Living Hope Farm, near Harleysville, PA

by Heidi Martin, MCCN staff writer

During a time when unemployment is high and spending tight, the Franconia Mennonite Conference of Eastern Pennsylvania feels a call to begin a new ministry on a farm the conference owns near Harleysville, PA. The ministry, called Living Hope Farm (LHF), will begin as an organic market farm but the board has a vision that extends well beyond that.

“Everyone that I’ve talked to has a very positive sense that now is a good time for this,” says Greg Bowman, LHF board member and Mennonite Creation Care Council member. “There is a lot of enthusiasm and goodwill.”

The property was purchased by Franconia Mennonite Conference in the 1950’s for use as a rehab center for alcoholics. When that ministry ended, a new ministry began, caring for mentally disabled children. The Indian Creek Foundation group home is still active today.

The land was always special to Bowman who developed a horticultural therapy ministry as part of Indian Creek Foundation in the late 90’s. Spending time working in the various garden plots and traipsing the land left him mesmerized by the stream, wetlands, slopes and ridges. His vision for the property was extensive but, until recently, the ideas remained latent.

Since 1995, the conference discussed how best to use the property’s farmland, without satisfactory conclusions. A new energy among conference leaders and members sprang forth when the farm was in danger of being sold for development.

“We think there is something higher for this use of land [than development],” says Bowman. “We want to give other churches a sense of what’s possible in ministering to the community and in really witnessing. We want to help people rethink what it means to raise food, farm and manage livestock. We want to treat the land as special and sacred and to think of food as, not just calories, but a special gift.”

Bowman joined conference leaders in a two-step process of discernment. First, they assessed the vision and finances of the conference and created a five year vision and budget plan. Second, they analyzed their goals for three conference properties, the farm included. They decided to be intentional about using the farmland as a conference-wide ministry.

Not wanting to burden the conference, LHF is starting small. This past winter, the board hired Jill Landis to begin enriching the soil and improving the land. At the end of a two year period, board members hope the farm will be commercially viable and ready for healthy food production.

The farm will supply faith-based institutions, including retirement communities, schools and churches, with local food. Bowman believes this tends both physical and spiritual needs.

“The food will help to nourish folks who are in church-sponsored ministries which now can’t offer them opportunity to stay connected to the land,” says Bowman. “For me, producing high-quality food for known buyers who are part of a faith community is such a tangible way for discipleship to become exciting and visible and taste-able and touch-able.”

In the past, the push for profit and the increase in farming costs forced farmers to work the land in unsatisfactory ways and receive little benefit for their efficiency. With a new generation, a new interest in long-term sustainability is developing.

“It’s work that is exciting and is very much value-based,” says Bowman. “It has been really inspiring for me to see this generation come around.”

Bowman thinks the church is finally catching up to this agriculture interest. Perhaps churches are beginning to understand that, in the past, people have become isolated from the land and, therefore, isolated from creation. This disconnection is dangerous.

“Being disconnected, we risk not caring about the ones who steward the health of the soil, who rise in the dark and work in the cold to harvest our vegetables, who struggle against unjust structures to farm as well as they know they should, and who do not have the power to provide their families with food that nourishes them, delights them and honors sustaining stories,” says Bowman. “Being disconnected is to be unable to be truly grateful, truly mindful of God’s grace in promising seasons, rain in due time, enough seeds, and the sun to power the whole package.”

In recent times, the church is taking action to re-connect people and land. This is evident in the community gardens popping up on church property. Mennonite Weekly Review recently noted this development in an article called “Church Gardens a Growing Trend.” Also, Mennonite Creation Care Network shares many examples of community gardens on their website (www.mennocreationcare.org).

“Faith-directed sustainable agriculture and community gardens build connections, which flow from God and point to God and join us with God through one another in humble service to God’s earth,” says Bowman. “When we move from commodities to community, from fast food to real food, from mindless eating to respectful sharing of sacred food, we are doing transformative, counter-cultural, holy work.”

“A passionate, Christ-centered love for others that finds common work in creatively nurturing soil makes the story of God’s love of redemption, salvation and restoration so visible,” he adds. “It helps to explain those works which would otherwise be abstractions. When people see that in their own gardens and farms, there is a profound sense of wholeness.”

Bowman and the board believe that God will bring people who have energy and vision to the farm. He hopes for agro-ecology programs, vocational learning, youth camps and therapeutic horticulture programs that will enable LHF to live up to its new title and offer hope to other faith-based organizations, the surrounding community and the Mennonite church at large.

by Heidi Martin, MCCN staff writer

While business increases for Four Seasons Produce, Inc. of Ephrata, PA, energy costs decrease. In fact, in the past few years, the company has reduced its annual CO2 emissions by 1100 tons, saved 1,600,000 gallons of water, eliminated over 740,000 truck fleet miles and contributed to waste reduction through recycling. It’s no wonder Four Seasons will be recognized for its second Energy Star award by the Environmental Protection Agency in September.

Four Seasons, a full service wholesale company, began in 1976 by David Hollinger. It ships about one million cases of produce each month to various restaurants, hospitals, universities, independent retail stores and other wholesale businesses. The current distribution center is 262,000 square feet with nearly three quarters of that space dedicated to refrigerators.

Nelson Longenecker, Vice President of Business Innovation, says the push for sustainability within the company began five years ago, just before “green” practices became popular. Four Seasons moved to one large location with one large electric bill and members of the company became aware of their overall impact on the environment quite quickly. Longenecker took his current position four years ago with goals to focus on business driven initiatives in sustainability.

Longenecker, along with coworker Randy Groff, began a group within the company called “Gaining Resource & Energy Efficiency Now!” also known as the G.R.E.E.N. Team. This team is made up of a member from each department and meets once a month to share information and create sustainability goals for the future.

“Using “Now” with an exclamation point shows a sense of urgency,” says Longenecker. “We are business driven and in a fast-paced environment and we know the impact on world climate change.”

The G.R.E.E.N. Team pushed the company’s ability to recycle to a higher level, sponsoring a monthly drawing for a free car wash to employees who bring in used motor oil. Four Seasons uses this motor oil to help heat the truck garage in the winter months.

“We also challenge each other to do things personally at home, such as changing shower heads to save hot water or using energy-efficient light bulbs,” says Longenecker.

The company’s most successful programs focus on energy efficiency. Initially, Four Seasons worked toward creating a smaller electric bill in 2010 than 2005. Even with an increase in electricity rates in 2010, the company will achieve this goal. In the future, they hope to reduce costs in diesel fuel.

Practicing sustainability has been beneficial to Four Seasons in many ways. Green efforts have made the company more competitive in general and increases credibility with current and potential customers. Longenecker believes the overall reputation of the company has also increased.

“Though I can’t prove it, I like to think that people feel good when working for a company that is having a positive impact rather than a negative one,” says Longenecker.

For Longenecker, the impact reaches much further than healthy work environments and environmental impact to spirituality.

“We certainly are not perfect in how we do things,” says Longenecker. “This is a different message than what is often heard {from the church}. Practicing servant leadership and apologizing for mistakes attracts people to Jesus and is not intimidating.”

One of the challenges for Longenecker is to continue to stay on the cutting edge and, at the same time, implement projects that have a viable payback for the company.

“So much is happening in the scientific and business area that it is tough to keep up and stay current,” says Longenecker, “especially during an economy like this when we keep trying to grow the business as well.”

This does not discourage Longenecker who says:  “As believers, we have a great opportunity to be driving this – to be leaders that set an example, not followers.

Both Four Seasons owner David Hollinger and Nelson Longenecker, Vice President of Business Innovation, are active in Mennonite Economic Development Association. Longenecker is a member of Mount Joy Mennonite Church.

(EPHRATA, PA)  PennFuture recognized Four Seasons Produce on September 10, 2009 at a luncheon in Philadelphia as a “Green Power Consumer” for their “commitment to reducing energy use, conserving resources and improving the environment”. The Green Power awards were created by PennFuture to honor “individuals, private industries, government agencies and public interest organizations that are building Pennsylvania’s thriving renewable energy market.”

In August, Four Seasons Produce Inc.’s Wabash Road distribution center earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR for the second year in a row. ENERGY STAR is the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection. Commercial buildings and industrial plants that rate in the top 25 percent of facilities in the nation for energy efficiency may qualify for the ENERGY STAR.

Four Season’s facility is currently one of only four refrigerated warehouses in the country to be awarded the ENERGY STAR. “Four Seasons Produce is pleased to again accept EPA’s recognition of our energy efficiency,” said Ron Carkoski, President and CEO. “In an organization committed to continuous improvement, earning the ENERGY STAR two years in a row verifies the results of our on-going efforts to lower our energy costs. We initially joined the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Partnership because its objectives matched well with goals we were already pursuing.”

“The Four Seasons family of companies’ multiple initiatives to save energy and resources have yielded an excellent return on our investment of money and effort,” said Nelson Longenecker, Vice President of Business Innovation. “Our results are strong evidence that business can find new ways to deliver products and services using significantly fewer resources”. The electric bill at the Wabash Road facility has been reduced by 25% since 2006 through improved energy management, lighting and dock shelter retrofits, and other initiatives. In addition, water usage has been reduced by 24%, and 86% of all solid waste was recycled in 2008. Sunrise Transport has used dynamic routing and delivery consolidation to reduce truck travel by more than a million miles in the past year and a half. Sunrise Transport drivers have reduced inter-trip idling during the same period by 25%, resulting in improved fleet fuel efficiencies.

Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  “Four Seasons has improved our energy performance over the years by working to continuously improve the use of energy and resources across our entire organization. This program has enabled us to build and refine the energy component of our sustainability efforts,” said Randy Groff, Director of Facilities and Energy.

To increase awareness among its associates, Four Seasons Produce promotes energy and sustainability each month by producing an article for its in-house weekly newsletter. One section of its website also promotes company initiatives. In addition, a G.R.E.E.N! team continues to raise awareness and foster ideas for “Gaining Energy and Resource Efficiency Now!” Members of this team represent many areas within the family of companies, who regularly review the results of initiatives and generate additional ideas for improvement.

EPA introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes, and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $19 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 29 million vehicles.

For more information about PennFuture visit http://www.pennfuture.org. For more information about ENERGY STAR visit www.energystar.gov. For more information about Four Seasons Produce visit www.fsproduce.com

Cedarwood residence hall, Eastern Mennonite University’s first LEED building, is nearing completion. EMU is working with Troyer Group, Mishawaka, IN, and Harman Construction, Inc., Harrisonburg, VA, to create natural lighting, recycled flooring, a bike shed with a “green” roof and native landscaping among other things. Cedarwood residence hall will house 120 students, replacing Oakwood residence, a 40-year-old structure. read more

Seniors at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate auto shop, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, raised money to convert a 1997 GMC Sonoma S-10 pick-up truck from gas to electric. While students studied pollution, they created a vehicle that is useful for the average citizen and much healthier for the environment. The truck uses batteries that are 98 percent recyclable and, by the end of next semester, will have no direct emissions. At its completion in the coming months, the truck will be sold and the proceeds put toward future environmental projects at the school.

To read more, click on “Past Issues.” Go into 2009 and click on Volume 13 No. 15. “The Wheels are Turning” can be found in the left hand column. 

by Jim Bishop

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Not often do graduate students develop business strategies by observing first-hand patterns of meadow regeneration and interdependence at the Shenandoah National Park or by engaging social entrepreneurs at the local Farmers Market and at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton in conversations about achieving sustainability advantage.

Few business programs encourage students to use Facebook and Wikispaces to develop collaborative team strategies outside the classroom.  But then, the Steward-Leadership Masters in Business Administration at Eastern Mennonite University is no ordinary MBA program.

“Given its history of increasing leadership strengths, building management skills, and developing stewardship strategies, EMU’s MBA program is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of today’s demanding work-place and regional employers, as greater emphasis is now placed on ethics, stewardship of natural and human resources and effective collaborative strategies for a fast-changing global marketplace,” said Anthony E. (Tony) Smith, MBA co-director. “These very qualities lie at the heart of EMU’s institutional core values.”

Dr. Smith has been teaching a summer course in the MBA program “Stewardship, Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship,” that engaged students in systems approaches to stewardship and innovation and involved them in live projects with local corporations and non-profit organizations.  The clients included Shenandoah National Park, Rosetta Stone, American Shakespeare Center and the Staunton Creative Community Fund (SCCF).

“I’m very impressed by the amount of research on a complicated topic, in a short period of time that the MBA students have achieved.” said Tim Taglauer, assistant chief of interpretation and education for Shenandoah National Park, after MBA students gave a presentation on business strategies for increasing the “sustainable advantage” for the park.

Their recommendations included repositioning the park as a center for increasing eco-literacy and for the park to develop and strengthen strategic partnerships with local communities and schools.

Meghan Williamson, executive director of SCCF, found that the MBA students had developed an innovative “business to environment” model that could strengthen the success of their small business clients and outlined innovative financing methods to support SCCF’s programs.  The course ended Aug. 4 with MBA business strategy presentations to Rosetta Stone and to the American Shakespeare Center.

“This course is but one example of how the EMU’s Steward-Leadership MBA program offers a distinctive approach to preparing business leaders for the challenges of an increasingly uncertain business environment,” Smith stated. “The program works with the busy schedules of full-time working professionals who are seeking to strengthen their careers.”

For more information about the Steward-Leadership MBA program, contact Smith at anthony.smith@emu.edu or visit the website at www.emu.edu/mba or the MBA Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/kuez2h.

Anna Yoder emphasized the value of creation care in “Enough is Enough; Rethinking What it Means to be a Peacemaker” during the C. Henry Smith Oratorical contest at Bluffton University in April. Drawing attention to the physical suffering of people around the world, Yoder proclaims that living peacefully means living simply, valuing justice over gain and practicing “radical generosity.” She says, “[O]ur accumulation of wealth has created in us a sense of entitlement that often makes us blind to the suffering of those around us…But as minister of reconciliation, we can’t keep trying to see the world through blind eyes, believing how we are living is peaceful when it is causing the land and people to suffer and die…If I am truly dedicated to a peacemaking lifestyle, than my actions should not be the type that harm God’s creation or keep resources from those who need it the most.” read more

Opportunities for learning do not end in May for students at Eastern Mennonite University. This summer, eight students and three professors conducted research in Harrisonburg, VA, Cambodia and Hawaii with grants from the National Science Foundation and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council. Professors and students joined together to conduct research on antioxidants in tomatoes, drinking water sanitation and the control of fire ants. read more

Dennis Eby practiced soil and water conservation on his Lancaster County farm for 28 years. This is one reason why he is qualified to work with “plain sect” farmers who do not always know of new farming regulations and are less likely to ask the government for help. Eby is completing his second year with the Lancaster County Conservation District, stating that his job “is a continuation of taking care of the Earth and developing good stewardship” (Eby’s quote from Mennonite Weekly Review). read more

Ruth Schroeder and Dorothy Friesen, residents of Lindenwood Estates Retirement Community, know how to give cheerfully. In 2008, they came up with a plan to use scrap pieces of fabric to create reusable bags to sell at Mennonite Central Committee’s Relief Sale in Winnipeg, Canada. The bags were so popular that, this year, a group of 16 women gathered for 14 Monday’s to create 360 bags for the sale. Selling for $3 a piece, the bags brought in a total of $1140. The women have high hopes to continue the project again next year.

To read more, click on “Past Issues.” Go into 2009 and click on Volume 13, No. 15. “Raising Money for MCC, Saving the Environment” can be found in the left hand column.