If you care enough to find and read this message, you're exactly the person for whom I'm writing it. Read on!

Do you know what makes doing a job like "executive director" so good? Do you know what makes leading a mission organization like Voices for Earth Justice (VEJ) so great?

What makes being the leader of VEJ feel so good is this:

• Gathering together and getting to know all kinds of people (like you)
• Informing and inspiring people (like you) who care about the people and places around them
• Serving and supporting people (like you) who want to do something that blesses the world around them

Who wouldn't want to go to work every day knowing he or she is part of a community of those kinds of people? People like you?

You and I may not know each other personally. But if you're this deep into this blog post, it's likely that you're the kind of person whose light and warmth is finding its way even to people you haven't even met. 

That's kind of what a mission organization like VEJ is all about. You may not even live in the state of Michigan. But, through your relationship with VEJ you are blessing hundreds or thousands of people here in metro Detroit. If we do our job well, you are able to do more good through us than you could ever do on your own.

I hope that feels good to you. Know that it feels amazing to us!

So know that this Thanksgiving, we will be giving thanks for you - even if we don't know you! You truly are the reason we get up and go to work with a smile every day. Whether you're a donor, a neighbor, a program participant, a volunteer, or just a friend who prays for us from afar, you are part of this. You are part of us. 

I (and we) are so thankful to be in this with you.

So, here is a thanksgiving prayer by Mary Maude Daniels. It is our prayer for you:

To our friends, who have become family
and our family who have become friends:

May you be blessed with the same love and care you've given us.

Grace and peace,

BT Irwin, primus inter pares
Voices for Earth Justice
November 21, 2018

Let's eat!

You can think of this blog post as your first dinner invitation of 2019. 

That's because next year we are making food the focus for the VEJ community.

Why food? What does food have to do with "Earth justice?" 

Three answers:

First, what we eat has the biggest impact on the health and sustainability of our planet. Global food production accounts for 83 percent of the human race's carbon footprint! It gets worse: We throw away one third of that food every year. Just global food waste alone is a bigger carbon footprint than all the nations on earth put together minus China and the U.S. 

Second, what we eat has one of the biggest impacts on which communities struggle and which ones thrive. For example, our global food production system makes food chain workers the lowest paid of any sector. Many of the people who bring us our food struggle to afford food for themselves. And their food options are often the worst for their health, contributing to higher medical expenses and shorter life spans. 

Finally, eating is at the center of almost every faith tradition in the world. As a mission organization that seeks to bring people of different faiths together for Earth justice, what could be more unifying than sharing our food? 

Here's a bonus answer: Everyone eats. Every person makes dozens of food choices every day. That means every person can learn to make better choices that are better for their fellow human beings and better for the planet. We want VEJ to be part of helping people make those better choices. 

So, in short, eating is Earth justice. In fact, eating may be the biggest part of Earth justice. It is certainly the biggest part of most people's lives. 

That's why food is our focus at VEJ starting in 2019.

So, what will that look like?

Over the last few months, our team has been working hard to create a program that will help you learn how to "eat for Earth justice". You'll get more details about these programs in January 2019.

​For now, here are the highlights for you:

Celebrations and community meals

Several times over the next year, VEJ and its partners will host celebrations and community meals to highlight Earth-friendly eating and interfaith fellowship. These gatherings will take place at both VEJ's Hope House & Gardens and perhaps in homes and houses of worship throughout southeast Michigan. 

Classes and workshops

You'll learn the nitty-gritty of Earth-friendly food, from "seed to table to recycling." 

Our first class series on winter wellness starts in December. Check it out here. 

Eco-Eating Tours

Metro Detroit is home to some of the most innovative Earth-friendly food businesses and organizations around. These behind-the-scenes tours will open your mind to new ways of thinking about food. Odds are, you'll get to eat some good food, too! 

Sustainable Organic Gardening Club

Building on our neighborhood garden program, we are launching our first "garden club." Members will learn everything about sustainable organic gardening, from "seed to harvest to table to recycling." Four modules will take members through the four seasons of gardening: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Volunteering for discovery and hands-on learning

​Our volunteers come to VEJ to do more than just help; they come to deepen their understanding and to learn. We are planning to host hundreds of adult and youth volunteers at Hope House & Gardens in 2019. Those volunteers will learn about the impact food makes on people and the planet. They will also get to know Earth-friendly food practices by "getting their hands dirty." 

Wonder Walks

This is the one VEJ program that doesn't make food its focus in 2019. We believe the greatest gift we can give anyone is the gift of wonder. Nothing changes hearts and minds and fills them with kindness and love like a sense of awe. Monthly Wonder Walks will take you to some of southeast Michigan's most amazing natural places--some of them are not even open to the public! Both a nature expert and a spiritual director will guide the tours, making them one part learning and one part meditation.

Our first Wonder Walk is coming up on December 1. Check it out here.  

Youth Club

VEJ Youth Club is an after school and summer program that is one part environmental education, one part leadership and personal development, and one part tutoring. Elementary school age children from the neighborhood come to Hope House & Gardens once each week to participate in a hands-on lesson on how to "eat for Earth justice." 

So, now what?

Now that we "whetted your appetite," please stay tuned for more details to come in the next few weeks. We really hope to see you at one (or many) of these programs in 2019.

Meanwhile, as 2018 is ending, we are in the most important few weeks for fundraising at VEJ. More than half of our annual operating funds come from year-end gifts. 

So, as you're going about your year-end giving for 2018, please make a gift to VEJ. You're going to make these programs possible for everyone they "feed." 

I suggest you give via our Facebook page on #GivingTuesday (Tuesday, November 27). Gifts that we receive via Facebook on #GivingTuesday may be matched dollar-for-dollar.

Or, you can give anytime at our online gift page. Through the end of the year, PayPal will be matching 1 percent of every donation we receive on our website.

If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to Voices for Earth Justice and send it to 15894 Greydale Street, Detroit, Michigan 48223.

Thank you for being part of the VEJ community. We so look forward to seeing you and serving you at our table in 2019. 

Grace and peace,

BT Irwin, executive director
Voices for Earth Justice  

Scarves, hats, and mittens are not the only defenses against the winter blues. Voices for Earth Justice is hosting a series of winter wellness workshops on the topic of supporting mental, physical, and emotional health with plant-based practices.

“There are different plants that support mental well-being like chamomile for calming nerves, as well as plants that treat physical ailments like ginger for stomach aches,” states VEJ garden leader L’Oreal Hawkes-Williams providing a few examples of herbs that boost health.

In this statement, Hawkes-Williams suggests resilient tea-brewing practices can be intensified by crafting concoctions from certain plants. Additionally, plants can be grown for the specific purpose of growing tea. If this is outside your comfort zone, there are amazing websites that provide ethically sourced, organically grown bulk herbs.

L’Oreal Hawkes-Williams, VEJ Garden Coordinator, states, “Not only does tea warm our bodies on chilly days, but drinking tea is a great way to utilize the medicinal properties of certain plants.”

The three one-time workshops that Voices for Earth Justice will host include tincture-making & tea-brewing, winter stew-making, and aromatherapy. We are focusing on activities that can be infused into daily life to enrichen and bolster health.

Each workshop will focus on one of these methods of brightening the winter months in a just and sustainable fashion. With background, instruction, and discussion, these workshops will provide not only educational resources, but also a space for community members to share their winter-resiliency methods.

“Learning about plants and how they naturally help us is fascinating and a great benefit to your body!” exclaims Hawkes-Williams.

It is possible to sign up for one, two, or three of the workshops by filling out the form via this link.

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