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  • 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."

  • WCC Executive Committee: global biodiversity crisis reaches urgent level

    This article from the World Council of Churches discusses the current biodiversity crisis. The majority of land surfaces and ocean areas are significantly modified, and over 85% of the wetlands are gone. The following excerpt notes how this subsequently affects the poor and vulnerable:

    "The statement notes that, increasingly, the drive for relentless expansion built into dominant economic systems are endangering the survival of many of God’s creatures. 'Ultimately our significant and adverse impacts on ecology will impact humanity’s own future,' the statement reads. 'Already they are destroying the very basis of sustenance of our income-poor, vulnerable and Indigenous sisters and brothers, who contribute least to the ecological damage for which human beings are collectively responsible.'"

  • Living the Laudato Si'

    Pope Francis encourages all people to take to heart what is written in the Laudato Si' encyclical. The Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison, Wisconsin has strived to live out the message of Laudato Si' even prior its release. This community seeks to live as stewards of the environment and care for their less fortunate neighbors. Some examples of how they are achieving their goals include installing solar panels to cut costs and reinvest the money in charitable programs and running a local food garden. Members of this community have also helped to install rain gardens and find innovative ways of serving their neighbors. These activities help to bring people closer together as well as care for the planet.

  • Food Security: Dream of Feeding Hundreds Comes True

    Brother Paul Kennedy, a member of the Dominican Order, grew up in Cincinnati with a dream of running a restaurant. Today, he is fulfilling that dream in an unexpected way. Every weekday, he is in charge of feeding the physical and spiritual hunger of more than 300 people at the Holy Family Soup Kitchen in Columbus. Brother Paul offers that, “What always was important to me about the restaurant business was the chance to communicate with people as much as the chance to feed them. But regardless of what I did, every job I’ve had in the past was focused on service to people. Here at the soup kitchen, I get the chance to do the kind of work I wanted to while growing up, while at the same time getting to know the people we serve and developing a rapport with them.”

  • United Church of Christ – Environmental Ministries

    The United Church of Christ has taken an active role in environmental stewardship. They have made multiple statements about various aspects of the environment. This link provided by Environmental Ministries discusses various critical environmental justice issues. If you are looking for ideas on how to live more Eco-friendly in your own life, or simply searching for a great set of resources, check them out!

  • In Threatened Island Nation, Pope Hears Plea for Climate Action

    Pope Francis visited Papua New Guinea, a Pacific Island nation facing serious environmental issues including water pollution, sea level rise, and deforestation. This continued his involvement in the discussion on climate change as he met with governor general Bob Dadae and spoke at meetings. The article covers the Pope's visit, the environmental challenges facing Papua New Guinea, and the ties between religious positions and care for the environment and people who are affected by climate change.

  • 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."

  • Preachable Moments: Evangelical Christians and Climate Change

    This article by Yale Climate Connections provides encouraging news of how some evangelical Christians are re-examining their stance on climate change. The following is an excerpt from the article:

    "About 60 percent of evangelicals think climate change has nothing to do with human activities. By comparison, less than half of all Americans, or 47 percent, share that view. (Both figures are in sharp contrast to the overwhelming majority of climate scientists who agree that climate change is occurring and primarily caused by human actions).

    Richard Cizik sees climate change as ‘top-tier issue’ for younger evangelicals. But the theological doors are beginning to open. Signs are that more evangelicals now are addressing climate change as a moral issue that appeals to the conscience of their Christian communities."

  • 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."

  • Environmental Stewardship and Conservation

    An article under the Mormon Newsroom from the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that explains the Church teachings and stance regarding environmental stewardship and conservation. The article also links other Church video resources, as well as a few articles, resources, and a book titled, “Stewardship and the Creation: LDS Perspectives on the Environment”. The book is a compilation of 17 essays that aim to inspire Latter-day Saints to strongly consider the importance of being environmental stewards and protecting God’s creations.

  • Overpopulation and the Lifeboat Metaphor: A Critique from an African Worldview

    Many scientists have warned that the earth is nearing overpopulation or has already reached its carrying capacity. Garret Hardin proposed the lifeboat ethics metaphor to address this crisis and proper resource distributions. Okyere-Manu comments that this metaphor does not take into account the African political and cultural worldview. Hardin's metaphor is also reliant on inequality which disproportionately affects vulnerable communities.

  • 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.

  • The Wisdom of Houseplants

    There has been a recent rise in the popularity of houseplants. This resource relates aspects of tending to houseplants to different ways you can be more mindful about your own life. Through caring for the houseplants, this web page reminds you to be adaptable, to be patient, and to expand yourself. While also additionally reminding the reader that letting go and paying attention to your physical health are both key in positive personal growth.

  • Applying the hard lessons of coronavirus to the biodiversity crisis

    In this article, Jamison Ervin, Manager of Nature for Development at UNDP, summarizes key lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 pandemic and how these can be applied to environmental protection efforts.

  • Mercury Pollution a Concern of Evangelical Environmental Network

    This article talks about mercury pollution and the pressing issues in need of attention and advocacy. The pro-life evangelicals have been pushing for more restrictions and regulations relating to mercury. This article intends to show how mercury poisoning hurts human lives and its different aspects that have long been overlooked.

  • How Religion Influences Our Relationship With the Environment

    This article, drawing references from a study in the Journal of Religion and Demography, summarizes how religions influence many environmentally relevant behaviors.

    The author and his colleagues discovered that countries with a lower religious population utilize more resources and emit more emissions, but they are also better prepared to deal with the environmental difficulties that emerge since they are wealthier. On the other hand, countries with more religious populations tend to use fewer resources, but they also have less capability to address environmental concerns and are more vulnerable to negative consequences, owing to their high levels of poverty and continued population increase.

    The link between religion, poverty, environmental impact, and governance is intricate and ever-evolving; the field continues to call for more research.

  • People of faith are allies to stall climate change (Nature Magazine)

    Tobias Müller is a political scientist who studies how religious groups respond to problems, from environmental crises to domestic violence to racism. In this article, he explores changes in the intersection of climate science and communities of faith. Müller shares with us patterns he's observed and strategies he's learned in his years in the field that help strengthen collaboration and the power to pursue climate justice. Some core ideas include:

    1. Collaborate with religious scientists and local leaders.
    2. Stories speak louder than graphs.
    3. Talk about what matters to you and your audience.

  • The 12 Principles of Permaculture: A Way Forward

    This blog article describes the basics of permaculture (permanent culture). Permaculture is rooted in the observation of natural systems and indigenous knowledge. The author introduces the solution permaculture offers to help us transition to a more resilient, ethical, and sustainable future better for the planet and its inhabitants.

  • Educational Programme: “The Use of Plants in the Worship of the Orthodox Church” and Its Contribution in Shaping Values of Sustainability

    The goal is to connect children to nature with plants that have symbolic value to the bible. They created a Sunday School curriculum that will teach kids the value of having a connection with nature and God. 73% of the students that went through the course said that they cared more about the environment after taking the course.