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176 items

  • Episcopal Diocese of Ohio: Bellwether Farm

    Bellwether farm is a new camp and education center of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. It is meant to provide leadership development and teachings through sustainable farming, food production, and care of the environment. It is located in Wakeman Ohio, with the goals of informing, inspiring, and empowering leaders for a sustainable future. The buildings are models of green technology featuring passive buildings, renewable energy, and water reclamation systems.

  • 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*

  • The Regeneration Project

    The Regeneration Project was created as the parent project of Interfaith Power&Light. It is meant to help deepen the connection between ecology and faith and to help people of faith recognize and fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation. They do so through educational programs for clergy and congregations

  • Start 2018 by Speaking Up for God’s Creation

    Young Evangelicals for Climate Action posted an article on how to speak up for God’s creation. The article focuses on The Clean Power Plan and how to effectively speak up to stop the repeal and replace of the plan.

  • Sikh Statement on Climate Change

    EcoSikh has created the groundwork for a Sikh environmental theological foundation, and the inspiration to connect Gurbani (hymns in the central text of the Sikhs) to the state of the environment today. This is the first of its kind from the Sikh community and it outlines new actions Sikhs can take to strengthen their connection to their faith through environmentalism. The following quote is an excerpt from the statement:

    “You, Yourself created the Universe, and You are pleased…You, Yourself the bumblebee, flower, fruit and the tree. You, Yourself the water, desert, ocean and the pond. You, Yourself are the big fish, tortoise and the Cause of causes.”

  • Global Faith Leaders Unite to Restore our Earth’s Balance

    A campaign by Religions for Peace, worldwide religious leaders call on heads of state to respond urgently to the threats of climate change, commit to 100% renewable energy by 2050, and build a more flourishing, inclusive, and balanced world. Leaders of the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Shinto, Sikh, Taoist, and Zoroastrian faiths pledge to do their part by embracing the moral responsibility to care for our world.

  • 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?

  • Catholic Bishops Push Ohio Towards Clean Energy

    The Catholic Bishops of Ohio are against an indefinite freeze of Ohio’s clean energy target standards. The Ohio Mandates Study Committee has called for this freeze due to a need for continual studying of energy standards and their impact on the state. The Bishops, however, feel that there is no need to freeze the standards, as alternative energy sources benefit the environment as well as society.

    This is not the first time that the Bishops of Ohio have voiced such a stance. Back in 2014, a similar issue arose with SB 310, which proposed the original freeze of Ohio’s advanced energy portfolio standard that was established by SB221. The Bishops voiced opposition to SB 310 at that time.

  • The Supreme Court and The Clean Power Plan

    The Clean Power Plan was designed to allow states the greatest flexibility in implementation, attempting benefiting the health of individuals by improving the quality of the air for everyone. The Supreme Court has ruled to stay the implementation of the Clean Power Plan (5-4 ruling). Many churches and faiths have banded together to express their dissatisfaction with this decision. A predominant tenet of most religious organizations is their concern with protecting the health and well-being of vulnerable communities and God’s Creation.

  • United Methodist Agency Green Roof

    John Hill, from the Board of Church and Society at the United Methodist Agency, narrates the video below about their recent green roof addition. The series of squares used covers the entire area of the flat roof, reducing energy consumption, making the building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. In addition, and equally important, it reduces storm water runoff. When it rains, the water remains in the roof rather than adding pollutants into the nearby watershed, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

  • An Analysis on the Climate and Energy Provisions of the IRA

    "The purpose of this research report is to provide an advocacy tool to Indigenous Peoples and environmental justice communities to help develop strategies, as well as to foster inquiry and information gathering regarding many of the IRA programs and funding schemes. Indigenous Peoples have recognition in the colonial legal system of Tribal Sovereignty, inherent customary rights, and Treaty reserved rights. In addition, Indigenous Peoples also have their respective Traditional Indigenous Knowledge which serves as a foundation among other things of their legal systems, inherent responsibilities to land, air and water, and the inherent relationships embodied in all of this. If unchecked, and without Free, Prior and Informed Consent, or at the very least meaningful consultation standards that are legally enforceable, much of what is in the IRA will potentially have impacts on many Indigenous Tribal interests."

  • Don’t believe the “Hydrogen Hype” - Reject all applications for Department of Energy Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) funding (DE- FOA-0002779)

    "Dear Secretary Granholm and Director Crane,
    We urge you to reject all hydrogen hub applications, as has been repeatedly requested by environmental and environmental justice organizations nationwide. Here, we write in solidarity with the 2023 letter from the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition (NMNFS), building on the points they have raised and the fights ongoing in communities from the Southwest to the Northeast. A large-scale buildout of hydrogen infrastructure will further exacerbate the climate crisis and disproportionately harm people of color, low-income communities, and Indigenous peoples..."

  • 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.

  • Congregational Solar Resources

    "This is a great time to put solar on your church, synagogue, mosque, or other faith community property with the new federal funding available for nonprofits through the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s like a sale on solar, a 30% discount! The 1300 IPL congregations listed in the directory below have the combined capacity of 105 Megawatts of solar – approaching the amount of FaceBook, the 10th largest commercial user. Save on your energy bill and have more for your mission. Read below to find out how to fund solar on your church building, find a solar installer, and get an award."

  • A Walk with Sustainability…and the Bolivian Llamas

    "In this picture, I am working alongside two rural Bolivian community members (and a llama), collaborating on the design of a water system. The community had no running water, phone service only on hills, cut plastic liter bottles in half for gutters, and still gave me soups and meals as a welcoming and thankfulness. Their kindness, harmony with the land around them, and joy radiated, deeply resonating with my idea of how to live a sustainable, happy life. Sustainability is not buying a reusable water bottle…every 3 months because a new, better, more cool version is here. It is living in gratitude and simplicity with the people and nature around you." Taken by Megan Oleksik. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Contest.

  • As Dusk Dawns

    "This photo was taken in Paulding County Ohio. In the back ground is Haviland Tile and their new small ethonal plant. All bringing sustainability together." Taken by Jamie Merriman. Submitted to Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Windmills of Northwest Ohio

    "Windmills of Northwest Ohio" Taken by Townsend Wilkinson. Submitted to the Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Federal Funding for Energy Work at Houses of Worship

    This website contains a collection of resources and links for federal funding information. This includes informative resources, webinars, and information on grants and tax credits. Nonprofits and houses of worship can use these resources to find funding their environmentalist projects and actions.

  • A Jewish Response to Environmental Stewardship: LEEDing the Way

    The article highlights Temple Israel of Minneapolis's achievement of LEED Gold Certification, reflecting their commitment to sustainability through a multi-year renovation project. This accomplishment aligns with their Jewish values, particularly the principle of Pikuach Nefesh, which emphasizes protecting life and the environment. The synagogue's efforts extend beyond their building to include community-wide initiatives such as climate action resource fairs and partnerships with environmental organizations. Their ongoing commitment to sustainability is showcased through continuous improvements and active participation in broader climate justice movements.

  • 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.