PETA Honors a UU Minister

Filed Under friends, people, spiritual practice, uu culture

The Rev. Susan Manker-Seale - mother of my friend Kat - was just named by PETA as “Most Progressive Religious Leader” in their 5th Annual Proggy Awards. I’m not a vegan (by any means), but I thought this was cool. Press release and link to a local (Tucson) article below:

Progressive Pastor Gives Meat-Eating ‘Environmentalists’ Food for Thought

For Immediate Release:
January 4, 2008

Contact:
Melissa Karpel 757-622-7382

Tucson, Ariz. - For her inspired guidance of her church’s Green Sanctuary Action Plan, which includes a focus on Earth-friendly vegan foods, Rev. Susan Manker-Seale of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northwest Tucson has won the Most Progressive Religious Leader category in PETA’s 5th Annual Proggy Awards. Rev. Manker-Seale will receive a framed certificate and will be featured on PETA’s award-winning Web site PETA.org. PETA’s Proggy Awards (”Proggy” is for “progress”) recognize animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture.

Under Rev. Manker-Seale’s leadership, the church’s Green Sanctuary Action Plan has promoted sustainable living through everything from recycling and water conservation to vegan cooking classes and protecting nearby Ironwood Forest. There is an emphasis on vegetarian eating at all congregation events–and with good reason. According to a 2006 U.N. report, raising animals for food emits 40 percent more global-warming gases than all the cars, trucks, SUVs, planes, and ships in the world combined. The report goes on to say that meat is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” And researchers at the University of Chicago have determined that going vegan is 50 percent more effective at fighting global warming than switching from a standard car to a hybrid.

“Rev. Manker-Seale’s devotion to her church, her community, and all beings is an inspiration to her congregation and everyone else who cares about our planet,” says PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich. “Going vegan is not only the best thing you can do for animals and your health, it’s also the single most important action you can take to reduce your ‘footprint’ on the environment.”

This year, there were 20 Proggy winners, including wildlife-friendly innovators, a restaurant, and producers and marketers of vegan foods, shoes, and cruelty-free personal-care products.

For more information and to read about the other Proggy winners, please visit PETA.org.
Note from Kat: Also see: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/relatedstories/219236.php for a Tucson article about it that has quotes from my mom too..

Comments

4 Responses to “PETA Honors a UU Minister”

Stentor on January 6th, 2008 10:38 pm

Hey, Tucson. I’d go to that church except that driving an hour and a half would probably cancel out the meat I’m not eating.
hafidha sofia on January 6th, 2008 10:44 pm

*chuckle*

I should point out that Rev. Manker-Seale is not a vegetarian - according to the article linked to - but she is trying.
Charlie Talbert on January 7th, 2008 6:57 am

Bruce Friedrich, the PETA Vice President mentioned in the article, will be speaking at General Assembly in Ft. Lauderdale.
John Pageless on January 7th, 2008 10:56 am

*grits teeth*

I… don’t like PETA. I know that shouldn’t overshadow being happy for Rev. Manker-Seale, but PETA just rubs me the wrong way. *sigh*

That being said, it is very cool that a UU minister has received this honor, and we all can use to be a little greener. As long as that doesn’t mean I have to give up meat.

Namaste.