Creation Justice Ministries Earth Day: Sense of Place

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Picture courtesy of creationjustice.org

Creation Justice Ministries 2018 Earth Day theme is Sense of Place. They aim to educate and offer insight about living in harmony with local ecosystems and watersheds, sharing places with a diversity of peoples, and respecting the history of your place. To read more or download the Earth Day Sunday promotion toolkit, click here.

Columbus Diocese 150th Anniversary Tree Planting

Picture courtesy of columbuscatholic.org

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of Columbus, they are encouraging all parishes to plant at least one tree in recognition of the historic milestone. The commitment should be done before April 22nd, Earth Day, when Bishop Cambpell will celebrate Mass to recognize the anniversary. The Diocese is also offering a Blessing of a Tree that can be downloaded. To make the Tree Planting Commitment or download the Blessing of a Tree, click here.

Earth and Spirit Council

Credit: Earth and Spirit Council FaceBook Page

The Earth and Spirit Council is a 501(c)(3) volunteer educational organization located in Portland, Oregon that was formed in 1991. They are a group of environmental and spiritual leaders who are on a mission to connect individuals to the natural world through art, education, ceremonies and cultural events. Learn more about the Earth and Spirit Council on their website (here) and FaceBook page (here).

 

 

Columbus bonds with Ghana sister city through agriculture project

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170829/columbus-bonds-with-ghana-sister-city-through-agriculture-project

In 2015, Roman Catholic Cardinal Peter Turkson visited Ohio and the proceeds from his talk with OSU President Michael Drake at Mershon Auditorium were used as matching funds in a grant from the Initiative for Food and Agricultural Transformation (InFACT) discovery theme program to fund an agricultural exchange between Accra, Ghana, and Columbus, Ohio. Last week, three Ghanaian high school students involved in YMCA and 4-H visited Columbus in response to this sister city and sister garden initiative. The Columbus Dispatch reported on their visit… Read more.

 

 

The Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways (GCILL)

The Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways (GCILL) is an informal umbrella created to support short-term and long-term projects that educate and inform people about indigenous ways of knowing and wisdom for modern times—spirituality that raises human consciousness and harmonious relationship with Mother Earth. The focus of the GCILL has evolved over time first focusing on public speaking by sharing the message of wisdomkeepers (including the work of Ilarion “Larry” Merculieff), helping others and Mother Earth. They then focused on speaking engagements in order to help people create programs to discuss good dialogue surrounding difficult issues. They hope to become their own 501c3 non-profit organization.

Here are GCILL’s current focus areas:

 

 

 

 

Profile: Kamara Willoughby

Kamara Willoughby is a lifetime resident of Columbus, Ohio. She grew up in the Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church and was a believer in God and his creation of the earth. Though Kamara no longer attends that church she still considers it home. Kamara always had a passion for people. Even as a young lady she created various activities, with the help of her mother, for the kids in her neighborhood which at the time was Winchester Station. She also loved nature. She spent a lot of time outside as a kid and was able to ride her bike on the trail near her home when she got older. There was a creek near her house and along with friends and family they would sneak down and play in the creek and look for different things that they didn’t see on the playground and was in awe by nature.

Kamara attended Metro High School and they went on a lot of field trips and one particular trip to Camp Lazarus is where she learned about the career field of Environmental Science. She attended Columbus State Community College (CSCC) to receive her Associates of Science degree and there she helped start the Cougars for the Community volunteer club. Through this club and her job with the Peer Advocates in the Connect 2 Complete program she wanted to engage people with nature. She is now attending The Ohio State University at the School of Environment and Natural Resources. She was Majoring in Environmental Science and because of her experiences at CSCC and her involvement in her neighborhood she switched her major to Environmental Economic Development and Sustainability (EEDS). She now gets the best of both worlds.

In her neighborhood, Milo-Grogan, she is an Area Commissioner and a member of the Milo-Grogan Civic Association. Each group holds monthly meetings to discuss revitalization plans for the neighborhood. They are currently working on housing plans, job plans and engaging neighbors in community clean-ups. The Civic Association is working on a community garden where people can sit and enjoy the scenery, hold various activities and harvest produce from the raised beds.

 

“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ~Mother Teresa

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” ~Douglas Adams

Environmental Justice Resources

Organizations and their resources for Environmental Justice:This post provides links to a number of environmental resources.

GreenFaith:

Color of Change is a racial justice organization that help individuals effectively respond to injustice in the world around us. Color of Change was launched September 1, 2005 three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast and the Bush administration’s failed response shocks the nation, James Rucker and Van Jones email roughly 1,000 friends asking them to pledge to make sure all Americans are represented, served, and protected–regardless of race or class.

New York Times Article: A Question of Environmental Racism in Flint

 

www.greenfaith.org

www.colorofchange.org

The Diocese of Southern Ohio: Earth Day Video

Picture courtesy of diosohio.org

Reverend Thomas Breidenthal, Bishop of The Diocese of Southern Ohio gave an Earth Day message from a butterfly garden by St. Johns Town street in Columbus. He had a short conversation about the privilege and responsibility that comes with caring for the earth. To watch this video, click here.

The Poverty of Global Climate Change

Picture courtesy of interfaithpowerandlight.org

Interfaith Power & Light offers The Poverty of Global Climate Change, a National Council of Churches Eco Justice resource on the impacts of climate change, especially on the poor and vulnerable population. This document states background information on climate change, how humans make it worse with our daily habits, and how to start on the path to making it right. It also offers sermon starters and other resources to help teach the relation between faith and the environment. To read The Poverty of Global Climate Change, click here.