Les Schwab Sponsors ‘RMEF Ready Your Elk Rig Tire Drawing’
MISSOULA, Mont.— Les Schwab Tire Centers will donate more than $151,000 worth of new tires to assist the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to generate significant conservation fundraising dollars for its mission.
“We greatly appreciate Les Schwab Tire Centers for both their generosity and long-standing support of elk, elk country, hunting and the RMEF,” said Steve Decker, RMEF vice president of Marketing. “They have stood by our side for nearly two decades and this latest action will accelerate our ability to do even more measurable conservation work.”
Headquartered in Bend, Oregon, with more than 480 locations across the West, Les Schwab has helped RMEF raise more than $2.8 million and conserve or enhance more than 17,200 acres of elk habitat.
Tabbed the ‘RMEF Ready Your Elk Rig Tire Drawing,’ 126 different RMEF chapters across California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming will each receive one set of four (4) Mazama Open Range™ A/T tires (up to $1,200 maximum retail value) for a raffle/drawing.
“We are a family-owned organization with more than 67 years of history in the West and we understand the importance of conserving both our natural spaces and our heritage,” said Greg L'Hommedieu, vice president, Store Sales & Operations. “We value the work RMEF does to encourage environmental stewardship and conservation in our community and are proud to provide this donation to support its mission.”
Each raffle/drawing winner will be able to size the tires to his or her specific car, SUV or pickup. (Additional details and drawing/raffle regulations will be available from the select 126 RMEF chapters.)
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
Founded 35 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of nearly 235,000 strong, RMEF has conserved more than 7.6 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org, elknetwork.com or 800-CALL ELK.
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For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Tony Young
GOED Media Relations Manager
tonyyoung@utah.gov | 801-538-8722
Gareth Edmondson-Jones
Breeze Aviation
gejink@gmail.com | 917-399-9355
Breeze Aviation Announces Utah as Corporate Headquarters
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 12, 2019) — The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) is pleased to announce a corporate headquarters in Salt Lake for Breeze Aviation, a new company with plans to create 369 jobs in the next five years.
“Breeze Aviation’s headquarters operation will be a welcome addition to Utah’s growing aerospace industry,” said Val Hale, GOED executive director. “We’re excited to partner with an experienced team with such an outstanding track record.”
Breeze Aviation is founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air (later sold to Southwest), WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Brazilian Airlines. Neeleman has been one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the airline business. Breeze Aviation plans to unveil an as-yet-unnamed low-cost carrier in the new year which will provide flyers with convenient non-stop service from secondary airports.
“We’re excited to announce our investment to make Utah our headquarters,” said David Neeleman, CEO of Breeze Aviation. “Utah’s exceptional workforce and business environment will ensure that we have all the support needed to provide exceptional customer service for our new startup.”
Breeze Aviation may earn up to 20% of the new state taxes it will pay over the five-year life of the agreement in the form of a Utah Legislature-authorized Economic Development Tax Increment Finance (EDTIF) tax rebate. The GOED Board has approved a post-performance tax rebate not to exceed $1,082,000. Each year the company meets the criteria in its contract with the state, it will earn a portion of the total tax rebate.
“We have long recognized the potential our regional airports hold for economic growth,” said Theresa A. Foxley, president and CEO of EDCUtah. “We welcome Breeze Aviation to consider service to any of the many great airports that the state of Utah offers.”
State of Utah Tax Rebate By the Numbers
Tax revenue: $5,410,000
Wages: $128,900,000
Jobs: 369
Capital investment: 3.2 million
Timeline: 5 years
About Utah Corporate Incentives
The Utah Legislature has authorized economic development incentives in the form of post-performance tax rebates. Eligible companies work with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to outline specific performance criteria. Once GOED confirms those criteria have been met, according to statute (U.C.A. 63N-2-106(2)), companies can receive a refund of up to 30% of the state taxes they paid for up to 20 years. The contract with the state is post-performance; it only provides a state tax rebate if the company meets its obligations.
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Under the direction of Gov. Gary Herbert, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment, and helps drive increased tourism, film production and outdoor recreation in the state. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.
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Press Release
USDA Invests $9.5 Million in Rural Broadband for South Dakota Families
FLANDREAU, S.D., Dec. 12, 2019 – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development South Dakota State Director Julie Gross announced USDA has invested $9.5 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve e-Connectivity for more than 1,750 homes in rural South Dakota. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“Reliable, high-speed broadband internet e-Connectivity is essential to increasing access to specialized health care and education, connecting with friends and family, building or starting a business, or increasing productivity at your agricultural operation,” Gross said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner in deploying this essential infrastructure in rural communities, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Valley Telecommunications Cooperative will use $9.5 million in ReConnect grant funding to deploy a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Brookings, Kingsbury and Moody counties in South Dakota. This investment is anticipated to reach 1,750 rural households, 27 farms, 17 businesses and one critical community facility.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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Let's make 2020 the year of the community.
By Quint Studer
If you looked only at the big picture, you'd have to say we live in deeply troubled times. It seems we've never been more polarized. Political discourse feels more like a war zone than a thoughtful national conversation. But what happens when you zoom in closer?
That's the question I ask myself as I reflect on the past year spent exploring dozens of small and mid-sized communities across America. I've talked with hundreds, maybe thousands, of mayors, chamber of commerce members, new entrepreneurs, business owners, and citizens of all ages. I've sat down to great meals in downtown restaurants, listened to fabulous bands, and attended some of the world's coolest festivals. And what I've found is that the America one sees "up close and personal" bears little resemblance to the America one sees on the national news.
I'm not saying we don't have real problems. We do. But we have more bright spots than dark—more courtesy than incivility—and often that good news flies under the radar. I've always been a believer in shining a light on the positive until it overcomes the negative. Gratitude is more powerful than griping. And what I'm grateful for today, at the turn of the year, is America's communities.
Real life doesn't happen nationally. It happens locally. And at the community level, I see people partnering with their neighbors to solve problems, working hard and playing hard, listening and compromising, and—quite often—making sacrifices for the good of others. Locally is where we're at our very best. It's where we can use our influence and our gifts to make our communities strong and to make life better for everyone.
I view communities through a lens of revitalization because that's the work I do. As things have gotten more dysfunctional at the national level, the by-product is that people on the local level have kicked in. And what I see is that citizens aren't counting on government to "save" them. They're doing the hard work of revitalization themselves. They're owning it. They're investing in their cities and towns. And they're starting new conversations: How can we make our community the best it can be? How can we reinvent ourselves, start and grow local businesses, and transform into a great place to work, live, and play?
This mindset has kicked in everywhere: big cities, small towns, communities of every shape and size. And no wonder. The chaos and uncertainty of the past few decades have made us crave personal connections with our friends and family. We want our children and grandchildren nearby (with good jobs to keep them there). We want lively downtowns with great restaurants, funky stores, cool living spaces, and plenty of fun things to do. And we're making it happen.
In Thomas L. Friedman's book Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations, he talks about how rapid accelerations in technology, globalization, and Mother Nature are disrupting our lives and leaving people feeling destabilized. He says these forces are like a hurricane, one in which the winds of change are swirling so fast that families can't find a way to anchor themselves.
Friedman makes the case that the only answer is building healthy communities, ones that are flexible enough to navigate this hurricane and provide stability for the citizens within them. He quotes the words from a ballad by Brandi Carlile, "You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you're standing in the eye." Our communities are that eye. They provide a firm place to stand and find stability while all this change is swirling around us.
My hope is that 2020 will be the Year of the Community. We can make it so. We can hold our families close. We can reach out to neighbors to connect with them, to help them, to engage them in the work of making things better. We can shop local. We can partner with government the right way. We can smooth the way for entrepreneurs. We can galvanize our small business communities to drive positive change. And we can act as ambassadors for our communities so that others want to invest, live, work, and play here too.
Won't you join me? Celebrating all the good in our communities, and working together to make them stronger, will make for a 2020 that's even better than all the years that have come before.
# # #
Quint Studer is author of Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change Is Reshaping America and Wall Street Journal bestseller The Busy Leader's Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive. He is founder of Pensacola's Studer Community Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the community's quality of life, and Vibrant Community Partners, which coaches communities in building out a blueprint for achieving growth and excellence. He is a businessman, a visionary, an entrepreneur, and a mentor to many. He currently serves as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of West Florida. For more information, please visit www.thebusyleadershandbook.com, www.vibrantcommunityblueprint.com, and www.studeri.org.
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Dear Editor:
Please consider this astonishingly uplifting inspirational piece by Rivera Sun with 21 ways we can start to turn around climate chaos. For PeaceVoice, thank you,
Tom Hastings
~~~~~~~~~~~
Beyond changing light bulbs: 21 ways you can stop the climate crisis
by Rivera Sun
627 words
Here's the good news: The debate is over. 75% of US citizens believe climate change is human-caused; more than half say we have to do something and fast.
Here's even better news: A new report shows that more than 200 cities and counties, and 12 states have committed to or already achieved 100 percent clean electricity. This means that one out of every three Americans (about 111 million Americans and 34 percent of the population) lives in a community or state that has committed to or has already achieved 100 percent clean electricity. Seventy cities are already powered by 100 percent wind and solar power. The not-so-great news is that many of the transition commitments are too little, too late.
The best news? The story doesn't end there.
We can all pitch in to help save humanity and the planet. And I don't mean just by planting trees or changing light bulbs. Climate action movements are exploding in numbers, actions, and impact. Groups like Youth Climate Strikes, Extinction Rebellion, #ShutDownDC, the Sunrise Movement, and more are changing the game. Join in if you haven't already. As Extinction Rebellion reminds us: there's room for everybody in an effort this enormous. We all make change in different ways, and we're all needed to make all the changes we need.
Resistance is not futile. As the editor of Nonviolence News, I collect stories of climate action and climate wins. In the past month alone, the millions of people worldwide rising up in nonviolent action have propelled a number of major victories. The University of British Columbia divested $300 million in funds from fossil fuels. The world's largest public bank ditched fossil fuels and said it would no longer invest in oil and coal. California cracked down on oil and gas fracking permits halting new drilling wells as the state prepares for a renewable energy transition. New Zealand passed a law to put the climate crisis at the front and center of all its policy considerations (the first such legislation in the world). The second-largest ferry operator on the planet is switching from diesel to batteries in preparation for a renewable transition. Re-affirming their anti-pipeline stance, Portland, Oregon city officials told Zenith Energy that they would not reverse their decision, and instead would continue to block new pipelines. Meanwhile, in Portland, Maine, the city council joined the ever-growing list endorsing the youths' climate emergency resolution. Italy made climate change science mandatory in school. And that's just for starters.
Is it any wonder Collins Dictionary made "climate strike" the Word of the Year?
Beyond planting trees and changing lightbulbs, here's a list of things you can do about the climate crisis:
1. Join Greta Thunberg, Fridays for the Future, and the global Student Climate Strikes on Fridays.
2. Not a student? Join Jane Fonda's #FireDrillFridays (civil disobedience is the latest workout fad; everybody looks good saving the planet).
3. Take to the field, like the students who disrupted the Harvard-Yale football game to demand fossil fuel divestment. You can't play football on a dead planet, after all.
4. Stage an "oil spill" like these 40 members of Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard (FFDH) and Extinction Rebellion. They staged an oil spill in Harvard’s Science Center Plaza to call attention to the university’s complicity in the climate crisis.
5. Get in the way with city-wide street blockades like #ShutDownDC. People from an alliance of groups blockaded the banks and investment firms in the nation's capital to protest the financing of fossil fuels, and the ways the banking industry drives the climate migration crisis while profiting from the devastation.
6. Rally the artists and paint giant murals to remind people to take action, like this skyscraper-sized Greta Thunberg mural in San Francisco.
7. No walls handy? Print out a scowling Greta and put it in the office to remind people not to use single-use plastic.
8. Crash Congress (or your city/county officials' meetings) demanding climate legislation, climate emergency resolutions, and more. That's what these climate justice activists did last week, protesting legislative inaction and demanding justice for people living on the front lines of the crisis.
9. Occupy the offices: Sit-ins and occupations of public officials offices are one way to take the protest to the politicians. Campaigners occupied US Senator Pelosi’s office and launched their global hunger strike just before US Thanksgiving weekend. In Oregon, 21 people were arrested while occupying the governor’s office to get her to oppose a fracked gas export terminal at Jordan Cove.
10. Organize a coal train blockade like climate activists in Ayers, Massachusetts. They made a series of multi-wave coal train blockades, one group of protesters taking up the blockade as the first group was arrested. Or rally thousands like the Germans did when they gathered between 1,000-4,000 green activists, made their way past police lines, and blocked trains at three important coal mines in eastern Germany.
11. Shut down your local fossil fuel power plant. (We've all got one.) New Yorkers did this dramatically a few weeks ago, scaling a smokestack and blockading the gates. In New Hampshire, 67 climate activists were arrested outside their coal power plant, calling for it to be shut down.
12. Of course, another option is to literally take back your power like this small German town that took ownership of their grid and went 100 percent renewable.
13. Like Spiderman? You could add some drama to a protest like these two kids (ages 8 and 11) who rappelled down from a bridge with climbing gear and a protest banner during COP25 in Madrid.
14. Ground the private jets. Extinction Rebellion members went for the gold: they blockaded a private jet terminal used by wealthy elites in Geneva.
15. Sail a Sinking House down the river like Extinction Rebellion did along the Thames to show solidarity with all those who have lost their homes to rising seas.
16. Clean it up. Use mops, brooms, and scrub brushes for a "clean up your act" protest like the one Extinction Rebellion used at Barclay’s Bank branches.
17. Blockade pipeline supply shipments like Washington activists did to stall the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
18. Catch the eye with a Red Brigade Funeral Procession like this one during the Black Friday climate action protests in Vancouver.
19. Tiny House Blockades: Build a tiny house in the path of the pipelines, like these Indigenous women are doing to thwart the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Canada.
20. Make a racket with a pots-and-pans protest. Cacerolazos – pots and pans banging protests – erupted in 12 Latin American countries last week. The media focused on government corruption and economic justice as the cause, but in many nations, including Chile and Bolivia, climate and environmental justice are included in the protesters demands.
21. Share this article. Action inspires more action. Hearing these examples - and the successes - gives us the strength to rise to the challenges we face. You can help stop the climate crisis by sharing these stories with others. (You can also connect to 30-50+ stories of nonviolence in action by signing up for Nonviolence News' free weekly enewsletter.)
Remember: all these stories came from the Nonviolence News articles I've collected in just the past 30 days! These stories should give you hope, courage, and ideas for taking action. There's so much to be done, and so much we can do! Joan Baez said that "action is the antidote to despair". Don't despair. Organize.
__________________
Rivera Sun, syndicated by PeaceVoice, has written numerous books, including The Dandelion Insurrection. She is the editor of Nonviolence News and a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent campaigns.
======================
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Tony Young
GOED Media Relations Manager
tonyyoung@utah.gov | 801-538-8722
Scott Goryl
Callaway Golf Director of Communications
Scott.Goryl@callawaygolf.com
Jack Wolfskin Announces New Facility in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 12, 2019) — The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) is pleased to announce Jack Wolfskin North America will expand its operations in Utah, creating 50 new jobs in the next five years.
“Jack Wolfskin will be an excellent addition to our outdoor industry sector,” said Val Hale, GOED executive director. “Utah has a great love for the outdoors and welcomes excellent brands like Jack Wolfskin into our vibrant outdoor ecosystem.”
Jack Wolfskin is an outdoor apparel and equipment brand founded in Frankfurt, Germany in 1981. Its products include high-end mountain and leisure clothing, footwear, backpacks, sleeping bags, and tents that range across multiple outdoor activities. Callaway Golf acquired the brand in 2018.
“We’re thrilled to expand Jack Wolfskin North America in Utah,” said Diana Seung, general manager of Jack Wolfskin in North America. “This state is a perfect reflection of our brand tenets of living an adventurous, active outdoor life.”
Jack Wolfskin may earn up to 15% of the new state taxes it will pay over the five-year life of the agreement in the form of a Utah Legislature-authorized Economic Development Tax Increment Finance (EDTIF) tax rebate. The GOED Board has approved a post-performance tax rebate not to exceed $105,461. Each year that Jack Wolfskin meets the criteria in its contract with the state, it will earn a portion of the total tax rebate.
“This company reached out to us in late September,” said Theresa A. Foxley, president and CEO of EDCUtah. “The speed at which this project came together is a testament to Utah’s business friendliness, the responsiveness of our partners, and the customer’s degree of organization and focus. The brand power of Callaway and Jack Wolfskin is an exciting addition to our state’s outdoor products industry.”
State of Utah Tax Rebate By the Numbers
Tax revenue: $703,074
Wages: $12,455,500
Jobs: 50
Capital investment: $500,000
Timeline: 5 years
About Utah Corporate Incentives
The Utah Legislature has authorized economic development incentives in the form of post-performance tax rebates. Eligible companies work with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to outline specific performance criteria. Once GOED confirms those criteria have been met, according to statute (U.C.A. 63N-2-106(2)), companies can receive a refund of up to 30% of the state taxes they paid for up to 20 years. The contract with the state is post-performance; it only provides a state tax rebate if the company meets its obligations.
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Under the direction of Gov. Gary Herbert, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment, and helps drive increased tourism, film production and outdoor recreation in the state. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.
====================
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tony Young
Media Relations Manager
tonyyoung@utah.gov | 801-538-8722
2019 Tax Rebates Bring Nearly 10,000 New High-Paying Jobs
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 12, 2019) — The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced today that in 2019, 20 companies participated in the state’s Economic Development Tax Increment Financing (EDTIF) tax rebate program. Participating companies will create 9,643 high-paying jobs across a variety of sectors, generate $306,196,993 in new state revenue and fund $602,963,462 in Utah capital investment during the next 15 years.
The EDTIF is a post-performance tax rebate of up to 30% of new state revenues (Utah sales, corporate and withholding taxes) during a defined period (typically 5 to 10 years). The tax rebate is available to Utah companies expanding and other companies relocating or establishing additional operations in Utah. Since its inception, approximately two-thirds of the program’s tax rebates have gone to Utah-based companies to help them expand and create more jobs for Utahns.
Created by the Utah Legislature and administered by GOED, the EDTIF program is for companies offering high-wage jobs — paying at least 110% of the average county wage. By design, the program has a ripple effect, creating additional jobs that support corporate expansion across Utah’s economy.
“Utah’s current unemployment rate is 2.5%,” said Val Hale, executive director of GOED. “The national average is around 3.5%. Utah continues to be a leader in job growth and low unemployment. It’s because of programs like the Legislature’s EDTIF post-performance tax rebate program that Utah’s economy continues to outperform other states.”
EDTIF tax rebates are presented to and voted on by the GOED Board after being vetted by staff and Board members. All GOED Board members are appointed by Gov. Herbert and confirmed by the Senate. To learn more about the GOED Board, visit our website.
“Utah is known for the diversity of its economy, and the companies that announced expansions here in 2019 reflect that diversity,” said Theresa A. Foxley, president and CEO of EDCUtah. “This year, GOED and EDCUtah worked with tech leaders like Amazon Web Services, fintech leaders like Plaid and Brex, and healthtech leaders like Ancestry, OODA and Castlight Health. Balancing the tech side of our economy were some exciting manufacturing expansions such as Oatley, Tyson Fresh Meats, and Intermountain Electronics, and outdoor product companies such as Amer Sports and Ventum. We’re already recognized as having America’s most diverse economy. Diversity delivers resilience and opportunity for Utahns.”
For more information about 2019 EDTIF tax rebates and the companies that received them, please visit the GOED newsroom.
About Utah Corporate Incentives
The Utah Legislature has authorized economic development incentives in the form of post-performance tax rebates. Eligible companies work with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development to outline specific performance criteria. Once GOED confirms those criteria have been met, according to statute (U.C.A. 63N-2-106(2)), companies can receive a refund of up to 30% of the state taxes they paid for up to 20 years. The contract with the state is post-performance; it only provides a state tax rebate if the company meets its obligations.
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Under the direction of Gov. Gary Herbert, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth and recruitment, and helps drive increased tourism, film production and outdoor recreation in the state. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.
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Show your Scout Elf this handy-dandy elf ideas countdown to inspire them in the final days leading up to Christmas. If your elf begins tomorrow, they’ll have one idea for every day to finish this season by showcasing stellar surprises!
Download this free app to get last-minute elf ideas as well as a free farewell letter from your elf
15 Children’s Books Celebrating the Power of Food and Agriculture
Dear Friend,
Good morning from Baltimore!
If you browse the food shelves at a bookstore or local library, you’ll probably find an important selection of cookbooks, memoirs, and journalistic investigations into our food system. Maybe you’ll recognize the names of the authors. One thing stands out: Many of these books are geared toward adults — and we need to include children in the conversation about how we grow, produce, and consume food, too.
Introducing children to the diversity of our food system is a key part of encouraging healthy and sustainable habits for life. The books on this list can help eaters of all ages — including and especially young people, the future of our food system — understand the power of agricultural diversity and cultural food traditions.
This week, Food Tank is spotlighting 15 books that can help young eaters and innovators understand how food can inspire us, nourish us, and connect us across the globe: Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson, illustrated by Mary Azarian; Can You Eat? by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Julia Rothman; Everyone Eats! by Julia Kuo; Farm Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman; Farming by Gail Gibbons; Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal; Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael López; My Food, Your Food by Lisa Bullard, illustrated by Christine M. Schneider; Pancakes to Parathas: Breakfasts Around the World by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Tomoko Suzuki; Right This Very Minute by Lisl H. Detlefsen, illustrated by Renee Kurilla; See What We Eat!: A First Book of Healthy Eating by Scot Ritchie; The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald; The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola; We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines; and What’s On Your Plate?: Exploring the World of Food by Whitney Stewart, illustrated by Christiane Engel.
These books would also make a great gift! As the holiday season approaches for many around the world, read more about where you can find these books by CLICKING HERE.
What stories have you read lately that could help young people connect to the food system? Please email me at danielle@foodtank.com to share with us!
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Dear Editor:
Please consider this commentary from veteran journalist Robert Koehler, who captures the swirling essence of our political and ethical zeitgeist in this holiday season. For PeaceVoice, thank you,
Tom Hastings
~~~~~~~~~~~`
Letting our values out of their cage
by Robert C. Koehler
904 words
My God, they put Jesus and his parents in cages, as though that’s what U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents would do — you know, keep the spirit of love and compassion from entering the United States of America.
Are they suggesting there’s an equivalence here between the divine family and a bunch of illegals . . . drug dealers, rapists, possible killers of American citizens?
The Claremont (California) United Methodist Church has tossed a shock bomb into the season of wreaths and holiday shopping. Its caged nativity scene, which has become national news, has, you might say, opened the border, at least in the minds of many Americans who, till now, haven’t paid any emotional — any soul-deep — attention to the plight of asylum seekers and their children trapped there. It’s as though religion is supposed to be relevant to the issues of the day.
“We’ve heard of their plight; we’ve seen how these asylum seekers have been greeted and treated,” Rev. Karen Clark Ristine told a Los Angeles Times reporter. “We wanted the Holy Family to stand in for those nameless people because they also were refugees.”
Ristine also said of the caged nativity scene: “We don’t see it as political. We see it as theological.”
This is the only place in which I would part ways with her: It’s incredibly political — and that’s a good thing. Politics without soul is the path to disaster, and it’s the path Planet Earth is on. As climate change simmers and erupts around us, as endless war and violence shatters lives and foments a global refugee crisis in the tens of millions, as nuclear weapons continue to hold the planet hostage to the whims of a few global “leaders,” we’re caught in a geopolitical system defined by nation-states and nationalism that is absolutely clueless about how to proceed beyond the present moment.
Where do we find the awareness we need to save the planet and save ourselves?
The awakening called for today is enormous and it is spiritual in nature. It is an awakening that pushes humanity beyond the us-vs.-them mentality that has trapped us behind our national borders. Only with some sort of one-world consciousness can we begin stepping back from the edge of extinction: can we dismantle every single nuclear weapon on the planet; can we transcend our dependence on fossil fuels and start building an eco-sustainable global infrastructure; can we redefine conflict, whether at the individual or the national level, not as something we have to kill but as a chance to learn and grow.
And what I see in that caged nativity scene is the place where this one-world consciousness begins: with the awareness that every human life is sacred, that no one is illegal, that everyone is a citizen of the one planet on which we live.
Dismantling ICE, you might say, is the first step in saving the polar ice.
Win Without War defines one of the principles at the core of a new, transcendent U.S. foreign policy thus: “The location of someone’s birth should never confine them to poverty, war, or environmental insecurity. The United States must safeguard universal human rights to dignity, equality, migration, and refuge. All people have the right to seek opportunity, safety, and stability through migration. We must always prioritize approaches based on human dignity and diplomacy over those that vilify or dehumanize others, or use coercion or force. Our investments in the United States and abroad must reflect our shared stake in the health and well-being of the world’s most marginalized populations, the planet, and in recognition of our mutual interests.”
This is, of course, the opposite of the “send her back!” mentality that too often, in the Donald Trump era, seems to be what American democracy sounds like. Cynicism castrates idealism. When cynicism rules, what you’re left with is a berserk national policy that hides behind a wall of lies and public relations as it commits unending murder and destruction, including self-destruction.
Consider, for instance, the Washington Post’s recent unveiling of “the Afghanistan Papers,” the 21st century’s version of the Pentagon Papers, which indicate that no lessons whatsoever were learned from those earlier decades of military insanity: “U.S. officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it,” the Post informs us after examining some 2,000 pages of secret interviews about the war, which they managed to obtain, via the Freedom of Information Act, after a three-year legal battle.
The Post quotes, for instance, a three-star general, Douglas Lute, who is described as the Afghan “war czar” under both Bush and Obama: “We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan — we didn’t know what we were doing,” Lute said in his secret interview in 2015. “What are we trying to do here? We didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.”
The U.S. spent over a trillion dollars waging this clueless war, even as it was spending at least three trillion dollars destroying Iraq, wreaking immeasurable harm and failing, in both countries, to advance even short-term political “interests.”
The enormity of the country’s lethal foreign-policy cluelessness is beyond virtually everyone’s imagination, even those who are in the middle of it. Yet the only certainty when it comes to national policy is that another war is on the way.
Or is change possible?
The answer is yes, if we can uncage our values and start recreating our politics.
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Robert Koehler (koehlercw@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor. He is the author of Courage Grows Strong at the Wound.
