Faith leaders call for climate justice

CEP News: Faith communities in Canada address climate change

Religious leaders call for spiritual solutions to climate change crisis

Faith Leaders Declaration on Climate Change

Faith leaders call for climate justice

Prayer for Durban Cop 17 on Second Sunday in Advent

Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Cecil Makgoba asks the church to pray for Cop 17 in Durban on the Second Sunday in Advent – Lighting the Advent Candle

Father of All, We thank and praise you for your wonderful world. Forgive us for not being good caretakers of creation and its resources Forgive us for the poverty and suffering we inflict through actions that damage the environment.

Lord of life and hope, Give us a vision for how our world could be. Lead us into just and sustainable practices that benefit all life on earth.

Spirit of renewal and transformation, Guide our leaders at every level to forge new paths for development. Fill their dialogue and negotiations with hope, a cooperative spirit, and a sense of family where each works for the benefit of the other.

Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Cecil Makgoba

Give this wisdom to all who gather for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.

And may all your children live within our means, blessing one another, and nurturing your gracious gift of creation.

This we ask, dear Father, in the name of your Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.


Prayer

Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on climate Change

On Sunday October 23 to Monday October 24, faith leaders, politicians and church members gathered in Ottawa to engage in gatherings and dialogue on climate change. A letter was prepared by church leaders associated with the Canadian Council of Churches. This is the most proliferate interfaith call to date concerning climate change.

Call for Leadership and action

Anglican Action Plan to Advocate for Creation and against Climate Change

The Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN) met on Aug. 4 to 10 in Lima, Peru. Canadian participant Revd. Ken Grey noted that "ACEN representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Madagascar and Peru described how deforestation and associated environmental degradation continue at a frightening and devastating rate, often at the expense of indigenous communities who have undertaken subsistence farming for centuries". After this meeting  Revd. Gray, chair of Greening Anglican Spaces of the Anglican Church of Canada, declared that "Creation is in crisis. Anglicans must act".

Not only did participants learn of on the ground degradation of the environment in South America but saw to it that a plan be put forth to deal with it. ACEN convener Bishop George Browning of the Anglican Church of Australia heralded a call to "scrutinise and transform our own relationship with God’s creation". ACEN says that by September 2011 they will have an action plan for worldwide Anglican environmental advocacy.

Read about it more here

Wildlands League asks Ontario Government to start land use planning in Northern Ontario 'Ring of Fire'

The Wildlands League and Noront Resources Ltd. are jointly requesting that the Ontario government start land use planning with First Nations communities located in the northern Ontario Ring of Fire.

"In a letter addressed to various government ministers, the public interest group Wildlands League and Canadian mining company Noront highlight the "urgent need" to develop and approve compressive land use plans that will protect First Nations' land while preventing delays and missteps for mining companies developing in the area.

"What First Nations communities need to see is the options available to them and the cost and benefits of those options," said Anna Baggio the director of conservation and land use planning at Wildlands League.

Land use agreements are part of the government's Far North Act, which aims to protect 50 per cent of Northern land (225,000 kilometres) from development while providing stability for mining companies exploring and developing in Northern Ontario. Baggio said land use agreements with First Nations communities and should have been implemented last fall when the Far North Act was initially passed.

See Ring of Fire update

ALSOC

Anglican-Lutheran Stewards of Creation Event

Youth Event registration.
The time for the event is drawing closer.

August 12 to 14, 2011  --ALSOC Event in Kitchener

Celebrate Earth Day at your faith community!

Greening Sacred Spaces Waterloo/Wellington/Dufferin Regions that gives ideas what churches can do on Earth Day.

"April 22 is Earth Day around the world. Consider ways that you can incorporate concern for the environment into your service and educational or study circles on one of your holy days around Earth Day. Continue your new habits throughout the year!
Topics:

a) Reflection: Incorporate concerns for creation in faith practices and worship
b) Education
c) Action
d) Green your Sacred Space
e) Design an inter-generational educational hour or event

a) Reflection: Incorporate concerns for creation in faith practices and worship

• prayers for restoring the earth and preventing degradation (ie Climate Change)
• music to celebrate the earth and inspire individuals to action
• meditation, sermon, or discussion during worship to reflect on the earth

b) Education
• Invite your members to walk, bike, use public transportation (contact Grand River Transit www.grt.ca for routes and schedules), or carpool to your faith community
• Place announcements for environmentally-related events in your bulletin or newsletter and invite others to join you
• Encourage the use of reusable cups/plates/etc. at social gatherings
• Organize environmentally-themed movies or other discussion topics
• Invite speakers to speak on environmentally-related topics (water conservation, alternative transportation, recycling, composting, eating locally-grown food)
• Information table/display/bulletin board or web-page at your faith community

c) Action

• Deliver educational workshops, events, liturgies to introduce eco-spiritual issues
o Greening Sacred Spaces workshop or Energy Action Planner available through Faith & the Common Good website www.greeningsacredspaces.net
• Join or work with other environmental organizations (see ‘Resources’, below)
• Serve locally-grown foods if you have fellowship meals (see ‘Resources’, below)
• Sell compact florescent lights or other green products
• Get government and corporations to become more green through:
o letter writing or petitions
o submit news articles, opinion pieces or write to the editor
• Start a composting and/or recycling program
• Designate your parking lot and drop-off/pick-up area a ‘No Idling’ zone (see ‘Resources’, below)
• Book the Yellow Fish Road Program (see ‘Resources’, below)
• Develop long-term strategies such as environmental/energy audits, retrofits, renovations, adopting green policies, and green investment

d) Greening your Sacred Space (GSS)
Please see the www.greeningsacredspaces.net website for inspiring projects!

• Have an energy audit of your faith building(s). (see REEP, ‘Resouces’, below)
• Establish and prioritize your building’s needs - determine weaknesses & opportunities
• Develop a budget, understand payback of green investments
• Research and secure funding sources
• Establish providers for technical equipment and services
• Set timelines and goals and develop a system for tracking your savings
• Announce and celebrate each success

e) Design an inter-generational educational/study hour or environmental event

Seniors, toddlers and everyone in between can participate in any one (or a few!) centres designed to engage, teach and inspire people about environmental issues. Centre leaders can be members of your congregation, or invited speakers/facilitators from local environmental groups (see ‘Resources’, below). Some of the ideas mentioned in sections a), b), c) and d) can be incorporated into your centres.

Some centre ideas could be:

Outdoor ideas:

• A nature walk in the neighbourhood surrounding your faith community (this could also be done in a park or natural area close to your building)
• Book the Yellow Fish program (see ‘Resources’, below)
• Organize a litter pick-up on your property, or in the vicinity around your faith community’s property
• Start or continue a gardening project at your faith community, or in your neighbourhood

Indoor ideas:

• Story hour: featuring books from your faith community’s library, or your local library (book suggestions: The Lorax (Dr. Seuss), Dear children of the earth: a letter from home (Schim Schimmel); search your library collection for ‘environment’, ‘environmental protection’, ‘ecology’
• Music – choose music that celebrates the earth
• Eco-craft – choose crafts that have a seasonal theme (such as planting beans), use natural materials (eg. pinecones, branches, rocks), or recycled materials; design signs for your faith community’s building, such as ‘please turn off the lights when you leave this room’ (to be placed by each light switch), posters instructing what to/what not to compost (to be placed on the wall in the kitchen, and on the compost collection container)
• Environmental games – ask the camp counsellors in your youth group (or former camp counsellors!) to lead community-building, cooperative or nature-themed games
• If people in your faith community are part of a green bin/organic collection program, teach them how to fold green bin liners out of newspapers (see www.region.waterloo.on.ca/waste and click on ‘green bin’)
• A snack (featuring locally-made or seasonal foods...)

Prayer of Conservation

Rev'd Katherine Loynd, rector of Trinity Church St. Thomas, sent the following prayer that Bishop Terry Dance prayed when he dedicated their programmable thermostats. Digital thermostats help reduce a church's heating and air conditioning needs at times when their not necessary. On Sunday February 6th, 2011 Bishop Terry prayed:

Creator God, in the beginning you created all things; the sun and the sky, the waters and the dry lands, the plants and the animals; and you entrusted human beings with the stewardship of your creation.  In our time, we have become aware of the need to care for your creation with greater diligence; to be mindful of the needs of others with whom we share this fragile earth our island home and of the generations to come.  With the installation of new programmable thermostats, Trinity Church has taken one small step towards reducing our carbon footprint.  We ask your blessing upon these thermostats, that they may assist in the conservation of energy; keeping us ever mindful of our commitment to be good stewards of the resources you have provided; in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Such prayers of dedication are the keystones of our conservation. Thank you Rev'd Loynd and Bishop Terry.

Heritage Trust Ontario Approves St James Stratford's Roofing Project

Dave Sheldon and the property committee of St. James Anglican Church in Stratford is leading the way in terms of environmentally friendly options for heritage churches. Mr. Sheldon reports that convincing Heritage Trust Ontario of alternative greening options was challenging but worth it. Mr. Sheldon says that when they recently reroofed the parish hall they "used Enviroshake composite shakes instead of the original cedar shakes". The composite shakes are an endurable product made mostly from a combination of recycled rubber, plastic and fibrous materials and manufactured in Chatham.

Obviously, Mr. Sheldon is a great pitchman for greener ways of maintaining Anglican heritage churches.He also says that "This is now the first heritage building in Ontario to use a composite roofing material and this is something we are quite proud of". As you can see in the pictures the 'shakes' blend very well with the trees and property itself. It is this kind of environmental leadership by the Anglican church which is helping to make sure that greener alternatives will become the norm in the future. This environmental roof is aesthetically popular as well.

Mr. Sheldon says "I think that the roof looks so much like aged cedar that it's worth doing even on a heritage building". This practice was a win-win situation, not only was it ecologically safe but it kept the original integrity of the building. 

The 'shakes' blend very well with the trees and property itself

2011 Lenton Theme focuses on "Water, conflict and just peace"

"In 2011, the Seven Weeks for Water will focus on “Water, conflict and just peace ”, examining the links between access to water, struggles over this precious resource, and building just peace. The theme has been chosen because of its relevance to communities and churches around the world and as a contribution to the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) that will be taking place next year in Jamaica, Kingston, from 17 - 25 May 2011.

Anglicans/Episcopalians Gather for Climate Justice in Dominican Republic

“Anglican and Episcopal leaders from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean are arriving Dec. 6 in the Dominican Republic for a four-day gathering to explore the intersection between poverty and climate change.

"We're hoping to change the conversation in the church from one of climate change to climate justice," said the Rev. P. Joshua "Griff" Griffin, environmental justice missioner in the Diocese of California and one of the conference's organizers”

Greening Anglican Spaces: setting the stage for a national Green Awards

Greening Anglican Spaces

National Synod Motion that got the ball rolling for a National Green Awards

“Climate Change as a Moral Issue” Events

Dr. Mishka Lysack, assistant professor at the University of Calgary and Anglican priest brought together leaders of many different faiths in an ecumenical event in Calgary. The conference in April 2010 examined the issue ‘Climate Change as a moral issue’. Four events are planned in Toronto in November 2010. An Ottawa event is planned as well.

Dr. Lysack wrote “given the severity of today's environmental issues, simply changing your personal lifestyle isn't enough. That would have been enough if we had listened to David Suzuki talk about it in the ‘80s, but our world is too far gone now. Today, we need to focus on public engagement, education and community building”



The link for the Toronto event.