Lutherans purchase 'eco-palms' for Palm Sunday

by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service

More than 300 million palm fronds are harvested each
year for consumption in the United States, mostly for
Palm Sunday worship and floral displays for church-related
events according to Lutheran World Relief (LWR). But the
overproduction of palms threatens forests and the
livelihoods of families who harvest palms in Guatemala,
Mexico and other areas, according to LWR. Typically,
palm harvesting is done by community members hired by
local contractors who sell palms to large floral export
firms. Payment is based on volume, so harvesters are
motivated to gather a large number of palms, risking
the rapid depletion of forests. As a result, up to 50
percent of the palms are later discarded because of poor
quality. This process also secures less income for people
who work the hardest at harvesting, LWR reports.

To ensure that palms are harvested in a more environmentally
sustainable way whereby harvesters can earn a fair income
for their labor, some Lutherans are purchasing "eco-palms"
for Palm Sunday, March 16, 2008. LWR has partnered with
Chamaedorea Palm Certification Project to build support
for eco-palms in the United States. "Purchasing the eco-palms
benefits farmers, families and communities in cooperatives
where they are grown. It's a way each of us can walk-the-walk
with Jesus on Palm Sunday," said Patricia Zerega, director,
ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh.

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem was celebrated by using palm
branches, according to the Gospel of John. Lutherans around
the world recount this story of Jesus, re-enacting the waving
of palms on Palm Sunday.