CHRISTEN  E.  CIVILETTO

The emerging toxic water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is about more than water. It's about moving swiftly to help those who’ve been affected by this travesty. It's about righting some terrible wrongs. It’s about accountability. Transparency. In short, it’s about morality. Here’s the basic facts: The city of Flint, Michigan, was in serious financial trouble. The state took over management of the city’s budget. In an attempt to save money, in April of 2014, state officials decide

There’s a new concept gaining steam on the international scene. It’s called "environmental peacebuilding” or “environmental peacemaking” (and sometimes “environmental mediation”). It’s based on the principle that our common dependence on the natural world—clean water, fresh air, usable timber, or accessible oil, metals and minerals—can provide a pathway to peace for parties in conflict. Put another way, it’s the idea that cooperation among countries is essential because natur

YOUR Glory, Lord, is evident everywhere in Creation—from the graceful arches of the willow tree, to the deep, abiding peace that comes with the crash of ocean waves. You are the creative force behind the spider’s web, the artist’s eye, the mountain’s craggy silhouette. Thank you for the cicadas that provide the backdrop to summer nights. For the whitewash covering of snow. Thank you for crisp air tinged with the smell of decaying leaves. For spring’s earthy aroma that evokes

More jobs! For decades, politicians have harped on the need for more jobs as the remedy for poverty. It’s the way to revive dying cities, they say. The path for bettering your circumstances, paying for college, securing your family’s future. Jobs are the answer. But perhaps those politicos have overlooked something. It’s hard to work when you’re sick. It’s hard to ace the job interview when you’re loopy from pain meds. Or when your eyes are red from lack of sleep. It’s hard t