March 6, 2009
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper

More than 300 million palm fronds are harvested each year for use in the United States, mostly for Palm Sunday worship and floral displays for church-related events, according to Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Baltimore. But the overproduction of palms threatens forests and the livelihoods of families who harvest palms in Guatemala, Mexico and elsewhere. Typically, palm harvesting is done by residents 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 quantity 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 results in less income for those who do the harvesting, LWR reports.

To ensure palms are harvested in an environmentally sustainable way, some Lutherans are purchasing "eco-palms" for Palm Sunday, April 5, 2009. LWR has partnered with the Chamaedorea Palm Certification Project to build support for eco-palms in the United States. The project helps harvesters earn a fair income for their labor, which helps limit the amount of palms taken from the forest. "The supply chain in agricultural work brings us face-to-face with issues of child labor, human trafficking, pesticides and other issues that we don't see on a day to day basis," said Patricia Zerega, director, ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh. "It is good to know that things as simple as the palms we purchase for Palm Sunday can make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters throughout the world."

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.

ELCA News Service