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UUF of St Augustine to explore Congregational Study/Action Issue ETHICAL EATING: Why do our food choices matter?
“Ethical eating is personal in nature involving free choices of what we put in our own bodies and global in reach with implications for ecosystems, human hunger, social inequity, animal welfare and climate change.” (UUA website) In 2008 delegates to the General Assembly selected “Ethical Eating” to be the 2008-2012 Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.
As our Fellowship entered into the process of becoming a “Green Sanctuary” in early 2009, we surveyed our members about what they hoped to learn in a variety of areas. Many members indicated that they had already moved toward making better food choices but would like to know more.
The Green Sanctuary committee would like to build on these strengths as we join with other UUs worldwide to learn more about how our dietary choices affect farming practices, agribusiness, and our health. We’ve added several books to our library, including Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Peter Singer’s The Ethics of What We Eat. Website addresses are listed below for the UUA study guide and for a companion guide to the movie, “Food, Inc.
Our eight-week discussion group is an opportunity for all of us to read and share our thoughts as we explore ways our eating impacts our community and the world. Our goal is not to provide a dietary code but to help each other feel confident in making tasty, nutritious food choices that fit with our individual, ethical, and spiritual values. We need the participation of as many people as possible for this work to be meaningful.
We’ll invite speakers such as Brendan Burke of the St Augustine Lighthouse LAMP program to talk about sustainable fishing and local chefs to share their ideas and recipes for sustainable menus. Side field trips will be planned as ideas arise from the group.
We will meet at 7:00 at the UU on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month beginning February 4, 2010, and ending May 20, 2010.
To kick off the Ethical Eating program, on Sunday, Jan 31, we will show the movie, “Food, Inc.” instead of having a speaker at our weekly service.
If you have ideas, expertise, or thoughts about speakers and resources, please see Pat Moore, Joanne Engelbert or Cynthia McAuliffe.
UUA Ethical Eathing Guide:
http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issuesprocess/currentissues/ethicaleating/index.shtml
Center for Science in the Public Interest—Six arguments for a greener diet