In 2009 Rev. Nate met with executives at Monsanto to reflect upon how the field of biotechnology may be informed by the three principles of biomedical ethics: (1) nonmaleficence, do no harm; (2) beneficence, generous acts of doing good; and (3) distributive justice, achieved through the fair, equitable and appropriate distribution of food. In this context, he invited Monsanto employees to consider adopting the following oath:
I promise to use my expertise to help and not harm people, animals, and the environment. I promise to practice responsibly the ancient ethic of stewardship and the modern principle of sustainability by affirming distributive justice as a moral obligation to benefit the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.
