April 2018

EARTH DAY AND EVERYDAY – END PLASTIC POLLUTION CAMPAIGN

Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems that we face today. It impacts the environment and our health and wellbeing. We have all contributed to this and we must all work to reduce and ultimately end it. China is no longer accepting our “polluted” plastics and very few items are able to be recycled domestically. Unless we begin immediately to recycle in the US, our recycling options will be reduced to nothing. We must begin to rethink how we use plastic daily and how we can reduce our usage. 
April 22 marks the 48th anniversary of Earth Day. We can join with the Earth Day campaign to End Plastic Pollution by committing to reduce our personal plastic consumption.  From contributing to land and marine pollution to increasing our use of carbon producing fuels, our reliance on single-use plastics has a devastating impact on God’s creation. The good news is that we can solve this problem. We can reduce plastic pollution and minimize our contribution to what Pope Francis calls “a throwaway culture” by working together as a community.
 
Tip #1 Many plastic products you may frequently use are generally unnecessary – do you really need a straw to drink a glass of water/soda? Go further by asking restaurants you frequent to stop providing straws. Do you need a disposable plastic water bottle? Purchase a reusable one that will last for years.

Tip #2 Plastic bags are one of the biggest sources of plastic pollution. Studies have shown that lightweight plastic bags are blown away easily into waterways, are hard to recycle and are mistaken for food by some wildlife, especially in oceans as they resemble jellyfish. Refusing the plastic shopping bags given away at retailers and grocery stores is easy. Purchase reusable canvas or cloth bags to carry your purchases and use them every time you shop.  Invest in mesh bags to carry fresh produce, instead of using plastic. 

Tip #3 Take a little extra time while doing your shopping to select products without plastic packaging! Look for produce in bulk or shop at farmers’ markets. Use the bulk bins to purchase items you use frequently without packaging. Purchase meats at the butcher.  Avoid or even boycott products that are excessively wrapped in plastic. Purchasing food in larger quantities cuts down on pollutants. Choose paper, glass or cardboard boxes instead of a plastic bag for pasta, detergent, cat food and litter, sauces, peanut butter, etc.  Ask your local grocer to stop stocking items in plastic. Consider reusing glass containers for storing food instead of plastic wraps and containers. Go to: http://www.cleanseas.org/take-action for more tips on how to avoid using unnecessary plastic.

Tip #4 Plastics are choking our waterways, marine life, and even our bodies. The latest study shows that since large-scale plastic production began in the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced. Plastic takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, and only a small percentage of what is produced is recycled. In fact, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. It is time to push for stronger regulation of plastics production and demand that companies be held accountable for the products they produce, to spur innovation in how products are packaged and delivered. Write to your legislator and ask them to take a stand against plastics.

Click  here for more information.

EARTH DAY EVENTS
Saturday, April 21, 2018, 9:00 AM  12:00 PM
SOLVE IT Earth Day Events hosted by Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District.
NE Park - Meet the crew leader at the northeastern intersection of NW Saltzman Road & Laidlaw Road.
Tualatin Hills Nature Park - Tualatin Hills Nature Park is located at 15655 SW Millikan Way, in Beaverton.  Volunteers will meet for a brief orientation inside the Nature Center before getting started.
Willow Creek Greenway - Volunteers will meet at the trailhead off of NW Eastmoreland Court to get started.  Willow Creek Greenway is located at the end of NW Eastmoreland Court, just off of NW Mission Oaks Drive/Pebble Beach Way in Beaverton.

Please bring a re-usable water bottle.  Tools, snacks and a water cooler will be provided. More info and registration from THPRD Natural Areas.   Contact Mellisa Marcum, Natural Resources Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected] or 503.619.3941

SANCTUARY -  IMIrJ Washington County
Vigil Monday, April 16th 
5:30 pm - Interfaith vigil at Washington County Courthouse (123 E Main St.)
6:00 pm - Procession (as able) to Hillsboro UCC (494 E Main St.) 
6:30 pm - Interactive Workshop on NORCOR, incorporating prayer, stories, reflection and action. NORCOR is a four-county public jail in The Dalles, Oregon that rents out beds to ICE - in violation of Oregon's 30-year-old Sanctuary law. Together we'll explore why what's happening in NORCOR matters to our communities in Washington County - and what we can do to get #ICEOutofNORCOR and protect #SanctuaryEverywhere.

Protecting Sanctuary: Faith Leader Spokespeople Training, April 23, 2018  6pm - 8:30pm
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC, 494 E Main St, Hillsboro, OR 97123
There are anti-immigrant forces seeking to revoke Oregon’s Sanctuary law. As moral voices in our community we will soon look to our faith leaders to speak truth to injustice. This training will provide an overview of the anti-immigrant ballot proposal (IP22), how the news media works, skills sharing and uplift the power of storytelling.  RSVP

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Build a Home, Frame a Future Fundraising Breakfast and Luncheon
Friday, May 11, 2018
Breakfast 7:30-8:30
Lunch 12:00-1:00
Embassy Suites - Washington Square, 9000 SW Washington Square Rd, Tigard
RSVP

FAMILY PROMISE
Training to volunteer at the day center or at a Host site is scheduled for Monday April 16th, 6:30 at the Beaverton Community Center across from the Library.
Perhaps you have an item on the  Wish List or would like to purchase something for the day center. 
REGISTER here to volunteer.

BREAD FOR THE WORLD
Right now, the biggest threat to people struggling with hunger and poverty continues to be the threat of large budget cuts. What is the 2018 Offering of Letters About?
Every day, millions of people in the United States and around the world feed and support their families in part because of lifesaving programs funded by our government. We are making progress toward the end of hunger, but we live in challenging times. Our gains are increasingly vulnerable due to the actions and inactions of governing officials.

Every year, Congress approves budgets and policies that impact men, women, and children living with hunger and poverty in real and significant ways. Congress passes federal budget resolutions that set yearly spending levels and longer-term priorities such as immigration policy and tax policy. Congress must also pass the annual appropriations bills that fund all government programs, including international assistance as well as child nutrition and job training programs here in the United States. Again this year, Bread for the World’s network of churches and concerned people are asking Congress to protect the funding for key programs that provide hope and opportunity for people living with hunger.

The government programs that help people living with hunger include: 
• Nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infant and Children (WIC) nutrition program, and school meals provide millions of low-income children and families with nutritious food. SNAP alone kept 3.6 million Americans out of poverty in 2016. 
• Tax credits for low-income workers, such as the earned income tax credit and child tax credit, do more to reduce hunger and poverty and encourage work than any other government program. In 2016, these tax credits moved 8.2 million people in the United States out of poverty. 
• Humanitarian relief programs provide lifesaving assistance following natural and man-made disasters. In South Sudan, for example, these programs have provided food and other assistance that have saved lives and reduced suffering. 
• International poverty-focused development assistance improves nutrition, provides access to safe water and sanitation, and helps struggling farm families increase production and income. Today, fewer children around the world are dying and more are thriving than ever before, partly due to our nation’s investments in nutrition and agriculture programs.