Dear Friend,

The fall landscape and weather remain colorful and somewhat mild into November, and we are again sharing our gratitude for the incredible community of Appalachia-Science in the Public Interest (ASPI) supporters, partners, and participants! After 46 years, ASPI continues serving the local community and Appalachian region. This year, we again operated without paid leadership but with valuable help from volunteers and contract labor, and we also provided housing, networking opportunities, educational programming, and partnership collaborations and contributions.

The ASPI board continues maintaining daily operations and communications with some part-time staff support and volunteers. Board President Timi Reedy and Secretary Tammy Clemons work both remotely and at the main office. We maintain contact with board member and former residential volunteer Father Jack Kieffer and welcome new board member Judy Sizemore who has been involved with ASPI for a couple of years through Mountain Association (MA) consultancy and the SPARK Program for Small nonprofit Peers Accelerating Rural (Eastern) Kentucky. ASPI continues implementing the strategic plan we developed with Judy as well as our accessibility statement and objectives (https://bit.ly/ASPI-Accessibility).

Physical improvements to the main ASPI Office in Mt. Vernon include new lighting, a more accessible toilet, and additional plumbing repairs. We passed plumbing and preliminary health inspections toward completing the final requirements for a publicly accessible certified kitchen. With a small grounds/garden crew this year, the ASPI orchard, beds, and greenhouse produced medicinal herbs, tomatoes, peppers, okra, berries, apples, and pears.

Major ongoing clean-up and repairs to the Cordwood building, Nature Center, and garden beds continue at the ASPI Rockcastle River Wilderness Demonstration Site. We unfortunately had to demolish the Cordwood trailer because it was unsalvageable, but the site (AKA “Father Jack’s”) now features a clover lot and gravel parking area large enough for school buses to turn around and park. Improvements include replacing the Cordwood attic insulation and plumbing and working on water catchment and drainage around the building and the Nature Center.

From 2019-2022, ASPI served as fiscal sponsor for Arts Connect Eastern Kentucky, which now continues its important work under the non-profit umbrella of Recovering Joy Arts and Nature Center in Pulaski County. This year, ASPI received another grant from the Epiphany Catholic Church 10 Percent Commitment Fund, became a voting organizational member of the Waymakers Collective: Appalachian Arts and Culture Assembly, and received a 2023 Waymakers Radical Rest Grant. We also nominated and directed a portion of this grant to Owsley County Alliance for Recreation & Entertainment, a community-based, board-run non-profit organization and fellow SPARK member. ASPI tabled at the annual Appalachian Studies Association conference, which was held at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in March, as well as the Kentucky Green Living Fair in Somerset in April.

ASPI collaborated again with the University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History to help coordinate three free regional gatherings for oral historians from Kentucky and Central Appalachia with support from the national Oral History Association. The Lexington Public Library hosted the first oral history meet-up in June, and the Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum and Cultural Center hosted the second meet-up in August in Hazard. In November, the Kentucky Folklife Program and Western Kentucky University Department of Folk Studies & Anthropology are hosting a third meet-up in Bowling Green. Timi Reedy and Mark Spencer completed a series of “life history” interviews with ASPI founder Father Al Fritsch before he retired this year, and they began conducting a new series of interviews with Appalachian author, activist, and icon George Brosi. This summer, ASPI served as the organizational site of a pilot hybrid (in-person and virtual) version of the Kentucky Community Scholars Program in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Folklife Program. Four new graduates completed folklife and fieldwork training, presented their projects, and joined more than 250 certified Kentucky Community Scholars!

In October, we hosted eleven University of Notre Dame service-learning students from all over the country and world for a week-long alternative fall break immersion experience through the Center for Social Concerns. One of the two student leaders returned from last year.

The service-learning students hung out with former ASPI Board President Shane Barton from the University of Kentucky Community Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky who shared an in-depth presentation on the Appalachian region. They moved 14 cubic yards of compost into raised beds at the ASPI Office and cleaned out the Cordwood attic and the bottom of the Nature Center at the Rockcastle River property. They also learned about solar energy from Josh Bills. The students also picked up 141 bags of garbage and 15 tires at Lake Linville with Rockcastle Solid Waste Coordinator James Renner, and they worked with Berea Community School engineering students and teacher Hank Gevedon on several creative projects. They also got water from Climax spring, shopped at the local IGA, and hiked the Pinnacles and Anglin Falls. They closed the week with projects at five local Rockcastle County farms, live music by Mitch Barrett, and Yard Party Games. We are always grateful and inspired by their attentive curiosity, positive attitudes, energy, and work ethic!

The 2024 Simple Lifestyle Calendar is now posted on our website and available through PayPal or mail order by sending the downloadable order form. Mark Spencer designed another great collection of daily sayings and monthly photos from Melanie Abbott, Warren Brunner, Gretchen L. Collins, and this year’s cover photo by Janet Kalisz. Mark also shares his annual reflection and hopes for the New Year in the enclosed calendar brochure. We are grateful for Mark’s continued creativity and contributions on behalf of ASPI, and we likewise wish all our supporters and calendar-loving community a peaceful and rewarding 2024.

Thanks to all these people and organizations for making our work possible with special thanks to: Aaron Banther, Bugz Fraugg, Kyra Higgins, Mark Spencer, Judy Sizemore, Brent Bjorkman, Mark Brown, Camille Acosta, Delainey Bowers, Kopana Terry, Ann Ferrell, Wyatt Woodson, Jen Bartlett, Emily Hudson, Shannon Barrett, Nancy Seaberg, Gretchen Collins, Martin Mudd, Shannon Williams, River Jarvis, Jerry Bogie, Josh Bills, Ben Tatum, Father Al Fritsch, Father Jack Kieffer, Warren Brunner, Kitrina Kearfott, Emily Parrish, James Renner, Mahala King, Amy Weinfurtner, Ketaki Bhattacharyya, Donna Daniels, Chris Handberg, Ron Owens, Jonny Wells, Shane Barton, Mitch Barrett, Holly Robinson, Brenda and Donnie Parsons, Hank Gevedon, Ruff Family, Nicole Garneau, Melanie Abbott, and Brenda Richardson.

Thanks for your contributions to ASPI’s mission and 46 years of ongoing work for healthy land and sustainable communities in Kentucky and Central Appalachia. We are hopeful for our collective futures in 2024!

Sincerely,
Timi Reedy (ASPI Board President) and Tammy Clemons (Board Secretary)

Dear Friend,
 
Seasonal changes transform the weather, colors, and skyline yet again, and we share our ongoing gratitude for ASPI’s 45th year serving the local community and Appalachian region. We continued operating without paid leadership but had help from valuable volunteers and contract labor. ASPI also provided housing, networking opportunities, and educational programming in addition to in-kind contributions and fiscal sponsorship this year.
 
ASPI sadly lost another former staff person and important contributor to its history, The Reverend Dr. Robyn Arnold (bit.ly/Robyn-Arnold-Obit). Robyn was the backbone of ASPI Publications from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, including the primary designer and editor of the Technical Paper Series before the digital age made DIY publishing widely accessible. Honoring her request to rest her ashes at the Rockcastle River site where she worked for many years, ASPI hosted a small memorial ceremony organized by her family and friends. We share the sorrow of Robyn’s loved ones and the communities she selflessly served.

The ASPI board continues maintaining daily operations and communications, and this spring and summer, we were fortunate to have some part-time staff support in addition to volunteers. Board President Timi Reedy and Secretary Tammy Clemons collectively spend several days each week at the main office and maintain contact with fellow board member Father Jack Kiefer who retired but continues his service remotely. In August, the Board completed a three-year strategic plan with local non-profit consultant Judy Sizemore through Mountain Association (MA). ASPI is participating in the MA pilot program, SPARK (Small nonprofit Peers Accelerating Rural (Eastern) Kentucky). ASPI also received funding from the Kentucky Arts Council for an accessibility advisor from the Kentucky Peer Advisory Network.
 
This year’s improvements to the main ASPI office in Mt. Vernon include a new ceiling, fresh coat of indoor paint, and more open layout. Thanks to a small grant from the Blue Grass Community Foundation, plumbing repairs moved ASPI closer to completing requirements for a certified kitchen for public use by the local community. We started using the Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging station installed last year, which banked a substantial amount of solar power since then. In August, ASPI purchased a donor-funded EV that already serves as a positive example of alternative energy and an educational tool for engaging visitors and the local community. ASPI installed a new 4.4 kW net-metered solar photovoltaic system at the Rockcastle River site and hosted open houses at both sites as part of the National Solar Tour for the first time in several years.

ASPI continues fiscal sponsorship of ArtsConnect Eastern Kentucky (ACEKY), a collective of Kentucky artists providing art-related programming for people in recovery. This year, ACEKY received another Art Meets Activism Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. In May, 20 people attended ASPI’s mushroom inoculation workshop led by Rockcastle County native Ron Owens, which is featured for the month of May in the 2023 calendar. In June, ASPI hosted a cross-sector group of local and regional community partners to share our groups’ missions, projects, and possibilities for collaborations. The partnership meeting included ASPI board members, part-time contract workers, and volunteers as well as local gardeners, farmers, herbalists, musicians, storytellers, teaching artists, recent college graduates, and several local organizations. After the devastating floods in Southeastern Kentucky in August, ASPI helped coordinate with volunteers and other local non-profits like the Laurel County African American Heritage Center to send flood relief supplies to communities.
 
ASPI received a “Creative Aging” Grant from the Kentucky Arts Council/NEA and completed interviews with five creative elders in Kentucky who exemplify a commitment to and practice of lifelong learning. This support enabled ASPI to renew its oral history programming by providing fair compensation for the interview team as well as participants. This summer, ASPI collaborated with the University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History to host regional meet-ups of oral historians from Kentucky and Central Appalachia with support from the national Oral History Association. Timi Reedy and Mark Spencer began conducting a series of “life history” interviews with founder Father Al Fritsch to document his long career in service to the region. ASPI is working with the Kentucky Arts Council and Kentucky Folklife Program to offer the acclaimed Community Scholars program at ASPI in the spring.

ASPI received grant support from the Epiphany Catholic Church 10 Percent Commitment Fund again this year. ASPI was honored to be nominated to the new Waymakers Collective: Appalachian Arts and Culture Assembly. A Technical Assistance Grant from the Appalachian Community Fund enabled a small ASPI team to attend the inaugural Waymakers Gathering in Knoxville, Tennessee and make meaningful connections with other individuals and regional organizations. Waymakers membership makes ASPI eligible for invitation-only funding opportunities. We are honored to join this inspiring network of fellow Appalachian futurists working for regional sustainability and justice.
 
In October, we hosted a dozen service-learning students from University of Notre Dame, including two returning students from 2021 who led the group. The group spent the first couple of days helping with local clean-up projects at ASPI’s office and Rockcastle River Site and with Rockcastle Solid Waste. They spent the second half of their visit supporting relief and recovery efforts in the small community of Buckhorn hosted by local non-profit organization Buckhorn Children and Family Services. The students were moved and inspired by the people and stories they encountered. On their last night, everyone enjoyed Indian food, "Yard Party Games,” and live performances by local songwriters and musicians Robert Rorrer and Mitch Barrett. We are always grateful for and inspired by the generous energy and compassionate concern of the Notre Dame service-learning students.

The 2023 Simple Lifestyle Calendar is now posted on our website and available through PayPal or mail order by sending the downloadable paper order form. Mark Spencer designed yet another great calendar of daily sayings and monthly photos from Bob Bagley, Warren Brunner, Gretchen L. Collins, and this year’s cover photo by Janet Kalisz. As always, Mark’s annual reflection thoughtfully introduces the New Year in the attached calendar brochure. We appreciate Mark’s ongoing creativity and contributions on behalf of ASPI. May you and your family and friends enjoy the images and daily reflections for a hopeful 2023!

Thanks to all the above individuals and organizations for making all this possible. Special thanks this year to: LeAnn Arnold, The Rev. Kay Williams, Father Al Fritsch, Mark Spencer, Judy Sizemore, Brenda Richardson, Jocelyn Lee, Darrell Wooton, Brooke Lee, James “Oja” Vincent, Warren Brunner, Ron Owens, Yolantha Harrison-Pace, Gretchen Collins, Martin Mudd, Nancy Seaberg, Bugz Fraugg, Josh Bills, Jerrie Bogie, Ben Tatum, James Renner, Holly Robinson, Wayne Riley, Mark Brown, Patty Wilder, Ketaki Bhattacharyya, Dominique Watts, and Talleri McRae. ASPI’s upcoming plans include maintaining gardens and landscaping in Mt. Vernon and Livingston; implementing accessibility improvements at the main office and on the ASPI website; expanded arts and culture programming, including oral histories and Community Scholars training; and continuing community partnerships.
 
We are amazed by the continued generosity and engagement of ASPI’s volunteers, community partners, project contractors, donors, and calendar enthusiasts. Thanks to everyone whose contributions help sustain ASPI’s mission and practice of working for healthy land and sustainable communities in Kentucky & Central Appalachia for 45 years. We are grateful for this fruitful year and look forward to future collaborations in 2023!
 
Sincerely,
 
Timi Reedy (ASPI Board President) and Tammy Clemons (Board Secretary)

​Both service-learning groups spent most of the week in Rockcastle County, participated in local clean-up projects, and enjoyed a silent hike and evening cookout with resident volunteers Gretchen and Martin at the Rockcastle River site as well as a live performance by local songwriter and musician Mitch Barrett. In addition, Gannon spent a “farm day” working on projects at various local homesteads and completed a footbridge on a trail in the Berea College Forest at Indian Fort Theatre, and Notre Dame participated in a “Wild Health Summit” hosted by local community members. Both groups expressed gratitude for the hospitality, interactions, service projects, and natural environment they encountered throughout their busy week at ASPI. We are likewise grateful for valuable conversations and contributions with the tentative return of the service-learning program.
 
Last year, Berea College Special Collections and Archives received a Preservation Grant from the Kentucky Oral History Commission to digitize the “Appalachian Historic Forest Conditions” Oral History Project conducted by Mark Spencer and Timi Reedy in the mid-1990s. These video interviews with elder (over 65) Appalachians about their recollections of the forest in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky are now available online. Thanks to Special Collections for collaborating and making these important interviews available to the public. 

Dear Friend,                                   
 
The colorful falling leaves and autumn weather are a beautiful reminder of how everything changes and fertilizes a dormant future. Needless to say, 2020 has been quite a year globally, regionally, and locally. ASPI has served the Appalachian region for 43 years and counting, and even this notorious year did not stop our work. We continued operating this year without any paid leadership or support staff, and we were able to provide housing and contract labor for some local folks, fiscal sponsorship of programming, and in-kind donations. 
 
First, we want to acknowledge and honor the passing of two important and devoted ASPI folks. For many years, Martha Bond was the dear and faithful administrative assistant who was the face behind the office and the voice behind the phone at ASPI (see her obituary and her online services). Joey Kesler was a former ASPI board member and long-time volunteer who also produced the early days of Father Al Fritsch’s Earth Healing program on WOBZ in London, Kentucky (see his obituary). We will forever miss both Martha and Joey and are grateful for their tremendous contributions to ASPI and the local community.

The ASPI board and other local volunteers have maintained daily operations/communications. This year, board president Timi Reedy and board member Father Jack Kieffer met weekly for a volunteer day at the main office to follow up on mail, fundraising, and tenant relations. Nancy Seaberg, former Grow Appalachia coordinator, continues helping with the garden and grounds when she can and often shows up to help with projects. Last year, Timi served as the service-learning coordinator for hosting the annual alternative fall break with students from University of Notre Dame, but this year, we took a service-learning hiatus due to the COVID-19 quarantine.
 
Even though some plans were cancelled or postponed, ASPI made strides in refurbishing facilities and continuing support for important projects. This year, we welcomed Scott Roberts and Brittany Burns as the new tenants and caretakers of the Cordwood house and Nature Center on the Rockcastle River, and Timi coordinated improvements of the River properties in collaboration with them and some local project helpers. In addition to general interior and exterior clean-up, both the Cordwood house and the riverside picnic shelter have new roofs. The cordwood trailer still needs substantially more work before it is inhabitable, but the River facilities overall are sparkling compared to the vandalism and disrepair in previous years. We moved a large tool shed from the old Mt. Vernon community garden to the office property. We also shared leftover seeds from previous Grow Appalachia programming with several local farmers and families, and we donated bulk remainders to the Rockcastle Farmers Market. The ASPI office just received a fresh exterior paint job and some minor repairs.

Thanks to Nancy, Scott and Brittany, Jacob Mudd, Bugz Fraugg, Jonny Wells, as well as occasional volunteers Jack Herranen and “Snoopy” Moberly for their hard work on ASPI’s behalf. Thanks also to all our supporters near and far who helped pay for new groundskeeping equipment, materials, labor, etc. through calendar sales and donations!
 
ASPI continues fiscal sponsorship of ArtsConnect Eastern Kentucky (ACEky), a collective of Kentucky artists providing art-related programming for incarcerated women in and out of jail and rehabilitation centers. ACEky received a 2020 Bridging Divides Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, which supported “a series of arts workshops to groups of women incarcerated in the Knox County Detention Center, and graduates and residents of Sky Hope Recovery Center for Women.” We look forward to our continued partnership with ACEky in support of art for healing and social change.

We also successfully partnered with Berea College Special Collections to apply for a Preservation Grant from the Kentucky Oral History Commission to digitize the “Appalachian Historic Forest Conditions” Oral History Project. These oral histories are housed in Special Collections as part of a collection of archived organizational materials from ASPI donated several years ago. In the mid-1990s, Mark Spencer and Timi Reedy conducted these video interviews with elder (over 65) Appalachians about their recollections of the forest in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. According to Berea College Sound Archivist Harry Rice, the digitized collection “arrived just as things on campus were shutting to the public.” We look forward to listening to and sharing this rich and important project in the future.

In late September, we bid a bittersweet farewell to Father Jack who retired from his active service as a priest in Kentucky and moved to a Jesuit community in Michigan. We held a small distanced outdoor gathering in celebration of his service to ASPI. Before he left, Timi conducted five oral history interviews about his life and 28 years as a residential volunteer at ASPI, which will become part of the archives noted above. He will remain on the ASPI board remotely, and he and Timi continue weekly phone meetings. Just before Father Jack’s transition, we welcomed O.H. Jackson Napier who is the residential office assistant/caretaker for the next year. Jackson is originally from Breathitt County, Kentucky, is a Berea College graduate, and teaches pottery. Since he moved in, he cleaned up the raised garden beds and hoophouse in preparation for a community garden project he is leading with support from a Mountain Sentinels Fellowship.

The 2021 Simple Lifestyle Calendar is now posted on our website and available through PayPal or mail order by sending the paper order form included with this letter (also downloadable on our website). Mark Spencer designed another great collection of sayings and photos from Warren Brunner, Bob Bagley, Janet Kalisz, and this year’s beautiful cover photo of a heron is by John Fitzwater of Somerset. We hope you and your family and friends enjoy the images and daily reflections for hope and renewal in 2021!

We are already planning for ongoing operations and much-needed maintenance for the New Year, and ASPI’s upcoming plans include: community gardening; cordwood trailer repairs, including painting the roof and electrical repair; replacement of the office roof; and a mural on the outdoor cistern by local artist Jonny Wells after repairs are complete (if you're in Mt. Vernon, check out the Dolly Parton mural he helped work on down the street). We have received some service-learning inquiries, which look hopeful, but we will wait and see what happens... 

ASPI’s mission of practicing and promoting simple and sustainable living and livelihoods in Appalachia is more important than ever in a world where people are learning new ways of living, making do, and even doing without. We are grateful that the organization was already adapting to lean revenues and staff support and relying more on a small network of local volunteers, donor support from both individuals and organizations, and loyal fans of the calendar. As always, we are also grateful for and inspired by what is possible with mutual support in the local community, region, and our broader base of contributors!
 
Sincerely,
 
Timi Reedy (ASPI Board President) and Tammy Clemons (Board Secretary)

Dear Friends of ASPI,                                   
 
Even as we watch the leaves finally turn into a rainbow of autumn hues and enjoy the cooler, wetter weather, it’s hard to believe that 2019 is almost over! The year has been challenging and exciting in several ways, and we are always grateful for the continued support of longtime donors, calendar customers, and dedicated volunteers throughout ASPI’s 42 years of service in the Appalachian region.
 
As some may recall, ASPI underwent a leadership transition this summer when Executive Director Suzi Van Etten and Board President Shane Barton left their positions to pursue other meaningful projects and sustain important family relationships. We are grateful to Shane and Suzie for their near decade of service and their commitment to ASPI’s mission of practicing and promoting simple and sustainable living and livelihoods in Appalachia.
 
Meanwhile as of June 1, the organizational leadership and oversight shifted to ASPI board members Timi Reedy (President), Tammy Clemons (Secretary), and newly elected member Father Jack Kieffer. ASPI’s day-to-day operation and communication is currently supported by a solid volunteer corps of board members, local residents, visiting service-learning students, and social media promoters. The learning curve has sometimes been a challenge, and we are still recovering from the 2017 fire and loss of the Solar House, which was our first structure built in 1980. We have also suffered repeated vandalism on the Rockcastle River properties, all of which are in need of refurbishment as residential dwellings, an educational center, and a picnic/camping area. However, as long-time volunteers, we are all inspired by the possibilities for continuing and expanding our valuable work and supporting our communities.
 
Service-learning students from the University of Notre Dame returned again this fall for an alternative break experience as part of a semester-long “Appalachian Seminar” course through the Center for Social Concerns. Timi and Tammy have helped host day-long projects in their Clear Creek neighborhood for ASPI service-learning groups in the past, but this year was the first time that Timi served as the overall service-learning coordinator for their entire week of programming. Here’s what she had to say about the experience:
 
“I cannot say enough about the Notre Dame students this year. They were engaged, hard-working, loving, and thinking critically. They made a huge impact every day in our community, and in Pineville, Kentucky where they worked on a community center for people in the community, especially children, who were struggling because of family members who have overdosed, are incarcerated, or in recovery. In recent years, we have several Notre Dame students return for another immersion experience, and as we get to know them better, they are beginning to feel a deep sense of connection with ASPI. When we were cleaning out a River dwelling this year, they found a paper written by Notre Dame students from 1977, and it was like treasure to them, fostering an understanding of long-term deep connection. They were wonderful!”        

The community center that the service-learning students worked on this fall was part of a partnership with a project called ArtsConnect Eastern Kentucky (ACEky). ASPI recently became the fiscal sponsor for ACEky, which is a collective of different Kentucky artists that visit incarcerated women in and out of jail, and do activities with them and their children to assist with the healing process.

We know many of you have been asking about the availability of the 2020 Simple Lifestyle Calendar. We understand that the ASPI calendar is an important part of your holiday gifting traditions, we’re sorry for the delay and are happy to announce that PayPal ordering is now live on our website: http://www.appalachia-spi.org/calendar.html. There is also a downloadable  paper order form on the website for those who prefer to send a check. Thanks for your patience as we navigate leadership transitions, some health issues, and technological challenges.
 
As 2020 approaches, we are looking forward to the possibility sharing ASPI’s stories with a regional audience at the 2020 Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) conference at the University of Kentucky in the spring. We have proposed a panel to highlight ASPI’s historic accomplishments and possibilities for future collaboration and engagement in the region, including ASPI founder Father Al Fritsch, current board leadership, long-time volunteers, and staff as discussants. The 2020 ASA conference theme is “Understories: Growing Hope and Resilience from Commonwealth to Global Commons,” and we think ASPI has much to contribute to this topic and practice.
 
There will be additional opportunities for folks to share memories, ideas, and hopes for Appalachia-Science in the Public Interest as we continue revisiting our past, preparing for the future, and working to connect Appalachian people, knowledge, and ecosystems in solidarity with global communities striving for justice and sustainability. We are grateful for your continued support and shared commitment to sustainability and justice in the Appalachian region and beyond. We are excited about what we can do together with your donations, calendar purchases, and volunteer support!
 
Sincerely,
 
Timi Reedy (ASPI Board President), Tammy Clemons (ASPI Board Secretary), Fr. Jack Keiffer (ASPI Board Member), and Mark Spencer (ASPI Graphic Artist / Calendar Designer)

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. I have always felt a kinship to this Saint, since I visited Assisi as a teenager. Saint Francis of Assisi was a Catholic friar who gave up a life of wealth to live a life of poverty. He established the Franciscan Order of friars and the women's Order of the Poor Ladies. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in 1182. He grew up leading a privileged life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant.

In 1209 he composed a simple rule for his followers ("friars"), the Regula primitiva or "Primitive Rule", which came from verses in the Bible. The rule was "To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps". He and his followers celebrated and even venerated poverty. Poverty was so central to his character that in his last written work, the Testament, he said that absolute personal and corporate poverty was the essential lifestyle for the members of his Order.

He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters”; he even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. In his Canticle of the Creatures (“Praises of Creatures” or “Canticle of the Sun”), he mentioned the “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon.”

Francis preached the Christian doctrine that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of human sin. He believed that all creatures should praise God and the people have a duty to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves. Many of the stories that surround the life of Saint Francis say that he had a great love for animals and the environment.

Since it was this Saint who first affected a profound change in my core beliefs, and later learning about St. Ignatius, I have always associated true acts of Christianity with transcending materialism. It’s not about the stuff you have, but rather about whether you can truly shed your need of things to understand and respect all of the complex systems in our world.

Understanding, without judgment, complex social systems without worrying about your “career” or your ability afford nice things, while respecting each person in need has a story is the only true way to assist those who need help. Understanding and respecting the complex systems in our natural world leads to unavoidable advocacy for all living things. How can you truly be a Christian and without truly understanding poverty? How can you be a Christian and not be an environmentalist? Being an advocate is not just giving money and other superficial actions, but ensuring everything you do at work and at home is not detrimental to these systems.
​
St. Francis has always embodied simple living and sustainability to me. What truly captured my attention in Italy was the peacefulness in which he approached these oftentimes difficult issues. It’s easy to become angry when being an advocate lays bare ways that we hurt each other and the earth. Humility helps us be advocates, but the lack of humility leads to crass behaviors. It’s frustrating to encounter, but St. Francis reminds us that going outside and slowing down is important. At the heart of our actions should be a peaceful, true understanding of the complex systems in our world and our desire to make a difference. On this Feast Day of St. Francis, go outside, slow down, and find peace so you can advocate for the poor and our natural world. 

If you've never met a Jesuit, you're missing out. My grandmother lovingly called them the "hippies" of the catholic church for good reason: when you see a Catholic on the front lines of protests or social justice movements, they are usually a Jesuit. 

Pope Francis comes from an order of priests known around the world as educators, spiritual directors, and social justice advocates. The Society of Jesus, the name for the grouping of priests founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1540, count among their ranks professors, doctors, lawyers, social workers and a pope.

In 1540 Ignatius’ group, formed over the course of his studies and trials and travels, gained the pope's approval and was named the Society of Jesus: they determined a method of decision making, vowed to obey the pope as the voice of Christ, and elected Ignatius as superior general. They had previously been ordained and bound themselves by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
 
The vision and disciplines of the "Jesuits" as they came to be called caught the imagination of Europe. Soon Jesuits were found in Europe's major cities as well as in the new world: Gao, Mexico City, Quebec, Buenos Aires, and Bogota. They opened hospices for the dying, sought financial support for the poor, founded orphanages, and opened schools.
 
Though his writings were robust by the time the Jesuits became widely known, The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus was probably the most important work of Ignatius's later years. His followers abandoned some traditional forms of religious life (such as chanting the divine office, physical punishments, and penitential garb), in favor of greater adaptability and mobility. The Society was above all to be an order of apostles "ready to live in any part of the world where there was hope of God's greater glory and the good of souls."
 
His greatest legacy is his Spiritual Exercises, which has been in constant use for 460 years. The Exercises lead a person through four "weeks" (a flexible term) of meditations and prayers, guided by a spiritual director, generally during a retreat (though there are provisions for non-retreat direction).
 
Purifying one's soul is the object of the first week; greater knowledge and the love of Christ, the second; freeing the will to follow Christ, the third; and releasing the heart from worldly attachments, the fourth. The perfection of the soul, the imitation of Christ, and the soul's attachment to God are goals for the exercises that reflect the holy ambitions of Ignatius from his conversion.
 
The most important thing to know about the Jesuit founder is that he was a different kind of saint. As the noted Jesuit historian Fr. John W. O’Malley, S.J. has observed, "Ignatius redefined the traditional basis of saintliness," which usually involved a degree of unworldliness.
 
In contrast, O'Malley refers to Ignatius as a "worldly saint." He made sure his men were spending most of their time not in pulpits and confessionals, but in relatively secular spaces such as classrooms — teaching less directly about the Bible and Church doctrine than about literature and the ancient classics. He sent letters to his missionaries asking that they write back not just about their ministries, but also about the local customs, the plants and wild life — "anything that seems extraordinary."
 
Most of all, Ignatius Loyola wanted his Jesuits and everyone to go out and "find God in all things." He died in 1556 — on July 31, his feast day in the Catholic Church.

Garlic is a plant in the Allium (onion) family. It is closely related to onions, shallots and leeks. Each segment of a garlic bulb is called a clove. There are about 10–20 cloves in a single bulb, give or take.

Native to central Asia, garlic has a lengthy history dating back 6,000 years. Long a staple of Mediterranean diets, garlic was a commonly used seasoning in the cuisines of Africa, Asia and Europe. China is currently the world’s biggest producer of garlic followed by India, South Korea, Egypt and Russia.

Throughout ancient history, the main use of garlic was for its health and medicinal properties. Regarded as a force of both good and evil, the Egyptians are said to have fed the herb to workers building the Great Pyramid of Giza because they believed it boosted their stamina. In the Middle Ages, plague-phobic Europeans ate whole cloves of garlic to fight off the scourge known as the Black Death.  

​Some noted benefits of garlic include:

• Garlic is low in calories and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. It also contains trace amounts of various other nutrients. It contains sulfur compounds, which are believed to bring some of the health benefits.
• Garlic supplements help prevent and reduce the severity of common illnesses like the flu and common cold.
• The Active Compounds in Garlic Can Reduce Blood Pressure
• Cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes are the world's biggest killers.
• High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most important drivers of these diseases.
• Human studies have found garlic supplements to have a significant impact on reducing blood pressure in people with high blood pressure
• Garlic can lower total and LDL cholesterol; for those with high cholesterol, garlic supplements appear to reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10–15%
• Garlic contains antioxidants that support the body's protective mechanisms against oxidative damage. Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to the aging process. The combined effects on reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as the antioxidant properties, may reduce the risk of common brain diseases like Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
• At high doses, the sulfur compounds in garlic have been shown to protect against organ damage from heavy metal toxicity.
• One study in menopausal women found that a daily dose of dry garlic extract (equal to 2 grams of raw garlic) significantly decreased a marker of estrogen deficiency.

The last one is not a health benefit, but is still important: Garlic is very easy (and delicious) to include in your current diet.

Any way you spin them, salads are a refreshing and satisfying way to pack more veggies into your diet. If you’d like a fun way to challenge yourself and your family to eat more salad, the last week in July is national salad week. Consider some of these benefits of eating salad regularly ­– and convert those salad non-believers in your life.

• Salads are versatile and can be made in hundreds of different ways to satisfy any taste.
• You can grow it in your backyard! Save money, eat healthy.
• Leafy greens, vegetables and fruits are among the healthiest foods in the world.
• Diets rich in fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants, which can help boost your immune system and keep you healthy.
• Some salad ingredients, such as peas, black beans, broccoli, avocados, spinach and apples contain high amounts of fiber. Diets high in fiber can lower cholesterol and promote a healthy heart.
• Packing a salad for your lunch at work or school saves money.
• Salads generally have fewer calories than other meal options – provided they aren’t drenched in caloric dressing and toppings.
• Salads are portable. Consider using a Mason jar or Tupperware container with built in dressing container.
• Making your own salad dressing saves money and unnecessary consumption of preservatives and artificial ingredients.

If you’re feeling inventive, you can put your chef hat on and create your own seasonal salads and salad dressings based on the charts below from the College of Public Health and Human Science’s Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health . By using foods in season, you'll save even more money. 

I have been continually surprised at the lack of healthy food options for my kids. Luckily, they love salads. Unluckily, salads are rarely offered at school, restaurants, or at friend’s houses. I sometimes feel like I am a kid’s salad warrior (I’m not a warrior of anything!), but I will force this on them even when it’s unpopular. Salads are a healthy way to open conversation about growing food, healthy living, and saving money. They’ll thank me later!
​
So grab some veggies and experiment with a salad!

July 20 is National Moon Day. The tides, the night shows, the day shows, the mystery, the lure: these are reasons to celebrate the moon!

Stop and think about how much we know about the moon. How did we gain the knowledge ? One of the pivotal agencies in moon exploration: NASA.

NASA is a big tent. Lots of people associate the agency with only its most spectacular achievements: the moon landing, space shuttles, the International Space Station, plans to someday put a person on Mars. It's easy to think of NASA as space exploration and nothing more. Within the very name—National Aeronautics and Space Administration—you'll find an oft-forgotten part of the NASA mission. NASA's X-plane research had led the way to amazing aircraft innovations without ever leaving the atmosphere.

Earth science is another severely under-appreciated chunk of what NASA does. It might seem weird that America's space exploration agency devotes so much energy to our home world, but no other government agency is equipped to study our planet from afar and tell us what's happening in the big picture. Unless you want to let the military take over.

Besides, when it comes to studying the Earth, you have to do a bunch of work from space. NASA's GOES satellites (the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system) provide a constant stream of Earth observation useful both for short-term weather forecasting and long-term climate forecasting. The DSCOVR mission (Deep Space Climate Observatory) watches for the powerful solar storms that could wreak havoc on our planet and all its advanced technology. NASA satellites track wildfires and sea ice. They follow hurricanes and monitor sea surface temperatures. They are the only eyes and ears that can see our home from another frame of reference, and with terrifying objectivity.

Parts of NASA’s programming are under constant fire; divided politically along party lines. NASA’s Earth-science budget is $102 million, or 5 percent of the program’s annual budget, and it almost exclusively targets missions aimed at understanding climate change — the ocean monitoring program PACE; the Orbiting Carbon ­Observatory-3; the Deep Space Climate Observatory; and the CLARREO Pathfinder, which measures heat in Earth’s atmosphere.

The NASA Education office, which runs camps and enrichment programs, provides internships and scholarships for young scientists, and oversees efforts to support women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

Here's a notion that ought not be partisan: This is our planet. We want the best for it, now and in the future. And it's good to know what's happening to the place we live. That goes for the Earth's climate just as much as it does for stopping a solar storm from crippling our communications technology or spotting a doom asteroid headed this way so we can figure out what to do about it.
​
Who runs the satellites and telescopes we use to watch our world, and how we pay for them, is a worthy topic for a grown-up discussion. So appreciate our technological advances in understanding the moon today and mobilize to advocate for the agencies that help us advance our knowledge!