Ecojustice Archive
2001 through 2007

Pope condemns the “climate change prophets of doom”
[12-19-07]

The London Daily Mail reported on December 12 that Pope Benedict XVI “launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.” His comments were prepared for delivery on World Peace Day on January 1, but they were released as delegates gathered on the Indonesian island of Bali for UN climate change talks.

In this message, entitled "The Human Family, A Community of Peace," Pope Benedict says that "Humanity today is rightly concerned about the ecological balance of tomorrow," and he adds: "It is important for assessments in this regard to be carried out prudently, in dialogue with experts and people of wisdom, uninhibited by ideological pressure to draw hasty conclusions, and above all with the aim of reaching agreement on a model of sustainable development capable of ensuring the well-being of all while respecting environmental balances.”

The Daily Mail reporter adds: “His remarks reveal that while the Pope acknowledges that problems may be associated with unbridled development and climate change, he believes the case against global warming to be over-hyped.”

Read the full article >>

From the Orthodox Church: a more pro-creation stance

Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle notes that the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Bartholomew of Constantinople, addressed the same issue out of the Orthodox theological appreciation of creation. He issued an Encyclical in September, 1999, in which he proclaimed September 1 as “the annual day of prayer for the environment.” This concern for the natural word, says TeSelle, is grounded in the Orthodox faith in God's presence in the whole world – especially through incarnation – and the role of icons and the liturgy and other sensory factors in devotional life.

In addition, the document praises the Committee on the Environment of the World-wide Federation of Organizations of Engineers, which had just met in Thessalonike and proposed that a binding "Global Code of Ethics" for the environment be drafted.

A new affirmation of the call to care for God’s creation

Al Gore and chairman of scientists’ panel gave important statements in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize   [12-11-07]

You may want to see the full texts of these important statements.

To see Gore’s address:

For R. K. Pachauri’s address

What might we do with this material to extend its effect?  Here's a suggestion from one friend: 

I am forwarding this message to my entire address book and urging you to insist that your elected representatives and favorite presidential candidate do the difficult and right thing in the months and years ahead to save the planet for human life.

The Green (Environmentally concerned) Presbyterians at First Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, MI would like suggestions from any congregation that has successfully eliminated the use of foam (especially) and other paper/plastic cups in church programs – especially before/after worship and for meetings. How did you do it? And what have been the results? Any and all suggestions welcome. Please respond privately to Kremlick@juno.com and in the subject line, note "Green Presbyterian - cups."

Warren Wilson College ranked as #3 among "green colleges"     [10-25-07]

The Sierra Club reports that numerous colleges and universities are "going green." Presbyterian-related Warren Wilson College is ranked number three on their "Top Ten" list, with this brief description:

This small Southeast star wears its environmental ethos on its sleeve and backs it up with a sustainably managed farm, garden, and forest that provide food and lumber for the campus; streetlamps that reduce light pollution; and community service as an integral part of the curriculum.

George Marshall, the founder of the Climate Outreach Information Network, who blogs on the psychology of climate change at www.climatedenial.org, has written a provocative essay in The Guardian, UK.

He urges environmentalists to drop slogans like "save the planet," and to focus on "intelligent living" instead.

Saving the planet, he says, is too big, too vague, too negative, when people are looking for positive things to do, not just things to give up.

So he offers his own personal statement:

"I have embraced a lighter lifestyle because it is the smart, cool, intelligent and healthy way to live. I want to live in the present and the real world, not be tied to an outdated and dangerous 20th-century way of living. I live this way because I love it, because it makes me feel good and because it is healthy and gives me freedom.

"I feel that I am setting the pace for the 21st century and I am excited to see people all around me trying to catch up. If we all work together we can build a world that is cleaner, fairer and happier and that is what I want to leave my children."

from Eco-Justice Notes, by the Rev. Peter Sawtell, executive director of Eco-Justice Ministries

In 1987, the Commission for Racial Justice of the United Church of Christ (UCC) released a report titled Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States. It was a detailed statistical analysis of census data, meticulously cross-matched with information on the location of toxic waste sites.

That report is widely recognized as a foundational document in the environmental justice movement in the United States, and in shaping similar efforts around the world. It made the well-documented assertion that the environmental risk from hazardous waste is more strongly correlated with race than with economics.

On this 20^th anniversary of Toxic Wastes and Race, an important new report has been issued by the UCC. Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty: 1987-2007 revisits the statistical analysis with more sophisticated tools, and finds that "by better matching the locations of people and hazardous sites, racial and socioeconomic disparities around the nation's hazardous waste facilities are found to be far greater than what previous studies have shown."

This new report is available for free download from the United Church of Christ website. I highly recommend this new report for your reading and study. The 175 page document is 6.5 Mb, so plan on a lengthy download time.

An environmentalist leads us on a new path through Lent    [3-9-07]

The Rev. Peter Sawtell, the Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, is posting a very provocative and helpful exploration of what he calls the four core norms of an eco-justice ethic: solidarity, sustainability, sufficiency, and participation.

The one for this week, on sufficiency, asks "How much is enough?" – "one of the central questions for those who seek eco-justice in the world."

The current meditation, on Sufficiency, is entitled "Enough, Already."

The first meditation, on Solidarity, bears the title "All In It Together."

The second, on Sustainability, he calls "Nothing Left for the Kids"

The final one, due out in a couple weeks, will deal with Participation.

NCC offers training and support for faith-based eco-justice work

Award also offered for eco-justice sermon – deadline is March 1

[2-9-07]

The National Council of Churches seeks to transform the faith-based eco-justice movement by training and supporting emerging practitioners engaged in faith-based environmental work. We will nurture and train this new generation of leadership and aim for diversity and collaboration. The next fellowship class will begin in the summer of 2007.

The Program

During 2004, we developed and implemented a leadership training program for 20 emerging religious eco-justice practitioners (age 22-40).

Location

The inaugural retreat was held July 26-28, 2004, at Port Isobel, Virginia, an education center located next door to Tangier Island, home to Tangier Watermen's Stewardship for the Chesapeake (TaSC), an organization of watermen that implements a Biblically based stewardship plan for the island.

Goals

We will connect fellows with peers representing a broad array of eco-justice work in order to help build a network of leaders. By providing training and other learning opportunities, we hope to build a network of leaders and focus attention on the need for the religious community to nurture the next generation of environmental leaders.

Fellowship Commitments

• Fellows attend a summer retreat.
• Fellows agree to join the network of other fellows.

Benefits of the Fellowship

Participants will have the unique opportunity to gather in community and foster their own leadership development during their one-year fellowship. Skills training will include:

• Communication techniques, community organizing
• Spiritual reflections and worship resources
• Education on environmental issues including environmental justice
• Existing faith-based resources

In addition, participants will receive travel compensation to the July retreat (traveling from points within the United States) as well as lodging during the three-day event. Meeting expenses, including food and beverage, will be covered for the summer retreat.

For more information about the Faith & Eco-Justice Fellowship, contact Cassandra Carmichael at cassandra@toad.net.

And also ...

NCC announces eco-sermon award

Washington, D.C., January 29, 2007--The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) today announced a call for submissions to its first ever eco-justice sermon writing award as part of its eco-justice work. The award, which is a celebration of God's creation in the proclaimed gospel, is open to clergy, lay leaders, and other religious leaders and entries can focus on a variety of environmental issues such as sustainability, global warming, wilderness, and water.

"As Christians have the moral responsibility to protect all of God's creation for current and future generations," said Cassandra Carmichael, eco-justice program director for the NCC.

"At the Council we strive to provide resources such as our recently released theological resources to folks in the pews," said Carmichael. "This sermon award will help highlight the good work going on in churches across the nation as well as provide sermon starters for worship leaders."

The award was announced six months after the release of "Opening the Letter:

God's Earth is Sacred," a theological resource for congregations. According to Carmichael, an increasing number of congregations are preaching on the environment as evidenced by the rising popularity of the NCC's Earth Day Sunday worship resource.

Sermon submissions should be no longer than 1,500 words. Deadline is March 1, 2007, and sermons should be sent via email to info@nccecojustice.org. More information can be found at www.nccecojustice.org/sermoncontest.htm.

The NCC is America's ecumenical voice of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American and traditional peace churches with 45 million members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states. The NCC has focused on ecological justice issues for over the last 25 years.

NCC Eco-justice contact: Cassandra Carmichael, 202.481.6928, info@nccecojustice.org. NCC News contact: Dan Webster, 212.870.2252, dwebster@councilofchurches.org. Latest NCC News at www.councilofchurches.org .

Saving energy is good for the environment, good for your budget     [8-30-06]

The National Council of Churches announces that its 2006 Earth Day Sunday resource is available for download at www.nccecojustice.org/KatrinaDownload.html.

Their announcement continues:

This year, the resource focuses on the just rebuilding of the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. So many congregations have been involved in relief and recovery efforts that we think this is a great way to affirm, honor and add to that ministry!

This resource provides the background information, sermon notes, bulletin insert, and study questions to plan an Earth Day Sunday (or any day) worship service.

Presbyterians for Restoring Creation has produced a new resource, "Living in Lent, Caring for Creation." It is a 12-page resource that includes a list of "40 ways to fast and feast for God's Creation" and a reflection for Lent, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Great Vigil of Easter, and Easter Sunday.

It can be downloaded from www.prcweb.org.

John Shuck, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton, Tennessee, send us an essay recently characterizing the Theological Task Force report as "Not Justice, Not Progress, Just the Same Second-Class Status." He sent another brief note recently reflecting on another concern:

I have another issue. I would dare to say that other issues pale in comparison with this one. I am facilitating a study during Lent at my church in which we will watch two documentaries, "The End of Suburbia" and "The Corporation."

Both of these documentaries, especially "The End of Suburbia" (since I am a suburbia living kind of guy) were wake-up calls for me. I am afraid that it will be very soon (perhaps 10-20 years) when we in America experience the end of the world as we know it. That is the predicted peak of the supply of world oil resources according to "The End of Suburbia."

Since I saw this documentary a few weeks ago, I cannot get it out of my mind. Here are some of its insights. If every inhabitant of Earth consumed at the rate of the average North American, we would need four planets to sustain our consumption. There is no political will to change our American way of life which seems to be unlimited consumption. Consumption is based on an unlimited supply of cheap oil. The war on terror will never end because it is a war to control oil supply. Even so, this supply will end.

We presently have no alternative. We have no desire to find an alternative. We have a narrow window (one that is closing rapidly) to make some drastic changes (both in the way we live and in finding alternative sources of energy) yet there is little interest in doing either.

I am curious how many Witherspooners have seen either of these documentaries and if so, what Progressive Presbyterians could do to to wake people up. But then again, maybe all is fine and I shouldn't worry.

Peace,
john

Can you offer any response to John’s closing query? Have you seen either of these films? Do you share his concern? Any ideas about what to do about it?

Just send a note, to be shared here!

It’s far more serious than the President acknowledged in his State of the Union address, says Peter Sawtell, Executive Director, Eco-Justice Ministries. He offers a sharp critique of the president’s way of framing the problem, saying:

If Mr. Bush was really talking about breaking our addiction, he wouldn't look to technology for the solution. Any addict on the long path of recovery has to make very hard changes, and the President isn't asking us to change much of anything.

He isn't asking anyone to conserve – to drive less, or to turn down the thermostat. He isn't asking anyone to deal with efficiency – to improve fuel economy standards for cars, or to insulate homes. And he certainly isn't asking us to change our national self-image as an economic powerhouse.

The fact of the matter is, the phrase about our addiction to oil was a distraction. That unexpected word pushed a very short section about energy into the news, and made it sound like a dramatic change in policy. But the fairly minor proposals that Mr. Bush named have almost nothing to do with breaking an addiction to fossil fuels.

Eighty-six evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming, saying "millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors." But the National Association of Evangelicals has refused to take a stand, in spite of the urging of some of its members, and in spite of its declaration last year of an Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility.     The New York Times reports on the action against global warming >>

An "evangelical mutiny"?

Peter Sawtell of Eco-Justice Ministries reflects on those beautiful nature scenes in his new calendar – and ponders the assumptions they suggest about nature and humanity.   [1-2-06]

He writes:

In the world of nature calendars -- and the lovely Sierra Club ones are only one example of the genre -- the full beauty of nature is ruined if people are present. Within this iconography, "nature" and humanity occupy completely different realms.

The ongoing debate questions the aesthetic assumption of the calendars. Is "nature" something that is utterly different from the human, or should we acknowledge the interconnections between the two? At its most challenging form, the question asks if it is even misleading to use language that conceptually separates "human" and "nature." Ethicist Larry Rasmussen wrote, "We could learn to speak, for example, not of humanity AND nature, but of humans IN and AS nature. ... We could acknowledge that humans never rise above nature, never transcend it."

Read a short report on emagazine >>

Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase reports on the gathering of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation

Peter Sawtell of EcoJustice Ministries has provided a new resource for preaching on Genesis 1, just in time for its appearance in the lectionary for Trinity Sunday, May 22.   [4-26-05]

Matthew Sleeth, a former emergency room doctor who now helps lead the eco-evangelism movement, writes of his own faith journey and of the growing number of evangelicals who see caring for the creation as part of their responsibility. He notes that for evangelicals, such concerns must lead them to deal seriously with the realities of population growth. He says "The choice is simple: We either need birth control or to forgo the use of medicine to prolong life. It is up to the individual, society, or religion to choose one or the other."      [4-25-05]

Earth Day Turns 35
Celebrate our home

Utne Reader offers lots of good resources for celebrating Earth Day, which is today, April 22. But it’s never too late to love Mother Earth!

[4-22-05]

The environment has taken a backseat to modern living and not without cost. The temperature is gradually swelling, polar ice caps are melting, species are dying off, and in many places the water is too polluted to drink. There is no better time than the present to reverse the tide -- and no better day to begin than Earth Day. Fortunately, for those of us who need a push and some direction, there's a bevy of resources.

Earthday.net is a one-stop shop, where surfers can search for events in their area and learn how to get involved in community-based campaigns. For family-friendly tips, Kids Domain offers a variety of activities, including interactive, online games and songs inspired by Mother Earth. The Earth Day Groceries Project encourages students to decorate paper grocery bags with environmental messages.

The Environmental Protection Agency is pitching in with a heap of resources, including information on how to support cleaner electricity generation. You can also find out about the environmental conditions in your community and learn how to help your employer become more energy efficient. There's even a link to scout out volunteer opportunities and Earth Day events in your area.

Go there >> Earth Day!

Sharing the Waters of Life
June 9-12, 2005
Presbyterians for Restoring Creation
5th National Eco-Justice Conference
Silver Bay YMCA Center, Silver Bay, NY

"Sharing the Waters of Life" will gather people from throughout the U.S. to:

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, warns that the price of our continued failure to protect the earth will be violence and social collapse.   [4-19-05]

He begins:

Too often in recent decades, the two big "e" words - ecology and economy - have been used as though they represented opposing concerns. ... But this separation or opposition has come to look like a massive mistake. It has been said that "the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment". The earth itself is what ultimately controls economic activity because it is the source of the materials upon which economic activity works.

Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, reminds us of the important things being presented to us by the National Council of Church.  

Conservative arguments again "takings" clause in Constitution will challenge government's power to act for the common good

Seeking to limit government seizures, conservatives take the issue to court. The issue of "takings," or the government's authority to take private property for legitimate public use under the law of eminent domain, has been a matter of concern to the Presbyterian Church, which has affirmed the need for such authority so that governments can act for the broader public interest in protecting the environment.

With the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol for action against the emissions that are causing global warming, Worldwatch sees new economic opportunities as nations shift to new energy technologies, and living standards improve.  The US, of course, is staying out of it all.

Many friends have urged us to link to Bill Moyers' remarks upon receiving the Global Environmental Citizen Award from the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. Arguing that evangelical Christians and their views now dominate the political scene in Washington, he warns that their expectations of the impending apocalypse (as expressed most widely in Timothy LaHaye's "Left Behind" series) lead to their passionate support of Israel as the best way to bring on the return of Christ. And these views also lead to a careless attitude toward the environment - since God will take care of it all anyway.

Researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities announced the results of their second "index of environmental sustainability," produced in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Finland, Norway and Uruguay held the top three spots in the ranking, while the United States ranked 45th of the 146 countries studied, behind such countries as Japan, Botswana and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and most of Western Europe. The lowest-ranking country was North Korea, with Haiti, Taiwan, Iraq and Kuwait ranking near the bottom.

Alfred Davies reviews a book that outlines that crisis building as private corporations gain ownership and distribution rights over more and more of the world's water.  [1-18-05]

Use it to fight mercury pollution.

Greenpeace and TrueMajority would like you to share some of your hair. They are collecting hair samples to be tested for mercury exposure, as a way of creating awareness and providing scientific data to support stronger public health protections in place of the weaker ones proposed by the Bush administration.

"It's an opportunity to reflect on the gift of God's creation and what we need to do to protect it," said the Rev. Bill Somplatsky-Jarman, associate for the PC(USA)'s Environmental Justice Office.

received from the Presbyterian Washington Office

Offered by the National Council of Churches, the Fellowship Program seeks to transform the faith-based eco-justice movement by training and supporting emerging practitioners engaged in faith-based environmental work. The program aims to nurture and train a new generation of leadership (age 22-40).

Deadline: May 15, 2004

Details: Participants will attend a two-day retreat (July 26-29) and a one-day retreat in May 2005 for skills-building, issue training, and collaboration.

To learn more and get application information: www.toad.net/~cassandra/fellowship.htm

The 214^th General Assembly called on Presbyterians to become informed on the health hazards of massive pollution generated by the nation's coal-fired power plants. It also urged that the government enforce and improve clean-air legislation.

Overture for population stabilization

BushGreenwatch provides accurate and timely information on the Bush Administration's assault on our environment and public health.

The site's creators say "We are dedicated to expanding media coverage and public awareness of the many vital environmental and public health issues affected by the administration's anti-environmental agenda, which consistently places the interests of corporate donors above the public good."

BushGreenwatch is a project of Environmental Media Services, a nonprofit communications clearinghouse, with support from MoveOn.org, the online advocacy group.

World Trade Organization and Free Trade Area of the Americas are pursuing policies that threaten existing environmental protections and give vast new powers to corporations - all through secret negotiations.

After the big blackout ... what about energy?
[8-20-03]

In June, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 to adopt the Precautionary Principle, consolidating the city's environmental laws into a single code to "create and maintain a healthy, viable Bay Area environment for current and future generations," reports Rachel's Environment and Health News.

According to the Environmental Research Foundation web site, the principle is the result of a two-year study of how to most effectively integrate city and county environmental policies. The study's findings concluded:

The five elements needed for the Precautionary Principle to succeed are summarized on Utne's Webwatch.

The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) invites nominations of people to serve on a new resolution team charged with revising the denominational policy on energy.

The mandate for this work comes from an action taken by the 214th General Assembly (2002) (See Item 12-06 cited below).

'EARTH DAY SUNDAY 2003: WATERS OF LIFE'

Many congregations are seeking ways to make their buildings more energy efficient - both as an expression of their stewardship of the environment, and to save money. A Christian Science Monitor article describes specific efforts, and points to sources of information and financial help.

The Rev. Bruce Gillette, of First Presbyterian Church, Pitman NJ, sends this observation and suggests resources for the rising cost of heating

Congregations need to be concerned with the January 8th news headline "Consumers Brace for Higher Heat, Fuel Costs." The Reuters story reported "If temperatures remain normal the rest of this winter, the Energy Information Administration said home heating bills will be up 43 percent for heating oil, 34 percent for natural gas and 12 percent for electricity compared to last winter. The heating bills that consumers will have to pay are much higher than the agency predicted several weeks ago." See the whole report online.

Expensive increases for energy can impact church budgets two ways. First, more church funds will be needed to heat church buildings. Second, church members will be paying more to heat their own homes and drive their cars which will limit the funds they can give to support their churches.

Churches need to be emphasizing energy conservation as part of our faithful discipleship in caring for God's creation. Our overuse of energy is a major cause of global warming and air/water/ground pollution with many resulting health problems. Energy conservation can save on our church's fuel budget line items so these funds can be to benefit for missions or underpaid church staff.

The ecumenical think-tank Alban Institute's congregational resources web site and the U.S. Department of Energy both recommend the Interfaith Coalition for Energy (ICE):  ICE has many practical (often inexpensive) ways that churches can save on their energy bills. ICE publications include how to do an energy audit, conservation tips, how to calculate the real costs of building use by outside groups, and much more. Readers will find recommendations based on scientific studies done, such as the little impact of cold sanctuaries on pipe organs and whether it helps to run sanctuary ceiling fans when the heat is on (fans don't keep rooms warmer - they only create indoor "wind chill") You can contact Andrew Rudin, ICE Project Coordinator, at 7217 Oak Ave., Melrose Park, PA 19027 Phone: 215/ 635-1122 email: andrewrudin@earthlink.net

An excellent ecumenical web site for environmental stewardship for online resources for worship, education, congregational and personal life styles is http://www.webofcreation.org

Please share these resources with other churches in your community, online friends and church governing bodies.

Grace and Peace,

Bruce

Email: Bruce.Gillette@ecunet.org
Church website: http://www.firstpresby.org/

Criticizing Bush, Senators McCain and Lieberman would set deadlines     [1-9-03]

The Presbyterian Washington Office notes that Senators McCain and Lieberman plan to unveil a plan this week to require all U.S. power plants and industries to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, setting the stage for a conflict with the Bush administration and the new chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

While the good old reliable AAA may probably rescued lots of us, it appears that this powerful national organization is using our dues money for extensive lobbying at national, state, and local levels -- mostly for more highways, less public transit, less regulation of motor vehicle emissions, and so on.

The Rev. Bruce Gillette has sent an interesting reflection on next Sunday's text on John the Baptist, and a contemporary call for repentance in the face of global warming - a call which the Bush administration is greeting with a call for more study.

[12-4-02]

Concerned about fuel efficiency and those big ol' SUVs?  But not to worry: Chevy's got religion!

Chevrolet has hitched their current advertising campaign to the star of evangelical Christianity, with a tour featuring 16 evangelical concerts beginning in Atlanta on Nov. 1, and ending in Detroit on Nov. 23.

The 214th General Assembly in Columbus approved an overture from Baltimore Presbytery, asking for a study on the issue of "takings."

The issue is complex, and it is especially complex - and important - for the PC(USA) right now.

(1) Churches are often concerned about zoning and historic regulations, regarding any obstacles as an offense to religious freedom. As a result they inadvertently join the "property rights" ideologues who regard any regulation as a "taking" which ought to be compensated under the Fifth Amendment.

(2) The 2000 General Assembly, acting out of sympathy and unaware of broader consequences, approved a Commissioners' Resolution on the Klamath Basin controversy but in the process asserted that "taking water rights is taking private property." This was out of keeping with the General Assembly's longstanding support of environmental regulations, rejecting the simplistic argument that they constitute a "taking."

Bob Stivers, of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, reported on the action of the 214^th General Assembly, examining the way it responded to an action by the 213^th Assembly dealing with a water crisis in the Klamath Basin.

Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst, examines the way in which churches are being drawn into the campaign against "takings," in the name of "freedom of religion" and of their own institutional self-interest.

Charles Forbes, Stated Clerk of Baltimore Presbytery, has worked with the presbytery committee that wrote the 2002 overture. He traces some of the complexities of the "takings" issue, as individual interests and rights come in conflict with community needs and interests.

The "World Summit" in Johannesburg:
Observations from environmentalists   [9-3-02]

We're seeing lots of reports from Johannesburg these days, and your Witherspoon web site makes no pretence of outdoing them all.

If you're following reports on the World Summit on Sustainable Development, you may find these three resources helpful for yourself, or for interpreting the event to others.

These suggestions come from Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries

Simple Ways to Preserve our EcoSystem this September  [8-8-02]

[8-2-02]

The Web magazine Grist offers a roundtable gathering of information on the ways many people are finding to deal with the threat of global warming and climate change: local networks enacting local climate change initiatives, corporations cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and schools building "green" dorms.

Among other good things, Katherine Ellison, an author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, examines the origins and implications of the trend toward local climate change initiatives. She notes the increasing strength of "religious activism on climate issues," as shown by the letter signed by more than 1,200 religious leaders last February, calling on U.S. senators to enact "specific measures to curb climate change."

She quotes Paul Gorman, director of the New York-based National Religious Partnership for the Environment: "In this case, the religious community has been led by science. And this is very noteworthy, considering that these two communities have been so deeply at odds in the past."

Ellison adds, "Indeed, not since the anti-Apartheid movement have so many priests and rabbis so concertedly urged their congregants to take political action, and nothing else demonstrates so clearly that global warming has become a mainstream concern."

Grist also leads you to lots of other good things, for example:

One local religious initiative is seen in the work of the Rev. Sally Bingham, a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of California, serves as environmental minister at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and directs The Regeneration Project . Check out their web site, which greets the visitor with "Welcome to Episcopal Power and Light and the Regeneration Project."

And an excellent collection of links provides background information on climate change and efforts to combat it. - including a Smithsonian Institution site with vast stores of information (and lots of graphics, too)

The Bush administration has recently submitted its "Climate Action Report 2002" to the United Nations. For the first time, this administration acknowledges the phenomenon of global warming, and the link between human activities and the rise in temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans. The report goes on to suggest an interesting response: Get used to it! And let any changes we make be voluntary.

We've been looking for some comment from the faith communities, and Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, has offered a thoughtful response, concluding, "I can think of no other term than 'foolishness' to describe the ludicrous US policy which knowingly increases our damage to the Earth's climate, and then proposes enormous and complex, but very partial, steps to try and adapt to the climate change we are causing.

A new hymn celebrating our Creator God has been written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, and sent to us by her husband, Bruce Gillette.  With its theme of God's creative action, he suggests that it would be appropriate for use on Sunday, May 26^th, with the lectionary's texts of Genesis 1:1-2:4 and Psalm 8.

And speaking of Creation, the Rev. Bruce Gillette (spouse of the author of the hymn) suggests that a recent column by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman provides a very current comment on our president’s failure of imagination. The President, says Friedman, has failed to imagine the good that might have come out of the nation’s struggles with the terrorism of September 11. A real leader could have built on the unity of the nation to move us toward greater conservation of energy, enlisting young people in the work that will require.

And, notes Gillette, the churches have generally been as lacking in imagination for a new level of stewardship of the creation.

The full story is in TomPaine.com

[4-15-02]

Pres. Bush and his oil-industry friends have been arguing the energy efficiency is not needed, because the threat of global warming is not "scientifically proven." They also argue that the measures needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would be damaging to the US economy. So the administration has refused to participate in the Kyoto treaty, has rejected measures to improve the fuel efficiency of autos, and so on.

Now comes along the chief executive of a major global energy company, John Browne of BP, telling us the his company's pl\an to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels below those of 1990 by 2010 - a plan announced five years ago - has already been realized, at no net cost to the company.

While BP has achieved this with no government support (something Mr. Bush would no doubt appreciate and want everyone else to emulate), Browne argues that if changes in the energy industry are to the scale this is needed, "we need the help of governments" to provide incentives. He adds that the Kyoto treaty provides the basis for the needed guidelines.

Seth Dunn, a Research Associate at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, DC., offers this as a case study for Pres. Bush in TomPaine.com

Peter Sawtell of Eco-Justice Ministries ponders the problem of heresy, which happens "when partial truths are elevated to the status of absolute truths." And today's big heresy, he suggests, is the idea of personal freedom. It was the key argument in the US Senate against tighter standards for fuel economy in US vehicles -- including even SUVs and vans. The assumption was that Congress had no right to tell Americans what kind of cars they could drive.

Says Sawtell: "Freedom is one of the core values for the United States. But we have encountered heresy when that value is lifted up as an absolute truth."

The Christian Science Monitor presents an impressive survey of the religious voices reminding the U. S. Senate of the "moral obligations" involved in their deliberations on energy policy.

"In general, the religious leaders take a line clearly at odds with the Bush administration: They favor more conservation and renewable energy sources, plus a 'substantial' increase in vehicle fuel economy; they oppose more oil drilling, especially in wilderness areas. Referring to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where President Bush wants to drill for oil, the religious leaders say, 'Conservation is a morally superior alternative to drilling in such places.'"

Eco-Justice Ministries offers worship resources for Earth Day 2002  [3/6/02]

These resources are built around the theme "Having All Things In Common," and are based on one of the Revised Common Lectionary texts for Sunday, April 21.

They are now available on the Eco-Justice Ministries website, www.eco-justice.org

Peter Sawtell 
Executive Director, Eco-Justice Ministries

A broad coalition of faith groups has joined to create a new web-based advocacy network focused on issues of climate change: the Interfaith Climate Change Network. It will provide practical help on conservation and stewardship of creation, as well as information to help people influence legislators and policy-makers. The network is co-sponsored by the National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Working Group and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.

The Rev. John Wade, one of the founders of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, died May 16 in a fall while hiking in the Colorado Rockies.

Wade, 81, was a former chair of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club. During his life in the outdoors, Wade climbed 32 of the 54 Colorado Rockies peaks that rise 14,000 feet or more. A Colorado native, he served one pastorate in Utah before spending the rest of his career in his home state.

He is survived by two sons, one in Massachusetts and the other in Pennsylvania. His wife, Marian, died in 1995.

From Presbyterian News Service, 5-June-2001

Witherspoooners Harold Barton and Brian Christofferson attended the Eco-Justice Conference which was held last week in Washington, DC., sponsored and planned by the National Council of Churches. As their first report on this important event, they have forwarded the latest issue of the e-list "Eco-Justice Notes." 

Peter Sawtell, Executive Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, recounts the day of lobbying on Capitol Hill by 350 conference participants. They visited legislators on behalf of the Gwich'in people and the caribou herd that will be devastated by oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; the people of Bangladesh, who will be among the most impacted victims of global warming; future generations, whose needs and interest are not adequately considered in short-sighted energy policies.

"We dared to remind our Senators and Representatives," he writes, "of the notion of sacrifice, and we called upon them to provide leadership of the sort that carries political risk."

Check out the full report.

Links to ecojustice web sites
[4-18-01] 

The Rev. Dr. Janet Adair Hansen, a member of the Steering Committee of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, and the editor of their newsletter and web page, sent a note in early March to the Ecunet meeting called "Ecunet for Ecology," in which she mentioned a couple web sites worth visiting for information on environmental concerns.  Here's the gist of what she said:

Most mainline denominations have groups similar to PRC, and connect through the Eco-Justice Workgroup of the National Council of Churches, while the conservatives have their counterpart through "Evangelical Environmental Network."

The NCC EcoJustice Group has a website which includes some postings for Earth Day 2001 worship resources. They are also sponsoring a training conference in Washington DC in May for those interested in advocacy from a faith perspective (you need your denomination's backing to go).

The Presbyterians for Restoring Creation website is currently sponsored by Bill Somplatsky-Jarman of our Environmental Justice Office. 

If you are interested in being alerted to issues in Washington related to Ecology and the Environment, our PCUSA Washington Office has a list serv you can sign up for. To subscribe by e-mail send a message to "wo-ecology-request@pcusa.org" and in the message area put the single word "subscribe".

PVJ's Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, PVJ's Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Shuck’s new "Religion for Life" website

Long-time and stimulating blogger John Shuck, a Presbyterian minister currently serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tenn., writes about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and lightening up.

Click here for his blog posts.

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Got more blogs to recommend?