A Son facultades del Tribunal Superior de Justicia:

The  respondents  all  began  with  strong  commitments  to  ecological  ethics.   They  reported  varying  impacts  of  the  garden  project  on  their  ecological  ethics  in   terms  of  awareness  and  behavior.  

Question  1  (Pre-­‐Garden):  “Please  describe  yourself  in  terms  of  environmentalism.  Do   you  consider  yourself  an  “environmentalist,”  or,  if  you  prefer,  do  you  consider  yourself   someone  who  is  invested  in  caring  for  the  Creation?  If  so,  why  and  how?  If  not,  why   not?”  

Five  of  the  seven  people  initially  interviewed  either  embraced  the  label  of   environmentalist  or  noted  that  they  did  not  reject  the  term,  even  if  they  were  not   sure  if  it  applied  to  them.  Any  resistance  to  the  term  stemmed  either  from  a  sense   that  they  should  be  involved  in  more  activism  to  be  worthy  of  the  term,  or  from  a   kind  of  extremism  associated  with  the  term.  Three  people  expressed  that  they  tried   to  have  environmental  personal  habits  but  did  not  participate  in  environmental   activism  enough  to  have  earned  the  label  of  environmentalist:  

Interesting.  I  own  the  label  of  environmentalist…  I’ll  own  that  label  –  you  can   slap  it  on  me  –  if  you’ll  listen  to  my  message,  to  what  I  have  to  say.  I  think  the   word  slightly  turns  people  off  sometimes,  they  make  assumptions…  without   really  understanding  who  I  am  and  where  I’m  coming  from.  It  shuts  down   dialog  sometimes.5  

I  wouldn't  describe  myself  as  an  extreme  environmentalist,  because  of  lack  of   time  or  other  things  on  my  plate…  I  think  I  should  call  myself  one,  but  not  an   activist.  It’s  important  in  our  daily  living  and  how  I  educate  my  kids,  and  I   have  an  appreciation  for  it;  it’s  just  my  [lack  of]  time,  but  I  do  appreciate   people  that  do  [activism].6  

5  _{Interviews  were  confidential;  names  of  interviewees  are  withheld  by}   mutual  consent.  Tallessyn  Z.  Grenfell-­‐Lee,  "Dissertation  Interviews:  Compiled   Transcripts"  (Boston  University  School  of  Theology,  2016),  14.  Transcript  file   available  upon  request.  

One  person  rejected  the  term;  she  noted  that  it  can  alienate  people,  and  she   expressed  a  preference  for  the  integration  of  ecological  ideas  into  the  rest  of  life:  

I  don’t  like  the  word  “environmentalist”;  I’m  also  resistant  to  the  word   “Christian,”  although  I  consider  myself  both.  They  carry  unfortunate  and   exaggerated  stereotypes…  I  have  been  working  on  behalf  of  the  environment   professionally  for  two  decades,  but  I  would  never  use  the  word  

“environmentalist”  to  describe  myself.  And  there  isn’t  another  word  I  use;  it   doesn’t  need  a  label,  it’s  something  we  should  all  do,  like  brushing  our  teeth.   “Environmentalist”  suggests  life  on  an  extreme  edge…  there’s  a  judgment   there,  and  I  don’t  like  it.7  

Question  1  (Mid-­‐  and  Post-­‐Garden):  “Please  describe  yourself  in  terms  of  

environmentalism.  Since  beginning  this  project,  do  you  consider  yourself  more  of  an   “environmentalist,”  or,  if  you  prefer,  do  you  consider  yourself  someone  who  is  more   invested  in  caring  for  the  Creation?  If  so,  why  and  how?  If  not,  why  not?”  

Five  of  the  six  mid-­‐  and  post-­‐garden  interviewees  reported  that  the  garden   project  had  raised  their  personal  awareness  about  issues  such  as  growing  food,   compassion  for  the  plants  in  the  heat,  or  spiritual  connections  to  gardening.  Three   respondents  mentioned  that  the  prominent  location  of  the  garden  raised  both   participant  and  congregational  awareness  about  urban  food  and  nature  connection   and  ministries.  During  the  mid-­‐garden  interviews,  the  pastor  described  this  

awareness:  

Because  of  where  it  is,  I  have  to  think  about  it  every  day  –  I  have  to  walk  right   by  it  when  I  come  in…  It’s  made  me  more  aware  of  the  seasons  around  me;  I   find  myself  thinking  when  it  rains,  well,  that  will  be  good  for  the  church                                                                                                                  

garden;  or  when  it’s  hot,  I  need  to  throw  a  bucket  of  water  in  there.  Having  it   so  front  and  center  has  made  me  more  connected…  It  reminds  me  of  the   fragility  of  life,  the  importance  of  caring  for  one  another,  the  

interdependence  of  things  living  on  this  planet.  …I  feel  I  think  probably  a   greater  kinship  with  the  environment  through  this  medium.  

  In  the  last  set  of  interviews,  the  pastor  also  included  ideas  of  food   specifically:  

It’s  the  first  time  I’ve  done…  a  [church]  vegetable  garden;  we’ve  had  

flowerbeds  at  other  churches  that  I’ve  helped  to  take  care  of.  It  reminded  me   of  some  things  I  don’t  always  think  of  in  the  city…  where  food  comes  from,   and  that  it  doesn’t  grow  in  grocery  stores;  it  reminded  me  of  the  need  to  care   for  the  sources  of  production  of  food.  I  also  appreciated  the  sort  of  hospitable   way  in  which  it  was  done,  to  make  it  available  to  passersby…  it  was  a  good   reminder  for  me  in  a  number  of  ways  of  our  connection  to  the  Earth  that  can   easily  get  forgotten  in  the  city.8  

One  participant  also  spoke  of  the  impact  on  her  plans  for  the  future.  In  her   mid-­‐garden  interview,  she  described  general  awareness  of  the  source  of  food:  

Seeing  the  garden  in  front  of  the  church  was  a  great  reminder  not  just  of  the   environment  but  of  food  and  how  people  are  fed  –  where  our  food  comes   from.9  

After  the  project,  this  participant  included  ideas  of  the  impact  over  time  and   into  the  future:  

Having  it  out  front  there,  which  I’m  so  glad  we  did,  instead  of  in  someone’s   yard,  I  think  that  was  the  best  thing  we  did  overall;  because  it’s  a  reminder   every  time  you  see  it.  It  reminds  me  of  the  fact  that  we  can  actually  grow  our   own  food.  It  inspires  me.  It  puts  thoughts,  especially  toward  the  end  of  the   season,  about  next  year:  what  can  I  do  next  year?  You  look  at  what’s  growing,   what’s  doing  well;  it’s  like  seeds  of  thought  for  the  next  season.  Watching   something  from  week  to  week  is  a  reminder  of  just  how  amazing  it  is  that                                                                                                                  

8  _{Ibid.,  82.}   9  _{Ibid.,  51.}  

plants  take  sunlight,  and  water,  and  dirt,  and  turn  it  into  food.  And  the  fact   that  it  was  right  there  –  you  couldn’t  miss  it  –  you  could  watch  the  progress   without  going  out  of  your  way.  It  reminds  you  of  how  amazing  the  Creation   is.10  

The  project  organizer,  who  reported  no  impact,  allowed  later  (in  response  to   Question  2,  page  118  below)  that  the  church  garden  project  may  have  inspired  her   to  plant  her  own  garden  this  year.  She  suggested  reasons  for  the  lack  of  an  impact,   such  as  already  having  her  own  garden  and  the  lack  of  group  cohesion:  

I  feel  like  I’m  pretty  much  the  same  as  I’ve  been  for  a  long  time;  I’m  a   gardener  and  I  do  my  own  garden…  Personally,  I  don’t  feel  like  I’ve  been   changed;  and  that’s  possibly  because  there  wasn’t  that  much  real  connection   among  the  people  who  were  doing  the  project.  People  seemed  interested  at   the  outset,  but  I  didn’t  have  the  sense  of  a  cohesive  group  that  might  have   elevated  our  levels  of  concern…  That’s  not  to  say  I  don’t  think  it  was  

worthwhile  or  valuable.  I  love  those  little  boxes  in  front  of  the  church…  They   exhibit  to  the  community  at  large  that  this  is  a  community  that  cares  about   growing  things  and  sharing  them  outside  our  community.11