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  • Leadership Meeting Guide - Protecting Your Nest

    This meeting guide from Evangelical Environmental Network MOMS offers ways to live in a simple, toxic free home. It focuses on ways to protect children from fossil fuels and consumption of chemicals that are known to cause diseases. Suggestions for household improvements in this area include: reading labels, dumping processed foods, using homemade cleaning products, and more.

  • Earth Day statement from ELCA presiding bishop

    The Reverend Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), issued an Earth Day statement on behalf of the ELCA. A salient excerpt from the statement is shown below:

    "The effects of the warming climate are felt in nearly every corner of the globe. These include increased migration, food insecurity due to changing agricultural landscapes, national security issues and health problems. As bad as it is for all creation, the most vulnerable people around the world are suffering the most. Yet they have contributed the least and, as noted in the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,[iii] are ill equipped to adapt to or mitigate the effects of a changing climate to build resilient communities."

  • Climate Change

    The Presbyterian Church has put forth this video on care for creation, emphasizing that Christ has called us to go out into the world to care for creation and our fellow humans, especially the poor. The Union of Concerned Scientists has identified food, transportation, and energy as three key areas of focus to help stem climate change Congregations can help by implementing energy saving techniques, participate in recycling and composting waste, teaching children to grow food, and incorporating salient creation care concepts within educational settings.

  • Hazardous Waste, Race, and the Environment

    This statement was approved by the 207th General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1995. The predominant theme focuses on the impact that hazardous waste has on individuals who are suffering from poverty and minority groups. The final section provides suggestions for taking action.

  • USCCB President's Refelction and Prayer During Coronavirus

    The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Archbishop José H. Gomez offers his statement regarding COVID-19 to bring comfort to those affected by the virus and to pray for recovery. He offers prayer to healthcare workers and civic leaders helping fight against the virus and calls for solidarity among the congregation.

    He leads a prayer to the Virgin Guadalupe for protection and healing, and for compassion and patience in the church.

  • Catholic Response to Outbreak of Coronavirus

    Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace and Bishop David J. Mallot, Sean Callahan the president of Catholic Relief Services, and Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, the president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States offer a statement in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak. The statement applauds healthcare workers and calls on governing bodies to work together to combat the virus. The statement also recognizes the U.S. for sending 17 tons of medical supplies to China, an example of how compassion and teamwork is needed at this time. A part of his address contains the following:

    “The Catholic Church in the United States stands in solidarity with those affected by the coronavirus and their families, health workers who are valiantly trying to diagnose and treat patients, and those under quarantine awaiting results of their screening for the virus. We offer our prayers for healing and support those organizations, both domestic and international, working to provide medical supplies and assistance to address this serious risk to public health."

  • Faith, science and technology

    The World Council of Churches (WCC) discusses the intersection of faith, science, and technology and what the future might hold given the current trajectory of new technological developments. The concluding paragraph provides some summary statements regarding this issue:

    "The work done so far on genetic engineering has helped to identify also other challenging technological developments, especially in the field of nano-scale technologies that operates at the scale of atoms and molecules. According to the U.S. National Science Foundation, the global market for nano-scale technologies will exceed $1 trillion within six years, yet most governments and intergovernmental agencies have hardly heard or thought of nano-technology. One of the Ecumenical Conversations will focus on the challenges by new technologies to the churches’ witness to the sanctity of life. The question will be if the WCC can facilitate exchange among the churches on these issues in order to broaden the basis for common witness and action. Is it true that time has come for a new emphasis on the concerns posed by science and technology?"

  • A Prayer for Protection in Time of Pandemic

    A prayer for those who are sick, vulnerable, and/or have passed away due to illness, to Mother Mary and Son Jesus; Adapted from the prayer of Pope Francis, provided by the Knights of Columbus.

  • 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.'”

  • Interfaith Response to COVID-19

    The United Nations Environment Programme compiled a list of Interfaith responses to the outbreak of COVID-19, including statements from the Berkley Center, Oxford, and the World Evangelical Alliance. The UN recognizes faith organizations as leaders in navigating the impacts of COVID-19 and made this list to recognize these emerging responses.

  • Congregational Profile: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Grove City, OH: How it began in one parish

    In 2016, prompted by Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si,” we at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Grove City, Ohio, held two 8-week sessions of discussions on the encyclical and at the end of the second session, our pastor, Fr. Daniel J. Millisor, appointed the discussion leader, Sister Nancy Miller, OSF as chairperson and called together a team to explore how the parish might lower our carbon footprint. The Creation Care Council (CCC) of our parish meets monthly for prayer, discussion and action in response to Laudato Si’s call for greater care for our common home.

    We conducted a parish survey, with the intention of enhancing awareness among parishioners, as well as to determine if, and how, members were already incorporating recycling and composting into their daily lives. The results were highly, though not entirely, favorable. In addition to regularly inserting information and suggestions into our parish bulletins, taking the CCC members to tour a landfill, recycling plant, and the OSU Byrd Polar Research Center, we requested that all committees at the parish look at ways to reduce or eliminate their use of Styrofoam dinnerware. Rather than condemn polluters, we wrote thank you notes to businesses that showed environmental stewardship. We began annually purchasing and giving away seedling trees to plant on Earth Day. We took on trying to improve parish recycling efforts – providing new recycling containers for all parish offices, inviting a local official – an environmental expert – to explain to us what is and is not recyclable, preparing an interactive recycling quiz at the parish festival, and then attempting to bring recycling to the parish picnic and festival.

    The efforts to incorporate recycling in parish events “failed” the first year, but we got it right the second year and this (the third) year, we successfully introduced food waste composting to Lenten Parish Fish Fry dinners, the Parish Picnic, and our largest parish event of the year: the Parish Festival. The 2019 Parish Festival served an estimated 5,000 meals, working with food vendors to increase their ability to serve compostable dishware and cutlery. In total, the CCC was able to divert 2,704 gallons of waste from the local landfill, which constituted 86% of all waste at the Festival.

    We also exceeded all expectations in soliciting nearly 100 volunteers to help teach and monitor correct depositing of these materials - without tapping the usual volunteer corps that was still needed to keep the regular parts of the festival going. With the support of our pastor and dedicated CCC members, we’ve come a long way, and still feel like we have only just begun!

  • Bishop Hartley High School, Columbus, OH

    Bishop Hartley has assembled a Care 4 Creation faculty committee, which focuses on long-term plans at the school. There is also a Care 4 Creation Association, which is for students and is also student-led. Instructors Rick Kohut and Ann Hawk have spearheaded some of the more long-term creation care projects there. Each have set up a vermicomposting bin in their classrooms, offering that it works well and is relatively low maintenance. Students from one of Rick’s classes had worked on a project where they created a poster/chart with pictures of endangered animals. Some of the students from Rick's classes engaged in the school's climate strike. One highly motivated student, Jamal, wrote a letter about the event which he sent to local politicians. Ann has been attending a yearly AEP Ohio energy efficiency program, and they in turn provide her with free energy savings kits for each of her students. AEP also offers energy saving kits for residential customers who are willing to complete their online Home Energy Profile. In addition, two new drinking fountains are about to be installed at the school that are designed to fill reusable water bottles. The school is also in the process of creating water bottles for sale with their school’s logo on them. The intent is to cut down on students and faculty purchasing and bringing in individual plastic bottles of water.

  • Engaged Organizations: The Catholic Foundation of Ohio - Columbus

    The Catholic Foundation of Columbus, Ohio is designed to be responsive to interests that come from within the diocesan parishes and schools. To the extent that those interests have included creation care work, there has been grant activity. Dan Kurth, Director of Grants for the Catholic Foundation, offers that the foundation’s rubric for creation care initiatives is essentially: Does this project have any green energy sustainability pieces to it? The energy efficiency component of the foundation’s responsive grants is the main integration of a Laudato Si' principle into the foundation's grant work. As the Laudato Si encyclical has grown in awareness, more funding has become available as energy efficiency-related projects have become more commonplace over time.

    The foundation has recently partnered with the Columbus Catholic Diocese on their Diocean Loan LED program, which has had considerable impact on diocesan savings. In addition, the foundation encourages schools to establish their own maintenance reserve funds in order to maintain more efficient operations. Specifically, there is a push to have schools and parishes upgrade their boilers, change over to LED lighting, and replace their windows with more efficient ones.

  • Engaged Organizations: Christ the King Catholic Church, Columbus, OH

    Jason Cervenec, Education and Outreach Director for OSU's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, has helped plan and carry out a number of initiatives for events and projects at Christ the King Catholic Church over the past few years. With the assistance of Deb Steele, the Volunteer Coordinator for Ohio Interfaith Power and Light (Ohio IPL), Jason has organized energy audits that were conducted by Ohio IPL programming and support. The LED retrofit with diocese Facility Director, Bruce Boyan, has been a noteworthy achievement at the parish as well. Additional energy efficient projects have included window replacement (also with Bruce) and the installation of an HVAC system. While the parish center is currently undergoing renovation work, Jason and other parishioners have reviewed the plans to look for additional efficiency and sustainability improvements. Recently, Jason had designed creation care bulletin inserts, with feedback from the Creation Care team at the Columbus Catholic Diocese, that have been widely circulate around town. The annual creation care information program that Jason initiated has garnered substantial support, with roughly 30 people in attendance each time. An additional work in progress project includes the installation of a bike rack station outside of the parish.

  • Engaged Organizations: Scaling Up Nutrition

    Scaling Up Nutrition discuss their vision and goals on their website:

    "Since 2010, the SUN Movement has inspired a new way of working collaboratively to end malnutrition, in all its forms. With the governments of SUN Countries in the lead, it unites people—from civil society, the United Nations, donors, businesses and researchers—in a collective effort to improve nutrition. The SUN Movement Strategy and Roadmap (2016-2020) has helped illuminate the importance of nutrition as a universal agenda – and one which is integral to achieving the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    To realise the vision of a world without hunger and malnutrition, the SUN Movement Principles of Engagement guide actors as they work in a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder space to effectively working together to end malnutrition, in all its forms. These principles ensure that the Movement is flexible while maintaining a common purpose and mutual accountability."

  • Engaged Organizations: 1,000 Days

    1,000 Days non-profit organization for women and children discuss the work that they do on their website:

    "1,000 Days works to win support for investments in the nutrition and well-being of mothers, babies and toddlers in the U.S. and around the world. We make the case to policymakers, global leaders and those who influence them that brighter futures begin with ensuring mothers and children everywhere have a thriving first 1,000 days.

    From advocating for evidence-based dietary guidelines for pregnant women and young children to providing parents with educational resources and content on baby and toddler feeding, 1,000 Days is committed to nourishing healthy beginnings. "

  • Heat and Health: A Faith Response to Building Stronger Communities

    "Today, more than 40 percent of Americans are at risk of extreme and excessive heat. July has been a hot month across the country with historic temperatures.

    Our resource and toolkit are now available to support you and your community! You can find download the resources here. We have an information briefing paper and shareable resources that show the warning signs of heat-related illnesses."

  • Earth Dialogue Tour

    Two faith-based environmental leaders, Amy Woolam Echeverria and Gopal D. Patel, are travelling across the U.S.A to visit and speak to Catholic congregations, campuses, and other communities. They discuss faith-driven environmentalism and the responsibility to help communities affected by environmental damage.

  • Shepherd's Fest (Shepherd's Corner)

    Shepherd's Corner ecological center provides information regarding their annual festival on their webpage:

    "Explore our food pantry gardens, take a hayride around the property, meet our sheep, and walk the meditation trail & labyrinth. Savor delicious food from a local food truck (Moody Trudy). Meet the Jefferson Township fire department and check out a fire truck up close. Watch Gail Maraman, a local felt artist, demonstrate her art. Chat with AEP representatives about electricity savings, consider more responsible energy use with Columbia gas. and learn about the environmental efforts of Green Spot Columbus. We will have a farm stand featuring of our naturally grown produce, 2019 maple syrup, and crafts made by the Dominican Sisters of Peace and volunteers."

  • Religious Affiliation and Environmental Challenges in the 21st Century

    This paper researches the relationship of religion and environment in the 21st century. They do this by studying religious affiliations from all over the world, and comparing and contrasting their results to examine the impacts those affiliations have on the environment.

  • Lessons from Islamic Environmentalism: Interconnection, Structural Change, and the Limitations of Religious Environmentalism

    In this article, Rosemary Hancock explores the lessons of religious environmentalism within the Islamic faith and discusses how these lessons were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the current environmental crisis.

  • The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

    "After too many years of unfulfilling work, Bronnie Ware began searching for a job with heart. Despite having no formal qualifications or experience, she found herself working in palliative care.Over the years she spent tending to the needs of those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed. Later, she wrote an Internet blog about the most common regrets expressed to her by the people she had cared for. The article, also called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, gained so much momentum that it was read by more than three million people around the globe in its first year. At the requests of many, Bronnie now shares her own personal story.Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse past, but by applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for people, if they make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. In this book, she expresses in a heartfelt retelling how significant these regrets are and how we can positively address these issues while we still have the time.The Top Five Regrets of the Dying gives hope for a better world. It is a story told through sharing her inspiring and honest journey, which will leave you feeling kinder towards yourself and others, and more determined to live the life you are truly here to live. This delightful memoir is a courageous, life-changing book."

  • In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People - an author conversation with Talitha Aho

    "Join us for a captivating webinar as author Talitha Aho engages in a thought-provoking conversation about her book, 'In Deep Waters: Spiritual Care for Young People in a Climate Crisis.'

    Discover how the climate crisis impacts the younger generation and the importance of offering ecologically informed spiritual care. Talitha will also discuss practical ways to care for and respect God's world, drawing on science, Scripture, and her expertise.

    Whether you are a caring adult, a member of Generation Z, or simply interested in the intersection of Christianity and the environment, this webinar is not to be missed. Join us for an enlightening dialogue that will deepen your understanding, provide actionable strategies, and ignite hope in the face of our planet's challenges."

  • UN Environment Programme Faith-Based Activities Compilation

    "The World Environment Day is a UN day celebrated to promote awareness and inspire action. It has been celebrated since 1974. The event has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries...In the celebration of World Environment Day, 482 faith-based related activities were organized all around the world"

  • Compassion, Pollution & Community Health

    This event was created to help people learn about and discuss the health impacts of methane pollution and how to create positive change with the environment and community.