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273 items

  • Baptists and Climate Change

    Among the Series on Climate Change and Major Religions, this Baptists and Climate Change article serves as a message to all Baptists. Despite their wide range of views and beliefs on environmental issues, the authors urge individuals to come together and take action to care for creation as God had intended. The following excerpt highlights the current division among members:

    "The apparent contradiction between the Biblical ideals of dominance and stewardship is one of many divisions in Baptist discussions of climate change/global warming. Among more liberal American Baptist churches, members said in recent interviews, hardly anyone is a global warming 'skeptic.' But among Southern Baptists, a backlash against climate leaders is ongoing."

  • On Global Warming

    This first half of this message posted on the Southern Baptist Convention website provides some key time frames with regard to ongoing climate issues. The second half focuses on responses from/actions taken by Southern Baptists. An additional overarching theme is humans responsibility for care for creation and, in particular, the poor.

  • The United Church of Christ and Climate Change

    This article from the United Church of Christ points to specified time periods/salient highlights of their responses to various environmental issues over the past 15 years. The United Church of Christ recognizes climate and energy issues as moral and ethical issues that affect everyone. However they also acknowledge that it most negatively impacts those with the least access to resources.

  • A Resolution on Climate Change 2007 GS26

    In 2007, The United Church of Christ put forth a resolution on climate change. They acknowledge the negative impact of global warming and urge governing bodies to support measures that reduce green house gas emissions. The following is an excerpt from the 2007 resolution on climate change:

    "WHEREAS, the predicted impact of global warming will have a disproportionate impact on those living in poverty, least developed countries, the elderly and children and those least responsible for the emissions of greenhouse gases;

    THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Twenty-sixth General Synod of the United Church of Christ admits Christian complicity in the damage human beings have caused to the earth's climate system and other planetary life systems, and urges recommitment to the Christian vocation of responsible stewardship of God's creation, and expresses profound concern for the pending environmental, economic, and social tragedies threatened by global warming, to creation, human communities and traditional sacred spaces;

    WE FURTHER RESOLVE that the Twenty-sixth General Synod of the United Church of Christ urges the United States Government to respond to global warming with great urgency and firm leadership by supporting mandatory measures that reduce the absolute amount of green house gas emissions, and in particular emissions of carbon dioxide, to levels recommended by nationally and internationally recognized and respected scientific bodies;"

  • World Council of Churches Endorses Fossil Fuel Divestment

    This message from the World Council of Churches (WCC) discuss their endorsement of fossil fuel divestment (2014 Geneva, Switzerland). WCC is one of a growing number of religious groups to support the fossil fuel divestment movement. The introduction is stated below:

    "The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a fellowship of over 300 churches which represent some 590 million people in 150 countries, endorsed fossil fuel divestment this week, agreeing to phase out its own holdings and encourage its members to do the same."

  • Care for Creation and Climate Justice

    The World Council of Churches provides a brief description of their stance on care for creation and climate justice on their website. The following is an introductory statement, urging individuals forgo over-consumption and greed:

    "The present world development model is threatening the lives and livelihoods of many, especially among the world's poorest people, and destroying biodiversity. The ecumenical vision is to overcome this model based on over-consumption and greed."

  • WCC augments Vatican’s call to address climate emergency

    The World Council of Churches (WCC) calls on those in position of power to listen to the urgent protests and take action accordingly. The following is an excerpt from the article, indicating WCC's stance of solidarity with Vatican’s Dicastery promotion of integral human development:

    “When we hear the call from the youth and children on the street, the facts from scientists with all the knowledge, the witnesses from indigenous people of the world and the cry from the Earth we must come together as one humanity in a hopeful action of transformation,” said Grape. “In this struggle for climate justice, the WCC is happy to be working in the same direction as the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. We work together in an open ecumenical spirit to end climate injustice and move to a more peaceful sustainable future.”

  • Climate Change

    The World Council of Churches calls individuals to modify their consumer lifestyle for the greater good - to improve shared environmental conditions for all and with less negative impact among the poor. This excerpt provides a sense of urgency to act to reverse the threat of climate change:

    "The urgency of the threat of climate change requires our generation to take immediate action and go beyond simple declarations and statements. New alternative models of life are called for. We challenge all people to move towards a style of life that derives its quality from the attentive enjoyment of nature and human relationships, from mutual care, dependence, trust and solidarity instead of the illusions of individual autonomy and material wealth, from spirituality and feelings of community, connectedness and intimacy instead of one-dimensional self-centredness. We draw strength from insights gained from the rich, community- oriented and simple lifestyles of indigenous and other marginalized communities. We are conscious of the significant contribution these communities, with their low carbon economies, deliver to the stabilization of the climate. We recommend the creation of 'just, participatory, sustainable and sustaining communities' for mutual support and call upon the churches and authorities to join them on this journey with reflection and practical support."

  • The Pope on Sustainability

    An article written in Science Magazine covers the Pope's take on sustainability and environmental accountability. The Pope has inspired other religious leaders to also raise their voice about environmental issues like combating climate change. The introduction of the article notes that:

    "The problems that motivate the Vatican are no different from those that concern the scientific community: depletion of nonrenewable resources, loss of ecosystem services, and risks from changing climate. But what the Vatican contributes is the rationale for taking action: because it is our moral responsibility to bequeath a habitable planet to future generations".

  • Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopal leaders offer pastoral message on climate change

    This message from leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Anglican Church of Canada, and The Episcopal Church, emphasizes that all individuals have contributed to climate change. However, they offer hope that God himself has not given up on care for creation. They urge individuals to discern opportunities to curb energy use, decrease carbon emissions, and reduce consumer waste.

  • 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."

  • A Spiritual Dimension and Environmental Education: Buddhism and Environmental Crisis

    Kongsak Thathong writes about the environmental crisis and how a Buddhist environmental ethic may help in solving environmental problems. Buddhism may also help in education; the Lord Buddha encouraged environmental education, and learning about the Earth and its resources may protect it from the greed and selfishness that humanity spreads. Buddhism's three tenets of Right Behavior, Mind, and Understanding are virtues that people can change in themselves to care for the Earth.

  • Engaged Organizations: Lake Erie Institute

    Lake Erie Institute (LEI) is an environmental education organization that was formed through world visions of forward thinking environmentalists, activists, ecological leaders and educators. Over the years, they have designed workshops, retreats, and professional training programs that empower participants to become leaders to engage in re-visioning their own lives, other organizations, communities, and the world. Their offerings provide opportunities for individuals to connect more deeply with one's true self, by strengthening their ties to the Earth and relationships with others in order live more whole, healthy, and harmonious lives.

  • Religion and Environment Songs: Connect to Nature (Beatrice Dossah) music video

    From the YouTube video description: "The Song, '' Connect to nature' talks about connecting children to nature using creative medium such as the arts.

    The song is part of a research work by Beatrice Dossah with sponsorship from the United Nations University Land Restoration Training Programme in Iceland. The research work was supervised by Dr. Ellen Gunnarsdottir and Dr. Ásthildur Björg Jónsdóttir of the Iceland Academy of Arts."

  • Church Bulletin Insert quotes from Laudato Si' (one year's worth)

    This resource is a Word document containing a year's worth of quotes from Laudato Si' (the Pope's encyclical letter about the environment) for use in a church bulletin. This file was created by the Creation Care Council of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Grove City, OH, and submitted to their church bulletin editor. The result is that each weekly bulletin for the church services contains a quote related to creation care, which keeps the teaching of Laudato Si' current on a weekly basis. By creating a single file with enough quotes for a year, the CCC provided the bulletin editor with easily accessible material, requiring a minimum of follow-up time and energy.

  • Season of Creation Daily Devotion Calendar

    A daily calendar of actions, reflections, meditations and ideas for creation care during the Season of Creation, which runs from Sept. 1 until Oct. 5. This calendar was created by members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Grove City, OH, and can be readily adapted for use by others. The creators suggest editing the activities for Sept. 8 and Oct. 4, which are specific to options in their own community.

  • Creation Care t-shirt designed by the Creation Care Council of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH)

    These t-shirts with a quote from Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' were created for members of the Creation Care Council of OLPH to wear at creation care events sponsored by their church.

  • Resources for Preaching: On Caring for God's Creation

    Resources for Preaching: On Caring for God's Creation offers that one does not need to be an expert in the field to preach about environmental justice. The authors encourage homilists to focus on what they know, what's around them, and what can be learned relatively easily. One example is to draw upon surrounding physical beauty or examine what is being destroyed in the area. This resource provides an outline of pertinent themes that can lead to future discussions, as well as opportunities to incorporate crucial eco-friendly messages into parishioners daily lives.

  • Prayer for Creation

    This Prayer for Creation reminds us to give thanks for the basics of living that nature provides us and to ask for forgiveness for the times that we have taken the Earth's resources for granted. It is also a reminder that the vulnerable often do not even have regular access to clean food and/or water.

  • Engaged Organizations: Springs Dominican motherhouse, Columbus, OH

    The Springs Dominican motherhouse hosts 150 individuals (maintaining 76 beds). Initial green projects included replacing their lights with LED bulbs and replacing seven boilers, which had been there since the 1940s, with just one new one. Recently, Innovative Organic Recycling composting company had been invited to speak with house members, and their composting program took off from there. Jean Sylvester, Motherhouse Administrator, had found it easy to do at her own house and was also aware of Shepherd’s Corner success with it. Both staff and residents adapted quickly and the process is streamlined at this point. Composting is done by the sisters themselves, with administration providing the bags and cans. In addition to composting food, even the bones, all of plates and cups, including coffee cups, can be composted as well.

    For administration, this is a business model that makes practical sense. Management had been quoted at $35 per pick up, so they decided to give it a two-week trial period. Overall, composting has been a "win-win" for them, with its ease of implementation and minimal ongoing efforts. In addition, their dock smells better because the food waste bags are not left open in the dumpster now. There is also less garbage for RUMPKE to take, so the project cost savings of waste management will be reaped over time .

  • Engaged Organizations: Shepherd's Corner, Blacklick, OH

    In 1966, the Dominican Sisters of Peace had purchased 160 acres of land in Blacklick, Ohio, for what eventually evolved into the formation of various farms and ecology centers. Shepherd’s Corner is one part of this larger network. Srs. Rosie Ann Van Buren and Marguerite Chandler maintain their 1.5 acres well and use the area predominantly for educational purposes, with most food (usually 60-65% but more recently 80%) donated to local food pantries.

    The following are some of the current activities and events that take place at Shepherd’s Corner: Sorting donated food from Fresh Market's food waste into compost or food to animals, Shepherd’s Fest, 5K – their main fundraiser, walking trails throughout the property, groups volunteering to garden, St. Charles high school students volunteering one Saturday per month, Meet the Animals, space rentals, school groups walk through the woods, small farm stand every Tuesday (run by Julie Laudick), slide show, calendar designed with a plan of action or set of events for each month. Srs. Rosie and Marguerite also monitor the water for Blacklick Creek, along with other individuals who are affiliated with county soil and water work.

    Shepherd's Corner offers several group activities as well:

    School groups and other youth groups, grades 3, 4, and 5 are invited to Shepherd’s Corner for educational programs. Cost per student is based on length of program and supplies needed.

    Adult groups can enjoy the space for tranquility meditation, and prayer. Staff is available to give tours and lead sessions on special topics such as spirituality, universe story, nature and gardening. Fees are based on length of program and services provided.

    They also offer use of our space to groups whose mission is compatible with ours. Please contact Miranda Land at scecologycenter@gmail.com regarding facility rental.

  • Creation Care Tips Winter 2020

    This Creation Care bulletin insert provides a message from Pope Francis on how even small actions on a daily basis can impact the earth and fellow humans in great ways. It focuses on reducing waste by composting, cutting back on purchases, and recycling.

  • Engaged Organizations: Wild Church Network

    The Wild Church Network website describes their focus on spiritually re-connecting to the outdoors:

    "We are a growing network of pastors and spiritual leaders, who have made bold moves to launch new expressions of church outside to re-acquaint, re-cover, and re-member our congregations as loving participants of a larger community. In this age of mass extinctions, we feel burdened by the love of Christ to invite people into direct relationship with some of the most vulnerable victims of our destructive culture: our land, our waters, the creatures with whom we share our homes.

    And, there, people remember that they belong to a larger beloved community. Along the way, we have remembered that our Christian tradition of spiritual transformation has always been rooted in the actual local wilderness."

  • Engaged Organizations: Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio

    Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio discuss their camp facilities, their mission, and their vision on their website:

    "Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio owns and operates 2 camp facilities, Camp Luther and Lutheran, Memorial Camp with support and direction from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

    Mission: Bringing people together to experience Christ through natural settings and programs.

    Vision: Connecting all people to faith and nature for a changing world."

    The 5th graders at St. Vincent de Paul in Mt. Vernon, OH participate annually in the summer camp program at Lutheran Memorial Camp.

  • 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.