capsules, by sending an email to this address:
[email-masked]. Please put "subscribe Capsules" in your
subject line.

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see
directions below) or via the web at:
http://ga3.org/campaign/earthday2007/w3uiuxd4hxxdb8n?

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
http://ga3.org/campaign/earthday2007/forward/w3uiuxd4hxxdb8n?

We encourage you to take action by August 18, 2007

Earth Day 2007

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this
alert by going to the following URL:

http://ga3.org/campaign/earthday2007/w3uiuxd4hxxdb8n? 

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Your Congressperson 
Your Senators 

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

As a person of faith and conscience, I am writing you today, on
the cusp of another Earth Day, to challenge you to have the
courage to make responsible decisions about how we are going to
live on this planet as you consider the upcoming Farm Bill. Few
human activities have the kind of far-reaching impacts on God's
Earth as does the production of food. Christian principles
compel us to be mindful stewards of the creation, and to treat
the land, air, water, and our fellow creatures with reverence
and respect.

I want to see a Farm Bill that:
-Provides all farmers who wish to be good stewards of the land
access to working lands conservation programs, especially the
Conservation Security Program;
-Fosters the growth of local food systems, cutting down on the
use of global warming-causing carbon emissions from food
transport; supporting smaller farms; and providing more
nutritious food options for consumers;
-Includes funding for the continuation of the Wetlands Reserve
Program;
-Includes provisions for making sure that the increase in
biofuels production is accomplished sustainably and without
negative environmental impacts;
-Sets the payment limit for the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program at its pre-2002 level and reinstates the prohibition on
funding for animal waste storage and handling facilities for
large-scale concentrated animal feeding operations; and
-Targets safety net payments to those farmers that need them
most.

Strong conservation programs that provide for the health of the
land, water, and air for generations to come are the best
investment in a real, long-term safety net for America's
farmers. A Farm Bill that delivers justice to God's creation is
incumbent upon us as stewards of the creation - and it is
achievable with your leadership and a bold decision to be
responsible this Earth Day.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

Sincerely,
David Harris

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