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  • Dayton Divests

    In June 2014, the University of Dayton became the first Catholic university in the United States to announce their divestment from coal and fossil fuels. Members of the university staff see this move as part of the university’s commitment to “being a responsible steward of the Earth’s natural resources.” This decision was commended by the president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Their decision was one inspired by faith reflection as well as a commitment to financial stability for the university.

    Beyond divesting from coal and fossil fuels, the university has taken further steps to move their campus toward efficiency and sustainability. The university now has two full time employees who work to improve campus sustainability and offers academic programs in these areas as well. The University of Dayton is also home to the Hanley Sustainability Institute.

  • Pope Tells Oil Executives to Act on Climate: "There Is No Time to Lose’”

    This past Saturday, the pope gathered leaders of the world’s largest oil companies for a closed-door conference at the Vatican. He commended oil and gas companies for progress made in developing more careful approaches to assess of climate risk and adjustments made to their business practices. However, these actions are not enough. Pressure has been building on oil and gas companies to transition to less polluting forms of energy, often coupled with the threat of fossil-fuel divestment.

    The pope reiterated his call for a transition from fossil fuels “to a greater use of energy sources that are highly efficient while producing low levels of pollution.” He emphasized that the poor who would suffer the most from the effects global warming. And that we owe it to the poorer countries and future generations.

  • Irish Bishops Announce Divestment from Fossil Fuels Ahead of the Pope's Visit

    The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference announced it would divest from fossil fuels hours before the arrival of Pope Francis. The bishop's move means withdrawing investments in 200 oil and gas companies within five years. The bill was introduced in the Irish Parliament, requiring the country’s sovereign wealth fund to divest from all fossil fuels. If the Irish bill passes, it will make Ireland the first government to divest from fossil fuels.

  • Presbyterians and Climate Change

    This article posted on Yale Climate Connections discusses grassroots efforts of Presbyterian organizations, and notes specific time frames of salient Presbyterian accomplishments with regard to climate change. The following excerpt provides a general overview of their goals and mission:

    "Presbyterians are engaged in many activities to combat climate change, from Earth Forums to hunger programs addressing food and climate crises and protests against practices that encourage reliance on coal. Since 2010, the Presbyterian Church has given 80 congregations an Earth Care Congregation Certification for demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental care."

  • Episcopal Church, Church of Sweden, ELCA commitment: "Sustaining hope in the face of climate change"

    The heads The Episcopal Church, the Church of Sweden, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) signed a joint commitment to climate statement. The following are five salient points from their commitment:

    "1) Advocate for national and international policies and regulations that enable a swift transition from dependence on fossil fuels to clean, safe, renewable energy, and for economic systems that are fair and just.

    2) Sustain an interfaith, international conversation around climate change and social and economic justice while working to keep climate change in the public’s attention.

    3) Encourage our faith communities to deeper theological reflection on the moral and ethical response to climate change, and then to make public witness about climate change through advocacy at the local, national and international levels.

    4) Invite our communities to prayerfully consider how their own actions, lifestyle choices – particularly our energy consumption -- affect the environment.

    5) Offer our communities continued opportunities to learn about climate change and the universal church’s response to this crisis."

  • Coronavirus, Faith Leaders, and Sustainable Development

    An event organized by the United Nations Environment Progamme and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency led a digital conference to discuss innovation to combat the environmental crisis in light of the COVID-19. The Faith for Earth Initiative calls for interfaith collaboration to combat environment problems. In the midst of a global crisis, the UN encourages this time to be used for innovation and educational progression. This quote from Iyad Abumoghi summarizes the mission:


    “'The coronavirus pandemic is focusing hearts and minds, says the director of Faith for Earth, Iyad Abumoghli. “Faith for Earth is mobilizing youth, the leaders of faith-based organizations, as well as scientists and theologians to work together for innovative change to speed up sustainable development.'”

  • Zero Net Energy Grants

    The Mennonite Creation Care Network published information on how a Mennonite Church congregation can qualify and get approved for a grant from the Pam De Young Net Zero Energy Fund. The grant would allow congregations to install solar panels, car charging stations, or other sustainable improvements. Any Mennonite Church USA congregations willing to become more sustainable are eligible for the grant.

  • The Jewish Cantor Raises Up Themes of Thanksgiving

    Before the Thanksgiving holiday fades entirely from memory, I wanted to share a thoughtful op-ed published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by Rachel Rhodes, a Jewish leader in Virginia. The link below discusses her reflections on Jewish links to the natural world and good tidings from the mountains.

  • Laudato Si’ in Columbus: Bishop Campbell Regales OSU Students with Historical Overview of Catholic Tradition

    Bishop Campbell spoke to OSU students about Laudato Si', specifically regarding how Catholic tradition develops the context for it.

    "Bishop Campbell highlighted four themes in his talk, including how Catholicism has considered nature for 2,000 years, a Catholic imagination of nature, historical trends of alienation from nature in the Western world, and a discussion of how sin – light and shadow of the world together – plays a role in our ecological situation."

    Please click on the link below to view the entire article.

  • Episcopalians Confronting Climate Change

    This article discusses American Episcopalians' concern over climate change and the impact with regard to those facing poverty. The introduction to the article is stated below:

    "In September 2011, the House of Bishops in the Episcopal Church, attending a meeting in Quito, Ecuador, sent a pastoral letter to Episcopal clergy worldwide expressing 'mounting urgency' to address climate change within church membership. The letter argued the critical need for Christians to care for all of God’s creation and urged that justice be sought for the poor, who it said will suffer most from climate change."

  • Lutherans Reflect on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

    This article discusses some of the sentiments regarding proceedings from the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. While some attendees expressed disappointment in the outcome, others were more optimistic about steps which may lead to more effective action for climate change in the future. The following excerpt provides a brief description of the event:

    "More than 3,000 ELCA members, along with a coalition of U.S. faith leaders, sent some 20,000 postcards to President Barack Obama, urging him to be at the meeting, she said. Obama attended the conference and urged leaders of Brazil, China, India and South Africa to join the United States 'to fund developing nations' projects to deal with droughts,
    floods and other impacts of climate change, and to develop clean energy,' among other agreements, according to a U.N. news release."

  • Why Lutherans Care for Creation

    This article discusses how various concepts of Lutheran theology are woven into ecological messages with regard to God as creator, human interactions, and ways of worship. The following is a section from the introduction of the article, emphasizing human responsibility towards care for the Earth:

    "For Christians, care of the Earth is not an 'environmental cause.' Rather, it is central to our holy calling to treasure the Earth and to care for it as our common home, fully integrating creation-care into our love of God and neighbor. Without sacrificing the transformational effects of the 16th-century Reformation, we are called to embrace an eco-reformation that will re-examine and rethink how we read the Bible, how we can expand the scope of our theology, how we can reconfigure our personal vocation and our common ethic, how we worship, how we organize our church life together, and how we understand ourselves as creatures within creation as a whole. This call to continuing reformation is for the whole church, not solely for the committed. Earth care is not an add-on. It is not just for those who happen to be interested in it. It is a call for all Christians to participate in this great work of our time."

  • Five Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent Alarm

    This article covers Pope Francis's reaction to the world governments responses to climate change. The Pope writes to unite people through religion in an effort to bring awareness to the movement. The article details how the church is divesting in fossil fuel companies. The article also focuses on the political divide and how it affects people's views on the climate crisis.

  • GOP Rep. Mike Simpson: "It’s my party, and I’ll fight climate change if I want to"

    An article published on Grist.org that covers Congressman Mike Simpson's views on salmon conservation. Simpson's statements are noteworthy for sustainability and religion as he is going against Republican party views by acknowledging an issue with climate change and the environment with his religious views. It is reported that his speech was obviously fueled by a spiritual obligation to preserve salmon as he describes salmon as incredible God created creatures and that their cycle of life should not be messed with. It is also important to note he was already elected for his 11th term in the house, so it is less likely that his more left leaning statements come from a desire to secure votes.

  • How to Green your Parish

    This article is about the importance of parishes to participate in environmentally sustainable actions based on Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’. It encourages parishes to strive to become more eco-friendly by taking work together as a community and focusing on change one issue at a time. The article focuses on three main areas: reducing the parishes greenhouse gas, sustaining food and land use, and preserving water.