If you could pick a peach grown by a local orchard grower, would you? Could you walk downtown in your community and find a fresh produce stand? Did you know you can spend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP dollars at the farmers market? Millions of dollars in federal investment is going to give more […]
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Southern Climate Vigil Offers Spiritual Response to Climate Change
September 19, 2014
Being mindful and prayerful about the People’s Climate March in New York City this weekend was a focus of the Greater Knoxville Climate Vigil hosted last weekend by Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light. Church pastors and people of various faiths gathered at Knoxville, Tennessee’s downtown Alex Haley Heritage Square for the event. They called this […]
Is Your Holiday Charitable Giving Put to Wise Use?
December 21, 2013
You’re generous, and a particular cause has touched your heart. How can you be sure your holiday contribution will go toward the effort you intended? There are a few ways to wisely vet charities by the numbers. Chief Operating Officer Bennett Weiner with the Wise Giving Alliance says there are three ways we can look for […]
Three Questions to Ask Before Giving to Charity
December 20, 2013
Your money. Well earned. Patiently saved. When you give back through charitable donations this time of year, you do so with the expectation that you’ll be supporting the cause that touched your heart. Perhaps it will. Were you aware that third-party solicitors, in some states, can keep 80 to 90 percent of charitable donations for […]
Determined Women Finish Half Marathon Despite Obstacles
December 4, 2013
You start out with something not going your way. You fall down. You get back up. You finish what you started. You couldn’t imagine a clearer metaphor for life than the one Vicky Wallace and Melissa Peplow measured in strides on a cold December morning in East Tennessee. The friends finished a personal best for […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on December 4, 2013 in community, faith, fitness, Uncategorized, well-being, wellness, women
Thousands Plan to Draw the Line Saturday on Keystone XL
September 18, 2013
“That money’s burning a hole in your pocket!” “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” “Waste not, want not.” Anybody else grow up hearing those truisms? Those same generations of folks that raised us on some rather conservative values were also the generations that viewed any sort of technological progress as something that […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on September 18, 2013 in air, backyard, Bill McKibben, biodiversity, climate change, community, conservation, energy, environmental health, environmentalism, Keystone XL
How Church Got Started with GreenFaith Ministry
May 23, 2013
Seeing a medium- or large-sized church with a program in place like GreenFaith, the program might seem daunting to a smaller church or to one that previously had no focus on creation care. While the leaders I met recently at Grace Episcopal Church in Chattanooga are certainly well-organized and talented, they say any faith […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on May 23, 2013 in community, eating better, faith, garden, green, sustainable
People Dig Church-Sponsored Community Garden
May 22, 2013
Community Garden Manager Lisa Lemza The Senior Warden of the Vestry at Grace Episcopal Church met me wearing boots and a rain slicker at the community garden still soggy from a morning rain shower. She’d been greeting people from the neighborhood at the annual plant sale, and she was a few minutes away from teaching a […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on May 22, 2013 in agriculture, community, education, faith, garden, green, sustainable
Christian Mission Brings Farmers and Residents Together
May 21, 2013
Rainy Saturdy Morning at Brainerd Farmers’ Market Just across the street from a typical grocery store and strip mall, in a modest Chattanooga, Tennessee neighborhood, the parking lot is bustling with people at the Brainerd Farmers’ Market. A rain shower has scattered the usual Saturday morning crowd, and some vendors are packing up. They’ve brought […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on May 21, 2013 in agriculture, community, eating better, education, faith, farm, garden, green, nutrition, organic, South, sustainable
Southern Church Celebrates God’s Creation
May 20, 2013
The stately stone building anchors the block of a quaint Chattanooga, Tennessee neighborhood, complete with slate tile roof and Celtic cross. Its surrounding lawn is perhaps what you would expect near a house of worship, except for small differences in the details. Clover is allowed in otherwise tidy stretches of grass. Generous areas are […]
Continue Reading By FlourSackMama on May 20, 2013 in community, creation care, education, faith, green, sustainable
