Sustainability

Enter Sustainability Photo Contest and win up to $400!

RESTORExchange and the Sustainability Institute are asking you “What does sustainability look like?” Show us by submitting your photos of sustainable practices in your life. Anything can be made sustainable, and we want to see how you see and incorporate sustainability into your experiences. The subjects of these photos can be anything related to sustainability, including but not limited to technology, environmental justice, energy, wellbeing and lifestyle, society and culture, the economy, and politics.

Photos will be accepted through March 15, 2024, and the winning photos will be selected by a panel of judges and announced on Earth Day, 2024 with the Environmental Professionals Network. First place will win a financial prize of $400, with second place receiving $300, third place receiving $200, and an honorable mention receiving $100. Photos will be displayed on the RESTORExchange photo gallery, and you can find our site’s information page for the contest here.

Read more and submit your photos here!
Drawing of Earth with two hands holding branches. Text reading, “What does Sustainability look like to you? Technology, Environmental Justice, Energy, Lifestyles & Wellbeing, Social & Cultural, Economic & Political. Win up to $400. Photography Contest, RESTORExchange, Sustainability Institute. A QR code is in the bottom-left corner.

Seminary Hill Farm

Image courtesy of seminaryhillfarm.org

The Seminary Hill Farm is a ministry on the campus of the Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO). Made of fields, hoop houses, and a greenhouse, the farm works to provide fresh food throughout the year to the Seminary Hill Kitchen, a three-season community supported agriculture (CSA), and local farmers markets. The work of the seminary hill farm supports sustainable practices and MTSO’s commitment to faithful earth stewardship. You can also follow their blog that features articles on eating fresh local produce and life at the farm.

 

To learn more about the Seminary Hill Farm click here.

Media Planet: Impacting Our Future

Image courtesy of Mediaplanet.com

This organization publishes content that addresses many current global and local. This includes a number of articles on issues like hunger, deforestation, and more. It can be difficult to know where to start when one decides to make more earth conscious decisions, but this website offers perspectives on global issues and more personal approaches to creation care, like in their article “Why It’s Smart to Invest in Sustainable Water Heaters and HVAC Systems.” The articles available in this resource are very helpful to introduce issues currently plaguing our planet.

 

Click here to access the Media Planet article “Conquering Hunger: Sustainable Solutions.”

 

To access the Media Planet home page click here.

The University Garden Church

Image courtesy of tucgarden.org

Started in 2010, The University Church (TUC) garden fights food insecurity in Toledo, Ohio by donating produce to local pantries and families. They hold events to educate on gardening practices, and they partner with Reynold’s elementary school and hold events to teach students about gardening and healthy eating. They also sponsor a Community Supported Agriculture group that runs from June to September.

To learn more about TUC Garden click here.

Ohio Compassion Map

This group organizes Ohio’s compassionate efforts, including those organizations created by faith communities. You can search the interactive map by location or look for organizations under service sector, like environment or food and nutrition, to find groups to partner with or volunteer with.

To connect with the Ohio Compassion Map click here.

Image courtesy of ohiocompassionmap.org

Jeremiah’s Letter, Inc.

Image courtesy of jeremiahsletter.com

Since the 1970s, a group of churches in Dayton, Ohio have been inspired by the words of Jeremiah to 29:7, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” They established Jeremiah’s Letter to support their community. They fight the injustice of poverty and hunger in their community through sustainable practices, including an emergency Food Pantry.

To connect to their website click here. 

Lent and the Sustainable Development Goals

Mercy World Logo

Picture courtesy of mercyworld.org

Mercy International Organization has created a resource for Lent related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) . A few days are assigned to each of the seventeen SDG’s, with readings and a few thoughts to consider in your daily life related to each goal. To download this free resource, click here.

Eating Simply for Lent

Picture courtesy of catholicclimatemovement.global

“Growing in simplicity for Lent is a gift of the spirit. We now know that it’s also a way to sustainably inhabit our place in God’s creation.”

Global Catholic Climate Movement is focusing on protecting creation this Lent. They are advocating for “Eating Simply,” by adding a day of plant-based meals to your diet, or eating only plant based meals during Lent. They offer recipes and easy meals to help the transition. To read more or to make the commitment to eat simply, click here.

Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey

Picture courtesy of advocacy.isna.net

The Muslim-American Views on Climate Change: A National Survey is a survey conducted by the Islamic Society of North America, in coordination with ecoAmerica. It is meant to measure the attitudes of Muslim-American communities about climate change and its causes, impacts, and responses.  A clear message from the Qur’an states that unhealthy and unsustainable lifestyle will disrupt the balance that God created on planet earth and the negative repercussions are detrimental to all of creation. From the 30th chapter of the Qur’an:

”Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back” (30:41).

To read more on the Muslim-America views on climate change, click here.

Stories of Change

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.