Here is a general type of project some of your churches may be interested
in. All over the United States there are "factory farms" or CAFO's
(Confined Animal Feeding Operations). They are usually located in poor,
isolated rural communities with few zoning regulations (& those not usually
enforced). The existing mega-dairies in California are planning to move
their operations to the Midwest where there is free water, less regulation,
and cheaper land. Many of these communities have organized to fight these
CAFO's, but their resources are limited.
They would all LOVE to have help from any Green Sanctuary groups!
Our Green Sanctuary Committee no longer has meetings, and we never went for
certification--we just did all the steps, and continue to do them. Most
recently our area has been threatened by a mega-dairy operator from
California who wants to bring around 5,000 cows (to start with)and 34 acres
of open manure pits to a site 1 mile from a town of about 150, 2 miles from
a town of 1800, and 4 miles from a state park. You can read more about this
particular site at www.stopthemegadairy.org.
Our minister and I are part of H.O.M.E.S. (Helping Others Maintain
Environmental Standards), which is probably the best organized group in our
state, but we are also a part of a larger group, the Illinois Coalition for
Clean Air and Water, (ICCAW) and there are similar groups in other states.
There are many supporters among our UU Church of Stockton, IL, members.
Last week we won a preliminary injunction to stop this mega-dairy from
operating, primarily because of our underlying soil structure. Our whole
county lies on fractured bedrock called karst, which allows any kind of
contamination to quickly travel both horizontally and vertically into wells,
springs, and in this location, the Apple River, which is reportedly the
cleanest river in Illinois. You can read about it here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-dairy-farm-both-22-oct22,0,...
169.story and here: http://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/browser_pass.cfm
What can Green Sanctuary Committees do? Educate yourself on the damage to
the environment and local communities these factory farms cause. Find and
contact whatever local groups are fighting this in your state, or adjacent
ones. Contribute to the legal fund, if there is one. Write letters to the
editor, opinion pieces, or whatever you can get in your newspaper. Contact
your representatives at the county, state and federal levels. If you are
close enough, attend public hearings, court appearances, informational
meetings, etc.
If anyone wants further information, please contact me at maryjo@brella.com.
From Mary Jo Burke