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• History Professor Explains Religious Origins of American Environmentalism

  Texas Tech historian Mark Stoll‘s latest book, Inherit the Holy Mountain: Religion and the Rise of American Environmentalism (Oxford University Press, 2015), details how religion provided early American environmental leaders with the moral and cultural basis to champion the protection of the natural world. Stoll argues in part that Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, is nothing new, but points environmentalism back towards its moral and religious roots.
• Engaged Organizations: Cool Harvest

  Cool Harvest is a food, faith, and climate program created by Interfaith Power & Light. Cool Harvest focuses on responding to climate change by educating members on climate-friendly food choices. Their website aims to provide resources in order to help others understand the harsh toll modern agribusiness takes on the atmosphere. They provide tips and recipes on food and gardening and also informational movies and stories on the success of others.
• Carbon Fasting

  Many faith organizations, including Interfaith Power & Light, Earth Ministry, and Creation Justice Ministries, promote carbon fasting as a way to make small, personal changes while also drawing attention to society’s unsustainable uses of carbon. Especially in the time of Lent, they encourage everyone to be more mindful of their carbon footprint and as a Lenten discipline, participate in self-imposed restrictions of carbon use. There are many resources provided on how and why to take part in a carbon fast.
• Engaged Organization: The Catholic Climate Covenant

  The Catholic Climate Covenant is the US Catholics response to the Church’s call to care for creation and care for the poor. They are based out of Washington, DC, and are supported by 14 national partners. Among their many ambitions, they aim to teach Catholics on climate change, equip them to care for creation and the poor, and inspire leaders to take actions. They have helped 140 Creation Care Teams lead their communities, organized 7 national press conferences, and helped supporters send over 10,000 letters in support of climate change. Additionally, their work has been mentioned in over 3,000 media stories. Their website includes environmental programs, teachings, and resources.
• St. Francis Pledge

  The St. Francis Pledge is a commitment to respond to the moral call for action on climate change. The commitment includes praying, acting, and advocating to solve climate change. There have been over 10,000 individuals and 75 institutions that have taken the St. Francis Pledge. They have committed to living out the Catholic values through deep reflection, concrete action, and advocacy.
• Engaged Organizations: Catholic Relief Services

  Catholic Relief Services strives to carry out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. They promote human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies. A major initiative includes fighting the effects of climate change on the poor.
• Engaged Organizations: Catholic Rural Life

  Catholic Rural Life is a national, Catholic nonprofit organization dedicated to the importance of rural America. Their mission is to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social, economic, and spiritual development of rural America while strengthening and sustaining the Church. They advance their mission through three distinct areas of impact: ethical food and agriculture, rural outreach and ministry, and stewardship of creation.
• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Environment Justice Program

  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops considers Environmental Justice to be a core issue that requires the action of all Catholics. Their response to this issue has been the Environment Justice Program. This is a program of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development that educates and motivates Catholics to a deeper reverence and respect for God’s creation. They encourages Catholics to address environmental problems, especially as they affect poor and vulnerable people.
• The Vocation of Agriculture: to Till and Keep God’s Creation

  The Vocation of Agriculture: to Till and Keep God’s Creation is a discussion on the calling of agriculture on Saturday March 25th at St. Joseph Church in Plain City. The challenges of rural workers, rural parishes, and rural communities will be explored. There will be many speakers through the day including Sr. Christine Pratt and Dr. Hitzhusen both of OSU. Participants are encouraged to read Laudato Si and the Vocation to Agriculture by Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson before attending.
• Engaged Organizations: Earth Ministry

  Earth Ministry is an organization that engages faith communities in environmental stewardship and advocacy. Based out of Seattle, Washington, their mission is to inspire and mobilize the religious community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future. They support many programs in including Faithful Advocacy, Greening Congregations, and Washington Interfaith Power & Light. In addition, they have been working to ban toxic chemicals, protect wildlife habitat and public lands, and promote clean energy for a stable climate and sustainable economy. Earth Ministry has a country wide reach and their website contains many helpful and informative resources.
• Currency Causing Issues

  The Bank of England released a new £5 note that caused some controversy with many different religious groups recently. The Bank is not disclosing what products are being used to make the tallow in each notes, and different animal products may be the answer. Depending on how these new notes are made, their use may go against the teaching of many different religions, ranging from Judaism to Buddhism.
• Pope Francis on the Dakota Access Pipeline

  Pope Francis has released a statement on the issue of developing land that is spiritually significant to native people. There have been many incidents in recent years where land was taken from natives in order to further economic development of a country at the cost of the rights of native people in regards to practicing their religion. Although it was never officially stated, this statement was in regards to the approved completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will interfere with sacred land of different Native American tribes.
• Standing Rock’s Silver Lining

  The Standing Rock situation, although a difficult and problematic time, had its own silver lining. Because of this issue and the publicity it received, many religious groups have put their difference aside to support the native people whose land is at risk. This has had an impact on healing the divide that has existed between native tribes and western organized religions.
• Engaged Organizations: GreenFaith: The Interfaith Partners for the Environment

  GreenFaith is one of the oldest religious-environmental organizations in the United States. They were originally named Partners for Environmental Quality and were founded by Jewish and Christian leaders in New Jersey. They believed communities needed an organization to connect religious traditions with the environment. Their early work included promoting the use of renewable energy in religious institutions, convening a conference that drew leaders from religious, academic, governmental, and business sectors to talk about environmental protection, and encouraging the use of green energy to the general public. In the early 2000s, they had their first Environmental Health and Justice Tour in Newark where they explored the different proportions of suffering to urban communities. It was then that they changed their name to GreenFaith. Since then, GreenFaith has launched programs all over the state of New Jersey and beyond. Lighting the Way is one of their programs that installed solar panels on religious institutions around the state. Between 2004 and 2006, they organized Sustainable Sanctuaries and Green Flag, GreenFaith Schools Pilot Program. Both took initiative to integrate environmental care into the worship of religious communities and faith-based schools to help “green” their establishments. Since then, the have been honored at Windsor Castle, featured in documentaries including Renewal, and recognized with the Energy Star for Congregations Special Award from the EPA. In order to accomplish these impressive goals, GreenFaith has stayed committed to their beliefs that protecting the earth is a religious value and environmental stewardship as a moral responsibility. Additionally, their three core values, spirit, stewardship, and justice, are what they use to guide their work and define their goals. Spirit is their belief that religious traditions are sacred and that people grow spiritually through a strong relationship with the Earth. Stewardship is their belief that religious members have the opportunity to lessen their impact on the environment. Justice is their belief that all people deserve a healthy environment regardless of their race or income.
• Engaged Organizations: United Methodist Church and Sustainable Agriculture

  The United Methodist Committee on Relief is a non-profit organization that aims to alleviate human suffering around the world. They are a ministry through the General Board of Global Ministries that believe all people have God-given worth. They advocate for hope and healing in more than 80 countries around the globe. One of their initiatives is to work towards sustainable agriculture and food security. This program focuses on partnering with organizations that empower families and communities to create self-help and sustainable solutions to food security. They are currently partnering with eighteen organizations to implement food security projects in twenty-two countries including the United States. Their key priorities include: Providing resources and technical support rural families need to grow or buy enough food to maintain a healthy and productive life. Building the capacity of farmers, pastoralists and fishermen to reverse the trend of poor land and water resource management. Strengthening the impact of agricultural projects by improving household health and nutrition behaviors with a specific focus on pregnant women and children under age 5. Supporting the introduction and use of appropriate agricultural technology that is suitable to the knowledge, skills, capacities, interest, and economics of people and communities. In conjunction with these priorities, the UMCOR places a focus on nutrition. Through their sustainable agriculture and food security program, they educate farmers, raise awareness of global undernutrition, and urge governments in developing nations to support sustainable agriculture. Additionally, they endorse the Scale up Nutrition framework which works to improve nutrition around the globe, especially in young children. Their initiative, called the 1,000 Days Movement, works to improve the nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life which can have an exponential impact on the future of these lives. The UMCOR encourages faith communities to support and work with the Scale Up Nutrition movement and assist in the end of undernutrition through sustainable agriculture.
• Theology and Ecology: How to Keep Updated

  The relationship between faith groups and the environment is constantly developing and expanding. One way to stay informed or learn more is to explore the insightful websites and articles posted below. The National Catholic Reporter is a news source that reports on church and social issues, and they publish a regular column called Eco Catholics. They keep an updated list of articles about the Catholic faith and it’s relation to issues related to the environment. The United Methodist Women is a faith community with a huge focus on environmental justice. They have made climate justice one of their four social justice priorities and started an organization, “Be Just. Be Green.” Their website includes tools to aid in sustainable living and advocacy in a theological way, a carbon footprint calculator, articles on climate justice, and a simulation experience to better understand environmentally downgraded communities. The United Methodist Church on Relief focuses on alleviating human suffering around the globe. One of their initiatives is to end undernutrition and hunger through sustainable agriculture and food security. Their program focuses on partnering with organizations that empower families to create sustainable and self-sufficient solutions to assist in food security. Articles related to faith groups and sustainable agriculture can be found on their website. Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God’s Creation. Based on the priorities of its members, with a particular concern for the vulnerable and marginalized, Creation Justice Ministries provides collaborative opportunities to build ecumenical community, guides people of faith and faith communities towards eco-justice transformations, and raises a collective witness in the public arena echoing Christ’s call for just relationships among all of Creation. Their website contains resources for action and an updated blog. GreenFaith is an interfaith coalition for the environment that works with houses of worship, religious schools and people of all faiths to help them become better environmental stewards. Their mission is to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership. They believe that protecting the earth is a religious value, and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.
• The People’s Climate March

  The People’s Climate Movement is planning a march on April 29 in Washington DC. They are aiming to stand up to protect the future of the planet, the safety of communities, and the health of families. Their website contains their platform, which includes rapidly reducing greenhouse gas and toxic pollution, protecting human rights and native ecosystems, and many more goals. Disclaimer: this event is highly political.
• The Future of Work: The Veritas Forum Event

  Join OSU in hosting The Veritas Forum at The Ohio Union on March 7 from 7PM to 10 PM. Come explore the consequences technological innovations have on societies’ workers. The Veritas Forums are hosted by coalitions of Christian fellowships with the aim of engaging students in discussions of life’s hardest questions. Speakers include: Bruce Weinberg Professor of Economics and Public Administration, OSU Joe Kaboski Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame Michael Smith Professor of Information Systems and Marketing , Carnegie Mellon University Derek Thompson as moderator Senior Editor, Atlantic Magazine
• Earth Keeping Summit: There is a Balm… Eco Justice, Renewal and Hope

  The Earth Keeping Summit 2016 was held at the Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources. The summit went deeper than the importance of recycling, shutting off your lights and using less energy, and addressed questions of ecology, justice, and race. Dr. Melanie Harris was the keynote speaker of the event and also spoke on the importance of sharing stories. She is an Associate Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Harris spoke of the importance of diversity in ecology and how social justice relates to the environmental movement. She talked about how sharing our stories and experiences plays a part in taking care of the environment and having a connection to the environment and to each other. In this environmental movement we must listen. We must reflect on our experiences. We must take race, class and gender very seriously. She gave the example of Eric Garner whose life was taken by police but before that he struggled with asthma. Melanie talked about our air and how the earth is barely breathing. When we heal our earth we will then heal ourselves. Earth connection begins by sitting with difference. Sitting with nature and seeing things in a different kind of lens.
• Office of Social Justice: Climate Witness Project

  The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC/CRCNA) has been working for over a year to develop the Climate Witness Project (CWP), which is a campaign designed to walk with congregations as they learn about the realities of climate change. There are advocacy links, resources and action alerts for communities and congregations to learn about what the CWP is doing and engage in related work. So far, over 200 CRC members from 35 congregations in the U.S. and Canada have come together to learn, act, and advocate for a safer and more just world. The CWP offers their support with coaching and resources when congregations are reaching out to legislators in order to build relationships to help improve climate related policies. The CWP has resources on how to incorporate creation care in worship services, a guide to reduce energy consumption, as well as other resources to combat climate change and help reach the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• Fossil Free UMC

  The Fossil Free United Methodist Church is on a mission to get the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church to invest in clean energy companies. Their website highlights what they are doing in their congregations and potentially your congregation. On their website you will find their strategy to educate, support and converse with individuals, congregations, the General Conference and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. They’ve posted blogs of what they’ve done and progress that they have made on their mission to clean energy. You will also find a webinar that you can schedule with your group along with other resources to support the fossil free mission. Fossil Free UMC addresses the effects of fossil fuel divestments but promotes the long term benefits of investing in fossil free energy on their legislation page.
• Prayers Credited With Halting Dakota Access Pipeline

  News reports from across the country are detailing yesterday’s victory of non-violent demonstrators in North Dakota who have been protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied an easement for the pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s land and sacred burial sites along the Missouri River. USA Today quoted demonstrators as crediting ongoing prayers, including a huge prayer circle on Sunday, for the decision against the pipeline. CNN headlined the decision as an answer to prayers. The New York Times described the impact added by veterans who arrived to support the Sioux, intending to place themselves between the protesters and local law enforcement. Local activists at Standing Rock said that they are cautious in celebrating victory, given that President-Elect Trump’s administration has been in favor of the pipeline, and could un-do Sunday’s decision once Trump is in office.
• EPA Survey Seeks Faith Community Input to Develop Congregational Resource Stewardship Mobile App

  EPA’s ENERGY STAR is developing a new mobile application (app) especially for faith communities to help make congregational stewardship of energy, water and recycling/materials management easier and faster. Program coordinators are inviting faith community members to assist the development of the app by completing a 5-minute survey to help determine the most useful information, tools and resources to include in the new app.
• Engaged Organizations: Jewish Climate Initiative

  The Jewish Climate Initiative is an organization that strives to respond to climate change with Jewish ideals. They are focused on ethics, policy, and science.
• Teva Day School

  Teva is a program that was founded by and supported by Hazon. Teva provides outreach to people of Jewish faith and teaches children about their faith and the environment.