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  • San Diego Creation Care Team Success Stories

    Catholic Climate Covenant has created two short videos to discuss how different churches in the San Diego diocese in California have worked to be better stewards of God’s creation. The parish of Our Mother of Confidence in San Diego, California, has taken action to reduce water and energy usage while the Saint James Parish and Academy in Solana Beach, California, has implemented environmentally conscious projects and initiatives in their community.

  • God’s Gift of Water

    Creation Justice Ministries encourages Christian communities to consider water as a sacred gift from God that connects and sustains all life. They have created a free Christian education resource on water that includes liturgical resources, sermon starters, and ideas to take action.

  • Columbus Catholic School becomes Designated GreenSpot School

    The GreenSpot School designation indicates that a school has taken initiatives to educate their students and staff about sustainability, water issues, conserving energy, reducing waste, and green transportation. St. Mary School Catholic school has become the first in Columbus to earn this designation. They have implemented a recycling program, local garden, and composting, which qualified them to become a GreenSpot School. They have created a short video of students discussing their engagement and staff discussing the impact of becoming a GreenSpot School.

  • Water

    The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Presbyterian Mission website provides some helpful resources on critical water issues, with a special focus on the problems that result from fracking. Included are additional resources to learn more about fracking. With regard to community specific issues, they provide suggestions to encourage residents to investigate, educate, and act to take appropriate measures to alleviate the problems.

  • Report and Recommendations on Limited Water Resources and Takings

    The 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. put forth this report on recommendations regarding critical water issues. The first half discusses water with regard to ethical considerations and sustainability. The second part provides an action/study guide that is designed for individual use as well as educational purposes.

  • Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice

    This report was adopted by the 202nd General Assembly (1990) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Their Committee on Social Witness Policy urges the assembly to adopt specified policies within the document. The report covers of multitude of critical environmental issues, with sound policy recommendations and actions that congregations can take to support the myriad of sustainability issues.

  • Water

    The World Council of Churches discuss the issues of access to fresh water in various parts of the world and its impact on the survival of many communities, as well as biodiversity in general. The following excerpt provides more detailed information on this environmental injustice:

    "The survival of 1.2 billion people is currently in jeopardy due to lack of adequate water and sanitation. For the same reason, the lives of 6,000 children are lost every day. For those struggling with HIV/AIDS, poor or no water is yet another barrier to overcome.

    In today’s world unequal access to water causes conflicts between and among people, communities, regions and nations. These conflicts exist in areas where there is a lack of water or where the main part of the water resource is polluted. Very often in these situations the poorest people bear the heaviest burden."

  • Wanted: Innovative Farmers to Help Slow Algal Bloom on Lake Erie

    The Christian Science Monitor has written an article discussing how agricultural nutrients in the Maumee River, Lake Erie’s biggest source of pollution, are reaching record proportions. Most nutrient pollution is caused by large storms, and with climate change, these storms are becoming increasingly more common. The USDA reports that farmers are making headway toward reducing nutrient pollution on a voluntary basis, but many researchers say that these efforts are not sufficient. A recent report suggests additional outreach, an increased focus of conservation dollars, and mandated soil testing.

    Wetland restoration – bringing back bits of the Black Swamp— can play a pivotal role in clearing algal bloom in Lake Erie. The Black Swamp Conservancy is currently working on turning 60 acres back into swamp in northwestern Ohio. William Mitsch, a retired Ohio State University professor and wetlands expert, hopes to eventually restore a tenth of the Black Swamp (about 100,000 acres) to provide a substantial cleaning of Lake Erie.

  • Cleveland's St. Casimir Church Implements Green Infrastructure Practices

    St. Casimir Church of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese wins the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District's Green Infrastructure Grant! The church will be implementing permeable pavers, and rain water basins with the grant. This effort helps give stormwater new life and redirect water pollution. St. Casimir's expresses gratitude for their community's support. Read more at the link below.

  • The Importance of Water to Faith Communities, and How to Conserve it!

    The Ohio Interfaith Power and Light provides information on the spiritual importance of water, along with a teaching activity for the topic. The attached also includes tips on how to help your congregation conserve water.

  • Saving Buffalo Reef

    This 11-minute video, by the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), informs the viewer of the natural, cultural, and economic importance of Buffalo Reef. This reef is located off the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, in Lake Superior. Buffalo Reef is currently under ecological distress due to local mining activities. Current Tribal, State, Federal, and Academic efforts are underway to help restore this significant environmental feature, as documented in this video.

  • Congregational Profile: St Francis of Assisi parish Creation Care Team, Columbus, OH

    When St. Francis of Assisi’s Creation Care Team volunteered to take responsibility for caring for the church’s flower and vegetable gardens in the summer of 2018 it faced a challenge: how to dispose of yard waste in a responsible manner. The parish did not have resources to hire a vendor to appropriately dispose of leaves and garden debris and hauling it away in our private cars while possible would take extra time. The Team members did know though that we did not want to continue to toss the yard waste in the trash, which is what had previously been done.
     
    Luckily a solution was at hand: a new member of our parish and our Creation Care Team—Todd Marti-- serves as one of the “garden stewards” at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church’s community garden at Mill Run. Todd volunteered to haul away the yard waste from St. Francis and add it to the compost bins at the community garden. So St. Francis’ yard waste helps grow food that when harvested feeds hungry families through Neighbors (SON) Ministries’ Hilliard Free Lunch Summer Camp for Kids program, the Hilltop, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, and through Faith Mission-- a win for all involved.

  • Engaged Organizations: Stratford Ecological Center

    The Stratford Ecological Center is an organic farm and nature preserve that provides education sessions, tours, and hiking trails to the public. They also offer various workshops and classes on an ongoing basis.

    Trinity Catholic Elementary School 4th and 5th graders participation each year in a 5-day environmental camp "Messages of the Earth" at the Stratford Ecological Center.

  • Engaged Organizations: Black Church Food Security Network

    The Black Church Food Security Network strives to provide fresh produce to historically Africa American churches within the Baltimore Metro area. Their popup farm stands provide convenience to the public as they are able to set up during times when congregation members typically gather. Ideally, members will either start their own gardens on site or expand ones that they currently maintain. Often, the farmers or urban growers will offer to lead bible studies and include food security issues as part of the sessions.

  • Toledo Grows: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

    Community Supported Agriculture is run by grassroots organization Toledo Grows. Benefits of being a CSA shareholder include receiving weekly shares of quality, fresh farm products. Shareholders also can choose between a full share (portioned for a family of 3-4 for the week) or a half share (portioned for 1 or 2).

    Members support local farmers using sustainable growing methods—no harmful chemicals; receive a variety of vegetables and herbs, including many “staples” such as carrots, lettuce, peppers, onions, etc.—whatever is ready that week; experience new vegetables; and receive recipes and tips on cooking them.

  • Profile: Todd Marti

    Todd Marti, a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Columbus, serves as a “garden steward” for the community garden located on the grounds of the Upper Arlington Lutheran Church at Mill Run. Todd’s garden stewardship is a clear reflection of his care for creation and his fellow man. Each year vegetables are planted on two-thirds of the 12,500 square feet garden. When the tomatoes, beets, squash, lettuce and other vegetables are harvested they are donated to the Hilliard Free Lunch Summer Camp for Kids, and Mid-Ohio Food Bank partner pantries. On average 10,000 pounds of produce is harvested and donated annually. Over the life of the garden 130,000 plus pounds of produce have been donated. The recipient of the Franklin Park conservatory Growing to Green Gardener of the Year Award in 2012, Todd utilizes innovative gardening practices such as companion planting and sequencing of multiple crops to enhance output. The garden helps preserve God’s creation by composting food waste and coffee grounds from local coffee shops and restaurants. Yard waste is also composed including that generated by St. Francis of Assisi from its flower and vegetable gardens.

    When he is not working in the community garden—which he is every Saturday from spring until mid-November--or recruiting volunteers to help with weeding, planting and harvesting, Todd can be found at his day job as an Assistant Attorney General for State of Ohio.

  • Bloomberg Business Posts Infographic to Show “What’s Really Warming the World?”

    Occasionally, an outstanding graphic emerges to help us understand some of the complexities of climate science, such as this recent series of graphs published by Bloomberg Business. If you have wondered how all the various factors and forcings involved in global warming interact, these infographics based on data from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies are very helpful.

  • Muslims and Water Conservation

    The United Nations recognizes World Water Day on March 22. The Muslim community is taking this message to heart with discussions of water conservation. The following excerpt provides a brief summary of the Muslim khutbah with regard to the topic of water scarcity:

    "The purpose of today’s khutbah is to remind us that the conservation of water and more broadly environmental consciousness should be an integral part of what it means to be a conscientious Muslim. An environmentally conscious Muslim is someone who lives in reverence and harmony with nature and uses water and all other natural resources frugally and sparingly."

  • Water Shield

    Water Shield is a program hosted by GreenFaith that helps congregations learn how to conserve water as well as maintain high water quality. This program promotes stewardship, and can help gain a community recognition for their efforts in the environmental awareness world. Water Shield is an eco-merit badge that is bestowed upon faith-based institutions that have taken steps to conserve water, protect water quality, and mobilize its members and community to do the same at home.

  • Changing the Columbia River Treaty

    Many groups, including faith communities, have called for a restructuring of the Columbia River Treaty. The original treaty was written in 1964, and has become outdated. The people calling for the change want the river to be valued for its ecosystem services that were not included in the original treaty.

  • World Help Providing Water for Kirinda, Uganda

    World Help, a Christian organization, is raising money to provide clean drinking water to the people of Kirinda, Uganda. They are attempting to fund three major projects, a water well, piping, and irrigation. The lack of clean sources of water for the people who live here is causing diseases and additional hardships.

  • A Sermon for World Water Day

    Susan Barnett, founder of Faiths for Safe Water, brings attention to World Water Day by highlighting award-winning filmmaker and photographer, Haik Kocharian. Haik recently releasing, “Blessed by Water,” showing rare images of water in tradition, ceremony and spirituality as celebrated by the Christian Orthodox community in Ethiopia. Susan continues to discuss the concerns of clean water worldwide: 663 million men, women and children are forced to drink low quality water; and one third of the world's population don’t even have the dignity and safety of toilets. The article concludes by encouraging church leaders to use their collective voices to advocate for increased access to safe water and sanitation in order to improve global health, nutrition, poverty, gender equality, food security, human security, and peace.

  • World Water Day Synopsis

    The United Nations and the global community in general recognize World Water Day as a reminder that much of the world faces a global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis. 663 million people—comprising mostly the poorest and most marginalized in the world—live without access to safe drinking water. In addition 2.4 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. The article suggests various ways that individuals can contribute to improving the water conditions in these areas.

  • WATERSHED: Replenishing Water Values for a Thirsty World

    This site highlights the reports and videos and resources gathered to address world water resources, sponsored by the Vatican and many other partners.

  • Christian Communities Respond to Trump’s Executive Order

    President Trump signed an executive order on March 28 directing the EPA to review the Clean Power Plan. This executive order has the possibility to dismantle important climate change protections and fails to offer an alternative plan to protect our air quality and climate stability. Many Christian communities have responded to this action and made official statements on their thoughts and about protecting the Earth.