R2008-05: A resolution to adopt principles of just and environmentally sustainable community economic development

Resolved, that the Diocese of Southern Ohio, gathered in the 134th diocesan convention, adopts the following principles of environmentally sustainable community economic development:

I. Development strategies should focus on workforce development, local small business formation, and strengthening local food systems and family farms. Strategies that depend on resource extraction are not sustainable and should be discouraged.

II. Development must be accountable to the democratic process. “We the people” must have a central role in making decisions that affect our lives and livelihood.   Development decisions should be made in the light of day, with transparent procedures, and public hearings. Elected officials should be responsible to the needs and concerns of constituents, especially the most vulnerable among them.

III. Development should not pose excessive risks to the environment or adversely affect the health of people and other living things.

IV. Development should benefit the poorest members of affected communities and lead to shared prosperity. A living wage, fair working conditions, and the rights of labor, including the right to organize, should be respected.

V. Development decisions should pay special attention to the impact on Appalachian communities, communities of color, and other vulnerable communities, and be it further

Resolved that the Diocese of Southern Ohio commends the document “Just, Reasonable and Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio” as the beginning point for a developing conversation about environmentally sustainable community economic development, and be if further

Resolved that the Social Justice and Public Policy Network assist congregations in developing this conversation and report the results of their efforts to Diocesan Council.