News
Ethics of Energy is the NCC Eco-Justice Theme for 2012. Read more here.
Chesapeake Covenant Community works with Washington, DC metro area to start a Watershed Stewards Academy designed specifically for the faith community. Read the syllabus here.
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon hosts an Earth Care Summit. Click here to read about it.
First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee organized concert to stop mountaintop removal coal mining. Read the story here.
Op Ed: "Only Faith Should Move Mountains," Click here to read this piece published in the Roanoke Times by National Council of Churches advocate and Baptist, Rev. Greg Griffey.
New United Methodist Creation care ministry forms. Click here to read the press release and email Rev. Pat Watkins to get involved.
Preach-ins on climate change were held across the nation in conjuction with an "Earth Words" sermon contest February 11-12. They were organized by Interfaith Power and Light. Click here to read about the contest. Read details about the preach-in here.
Get Involved
Tell Congress and the Administration: Only God Should Move Mountains. Click here to sign our petition to stop this unusually cruel and irreversibly damaging practice that harms God's Creation and vulnerable communities.
Voices of Grandparents, Great Aunts, and Uncles Needed Now to Protect Children's Health. Protect today's children and future generations from toxic chemicals and chronic illness. Click here to read and sign the letter that will be hand delivered to Congress.
Young Adult Fellowship Announced. The NCC Eco-Justice Programs will once again host a fellowship retreat for emerging eco-justice ministry professionals age 40 and under. Click here to email Cassandra for application information or if you wish to contribute.
Order Eco-Palms for Palm Sunday. Americans purchase as much as $4.5 million worth of palms each year. Imagine if all those palms were harvested sustainably and with worker justice. Click here to order sustainably harvested eco-palms for your church.
Events
Growing Stronger Churches: Going Green. United Church of Christ Pennsylvania Central Conference. March 10, 2012 9:30-2:00pm. Click here.
Moravian Environmental Stewardship Conference March 23-25 in Laurel Ridge, NC. Get more information here.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days. March 23-25 in Washington, DC. "Is this the Fast I Seek? Economic Justice, Livelihood, and Our National Priorities." Sign up for eco-justice workshops linking economic justice and eco-justice on topics such as fracking and mountaintop removal, environmental health in low-income communities, and exploring our own relationships with consumption and materialism. Click here to register.
Caring for Creation Conference. United Methodist Church conference featuring Dr. Bill McKibben of 350.org, Dr. Matt Watson of Appalachian Voices, Rev. Pat Watkins of Caretakers of God's Creation, John Hill of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, and representatives from the EPA. March 18-22 in Lake Junaleska, NC. Get details here.
Eco-Stewards Summer Stewardship Seminar. Young adults will gather June 2-9 in Boston and Vermont. Apply by March 1. This is an ecumenical program co-sponsored by Presbyterians for Earth Care and the Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center Association. Click here to learn about the program and apply.
Food, Glorious Food: The Eucharist and Your Foodshed. June 18-24, join this seminar from the Earth-Honoring Faith Series at the PC(USA) Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. Click here.
Resources
Ending Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining: Prayer, Preaching, and Study Resources. Mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying God's Creation and permanently impoverishing the people of Appalachia. Download resources to help pray, teach, and preach against mountaintop removal here.
Energy Stewardship: Using Smart Grids and Emerging Technologies for Protecting God's Creation We all use energy in our personal lives, work lives, and faith lives. Yet our use of energy often comes at a cost to God’s planet and people. This guide educates readers about emerging technologies that can help reduce energy usage. Click here to download.
Earth Day is Sunday, April 22. Click here to download your copy of the 2012 "Ethics of Energy" Earth Day Sunday resource now.
Lenten resources abound! Join the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast on Facebook and/or via daily email. Presbyterian Church (USA) has again released a "Tread Lightly for Lent" calendar and Presbyterians for Earth care has released a weekly Lenten devotional. The Ecumenical Water Network will once again offer Seven Weeks for Water, themed this year around economic justice. The Anglican Communion is offering a five session study process called "And it Was Good." The Earth and Spirit Center offers Lent 4.5, a seven week faith formation program focused on simple living. Society of St. Andrew is putting out a devotional on hunger themes, with an emphasis on gleaning and food waste.
Cambialo Children's Resource will Soon be jointly released by PC(USA) Environmental Ministries and Office of Child Advocacy. Click here to learn about it.
Green Faith congregational food audit and green congregation certification program. Click here to learn about Green Faith's Congregational Food Audit resources, and click here to learn how to become certified by Green Faith as a green congregation.
Friending Planet Earth - Helping Youth Understand Solidarity and Sustainability in Light of Climate Change. A resource from the Catholic Climate Covenant designed for Catholic youth. Click here.
Book: A Hopeful Earth: Faith, Science, and the Message of Jesus. Click here to view the book, and here to view the faith study guide. Written by Minnesota United Methodist Bishop Sally Dyck and her niece scientest Sarah Ehrman, this book makes a case for why Christians should be a strong force for caring for God's Creation.
Water Ethics Network offers new online space for sharing and reflecting on water justice here.
Worldviews: Global Religions, Cultures, and Ecology. A new international academic journal that addresses how cultural and ecological developments influence the world's major religions, thus shaping peoples' attitudes toward ecology. Click here.
