The following is from the General Board of Global Ministries web page. This is important; let's do what we can to help!

UMW Green Team's Letter Writing Campaign for Processed Chlorine-Free (PCF) Paper

United Methodist Women's Green Team calls on all United Methodist women to participate in a letter-writing campaign that calls on Wausau-Mosinee Corporation (a paper mill) and YUM! Brands, Inc. (a restaurant supplier) to produce, carry and/or use PCF third party certified paper.
Background:
The Women's Division has carried out a serious of campaigns calling for PCF paper with Kinko's and Staples over the past two quadrennia. Kinko's makes a practice of stocking their copy machines with PCF paper as well as stocking them on their shelves. We have since added Office Depot, Office Max and Corporate Express to the list of companies to send such letters. We continue to work with these companies.
The Green Team is now calling on United Methodist Women to add two more companies in this campaign to put pressure on a paper mill and a restaurant company, both of whom relate to paper production and supplying. This is a move toward expanding the sphere of influence on environmentally sound paper production and purchasing.
Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation:With more than 100 years of experience, Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corporation is one of the industry's leading producers of fine printing and writing, specialty products and towel and tissue papers.
Yum! Brands, Inc.:Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, is the world's largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants with over 34,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. Restaurants use an enormous amount of paper products. Several years ago, United Methodist Women joined the entire United Methodist Church in its boycott of Taco Bell (a subsidiary company of Yum! Brands, Inc.), pertaining to wage concerns, and it responded positively by raising the price of tomatoes per pound to benefit the farm workers who pick them.

Sample letters can be found at www.gbgm-umc.org/umw

Did you know that paper is usually bleached with CHLORINE?
What does chlorine do in the process? Chlorine-bleaching produces a toxin, called DIOXIN, into the air, waterways, soil - which then enters our bodies. It is harmful to the environment and to human health, not just near paper mills but anywhere in the globe and can cause:
Breast cancer
Miscarriages & birth defects
Impaired child development
Respiratory diseases
Diabetes
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT REDUCING DIOXIN?
Buy Chlorine-Free paper
Use alternatives to chlorinated products that do not produce dioxin
Look for chlorine free label on paper products, either PCF or TCF
It's a bit more expensive, but that's your investment in your health and your children's health
Avoid buying products with terms like "vinyl", "PVC", "ballistic look"
Recycle paper, plastics and metals for less dioxin produced at the incinerator
WHAT ABOUT USE OF WATER? Bleaching paper with chlorine uses 20 times more WATER than using a chlorine-free alternative: It takes 10.15 gallons of H2O to produce a 6 ½ oz. booklet with chlorine; using a chlorine-free alternative uses less than a half gallon per booklet.
CAN WE GET WHITE PAPER WITHOUT CHLORINE?
Yes!
Oxygen bleaching
hydrogen peroxide
Scriptural Basis: Isaiah 65:17-18For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight.
Policy Base: 2004 Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church Steps toward a Dioxin-Free Future, p. 75-77Environmental Justice for a Sustainable Future, p. 83-89
Contact Person: Sung-ok Lee, Women's Division, Office of Community Action, SLee@gbgm-umc.org; 212-870-3766, 475 Riverside Dr. Room 1502, New York, NY10115.

What's new with the UMW?

On October 7th there will be a one day School of Christian Mission event at St. Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch.

October 8th will be the first Mission Marketplace of the Fall. There will be baked goods and other items to buy in Fellowship Hall from 8 A.M. until 12:3o P.M.

October 13th is the Circle for the Woman's Soul meeting at 6:30 P.M. in the North Parlor. We will learn about three different traditions from three different religions and how they work into our own. Dessert and child care provided.

October 21st is the unit meeting in the South Parlor. Joan Howard, presidential historian, will be our speaker. Brunch is at 9:30 and the program will begin at 10 A.M. Child care available.

October 27th & 28th is the Rocky Mountain UMW Annual Conference at Lakewood UMC.

There are 7 circles at Trinity; each offering something different. Our invitation to you is always open. Join us and see what a difference we can make!

Circle for the Woman's Soul

The first meeting of the new circle, Circle for the Woman's Soul, will be Friday, February 17th at 6:30 P.M. at Trinity. Our program will be a belly dancing lesson. Snacks and child care provided. Parking in the north lot is free.

Future programs include homemade card making, gingerbread houses, quilting, aromatherapy, and bread making.

Submit ideas and questions right here!

New times, new technologies

The October 2005 Board of Directors meeting authorized the Women's Division to launch the first, official UMW Online Community. The primary purpose is to enhance the ways our members communicate with each other. By harnessing the power of new technologies, it will be possible for women around the world to participate in online Bible studies, to share knowledge, experiences, ideas, reflections, and much more. Now, United Methodist Women (UMW) will have a common platform from which to move beyond the traditional limitations of time and space, as they dialogue and learn from shared experiences as well as best practices.

Young women -- the ones in school, the young professionals and the new moms -- have limited time for face to face meetings. Many women are juggling their families, their education, and their jobs. At the same time, they have interest in and need for deepening their spiritual lives and engagement in mission, but a local unit meeting on Wednesday morning or evening is simply impossible.

In addition, the Online Community will provide opportunities for life-long members of United Methodist Women, no longer able to attend meetings because of health or mobility issues, to participate actively. Moreover, those living in other countries, and those who reside in the U.S., will be able to interact fully with other women around the world.

Circle for the Women's Soul

The purpose of this group is to discover the God-given talents we all possess. We will learn different activities to enhance our lives (e.g. gardening, aromatherapy, quilting, yoga, canning, pottery, etc). Meeting times and places to be announced. If you have a talent to share or you would like to join please contact Jill at 303-280-1724 or JRampacek@comcast.net.

How do you see the UMW?

I have a lifelong history with the UMW. I attended meetings with my Grandma when I was little and most of the women in my family are active members. I know this is not true for lots of us. What do you know or want to know about the UMW? What does it mean to you? Where do you see the UMW in the future? What can it do for you? Thanks for your input!

Local projects

The UMW here at Trinity UMC, Denver have a long list of mission projects both local and worldwide benefitting women and children that we support. I ran across this article about the new faces of homelessness- women and children- who now make up 40% of Denver's homeless population. It also mentions one of the projects we support called the Delores Project. Here's the link to the article: http://www.denverpost.com/lifestyles/ci_2924097 . Tell us what you think.

Welcome Everyone!

Do you blog? Well, here's your opportunity! The programs, announcements, and any other communications of the online Trinity UMW circle will be in this format. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to each posting. If you have any questions please email JRampacek@comcast.net.