Month: December 2016

Prayers Credited With Halting Dakota Access Pipeline

photocredit-brianpowers_theregister

Demonstrators at morning prayer, Dec. 4, 2016. Photo: Brian Powers, Des Moines Register

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.  More information on the protest at Standing Rock, which has been supported by faith community members from Ohio, can be found here.

 

January 11 EPN Breakfast to Feature Home Energy Savings Information and Resources

jan-epn-imageJanuary’s Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) breakfast will highlight climate change and opportunities to save energy in your home.  Professor Lonnie Thompson of OSU’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center will deliver a keynote talk, followed by several speakers offering assistance, examples and resources to help empower energy savings in your home, including:

Megan Melby, Columbia Gas of Ohio

Dr. Neocles Leontis, BGSU Professor of Chemistry, and member of Peace Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, OH

Eric Romich, OSU Asst. Professor and Extension Field Specialist, Energize Ohio Signature Program

For more information and to register for this breakfast event on Tuesday, January 11 at the Nationwide 4-H Center on the OSU Columbus campus, click here.

EPA Survey Seeks Faith Community Input to Develop Congregational Resource Stewardship Mobile App

energystarlogojpgEPA’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.

To share your thoughts and priorities, take the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CongregationsApp1 and feel free to forward this survey link to friends and colleagues in the faith community. The deadline for completing the survey is 5pm Eastern on Saturday, December 31.

More information about EPA Energy Star for Congregations can be found here, and you can search for Energy Star congregations in Ohio here.