Search

79 items
list | grid

79 items

  • Sacred landscapes: religion and ecology around the Pacific

    To mark World Environment Day, on June 5, we begin a new series on religion and ecology.

    From the church forests of Ethiopia to the mountains of Chinese Daoism, the sea-scapes of Pacific theology to the forest monasteries of Theravadin Buddhism, the three-part series of sacred landscapes will explore how religion and spirituality might matter in the Anthropocene. How do the places we love shape our sense of the sacred? And how are our spiritual lives nurtured by the bush, the mountains —or even the sea?

    In the first episode, Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder and director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University introduces us to the series.

    We also hear from Rev Dr Jione Havea, a pastor from Tonga about what it means to belong to the islands and to their seas. Rev Havea works at the forefront of postcolonial hermeneutics and Pasifika theology. His books include ‘Indigenous Australia and the Unfinished Business of Theology’.

  • The Greening of the Federated Church of Orleans

    The church began in 1646 – That year Pilgrim families from Plymouth Colony moved across the Bay to settle on Cape Cod, and some of the group ended up in today’s Orleans. They quickly established regular patterns of worship and fellowship, and eventually, in 1718, they built their meetinghouse on the site of today’s church – next to the cemetery, on the road to Nauset Beach.

    August 2016 – The church started a new green journey. Federated Church's 10-person Care for Creation Team (aka C4C) began its work. It soon adopted the UCC “Green Congregation Challenge.” Ten months later the church had completed enough environmental-friendly steps in the Challenge’s Level One to be recognized by the UCC Mass. Conference's annual gathering as a “Green Congregation.”

    Now (March 2018) – We anticipate completing enough additional steps to be recognized in June as a Level Two “Green Congregation.” We hope to complete Level Three next year!

  • Solstice Celebration 2021

    June 20, 7:00 PM ET
    FREE EVENT — Registration Required!

    From time immemorial, humans have honored the winter and summer solstices, as sacred and rich times, to align our personal and collective lives with the movement of celestial bodies. Some of us are heading into the darkness of winter while others are headed into summer and longer days. Wherever you are, the solstice is a planetary event.

    A solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the equator. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21.

    The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the day when this event occurs. The day of a solstice in both hemispheres has either the most sunlight of the year (summer solstice) or the least sunlight of the year (winter solstice) for any place other than the Equator, where the days and nights are equal in length all through the year.

    Here’s how we’ll celebrate:
    • Experience live music
    • Express and be moved
    • Awaken your senses
    • Discover new insights
    • Connect with others across the globe
    • Celebrate the Sun!

  • The Story of Stuff (Documentary)

    The Story of Stuff is a short animated documentary about the lifecycle of material goods. The documentary is critical of excessive consumerism and promotes sustainability.

    Filmmaker Annie Leonard wrote and narrated the film, which was funded by Tides Foundation, Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption, Free Range Studios and other foundations. Free Range Studios also produced the documentary, which was first launched online on December 4, 2007.

    The documentary is used in elementary schools, arts programs, and economics classes as well as places of worship and corporate sustainability trainings. By February 2009, it had been seen in 228 countries and territories. According to the Los Angeles Times as of July 2010, the film had been translated into 15 languages and had been viewed by over 12 million people.

  • The Story of Stuff Project

    The Story of Stuff Project is:

    Community-Minded
    Our global, online Community of over 1 million Changemakers includes parents, community leaders, teachers and students, people of faith, entrepreneurs, scientists and others interested in creating a more healthy and just world. The interests and needs of our Community members deeply informs our work, and your passion and support enable our small team to have an outsized impact.

    Solutions-Focused
    We know all about the problems — from climate change to income inequality to political corruption. Our movies and other media focus instead on the big, exciting innovations driving the environmental and social change we need, as well as the little things individuals and communities can do to make a difference. We call it ‘Growing Solutions’.

    Action-Oriented
    We believe that dramatically increasing civic participation — not just refining our consumer choices — is the key to unlocking the profound challenges we face. Our four-week Citizen Muscle Boot Camp program equips participants with the basic skills they need to organize and lead a local project. And our campaigns provide diverse, engaging opportunities for our Community members to get involved, from the global level down to where they live and work.

  • The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh

    A collection of spiritual teachings which is intended for all religious persuasions and those who seek a spiritual life. These meditational verses which were composed by Baha'u'allah, about the year 1858, while in exile to Iraq, explore the relationship between God and man.

  • The U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs

    The Office of Public Affairs for the Baha’is of the United States was founded in 1985 to represent the American Baha’i community on the national stage.

    Today, we collaborate with governmental and non-governmental organizations, individuals, and groups to advance thought around our focus areas, which currently comprise racial unity & justice, the environment, economic justice, human rights, the role of media in society, and gender equality & the advancement of women.

    Our Office operates under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, the elected governing body of the American Baha’i community.

  • Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) Campaign Videos

    The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (IRI) creates artistic and well-produced videos that accompany their programs on climate change education and awareness-raising in branch offices around the world.

    These videos are great resources for those looking for multimedia inspirations that amplify sustainability communications efforts.

  • Faith for Earth: A Call for Action

    This book was first published at the beginning of the twenty-first century. A joint project of the United Nations Environment Programme and the Interfaith Partnership for the Environment, it was titled Earth and Faith: A Book of Reflection for Action. The partners printed tens of thousands of copies and gave them to schools, congregations, and communities throughout the
    world. The book described the growing threats to our planet’s life support systems, the reverence all faiths share for life on Earth, and the responsibility that people have to future generations.

  • Cincy MultiFaith Calendar

    The Cincy MultiFaith Calendar empowers multi-faith learning and experiences through sharing traditions celebrated by different faiths with the wider public.

    "This project was inspired by the inaugural Cincinnati Festival of Faiths held on June 24th, 2018, on the campus of Xavier University. That amazing event, which attracted 25 faith communities representing 13 world religions, was the most inclusive gathering of faith traditions ever assembled in the region’s history. Within days of that historic event, ideas for more multi-faith learning and experiences emerged, among them the idea of producing a multi-faith calendar. The purpose and hope of the calendar are that people of different faith traditions, or without a faith tradition, might learn more about one another. We all hold the hope that we could create a tool to help open the eyes of young people who could understand one another and break down those silos that segregate our world."

  • Zoom Events: Greening the Bible

    The goal of this short course is to read the Bible afresh: to reinterpret texts of terror (for other creatures) and to reclaim passages that show the importance and agency of nonhuman persons. It is intended as a tool for forming earth-inclusive Christians.

  • Profile: EquaSion (Equality, Spirituality, Inclusion)

    EquaSion, formerly known as the Bridges of Faith Trialogue, is a non-partisan civic organization founded upon interfaith dialogue that works to develop educational and community service programming to foster greater understanding, respect, compassion, inclusion, and engagement for all people and faith communities in Greater Cincinnati and beyond.

  • Catholic Social Teaching and Humane Education

    "A discussion surrounding the challenges educators, parents, and supporters of animal welfare face in teaching compassion to children.

    This event will be held at Fordham Lincoln Center (113 W 60th Street, Manhattan, NY, 10023) for in person folks, with a Zoom option. Specific room information or a Zoom link will be sent out the week prior to the conference."

  • Trees of the Bible

    "What does the Bible have to say about trees?
    A lot, actually. In this guide, we explore nine trees of significance in Scripture to better understand the context of the passages and our relationship with the Creator (of trees and people)."

  • Tisha B'Av Renewed for Temple Earth

    "To start with what is new yet ancient: The Shalom Center welcomes you to the sad obligation to mourn for the continuing destruction of our universal Temple Earth, just days before Tisha B’Av, and to bring active hope to protect and heal the universal Temple of all life on Earth.

    We will gather by Zoom at 7:30pm Eastern on Sunday, July 23, to hear chants in English, created as a 'Lament for Earth' by Moving Tradition’s Rabbi Tamara Cohen, newly honored by the Covenant Foundation for her innovative work in Jewish education; suggestions for action to protect Temple Earth by The Shalom Center’s Rabbi Arthur Waskow; reflections on the unique role Jews have in showing up for climate justice by Jewish Youth Climate Movement’s Madeline Canfield; songs and teachings of hope and determination by Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)’s Joelle Novey; and a call for specific pre-Tisha B’Av actions by Jewish Earth Alliance’s Dr. Mirele Goldsmith. A complete list of organizational co-sponsors and full speaker biographies can be found below the registration form at the bottom of this page."

  • St. Francis of Assissi Novena

    This novena from the autumn of 2022 contains nine days of prayers to St. Francis of Assissi.

    "Though he chose not to be ordained a priest, St. Francis is one of the most revered saints of the church. The great respect accorded to St. Francis is primarily due to his life of service, insistence on the practice of absolute poverty, and great humility. He founded the Order of the Friars Minor, co-founded the Poor Clares, and the Order of St. Francis...He is renowned for his love of animals, the environment, and his desire for peace."

  • Nativities and the Natural World

    Housed at the University of Dayton Roesch Library Building, this exhibit is available Nov. 20, 2023 through Jan. 12, 2024.

    "Explore the intersection of Christmas and nature through the Marian Library’s Nativity sets, artwork and more. In this exhibit, artists incorporate plants and animals from around the world into the Christmas story. Gourds, straw, wood, mother-of-pearl and beeswax are among the materials used to create Nativity sets that reflect the natural world in which Christ was born."

  • Field of Milkweeds

    "Field of milkweeds remind us of the essential role of native plants and pollinators''. Taken by Karima Samadi. Submitted to the Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • A Stray Dog in Honduras

    "A stray dog in Honduras. I took this photo during a medical brigade trip to Honduras. The dog is standing infront of a line of people waiting for medical attention. Our team was able to provide car to over 1,000 local individuals. The members of these less fortunate communities work hard to live a sustainable lifestyle without the items we take for granted on a daily basis. I care about this subject because the trip was eye opening experience for me."
    Taken by Nate Landever. Submitted to the Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Backpackers

    "Backpackers hike through green woods in this peaceful mountain setting, with a soft gray sky overhead. Cows graze in the area nearby, blending in perfectly with the quiet surroundings. This harmonious existence is a representation of sustainable life, in which people and animals coexist on the land with appreciation and respect. We guarantee the protection of this natural sanctuary so that future generations can continue to appreciate its unspoiled beauty through ethical exploration and efforts to conserve." Taken by Eszter Horompoli-Toth. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • My Flock

    "Pictured is a chick I am raising for my flock. The chickens are raised with sustainable feeding methods, including grazing for worms, bugs, and plants outside. Their waste is used as fertilizer for my summer garden!" Taken by Reily Jacobs Bell. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Green 💚

    "Green 💚". Taken by Mohamed Ibrahim. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Monarch Caterpillars

    "Monarch caterpillars eating native milkweed at the UAB Solar House. These caterpillars were put on milkweed surrounding the Solar House to help the Monarch butterfly population. This photo is important becuase it shows that if we want to support our native species we need to plant native host plants. The UAB Solar House has native plants in abundance to show the public that if you plant natives then the native species will come!" Taken by Emily Colpack. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Mother Giraffe

    "Mother giraffe walking through rhino sanctuary in Laikipia, Kenya". Taken by Kayla Geller. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.

  • Force of Nature

    "'Force of Nature' - the picture was taken when my family and I went to walk on one of the trails in Knights Ferry. When I came across this tree, it reminded me of resilience, adaptability, and the ability to thrive in the most challenging conditions. I say all this because even with the most challenging conditions this tree still recovered, found an innovative way to adapt in its environmental challenge, and found interconnectedness in its ecosystem." Taken by Mitzi G Osorio. Submitted to the RESTORExchange Sustainability Photo Contest.