As a resident of Wisconsin, I saw these past years wise and time-tested laws protecting our state’s natural resources come undone at the hands of influential corporations, ill-informed local interests, and ambitious politicians. Greed divided communities, ruined drinking water, threatened Lake Superior, and violated Native American treaty rights.  What’s more, Wisconsin’s actions ignored the claims of future generations. I felt moved to act.

I joined the Earth Holders Project of SnowFlower Sangha–a group of environmental advocates and spiritual friends–in examining what humankind’s spiritual teachings have to say about our relationship to nature. We consulted with people of diverse spiritual backgrounds to articulate the common ethical ground we share. Lessons describing our responsibility to earth and future generations in the Bible, Quran, Buddhist sutras, and other faith offerings are clear and in harmony. So, our group wrote a petition for people of faith to stop frac-sand and taconite mining in Wisconsin (read it here), and we brought the Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and the Wisconsin Interfaith Power and Light onboard to help us reach out to congregations, gather many to the effort. Now, I invite you to get involved, too. Sign our Change.org petition and help bring humanity’s universal ethic–one honed by people in all faith traditions across generations–to mining decisions. Make ethics in mining part of the Wisconsin governor’s election. Click here to sign our petition and make your voice heard. Thank you–H