Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: <earthkeeper@...>

Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 15:44:49
To: <BuddhistWellnessGroup-owner@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: News Story: 2 Buddhist groups plant 12,000 trees in Michigan


Dear Editors/Managers of the Buddhist Wellness Group on Yahoo,

I am a Michigan news reporter doing volunteer media work for the interfaith
EarthKeepers and its two Buddhist groups.

Here is 1,000 word story on two Buddhist groups (including Zen Buddhist temple)
who helped plant 12,000 trees in this month.
Please consider posting our story or passing to anyone you see fit.

By request, I also have high resolution photos of Buddhist participation this
year and in previous events.

Please either email me or call if you'd like photos or have any questions.

Sincerely
Greg Peterson, Michigan news reporter and volunteer media advisor for the
EarthKeepers
906-401-0109

1,000 word story.
Followed by additional story with quotes/info if you have room

(Marquette, MI) - Members of a Zen Buddhist temple are among two northern
Michigan Buddhist communities that joined 100 churches and temples in planting
12,000 trees across the Upper Peninsula in early May during the 2009 interfaith
EarthKeeper Tree Project.

Volunteers planted the 12,000 trees by homes, camps, parks, American Indian
reservations and many other places with help from hundreds of children ranging
in age from two-years-old to 22-years-old during the interfaith U.P. EarthKeeper
Tree Project.

Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, told the Northern
Michigan University EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team Sacred Planet forum how
2,500 years ago "the Buddha sat under a tree" called the Bodhi Tree until he
discovered "the root of suffering - and how to rid one's self of suffering."

"The leaf of the Bodhi Tree is one of the symbols of Buddhism, said Lehmberg,
head priest of Lake Superior Zendo, a Zen Buddhist temple in Marquette. "It's
shaped a little bit like a poplar leaf but it's got kind of a little tail - like
a heart with a tail."

"It's said the descendants of this Bodhi Tree are still alive, probably because
we want them to be alive. We want this connection between us and the Buddha
2,500 years ago," said Lehmberg, who is also an English professor at Northern
Michigan University (NMU).

White Spruce and Red Pine seedlings measuring 12 to 16 inches tall were given to
over 100 churches and temples in all 15 Upper Peninsula (U.P.) counties and
Minocqua, WI, said Catholic EarthKeeper Kyra Fillmore of Marquette, the project
distribution coordinator.

"We hope these trees grow strong and tall," Fillmore said.

"The natural world is very important in Buddhism, particularly in Zen," said
Lehmberg, the co-chair of the EarthKeeper Implementation Team.

Rev. Lehmberg told the forum a story about Dogen, a Japanese Monk who founded
Zen Buddhism in the Thirteenth Century.

"When Dogen would dip water from a stream or a well to drink, he would always
pour half of it back," Lehmberg said. "He would pour half of it back as a sign
of respect for the natural world, as a symbol that he is a part of the natural
world and must treat that natural world with great care."

Lehmberg said that "Lake Superior Zendo was honored to once again participate
with other EarthKeeper congregations in this important work."

"We must - we absolutely must - care for mother earth," Lehmberg said.

"Human life, literally and figuratively, is inseparable from Mother Earth,"
Lehmberg said. "We are inextricably threaded to her - in caring for her, we care
for ourselves."

The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions with over 150 participating
churches/temples (Zen Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran,
Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish,
Quakers), plus the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership, the nonprofit
Cedar Tree Institute, and the NMU EK Student Team. Several other faiths
including the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist Network and the
Evangelical Covenant church have close ties to the EarthKeepers.

The tree planting is the fifth time northern Michigan's Zen Buddhist community
in Marquette, MI volunteered during an Earth Day environment project sponsored
by the interfaith U.P. EarthKeepers.

Two elementary school students were among eight Copper Country residents with
ties to the SGI Buddhist Network who planted trees in the 16-acre Calumet
Township Waterworks Park on the shores of Lake Superior.

"We supported the trees with sticks to keep them visible and safe," said Susan
Rokicki of Calumet, SGI women's division Chapter leader who organized the Copper
Country planting. "We will return from time to time to see if our dozen need
anything."

A natural fit with the interfaith EarthKeepers, some of the planters are members
of SGI Copper Range District and the others have ties to the network.

All the tree planters attend the SGI meetings. The SGI members are Rokicki; Jean
Larson of Toivola, a Shopko department store cash manager; and Jorge Kurita, a
Michigan Tech University doctoral student in Mech. Engineering from Paraguay.
Kurita is the SGI young men's division Chapter leader.

The Calumet residents with SGI ties are Joseph Mihal, Habitat for Humanity
ReStore manager; nurse Maureen Tobin, artist Margo McCafferty Rudd, and
elementary school students Max Rudd and Rebecca Naumenko, a fifth grader.

The SGI Buddhist network "actively promotes peace, culture and education through
personal transformation and social responsibility, originating in Japan," said
Rokicki, who is also restoring a Norwegian Lutheran Church in Calumet and serves
as a Lutheran church pianist/organist. SGI is "one of the originators of the
Earth Charter and the act of planting and dedicating trees is embedded in our
tradition."

"My kids and I had a great time packing trees and planting trees," said Carl
Lindquist, who has a son Nels, 13, and a daughter Ingrid, 11, and is executive
director of the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette.

The tree project kicked off on Earth Day 2009 with the interfaith blessing and
planting of a three-foot white spruce. The seedling planting was delayed to May
due to cold weather.

In a sad irony, just hours after the final trees were planted on May 20, two
large forest fires erupted destroying untold thousands of trees - and dozens of
homes and buildings - including a wildfire one not far from where the last
seedlings were planted.

However, the tree planting project went without a hitch, and at one church an
interfaith group was preparing 1,500 trees to be planted when a brilliant
rainbow appeared over the church, which they took as a good sign.

"This is very much a marvelous moment in the life of our work together as faith
communities," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, CTI executive director and EarthKeepers
co-founder.

The trees were purchased or donated by the U.P. EarthKeeper team, Superior
Watershed Partnership, Holli Forest Products, the Forestland Group, Plum Creek
Timber Company and Meister's Greenhouses.

Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project
including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in
Ironwood, MI.

The EarthKeepers is "focused on how the faith communities can work together"
despite theological differences, said Northern Great Lakes Synod Lutheran Bishop
Thomas A. Skrenes.

"Religious differences are a huge factor in many parts of life and certainly
there are big differences between different religious communities," said Bishop
Skrenes, an original signer of the EarthKeeper Covenant and the head of 94 U.P.
Lutheran congregations with 40,000 members. "EarthKeepers has provided us the
opportunity to again renew our relationship with people who are very different
in some ways and yet very similar."

Related websites:

U.P. EarthKeeper Team:
http://www.upearthkeepers.org

Nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, MI
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org

Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org

-------
Note to Editor:
If you have additional room.
Here are additional quotes/planting info from the other faiths - including
Quakers, Jewish Catholic and many other religions - designed to be cut where
ever you want - and background on other EarthKeeper projects at very end:
-------

Three Native American sisters and their mom volunteered at the Marquette tree
distribution center. The girls planted trees behind their Gwinn, MI home hoping
to attract more wildlife to what has turned into a nature preserve of sorts with
a wide variety of wild animals and birds.

"We've decided to do a wildlife sanctuary in our backyard because we already
have deer and many other animals come," said Pamella Vincent, 17, a senior at
Gwinn High School. "It will be really cool to see different animals come because
of the trees."

In the eight-acre area, "we already have Sand Hill Cranes, and deer and coyotes
there, so we are trying to get more animals to come," said Paige Vincent, 14, an
eighth grader at Gwinn Middle School.

The youngest sister, Gilbert Elementary School sixth grader Paula Vincent, 12,
said she has spotted cranes and "had popcorn in my hand and a crow came to eat
out of my hand.

The Vincent family are members of St. James the Less Episcopal Church in Harvey,
MI.

The girl's mom Theresa Vincent said her great-grandpa was a Cherokee chief in
Maryland who was joined by other relatives in walking the "Trail of Tears" into
the Appalachian foothills. Vincent said she has taught her daughters about the
respect Native Americans have for the land and wildlife.

"We're here to help keep the earth green and the trees are important," Theresa
Vincent said. The family believes it's important to "keep in touch with Mother
Earth" in ways that include "recycling, reducing (energy consumption) and
reusing" manmade products.

The sisters said Americans Indians have always respected the environment.

"It's always been tradition for natives that if you take something away from the
earth, you have to give it back - or give a blessing - so normally we would give
tobacco or plant trees," Paige Vincent said. "We're planting trees to give back
to Mother Nature."

With pastors from several faiths on either side outside the Messiah Lutheran
Church in Marquette, Dr. Michael Grossman said a Jewish prayer on May 2 to bless
trees 3,000 white pines being distributed to 30 churches and temples across
Marquette County.

A member of Temple Beth Sholom in Ishpeming, Grossman then translated what he
had said in Hebrew into English and explained some of the Jewish beliefs about
protecting the environment.

"We have blessings for everything in Judaism, so I just blessed the trees," said
Grossman, 56, of Ishpeming. "We are grateful to God for bringing trees from the
earth - when we eat we bless the bread - when we drink wine we bless the fruit."

"Trees are symbolic of life," Grossman said. "Trees are very important in
Judaism as I am sure they are important to all faith traditions."

Grossman planted the trees at several locations in west Marquette County and in
the city of Negaunee with help from temple members and two employees from his
office.

"We jumped at the chance to help plant the trees," said Rachel Riley, 25, while
standing next to fellow volunteer Kim McCarthy, 35, both of Negaunee. After the
long winter, "I've been meaning to get out and do some work."

Temple members helping Grossman were his wife, Helen Grossman, 40s; Dr. Cary
Gottlieb, 50; and Judd Johnston.

"The trees have been planted both on my property in Negaunee Township and along
the Heritage Trail in Negaunee," Gottlieb said.

Speaking at the NMU EK student team Sacred Planet series, Grossman said Jews
"believe we are guests of the earth and that the earth is sacred."

Citing the writings and beliefs of ancient Jewish mystics, Grossman said Tikkun
Olam (repairing the world) involves acts of environmental protection.

"In recent times Tikkun Olam has meant things like writing letters to congress
about greenhouse gases, toxic waste, and supporting your movement the
EarthKeepers" by planting trees, Grossman told the students. Tikkun Olam means
"recycling waste paper and bottles and cans - and that is important to me
because my father was a recycler."

"Jews are very tied to the earth," Grossman said. "Judaism and Jewish holidays
revolve around the sun, the moon, the weather and the harvest. In Israel, we
think of the rain and the rainy season, the dew and the dryness."

The tree project is reminiscent of an annual Jewish holiday that celebrates the
blossoming of the almond trees in Israel at the start of spring, said Dr.
Constance Arnold, Temple Beth Sholom board president.

"Tu B'Shvat is a very ancient holiday we observe yearly - this year it fell on
February 9," said Arnold. "This is a reminder of the importance of trees."

Arnold said Tu B'Shvat marks the "New Year of Trees"and Jewish customs include
tree planting and eating dried fruits and nuts during an evening meal.

"We get together on that day and have something to eat from as many of the
fruits of the tree as you can come up with," Arnold said. "We bring apricots,
cherries, olives, dates, pomegranates and cinnamon."

Gail Griffith of Marquette, the EarthKeeper Implementation Team co-chair,
brought trees to her congregation at the Marquette Unitarian Universalist Church
(MUUC).

The MUUC planted seedlings in a Memorial Garden on their property near Harvey,
MI and other trees as a future noise buffer to the heavy M-28 traffic that
passes by their meeting house.

In Big Bay, MI, the first through fourth graders at Powell Township Schools
planted about 30 of the UU trees at several locations including in the
schoolyard and at near-by Perkins Park.

"The students really took on a great deal of empathy for the trees - they
carefully placed them in the holes, tucked the dirt around, created moats, stood
up the sticks," said teacher Kathy Wright. "Most kids visit their trees
faithfully, sometimes leaving little special rocks or giving the trees and extra
drink."

MUUC member Nancy Irish while "digging and watering" UU members "talked about
how big they would be 20 years from now, and how we might drive by and remember
the day that 12,000 trees were planted all across the U.P."

Northern Michigan Quakers planted approximately 50 trees during the EarthKeeper
project.

David McCowen of Lake Superior Friends, one of two U.P. Quaker groups, said at
one of their recent meetings a seven-year-old girl said planting trees is one
way to respect the planet.

"I think it is important to help the earth by planting trees, because it is
giving and good for the earth," the youngster said.

The Quakers quietly support the EarthKeepers and seldom publicly discuss their
daily actions that show respect for the earth, wildlife and people, McCowen
said.

One of the basic testimonials of the Quakers is "Simplicity of Living," McCowen
said. "A modern outgrowth of that testimonial is care for the environment."

"Being planters of the trees helps us personally take part in continuing that
creation," McCowen said. "Here in the U.P. it is easy to take trees for granted,
but trees are a major part of the surroundings that we love."

"The technical benefits of trees are well known: carbon sequestration, sound
buffers, wind breaks, wildlife habitat, fuel source, cellulose fiber source,"
McCowen said. "But faith communities have the privilege and responsibility of
unselfishly considering the natural environment as being inherently desirable."

Lake Superior Friends Meeting member Jim Smit of Harvey said that "stewardship
of the earth finds its roots in the biblical account of creation."

"Adam's job was to cultivate a garden filled with beautiful trees that produced
good fruit," Smit said.

"Six times in the creation story the writer pauses to say that God looked at
what he had made, and behold, it was very good," Smit said, adding "the
implication is that we are meant to celebrate the earth and protect it."

In Chocolay Township, seven-year-old Isabelle Gostomski was dressed in her
finest Sunday dress as she and her father planted a seedling in their front
yard.

"Today was my first communion and I got this (tree) for a present." said
Gostomski, the daughter of Jennifer and Greg Gostomski. The family attends St.
Louis the King parish in Harvey, MI.

Bahá`í Steve Lockwood showed the amateur foresters "some trees that he planted
that are twenty years old and they were a lot taller than me," said Eve McCowen,
12, about her fourth participation in a hands-on EarthKeeper environment project
.

"I knew they (the seedlings) might be really big trees in 20 years," said the
home-schooled sixth grader. She is the daughter of Dennis and Lisa McCowen of
Marquette, MI.

Eve remembers being a nine-year-old unloading cars and stacking broken computers
almost a big as she was during the 2006 EarthKeeper Electronic (e-waste) Clean
Sweep that garnered over 320 tons of e-waste across the Upper Peninsula.

The next year Eve dumped countless bags of old medicines and personal products
like shampoo into the proper containers during the 2007 Earth Keeper
Pharmaceutical Clean Sweep that saw over one ton of pills turned in by northern
Michigan residents.

"If we cut down all the trees there won't be any more trees," Eve McCowen said.
"The animals can't live in nests in trees if there are no trees."

Bahá`ís took turns using a heavy steel rod to poke planting holes in the soil
and planted the seedlings," she said. "After we put the tree in the ground and
we put dirt around it."

Trees and the environment are much more than a cause to Bahá`ís because "this
world and nature is the embodiment of the name of God, the creator, the maker,"
said Dr. Rodney Clarken, chair of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá`ís
of Marquette

"When we look at nature, we see the name of God reflected in all of God's
creation - but in nature particularly we see that image of God in the same way
we see the image of God in the human being," Clarken said.

Negaunee Township resident Ronald Heikkila planted 31 red pine seedlings around
his home.

"What you do is to try not to get roots in their," Heikkila said while planting
a tree.

"Look at all the nightcrawlers," Heikkila said "I can't believe the quality of
this soil - if you wanted to go fishing here would be the place to come."

In Escanaba, MI, volunteers from the First Presbyterian Church and the Central
United Methodist Church separated and bagged 1,000 trees.

In Cornell, 100 red pines were planted at a camp about 12 miles from Escanaba
owned by Paul and Denise DeHaan, who are members of the First Presbyterian
Church in Escanaba.

"We planted approximately 100 trees on an area of clear cut land," said
Presbyterian Earth Keeper Jill Martin of Ford River Township.

Paul DeHann said his daughter Maggie "will remember planting these trees and
come out here as an adult to see them quite a bit bigger."

A member of First Presbyterian Church in Escanaba, Martin said children at her
church "planted three trees into planters in the sanctuary."

Martin said a young girl jumped over a planted seedling so that when the tree
was big she could say: "I jumped over that tree."

"Many people paused in thought when I suggested that a Red Pine could live 400
years," Martin said. "It is a wonderful feeling when you know that 400 years
into the future this simple act in God's creation could still be here as
testament to our faith."

In Marquette, Lutheran Pastor Tim Bernard blessed the same group of trees three
times on May 3 during two Sunday services at Messiah Lutheran Church and one
service at St. Mark's Lutheran Church.

"These trees have been blessed three times which is a very Trinitarian number -
they will grow profusely and abundantly," Rev. Bernard joked at the final
service evoking laughter from the congregation.

Dozens of second grade children ages 7 and 8 spent the week planting seedlings
they were given on May 2 during a rehearsal of their first communion the next
day at St. Michael Catholic Church in Marquette.

"Bless these trees in the name of all that is holy and divine," said Rev.
Monsignor John "Jed" E. Jenkins while forming the sign of the cross and
sprinkling holy water on the seedlings that were then given to the children. "We
sprinkle them with this holy water as a sign of the blessing."

Giving trees to the St. Michael students to commemorate their first communion
"is sponsored by our Christian Service Committee here at the parish," said Sally
Luft of Marquette, a committee member.

In Sagola, MI, a rainbow appeared over the Grace Presbyterian Church as about 30
EarthKeeper volunteers spent three hours bagging 1,500 seedlings.

The trees were blessed by Rev. David Anderson and distributed to seven other
churches including Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian and the non-EarthKeeper
Mission Covenant Church in Foster City.

The Presbyterian and Catholic volunteers in Sagola came in all ages and included
three generations of one family. At night's end, children scurried around the
church picking up pine needles to help with the clean up.

Sue Piasini of Sagola said her two-year-old grandson Mason Anderson planted
trees at his home in Felch and outside her office at the North Dickinson Head
Start Center.

"Mason put every tree into every whole he was told - he was so cute," Piasini
said. "He watered the trees with the watering can."

Mason is the son of Fawn and Steve Anderson of Felch.

North Dickinson Nordic Head Start students planted trees with help from
preschool assistant classroom coordinator Mary Beth Schuiteman of Kingsford, MI
and preschool classroom coordinator Sue Piasini.

Schuiteman is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Kingsford. Piasini is a
member of the Grace Presbyterian Church in Sagola.

Late Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan Bishop James Kelsey was remembered
at several events during the tree planting including at the Page Center in
Little Lake, MI.

Members of the Episcopal Ministry Discernment Team representing the 27
congregations of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan gathered at the
center on May 2 "for a time of reflection and fellowship."

Two red pine trees were planted on either side of the main entry to the Kelsey
Cottage, one seedling was planted in memory of Bishop Kelsey, and the second as
symbol of diocese renewal.

Bishop Kelsey, one of the founders of the EarthKeepers and the first signer of
the interfaith EarthKeeper Covenant, was killed in a June 2007 traffic accident.

"I think he'd try to find a place for a tree in his own yard for one and he'd
want to plant one at the Page Center at one at the office," said Jane Cisluycis,
Diocesan Operations Coordinator.

Kelsey would be "pleased that the EarthKeepers are getting stronger and
continuing and more people are getting involved," said Kathy Lenten a member of
the diocese Episcopal Ministry Support Team.

The EarthKeeper Tree Project "had people of all ages and faiths working together
towards another common goal; improving the Great Lakes environment that we live
in," said Lindquist, who co-founded the EarthKeeper Initiative with Rev. Jon
Magnuson, the executive director of the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in
Marquette.

The tree projects fits the goals of the Superior Watershed Partnership like
protecting water quality and preventing erosion, said Natasha Koss, Superior
Watershed Partnership development director.

Koss said trees are a "symbol of life and represent something that is living and
something we can easily put into the ground."

Humans "are connected to the earth through our trees" that are a sign "of how
well the environment is doing," said Larry Pagel, Messiah Lutheran Church
congregation president and NMU business professor.

That simple act of sitting under trees is a uniquely human desire that will be
fulfilled for centuries to come because of the planting project, said Bishop
Skrenes.

"Just think of the people that will sit under these trees, admire these trees,
look at these trees and breathe the oxygen produced by these trees - just think
of all those people for centuries ahead," Skrenes said.

Experts say 12,000 mature trees absorb 3 million pounds of carbon dioxide
annually and produce enough oxygen to support 24,000 humans.

From 2005-2007, over 15,000 U.P. residents turned in more than 360 tons of
household hazardous waste at a dozen collection sites across the U.P. Most of
the items were recycled and the remainder was properly disposed under federal
guidelines including electronic waste (e-waste) like computers, monitors and
printers plus cell phones, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, oil-based
paint and vehicle batteries. Last year the EarthKeepers provided a household
energy conservation checklist that prevented over 3 million pounds of carbon
from being released into the atmosphere, Lindquist said.

Related EarthKeeper and topic websites:

U.P. EarthKeeper Team:
http://www.upearthkeepers.org

Nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, MI
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org

Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org

Bodhi Tree:

Sacred Destinations:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/bodhgaya-bodhi-tree.htm

Buddha Net:
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd23.htm

Bodhi Tree Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_tree

Wiki Photos:

Mahabodhi tree (Sacred Fig) next to the Mahabodhi Temple, the spot where
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment:
Feb. 1996 photo by William Pfeifer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mahabodhitree.jpg

High resolution photo:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Mahabodhitree.jpg

Bodhisattva:
Wikiepedia on Bodhisattva:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva

Do-gen Zenji: Zen Buddhism founder Dogen, Japanese Monk founder of Zen in
Thirteenth Century:

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgen

Public domain image of Dogen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DogenP2.JPG

Answers.com:
http://www.answers.com/topic/japanese-buddhism