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  • Religion and Environment Songs: Mitakuye Oyasin by Nahko and Medicine for the People

    Mitakuye Oyasin is a song by Nahko and Medicine for the People that relates to spirituality and nature. The phrase comes from the Lakota language and reflects the world view of interconnections held by the Lakota people of North America. The English translation is “we are all related.” The song lyrics start with being thankful for receiving great wisdom so that we as people can help all living things. The subsequent lyrics describe being thankful for all that we have been provided.

  • 6 Ways to Green Your Holiday

    6 Ways to Green Your Holiday is a graphic made by the Sierra Club. It gives 6 easy ways make Christmas traditions more sustainable. To view the image, click below or *download*

  • Creation Care Hack: Train Yourself to use Reusable Shopping Bags

    Creation Care Hack: Train Yourself to use Reusable Shopping Bag is a post from Evangelical Environmental Network MOMS. The article discusses how using a reusable shopping bag is only easy if you make it a habit, which can be difficult. It then gives a few tips on how to make this sustainable practice a habit. The article also has a graphic on how plastic bags are killing the planet, which can be found below. The author finishes by saying, “If the 70% of Americans who identify as Christians practiced using less disposable plastic bags what a witness and difference that could make.” See additional attached media for an infographic (.jpg) for visual information on plastic bag use.

  • 12 Days of Christmas Recycling

    12 Days of Christmas Recycling is an article from Evangelical Environmental Network about all the “stuff” that accumulates over Christmas. December is the highest month for landfill deposits with household waste increasing by 25% between Thanksgiving and Christmas. An average of 30 million Christmas Trees will end up in landfills and 4 million tons of wrapping paper and gift bags will be used. The article gives 12 ways to “reduce the overuse” and to move the focus of Christmas back to the birth of Jesus.

  • Catholic Climate Covenant Earth Day Video

    Catholic Climate Covenant has created their 2018 Earth Day video Beyond a Throwaway Culture. The focus of the video is the harm that comes from single-use disposable plastics - how it contributes to both land and marine pollution.

  • Sisters of Earth: Hopes and Dreams

    How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy is the subtitle of Joanna Macy’s book Active Hope. The book was the inspiration for the Sisters of Earth gathering that took place July 12-15, 2018 at Mount Saint Joseph, home of the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was chosen as the location partly because of the ancestral inspiration of Sister of Charity Paula Gonzalez, who promoted solar power and sustainability projects and teachings throughout the Catholic world. This year, nearly 100 women from the United States and Canada gathered, in part, to remember Sister Paula and also to address concerns about the ecological/spiritual crises of our times by asking questions such as: Who are we? Where are we? How did we get here and what is possible? And — where do we go from here?

  • Technological Takeover or Technological Makeover?

    This chapter from the student-written book “Emerging Perspectives on Religion and Environmental Values in America” explores the recent and rapid development of technology and its impact on our environmental actions. It discusses trends of consumerism, social conflict, and disconnection. Below is the first paragraph of the chapter to introduce the discussion.

    "Is it just me or does it feel like the whole world is going crazy? From a global pandemic, to a civil rights revolt, to talk about election fraud, it seems like everything is spiraling out of control and technology seems to be adding fuel to the fire. It feels as if technology is the invisible hand that controls us all on every level, individually and as a culture. As technological advancements push further, the concern for the problems perpetuated by them rises as well. I am not trying to be labeled as a 'Karen' of my generation, but technology is slowly eating away at our brains and degrading the fabrics that hold our society together."

  • Sustainability Photo Contest

    This RESTORExchange photo contest is being brought back from the pre-COVID era, and with an added collaboration with the Sustainability Institute. It's based around the question "What does sustainability look like?" This can include sustainability in environmental justice, technology, energy, lifestyle and wellbeing, society and culture, economy and politics, and any other context where you see sustainability in action. We want to see your perspectives and show all the different places that sustainability is practiced! Winning photos will be decided by a panel of judges (yet to be determined), and the top four photos will win a prize! First place will receive $400, second place will receive $300, third place will receive $200, and an honorable mention will receive $100. Submissions will be accepted through March 15, 2023.

  • Cool Congregations

    "The Cool Congregations Challenge, is an annual national contest to recognize 'Cool Congregations' that are becoming energy efficient and sustainable role models within their communities. The contest is brought to you by Interfaith Power & Light, a nonprofit organization inspiring and mobilizing people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate. There are no fees to enter. Application period opens November 1 each year. Deadline for entries, December 15. Get ready to enter the Challenge!

    Due to Covid the project eligibility window has been expanded again for 2024. Projects completed in 2021, 2022, and 2023 will be eligible to apply. Deadline Dec 15, 2023, awards announced in February 2024.

    NEW! Electric Vehicle Leader category for congregations that have encouraged EV adoption. This category includes: EVs (Congregants and Staff) • Congregational EV Charging Stations • Outreach • Educating and Advocating for EVs. (Includes all-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and electric bikes. If your congregation is working on reducing transportation emission through public transportation or carpooling, apply to the Community Inspiration category.)"

  • Advent Simplicity Challenge

    "This Advent, commit to simplicity. In a season that can mistakenly be focused on gifts and consumption, explore ways to live simply as we hopefully prepare for the coming of Jesus and the restoration of the earth. This year, we’ll be mixing in new daily challenges, as well as accompanying PDFs for folks who prefer not to use the interactive calendar."

  • Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World

    "Everywhere we look in our culture you will find plastic. One place where you will not find plastic, however, is in the Bible.

    This resource is designed to help congregations think more deeply about the ways that plastics impact our lives and God's creation. It is also intended to equip people of faith to take actions to address this epidemic in faithful and practical ways.
    ​
    Download this resource to find stories of individuals and communities making a positive impact, sermon starters to spark meaningful discussions in your church, worship resources to unite in prayer and reflection, and actionable steps to address the plastic crisis in your life, community and, our world."

  • Extra Time

    "Let's recycle our garbage to give our planet extra time". Taken by Mohamed Dhaouadi. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Engaged Organizations: General Board of Global Ministries

    General Board of Global Ministries discuss their vision and span of their work on their website. Their areas of impact run the gamut for a multitude of environmental and social justice issues:

    "Connection is at the core of our work. Global Ministries connects The United Methodist Church, its people and congregations to partner with others engaged in God’s global work, which takes place in a variety of settings, countries and cultures.

    Global Ministries works through missionaries and partners in more than 60 countries around the world. "

  • Overview of grant application process for The Bee Cause Project

    This link provides the document that serves as a resource to apply for The Bee Cause Project. The Bee Cause Project provides support for obtaining various bee hive options for K-12 schools.

    Staff and students from St. Joseph Montessori School, Columbus, Ohio, worked together to apply for one of the grants offered. The students prepared a power point presentation about the bee hives. They also added their signatures on letters of support for their application to their local planning and zoning commission in order to build their bee yard.

  • Engaged Organizations: The Shalom Center

    The Shalom Center discusses their three major program priorities on their website:

    "(1) Addressing the Global Climate Crisis, especially drawing on Jewish and other religious teachings about shaping a sustainable society; coping with the problems created by unacccountable concentrations of corporate and government power in making change difficult; and working on these issues with special concern for those most vulnerable and most hurt as the climate crisis unfolds.

    (2) Addressing unjust and destructive concentrations of political and economic power in the hyper-wealthy and in giant global corporations — power that corrupts democracy, including elections, and delivers enormous “benefits” to those who wield the power while depriving the poor, the aged, the sick, Black and Latino and Native communities, much of the middle class, and large numbers of women of ways to meet their individual and social needs.

    (3) Peacemaking, especially among the Abrahamic communities both within the USA and in the broader Middle East, where violence is especially intense and where it engages intense emotions in the overlapping circles of the Jewish community, the other Abrahamic communities, and the American public generally."

  • Engaged Organizations: Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development

    The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) discusses their mission on their website:

    "The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act. ICSD works on a global basis, with current engagement in Africa, the Middle East, North America, and Europe.

    In 2020, ICSD’s work focuses on The Seminary Faith and Ecology Project. We are also continuing with The Faith Inspired Renewable Energy Project. ICSD also provides thought-leadership to faith-based communities and beyond through our writing, speaking, teaching and advocacy. Our collection of reports, articles, course and syllabus collections, blog, and other resources provide a unique access point for leaders and followers of faith-based communities alike to explore the connections between their tradition and contemporary environmental issues."

  • Engaged Organizations: EcoSikh

    EcoSikh began as an initiative of the United Nations Development Program https://www.undp.org/ and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation http://www.arcworld.org/. EcosSikh discusses their mission on their website:

    "EcoSikh connects Sikh values, beliefs, and institutions to the most important environmental issues facing our world. We draw on the rich tradition of the Sikh Gurus and the Khalsa Panth to shape the behavior and outlook of Sikhs and the world, ensuring that our deep reverence for all creation remains a central part of the Sikh way of life."

    The organization's main program is Sikh Environment Day, which includes a green pilgrimage network and a campaign to make gurdwaras more sustainable.

  • Engaged Organizations: A Rocha International

    A Rocha International discuss their mission on their website:

    "At A Rocha USA, our mission is to restore both people and places through collaborative, community-based conservation.

    We resource Christians to care for creation where they live by building a network of hands-on conservation projects in communities across the nation. Through partnerships with individuals, churches, and community groups, we provide content, curriculum, and a network of support for improving local habitats and increasing biodiversity."

  • Engaged Organizations: Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

    Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.austinseminary.edu/), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary has offered three faith-based environmental courses: “Environmental Ethics,” “Nature, Theology, and Ethics: Christian Spirituality and Creation Care,” and “Christian Creation and Spirituality.” These courses are taught by Dr. William Greenway, Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology. During his tenure at Austin, Dr. Greenway has taught several other faith-based environmental courses including "Nature, Theology, and Ethics" and an experiential course titled "An Adventure in Wilderness and Spirituality." In recent years, Austin has been steadily increasing its environmental commitments through its curriculum and communal worship. In joining the program, Austin brings cross-disciplinary faculty expertise, commitment to outdoor chapel services, and the implementation of an Energy Management System to reduce the school’s carbon footprint."

    Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Boston University School of Theology

    Boston University School of Theology participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/stm.html), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Located in Boston, MA, Boston University School of Theology is a United Methodist seminary with broad ecumenical connections, including Episcopal and United Church of Christ Communities of Learning. BU has been actively working toward ecological justice since 2008, and built green initiatives into their strategic plan in 2010. BU brings to the Green Seminary Initiative an expertise in how to imagine what is possible as a theological school embedded in a large university that is also committed to ecological sustainability. They also exemplify what it means to transform curriculum and communal practice, and renovate aged buildings."

    Boston University School of Theology strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Christian Theological Seminary

    Christian Theological Seminary participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.cts.edu/), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, IN, is an ecumenical Christian theological institution. The school has nurtured ecological care in theological education through several course offerings, through courses taught by Dr. Marti Steussy and Dr. Carol Johnston, as well as a contextual study opportunity in Appalachia, offered by Dr. Suzanne Coyle. Dr. Robert Saler has published articles on environmental theology, while Dr. Carol Johnston, a long-time eco-theological leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA), has also published numerous books and articles and lectured internationally on religion and ecology. Dr. Felicity Kelcourse has supported community efforts to preserve Crown Hill a 30 acre pre-settlement remnant forest near the seminary that is threatened with deforestation."

    Christian Theological Seminary strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Claremont School of Theology

    Claremont School of Theological participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://cst.edu/), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, CA, is a United Methodist Church seminary. Ecological sustainability has been a priority for the school since the tenure of Professor John Cobb, an early eco-theologian who began work at Claremont in 1960. Claremont held its first conference on the environmental crisis in 1971. The leaders of Claremont’s Green Team, Dr. Philip Clayton and Kristin Ritzau, shared with GSI that they see the certification process as a way to become a place of ecological education and empowerment for seminary leaders, students, and community members in Southern California. Claremont enters the program eager to share its curriculum and syllabi from multiple eco-classes and programs."

    Claremont School of Theology strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Columbia Theological Seminary

    Columbia Theological Seminary participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.ctsnet.edu/), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Columbia Theological Seminary, a school in the Presbyterian Church (USA), has been a leader in ecological theological education for the last decade. They have two LEED Gold buildings on campus in Decatur, GA, was one of the founding members of the Seminary Stewardship Alliance, and their late president Steve Hayner began a Sustainability Commission that continues to this day. They also bring to the certification program a commitment to health, imagination, and resilience."

    Columbia Theological Seminary strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Drew Theological School

    Drew Theological School participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.drew.edu/theological-school/), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Drew Theological School, a seminary of the United Methodist Church and part of Drew University in Madison, NJ, hosts The Green Seminary Initiative. Professor Laurel Kearns heads the Green Team, which also includes Dr. Catherine Keller and Dr. Heather Elkins on the faculty. All three publish, teach, and lecture on topics related to theology and eco-justice, joined by several other faculty who bring environmental concerns into their classes. Recently, eco-justice began to be integrated throughout the curriculum, building on almost two dozen courses with an ecological focus, including several required courses. Students can focus on religion and ecology in all degree programs. Drew’s other environmental initiatives include environmental justice field trips, native species and integrated pest management, water bottle refilling stations, reusable cutlery and sustainable food options. The campus includes a community garden, arboretum, labyrinth, native species planting, and a forest. The school is particularly proficient in establishing environmental policies to guide its institutional practices, and integrating environmental themes into chapel services, curriculum, speakers, cross-cultural trips, and broad social justice work."

    Drew Theological School strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.

  • Engaged Organizations: Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

    Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary participates in the Green Seminary Initiative. In addition to their larger mission (as stated on their website at https://www.garrett.edu/garrett-evangelical-theological-seminary), the GSI website describes their environmental efforts:

    "Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has offered five courses, taught by Assistant Professor of Theology and Ecology Dr. Timothy Eberhart, which incorporate ecological teachings into seminary education. A founder of the Seminary Stewardship Alliance (SSA), Garrett-Evangelical has been a leader in environmental education in Evangelical seminaries and is committed to integrating ecological perspectives and sustainable practices throughout the curriculum, the school’s worship, and spiritual life, programming, buildings and grounds, and administrative operations."

    Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary strives to infuse care of the earth into all aspects of theological education.