Picture courtesy of interfaithpowerandlight.org
Interfaith Power & Light has compiled a list of different religious community’s statements on climate change. The list includes statements from different denominations including: Baha’i, Buddhist, Christianity, Hindu, Interfaith, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Unitarian Universalist. To view the entire list and to read more about the individual statements, click here.
Picture courtesy of crs.org; Photographer Mohammed Hafiz
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has created the “Through the Lens of Our Photographers,” project. This is its third year of the CRS Photos Department’s annual collection of the best photos of the year. CRS Photo Librarian Lauren Carroll and Photo Editor Philip Laubner hope to offer photos that have a “lasting impact and transcend their parts to represent something bigger, something universal, something that talks to a larger human truth.” To view all of the photographs from 2018, click here.
Picture courtesy of crs.org
“Remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature—every mortal being that is on Earth.” – Genesis 9:16
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) created Ark of Hope as a way to get communities engaged in a fun and creative way. Relating to the hope and promise from the story of Noah’s Ark, the CRS Ark of Hope program allows communities to donate symbolic animals to people in need as they “build an ark.” As communities work towards their goal, they can color in animals and place them on an arc. The materials included with this program are lesson plans, a prayer service, coloring pages, and a bulletin-board Ark to show the progress communities are making towards reaching their goals and building their ark. To read more or begin an Ark of Hope, click here.
Picture courtesy of .paxgaia.ca
The Ecology of Prayer is an essay written by Fred Bahnson in Orion magazine where he discusses how crucial it is for people of faith to actively be engaged in stopping climate change and making the world a more sustainable place. Bahnson directly asks Christians: “If the underlying message is that we just need to green up our lifestyles without any real sacrifice, what’s the point? But no, I fear that the crisis before us will ask far more of us than we realize. Climate change can’t be just another bullet point on the church mission statement. We need a deeper form of political engagement, one that leads us to confront the darkness of the human heart.” To read The Ecology of Prayer, click here.
Picture courtesy of globalsistersreport.org
How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, is the subtitle of Joanna Macy’s book Active Hope, which was the inspiration for Sisters of Earth gathering that took place July 12-15 at Mount Saint Joseph, home of the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was chosen as the location partly because of the ancestral inspiration of Sister of Charity Paula Gonzalez, who promoted solar power and sustainability projects and teachings throughout the Catholic world. This year, nearly 100 women from the United States and Canada began by remembering Sister Paula and discussing questions like: Who are we? Where are we? How did we get here and what is possible? And — where do we go from here? To read more on the Sisters of Earth and the Cincinnati gathering, click here.
Picture courtesy of coolcongregations.org
The Cool Congregations Challenge is an annual contest run by Interfaith Power & Light. The contest is meant to recognize “cool congregations” that are becoming energy efficient and sustainable role models within their communities. There is a $1,000 prize and the applications for 2018 are now open. To learn more or apply to the Cool Congregations Challenge, click here.
Picture courtesy of globalsistersreport.org
The Adorers of the Blood of Christ have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether their religious freedom rights were violated by the construction and pending use of a natural gas pipeline through its land. The petition asks the Supreme Court to determine how extensively the government must respect claims under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and whether the construction violates their religious freedoms under the RFRA. To read more on the Adorers of the Blood of Christ and their petition, click here.
Picture courtesy of livingthechange.net
Stories of Change is a compilation of people from all different religions who have chosen to “live the change.” This page, from Living the Change, showcases inspiring stories of people and the changes they have made with a short description and video for each person. To read more on the Stories of Change, click here.
Picture courtesy of livingthechange.net
Time for Living the Change Media Toolkit is a resource from Living the Change that offers ways to use social media and other forms of media to help advertise and market a sustainable living event. They offer logo examples, email templates, social media and outreach tips, and more. To read more or download the media toolkit, click here.
Picture courtesy of livingthechange.net
Time for Living the Change Talking Points is a document from Living the Change that offers helpful ways to talk about what “living the change” means. The document discusses why sustainable behavior changes are important and how faith can play a role. To read all of the talking points, click here.