by Jenny Blanchard

My first job after finishing college was as an ESL teacher at a university in New
York. We shared an office with the Sociology Department. The chair of this
department was an outspoken, very liberal political activist who shared my own
views on social and economic justice.

I soon observed with great disappointment that he treated his secretary terribly,
bordering on abusive behavior. He was dismissive and condescending to her, and
barely made eye contact when he handed her his coffee cup or gave her
instructions on some clerical task.

One day I approached his secretary, a very bright and hard-working woman, and
asked why she tolerated this behavior. She replied that her daughter was enrolled at
the university, and she had to keep her current position to access the tuition
remission benefits.

This was to be my first encounter with a complete disconnect between the outward
political views of an individual and their interactions with others. Sadly, it would
not be my last. I observed this phenomenon over and over again, meeting social
justice proponents who were zealous publicly, but mistreated others in their private
and professional lives. When I met an employee of Amnesty International, I spoke
of the noble mission of this organization. The individual replied: “Yes, they believe
in human rights for everyone except their employees.”

No matter how lofty our goals and aspirations, if we fail to treat the people around
us with respect and dignity, we have betrayed our ideals and we have
fundamentally failed as human beings.

by Dave Nichols

I think most of us agree that we are causing the planet to warm up by releasing greenhouse gas into the atmosphere and that warming is a threat to our sustainability. Three quarters of the emissions are from energy usage in the form of electricity, heating, transportation, and industrial processes. The remaining quarter of greenhouse emissions comes from food production. Even though it is a smaller source, it is still significant. Further increase in food production by itself will lead to excessive global warming.

There are several ways to constrain the carbon emissions footprint from food:

1. One thing we can do on our own is reduce the amount of meat and dairy in our diet. Livestock, especially cattle, requires a large amount of land for animal feed. Twice as much land is used for animal feed than land for human consumption. Animals also generate greenhouse gas from methane they release from digestion as well as manure. The carbon footprint of beef is much greater than eating pork. And chicken has a lower footprint than pork. Therefore, changing the type of meat we eat can be helpful.
2. Encourage more sustainable farm practices. Overuse of pesticides and fertilizers may lead to short-term gains in productivity but will damage the environment over time. Slash and burn methods are used widely in some parts of the world, leading to high carbon emissions and loss of forests.
3. Reducing over consumption of food. Ten percent of the world’s population does not get enough calories but 40% of the population gets too many calories.
4. Reduce food loss and waste. Globally we lose about 20% of our food supply.
5. Things that matter less regarding emissions are eating locally sourced food and eating organic. Locally sourced foods are often produced less efficiently, and food transport has a comparatively small carbon footprint. Also, most foods are safe for consumption if the chemicals used in agriculture are used at low levels.

The idea for today’s social action minute came from an activity we had at a Climate Reality meeting. At that meeting we were each asked to sort a stack of cards. On each card an action was listed that one could take to reduce climate change. The cards were sorted in three columns by 1) actions that we currently take, 2) actions that we might want to take, and 3) ones that we would not want to do.

One of the cards suggested hosting a plant- based protein potluck. Members of our group agreed that that would be fun and informative. We are hoping that some of you may be interested as well. Unless there are any conflicts, we plan to have it here after the services on March 2. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the back if you would like to take part.

Sources
Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions
https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions
Climate Reality Leadership Training – Al Gore Presentation October 18, 2025
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

by Brian Dugas

I don’t believe that I have to give you an update on the current situation in our country.  Some people are finding that it is better for their mental health to turn off the updates and avoid the news altogether. I hope that those people can find the peace that they are searching for.

Others have decided to engage with the issues at some level, and many of them have joined our Congregations Social Action Committee. We are attempting to adjust our focus to better reflect the theme of resilience that we have discussed at our meetings.  Everyone is invited to attend those meetings which are on the first Tuesday of the month at 8:00PM on Zoom.

In this social action minute I’m going to provide you some information on a few things that are happening in the congregation that you may want to get involved with:

The first is the community garden - we are once again partnering with Hillside Farms for one part of our community garden program. We have 12 rows available for individuals or groups to sign up and take ownership of.  They will be responsible for the care and upkeep of their rows, with some cooperation, support, and training being provided by other members of the group, the amount and time being coordinated as we get closer to the growing season.  

Some important points:

• -We have a sign up sheet for the rows now available in the church
• -We have decided that Sunday, March 23rd, after the service will be our first collective workday
• -People are free to participate in our community garden program using their own gardens, we hope to coordinate what is being grown collectively so that at harvest time, we can share in a wide and varied bounty.  We encourage anyone to join us, regardless of their level of gardening skills.  I have learned a lot in the last year, and if I can do it, anyone can.

The food pantry has continued to evolve as the needs of the congregation have changed and grown.  Jenny has developed a system to better track items in the pantry, and we have decided to purchase Aldi gift cards for those items that are perishable or are not stocked in our pantry.  Please speak to Jenny if you have any questions, need a gift card, or would like to contribute to the food pantry fund.
We have frequently discussed safety issues for the congregation.  On February 16th after the service there is going to be a Safety and Security training and discussion. Please mark your calendars if you would like to attend, and speak to me if you have any questions.

It is evident that immigration has become a defining issue for our country. There are numerous organizations working on immigration issues, and some of them have reached out to us for support and assistance.  Among them are the Unitarian Universalist Social Justice organization which is looking for people to contact our newly elected government officials in NEPA, and the Community Justice Alliance who has made contact with a local congregation with a large latino population.  There is a meeting planned for Monday, February 24th at 5:00PM at B’nai B’rith Synagogue to discuss how we can help them if anyone would want to join me.