Greg Peterson's Videos (iPeace.us) - iPeace.us

Fair Trade 3: organic coffee farmer in Nicaragua fights for environment, Nicaraguan women are treated with respect

2009-02-04T07:11:25.542Z

An Organic farmer in Nicaragua shared his struggle to maintain a farm with two visiting Lutheran students on a Fair Trade mission.
Surrounded by bigger coffee farming interests, organic farmer Martin Vincente Padilla impressed the students with his dedication to the environment.
The two Northern Michigan University (NMU) students - Lisa McCarthy of Greenville, WI and Sarah Swanson of Rapid River, MI - are giving presentations across the Upper Peninsula on their recent Lutheran World Relief trip to Nicaragua during which they met with coffee farmers and learned about fair trade.
In part three, the students describe how the women of Nicaragua are treated with respect, the importance of families and the environmental protection efforts of one Nicaragua's organic farmers.
As members of the NMU EarthKeeper Student Team, the students were touched by the story of farmer Martin Vincente Padilla, a father of four who grows organic coffee and avocados in Matagalpa.
"Farmers come to him to get training on how to farm organic grain," McCarthy said.
"He said being an organic farmer isn't just something you do, you have to change you ideas and thoughts about farming," McCarthy said. "To be an organic farmer, you can't just go through the process."
"He was just so proud of everything he had and how his family has struggled for their land because there are big huge coffee companies directly next to him - surrounding him and his land."
"He had to fight for seven years in court to keep his land and take back what they had taken from him," McCarthy said. The neighboring farms are not organic "so he put up barriers like rows of coffee to absorb all the chemicals so they don't get to his."
"It was so amazing, he had an area for livestock, an area of growing fruit trees," McCarthy said.
"Everything was self-sustaining on the land, they don't have to go out to get anything, any food, anything, He grows everything there. He makes his own organic fertilizer from the remains of the coffee cherries. It was just amazing to see."
The NMU students among 13 Americans on Lutheran World Relief Study Tour.
The group visited the capitol of Managua, and villages of Matagalpa, Jinotega and La Reyna.
Fair trade ensures fair wages, protects women's rights and human rights plus fights poverty.
At the peak of the coffee harvest, the students visited many aspects of the industry including dry mills, wet mills and coffee cooperatives.
They spoke on Jan. 13, 2009 to a group at the St. Mark's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Marquette, MI.

Nicaragua Organic Farmer Martin Vincente Padilla:
http://www.lwr.org/study/blog/

LWR Study Trips
http://www.lwr.org/study
Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU)
http://www.nmulutherans.org
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
http://www.elca.org
Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS)
http://www.nglsynod.org

Fair Trade 2: Principals of Fair Trade and efforts of Lutheran World Relief, Equal Exchange, Center for Global Education

2009-02-04T06:42:30.681Z

Northern Michigan University (NMU) students Lisa McCarthy of Greenville, WI and Sarah Swanson of Rapid River, MI are giving presentations across the Upper Peninsula on their recent Lutheran World Relief trip to Nicaragua during which they met with coffee farmers and learned about fair trade.
This is the first of several excerpts from their presentation.
In part two, the students explain the Fair Trade movement efforts of Lutheran World Relief, Equal Exchange and the Center for Global Education.
They also take a look at Fair Trade Principals including prohibiting child labor, protecting the environment, the need for fair wages and help the entire community (not just coffee farming families).
The students describe staying with coffee farming families in a small village in a mountainous area, interacting with the children and some of the interesting and inspiring people they met.
The NMU students were among 13 Americans on a Lutheran World Relief Study Tour entitled NICARAGUA: Pour Justice to the Brim from Jan. 5-12, 2009
The group visited the capitol of Managua, and the cities/villages of Matagalpa, Jinotega and La Reyna.
Fair trade ensures fair wages, and protects women's rights and human rights plus fights poverty.
At the peak of the coffee harvest, the students visited many aspects of the industry including dry mills, wet mills and coffee cooperatives.
They spoke on Jan.13, 2009 to a group at the St. Mark's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Marquette, MI.

Related links:

LWR Study Trips
http://www.lwr.org/study

Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU)
http://www.nmulutherans.org
http://www.nmulutherans.org/newsletter.html#fragment-5
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
http://www.elca.org
Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS)
http://www.nglsynod.org
http://www.nglsynod.org/about-our-synod.html

LWR Study Tour on January 5-12, 2009 - NICARAGUA: Pour Justice to the Brim:
http://www.lwr.org/study/nica

Fair Trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Fairtrade_Certification_Mark
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade
http://www.crsfairtrade.org/assets/fair-trade-timeline.pdf
http://www.fairtrade.net
http://www.transfairusa.org
http://www.usworker.coop/front
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Fair_Trade_Organization

Equal Exchange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Exchange
http://www.equalexchange.coop/fair-trade
http://www.equalexchange.coop
Videos
http://blog.iamnotashamed.net/2007/03/12/make-your-sweet-tooth-an-equal-exchange/
http://www.equalexchange.coop/new-video

Fair Trade 1: Michigan students on Lutheran World Relief tour say Nicaragua coffee farmers want respect, justice and peace

2009-02-04T05:34:42.958Z

Two Northern Michigan University (NMU) students - Lisa McCarthy of Greenville, WI and Sarah Swanson of Rapid River, MI - are giving presentations across the Upper Peninsula on their recent Lutheran World Relief trip to Nicaragua during which they met with coffee farmers and learned about fair trade.
This is the first of several excerpts from their presentation.
In part 1, the students look at the role of faith communities, Nicaragua coffee farmers, and coffee cooperatives in Fair Trade movement; Northern Michigan University students talk about work that goes into growing coffee including wet mills, dry mills and the process of quality/taste testing called cupping.
The NMU students among 13 Americans on Lutheran World Relief Study Tour from January 5-12, 2009
The group visited the capitol of Managua, and the cities/villages of Matagalpa, Jinotega and La Reyna.
Fair trade ensures fair wages, and protects women's rights and human rights plus fights poverty.
Arriving at the peak of the coffee harvest, the students visited many aspects of the industry including dry mills, wet mills and coffee cooperatives.
They spoke Jan. 13, 2009 to a group at the St. Mark's Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Marquette, MI.

Related links:

LWR Study Trips
http://www.lwr.org/study

Lutheran Campus Ministry (LCM) at Northern Michigan University (NMU)
http://www.nmulutherans.org
http://www.nmulutherans.org/newsletter.html#fragment-5
http://www.lakesuperiorinterfaith.com

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
http://www.elca.org
Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS)
http://www.nglsynod.org
http://www.nglsynod.org/about-our-synod.html
LWR Study Tour on January 5-12, 2009 - NICARAGUA: Pour Justice to the Brim:
http://www.lwr.org/study/nica

Fair Trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Fairtrade_Certification_Mark
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade

Zaagkii Wings & Seeds Project: Teens and Tribal Youth Protecting Pollinators

2009-01-03T02:34:28.087Z

Marquette, MI - Northern Michigan teens are continuing their mission to protect pollinators during 2009 by helping butterflies & restoring native plants to areas of the Upper Peninsula.
The best know, pollinators are bees - like honey bees & bumble bees.
Billions of these bees are dying across the world in a syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder.
Bees are disappearing & it’s not clear why - although human impact on the environment are among the suspected causes like pesticides & global warming. A world without bees would mean world without food. - as was dramatically pointed out in the Jerry Seinfield 2007 comedy - Bee movie. Bees go on strike causing plants across the world die - that means no food, no flowers, no trees - the death of civilization. After bees, the next best pollinators are butterflies.
Marquette, MI area teens & Native American youth spent the summer of 2008 building butterfly houses - that are longer & slimmer than birdhouses & are lined with bark.
Teens participating in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Summer Youth Program built & painted the houses at the tribe’s Natural Resource Department along Lake Superior.
KBIC Natural Resource Department Director Todd Warner said the Zaagkii Project is a good way for youth to become aware of their connection to natural resources & nature.
The butterfly houses offer protection to butterflies that can enter thru tiny slits.
Butterfly houses also offer rest to migrating monarchs & can be used for reproduction.
Marquette teens have planted or distributed 26,000 native plant including at the Hiawatha National Forest greenhouse in Marquette.
In the spring of 2009 some of the plants will be planted at several areas across northern MI including at Sand Point - a beach that the KBIC has been repairing from the effects of copper mining. About 100 years ago, the mine dumped copper processing waste into Lake Superior polluting miles of shoreline. KBIC capped the pollution & the native plants will be used to attract wildlife & restore the ecosystem. The Zaagkii Project was founded by the non- profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette that has sponsored numerous environment projects. The Zaagkii Project is sponsored by the CTI, Marquette County Juvenile Court, KBIC & the United States Forest Service.
Future videos will include a look at a bee farm in Marquette County that fascinated Zaagkii Project teens.
Contributors include: Marquette Community Foundation, Negaunee Community Fund, Negaunee Community Youth Fund, M.E. Davenport Foundation, Kaufman Foundation, Phyllis & Max Reynolds Foundation, Upper Peninsula Childrens Museum, Borealis Seed Company.

Austin, Texas Honeybee video: Johnnie Hargrave
Photos: Richard Burkmar; Paul Billiet & Shirley Burchill
Wikipedia photos: Tübingen-Hagelloch, Björn Appel, Warden, Debi Vort, Kristof Van der Poorten, John Severns, Waugsberg, Kenneth Dwain Harrelson, Derek Ramsey, John O'Neill

Zaagkii Wings & Seeds Project: Northern Michigan teens and KBIC tribal youth protecting pollinators

2009-01-03T02:17:20.814Z

Marquette, MI - Northern Michigan teens are continuing their mission to protect pollinators during 2009 by helping butterflies & restoring native plants to areas of the Upper Peninsula.
The best know, pollinators are bees - like honey bees & bumble bees.
Billions of these bees are dying across the world in a syndrome called Colony Collapse Disorder.
Bees are disappearing & it’s not clear why - although human impact on the environment are among the suspected causes like pesticides & global warming. A world without bees would mean world without food. - as was dramatically pointed out in the Jerry Seinfield 2007 comedy - Bee movie. Bees go on strike causing plants across the world die - that means no food, no flowers, no trees - the death of civilization. After bees, the next best pollinators are butterflies.
Marquette, MI area teens & Native American youth spent the summer of 2008 building butterfly houses - that are longer & slimmer than birdhouses & are lined with bark.
Teens participating in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Summer Youth Program built & painted the houses at the tribe’s Natural Resource Department along Lake Superior.
KBIC Natural Resource Department Director Todd Warner said the Zaagkii Project is a good way for youth to become aware of their connection to natural resources & nature.
The butterfly houses offer protection to butterflies that can enter thru tiny slits.
Butterfly houses also offer rest to migrating monarchs & can be used for reproduction.
Marquette teens have planted or distributed 26,000 native plant including at the Hiawatha National Forest greenhouse in Marquette.
In the spring of 2009 some of the plants will be planted at several areas across northern MI including at Sand Point - a beach that the KBIC has been repairing from the effects of copper mining. About 100 years ago, the mine dumped copper processing waste into Lake Superior polluting miles of shoreline. KBIC capped the pollution & the native plants will be used to attract wildlife & restore the ecosystem. The Zaagkii Project was founded by the non- profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette that has sponsored numerous environment projects. The Zaagkii Project is sponsored by the CTI, Marquette County Juvenile Court, KBIC & the United States Forest Service.
Future videos will include a look at a bee farm in Marquette County that fascinated Zaagkii Project teens.
Contributors include: Marquette Community Foundation, Negaunee Community Fund, Negaunee Community Youth Fund, M.E. Davenport Foundation, Kaufman Foundation, Phyllis & Max Reynolds Foundation, Upper Peninsula Childrens Museum, Borealis Seed Company.
Austin, Texas Honeybee video: Johnnie Hargrave
Photos: Richard Burkmar; Paul Billiet & Shirley Burchill
Wikipedia photos: Tübingen-Hagelloch, Björn Appel, Warden, Debi Vort, Kristof Van der Poorten, John Severns, Waugsberg, Kenneth Dwain Harrelson, Derek Ramsey, John O'Neill
http://zaagkiiproject.wordpress.com
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/519835.html?nav=5001
http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5028
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/28395844.html