Book Review on The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

I am including this book in my blog because of how important land, water, and plants are to the story. It is a novel taking place in southwest Minnesota

Though the main characters in this book were not exactly exciting; one might even say they suffered from dysthymia, I felt compelled to keep reading to learn more about them, especially the main character, Rosalie Iron Wing. Rosalie is a descendant of the Dakota tribe and was raised by her father at the beginning of her life and by white foster families. She marries a white farmer. It's a marriage of convenience, and the two have a son. The book may have had a particular interest to me because I have ancestors from the area of the Dakota Conflict of 1862. (I was especially interested when her white husband took her to New Ulm, and Rosie saw a monument to the whites who had died in the Dakota conflict looking very similar to the monument located at Lake Shetek, where my parents spent recreational time. <br>How Rosalie navigates living her life, the joy she finds in planting the seeds her deceased mother-in-law had saved, and how those seeds connect her to her Dakota heritage is intriguing. This book helps a reader understand the history, attitudes, and struggles of whites and Native Americans in the area. I read it through Audible. I liked the narrator's voice and style. Diane Wilson (Author), Kyla García (Narrator)

View all my reviews at </www.goodreads.com/review/list/49031377-naomi-yaeger">

How our clothes affect workers and the world

 By Naomi Yaeger

I love learning about why styles and fabrics received their names because my mother sewed most of our clothing. Mom’s sewing skills were a financial asset. Nowadays, sewing costs more than clothes from a store because labor and fabric have become so cheap.

Besides preventing you from being naked, keeping you warm, and looking fashionable, here are some other reasons you should care about your clothes:

Christians should know about our clothing because it impacts the environment. As we observe Labor Day, we should “see” the hands that produce our clothes.

Here are some points to ponder:

Labor

           The clothing industry is behind only sex trafficking and agriculture in the use of forced labor (slaves).

According to FashionUnited. Approximately 40 million people around the world are living in modern slavery, 71 percent of them female -- and the fashion industry is the second biggest contributor to this situation, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, published by nonprofit organization Walk Free Foundation. The study was based on data from 167 countries and face-to-face interviews with more than 71,000 people in 52 languages.

Pollution

Toxic chemicals are used in the dying of textiles which is the biggest contributor to water pollution.

Plastic

Polyester is a form of plastic. Between 1980 and 2007, the amount of polyester produced annually increased from 5.8 million tons to 34 million tons. By 2025, that number is projected to nearly triple to 99.8 million tons.

When your polyester clothes reach the end of their life, they take much more time to decompose than natural fibers.

Sheer Amount

• People buy 60% more clothes than 15 years ago!

• We are producing ever-increasing amounts while wearing clothes for a shorter amount of time and trashing them sooner.

As I write, I’m wearing a polyester shirt, pants, and socks, so I understand our love affair with polyester. 

Five things you can do now

1. Ask questions: #whomademyclothes? 

2. Wear/repair what you have

3. Build a personal style; use accessories you already own, a signature color, or an accessory like a belt, tie, scarf, or even shoelaces. You don’t have to purchase as many new clothes if your accessory is your signature. 

4. Find alternative ways to be fashionable, be proud of what you already own, and be comfortable with what you have.  

5. Support ethical producers  

 ***************

 Pull out Bible verse: Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:20

*************

Alternative Bible verse:

those who work deserve their pay.

Luke 10:7b

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

(Naomi Yaeger is a commissioned United Methodist Earthkeeper. Contact her at sun_dog_press@yahoo.com, phone or text (218) 591-5277. For more information, visit https://umcmission.org/EarthKeepers/)

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For further reading:

Links on forced labor

https://www.walkfree.org/

http://www.invisiblehandsmovie.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Human-Trafficking-Around-World-Hidden/dp/023116145X

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fast-fashion

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fast-fashion

https://www.walkfree.org/making-modern-slavery-socially-unacceptable/

https://progressive.org/op-eds/questions-to-ask-clothing-brands-kashyap-190501/

https://progressive.org/latest/disposable-fashion-is-growing-exponentially-190315/

https://www.unboundnow.org/blog/fast-fashion-amp-labor-trafficking

https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/fashion-is-one-of-the-key-industries-contributing-to-modern-slavery/2018072730992

https://fashionista.com/2015/05/the-true-cost

https://youtu.be/OaGp5_Sfbss

 

Environmental costs

https://riverbluethemovie.eco/

https://earth.org/fast-fashion-pollution-and-climate-change/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/12/03/making-climate-change-fashionable-the-garment-industry-takes-on-global-warming/?sh=5feb8bb479e4

Book Review "Walking the Old Road: A People's History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe"

Hi, I'm adding this book review because many of the stories in this book were done the old way, which is to say, in a natural, sustainable way. The book is more about the lives of the people (Anishinaabeg and White settlers) in the Arrowhead region of northern Minnesota, but it does show how things were done before modern times. 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4827079960

Take the Plastic-free July Challenge

By Naomi Yaeger

UMC Earthkeeper

I challenge you to make two new changes this month regarding your personal use of one-time-use plastic.

The month of July includes a challenge. It’s named Plastic-free July. The motto for 2022 is  ‘Turn the tide on plastic waste, one choice at a time. '' Plastic-Free July is a registered not-for-profit in Australia, but plastic pollution knows no boundaries, especially in the ocean.

I was dismayed when I read that plastic production, consumption, and pollution levels have increased exponentially since the 1950s. I’ve seen that. 

If you’ve ever seen those Facebook memes that say “Tell us how old you are without telling us how old you are I could say, “When I was a kid, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, ketchup and mustard, and juices were packaged in glass jars.” Not only that, but my parents' generation purchased meat wrapped in butcher paper.

We can’t recycle our way out of this problem because plastic can be recycled only about one time before it’s no longer useful and we are using plastic packaging exponentially. 

Here are some changes I successfully made this year.

• I started using toilet paper that isn’t wrapped in a plastic film. It’s called “Who Gives a Crap.”

• Use bar shampoos and containers rather than those packaged in plastic bottles.

• Use deodorant made by a local cosmetic company where I can return the glass and metal containers.

• Rather than take the sample dental floss contained in plastic, I tell my dental hygienist, “Thank you, but I’m going to purchase dental floss packaged in cardboard or glass.”

• Terry and I like to host parties; I strive to find decorations not made of plastic. 

The Bible warns us not to be wasteful, isn’t using a one-time use of plastic a form of waste?

If you drink Pepsi products, see Greenpeace's World Refill Challenge.

Visit PlasticFreeJuly.org 

(Do you feel a call to care for creation? Join the FUMC sustainability committee, or learn more 

about becoming an Earthkeeper https://umcmission.org/EarthKeepers/, contact Naomi at sun_dog_press@yahoo.com, (218) 591-5277))

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

​​Isaiah Chapter 24