Earth Focus

World Environment Day

2009-06-05T09:38:00.006-05:00

June 5th is UN World Environment Day and this year's theme is "Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change".

Today is also the premiere of the documentary movie "Home" which is available to watch on youtube until June 14th. Great photography and environmental message!

Loss of an Icon

2009-06-02T15:47:00.014-05:00

Thomas Berry

Born: Nov. 9, 1914

Died: June 1, 2009

Thomas Berry was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian (although cosmologist and geologian — or “Earth scholar” — were his preferred descriptors).
He believed the earth crisis was fundamentally a spiritual crisis.

A few Thomas Berry quotes ...

"The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects."

“Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe.”

"We lose our souls if we lose the experience of the forest, the butterflies, the song of the birds, if we can't see the stars at night."

"Even as regards Earth we are more committed to history than to geography, more committed to time than to space. History is endless. Place is limited."

"We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and stars. We have broken the great conversation. By breaking that conversation we have shattered the universe. All the disasters that are happening now are a consequence of that spiritual 'autism.' "

"The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence."

A Date with the Planet

2009-05-07T16:32:00.005-05:00

On World Environment Day, June 5th, a new movie called "Home" will be released worldwide free of charge on every format: movie theaters, TV, DVD, and Internet.

Earth Day

2009-04-22T08:34:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday our church celebrated Earth Day with a theme of "Celebrating and Caring for God's Creation". The 5th grade Sunday School class prepared a Powerpoint presentation about the environmental impact of plastic bags.

Earth Hour

2009-03-25T20:09:00.004-05:00

Give the Earth an hour of rest.

Turn your lights off for an hour Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 pm to show your support for action on climate change.

Go to www.earthhourUS.org for more information.

World Water Day 2009

2009-03-20T06:46:00.004-05:00

World Water Day is celebrated on March 22. This year's theme is Shared Water - Shared Opportunities and focuses on transboundary waters.

Nearly 40 % of the world's population lives in river and lake basins shared by two or more countries. The world's 263 transboundary basins include the territory of 145 countries and cover nearly half of the Earth's land surface.

Whether we live upstream or downstream, we are all in the same boat.

Caring for Creation Conference

2009-03-11T06:02:00.004-05:00

I attended the fourth annual Caring for Creation conference at Lake Junaluska, NC last weekend. This conference continues to grow each year and we had a 20% increase in participation this year.

Eight people from South Carolina attended but they only represented three churches. There is still more work to be done in spreading the word to South Carolina churches. That is going to be one of my missions this year.

Plenary speakers included Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Save the Planet, Dr. Norman Wirzba, professor of Theology, Ecology and Rural Life at the Duke Divinity School, and Dr. Michael Battle, President of the Interdenominational Theological Center and chair of the Sustainable Atlanta Committee.

In an evaluation meeting after the conference the overall feeling of the leadership team was this year's conference was a success. Planning was begun to make next year even better.

The Green Bible

2009-02-14T16:31:00.008-05:00

HarperOne recently issued The Green Bible which is printed on recycled paper, uses soy-based ink and New Revised Standard Version text.

Some of the highlights include:

Over 1,000 verses highlighted in green that are relevant to caring for creation.

Essays by Matthew Sleeth, Calvin B. DeWitt, Brian McLaren, Barbara Brown Taylor, and others.
A Green Bible Trail Guide that leads you through a selection of Bible passages touching on six green themes that appear throughout the biblical narrative.
A green subject index
A resource guide,"Where Do We Go from Here?", which outlines numerous caring for the creations actions for individuals and churches.

This a great resource for all church groups that are involved in caring for creation.

Here is what Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity School had to say about The Green Bible.

Earth - the movie

2009-01-24T14:02:00.003-05:00

Disney will celebrate Earth Day 2009 (April 22) with the debut of Earth , the first feature-length documentary from their Disneynature division. It definitely looks like a film to see on the big screen.

Green Resolutions

2009-01-08T09:14:00.004-05:00

It' s that time of year to make resolutions for changes in our life. As people of faith with a responsibility for the stewardship of God's creation we need to make changes to live more sustainably and protect our environment for future generations.

Check out the environmental stewardship page on our church website for a few suggestions.

Have a great, green 2009!

40 Years Ago

2008-12-24T22:01:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve broadcast from the Apollo 8 crew in lunar orbit.

Keynote Speaker - Bill McKibben

2008-11-12T10:16:00.000-05:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Bill McKibben speak at a Christian Educators Conference in Albuquerque. For a little background on Bill, check one of my previous posts. I have read several of Bill's books and was very interested to hear him speak in person.

His talk began with an overview on climate change and he used a number of biblical references for why we should care for creation. He spoke about his involvement in the national day of action, Step it up 2007 and his latest involvement with 350.org which will bring worldwide attention to the need for reducing carbon dioxide to 350 ppm.

I now have an autographed copy of his book, The Comforting Whirlwind - God, Job and the Scale of Creation.

Plastic Bags

2008-10-09T09:34:00.006-05:00

Plastic bags are polluting our environment and filling our landfills.

Our 5th grade Sunday School Class researched the environmental effects of plastic bags and put together a bulletin board display in the church education building.

Our environmental stewardship team has designed a "Going Green" reusable canvas bags with the church logo and is selling them to the congregation.

These bags will not only reduce the use of plastic bags but will show the community that our church is caring for God's creation.

Beach Sweep

2008-09-20T18:41:00.008-05:00

Today was the 20th Beach Sweep sponsored by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. Our environmental stewardship team at church promoted this event to our church members as something they can do to help our environment.

Debris was bagged and the type of debris was recorded on a form.
The Ocean Conservancy will tally the data from all the groups. This information helps us learn the sources of litter so we can stop pollution before it starts.

(Cigarette butts/filters were the number one item)

Junk Mail and the Environment

2008-08-22T08:52:00.003-05:00

After reading an article about the environmental effects of junk mail and visiting the website, donotmail.org, I put together some of facts in a Powerpoint slideshow for the announcement time before our contemporary worship service.

I wonder how many of the church mailings go unopened? Churches can minimize their mailings by utilizing email and church websites. Our church initiated an option this year for members to receive the weekly newsletter by email. This has reduced our paper usage and mailing costs.

Faith in Action

2008-08-05T10:42:00.001-05:00

Sierra Club recently issued a report on "Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet" and it is available for download as a pdf file. The report highlights one faith-based environmental initiative in each of the fifty states.

The initiatives involved a broad range of denominations including Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Evangelicals, Catholic and most of the mainline Protestant churches.

The report is a good source of information and shows that the faith-based environmental movement is growing and has yet to reach its peak.

Churches and the Cost of Gasoline

2008-07-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

With the price of a barrel of oil at record highs and gasoline over four dollars a gallon, I have been wondering what affect this might have on our churches.

Using Google I found two blog posts related to this topic. One is entitled "The Anglican Church and Peak Oil " and the other is entitled "Ten Theories on High Gas Prices and Church". Interesting reading with a number of ideas to consider as churches plan for the future.

Environmental Evangelism

2008-06-09T09:58:00.004-05:00

I had an opportunity to do some environmental evangelism at the South Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference last week. It gave me a chance to promote the 4th annual Lake Junaluska Caring for Creation Conference and provide some handouts with tips on greening the church.

Earth Day Sunday

2008-04-21T06:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday our church had a special Earth Day Sunday service. This year's theme was "Celebrating God' Earth". The music, litany, prayer and sermon all came together for a very meaningful service.

This year we asked church members to submit photos which reflected God's creation. Here is a slide show of those photos.

Blessed Unrest

2008-03-12T15:42:00.003-05:00

Paul Hawken's latest book, Blessed Unrest, looks at the largest movement in the world that no one saw coming. That origins of the movement is the indigenous cultures, the environment and social justice.

Here is a short video (6 min.) of a speech by Paul Hawken which gives a good overview of the book. The large appendix at the back of the book is a great resource which categorizes the various groups , gives a description of their focus and the number of organizations in each category.

He has created a website, wiserearth.org , as a community forum for individuals and groups who are transforming the world.

I like his analogy comparing this movement to an immune system.

" This movement is humanities immune response to resist and heal political disease, economic infection and ecological corruption caused by ideologies."
Paul Hawken

The Story of Stuff

2008-02-13T17:32:00.001-05:00

The 20 minute video, The Story of Stuff, is a great documentary about over-consumption and the meaning of sustainability. You can view it on the website, download it or order a DVD copy. I have used it for a Wednesday night program at church and it generated some good discussion.

The website, www.storyofstuff.com, also has some great resources.

A list of facts from the video along with the footnoted sources.
A list of 10 little and big things you can do.

Lenten Focus

2008-02-08T09:18:00.001-05:00

During Lent our church is focusing on fasting by Treading Lightly on God's Creation.

A Lenten calendar of daily ideas was created to help spark an awareness of caring for what God has given us.

Greening the Store Shelves

2008-01-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

It use to be when you wanted eco-friendly cleaning supplies you had to go to a specialty store or order online. Now we have the first line of natural cleaners developed by a major consumer products company. Clorox has just come out with a line of cleaning supplies called Green Works and they have formed an alliance with Sierra Club to focus on environmental conservation and sustainability.

I hope this is just the beginning and other companies join a growing trend of more natural products.

Nobody Left Behind

2008-01-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

I recently read The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I found it very thought provoking.

Humanity's environmental impact is an important theme of the book. The author does a good job of restoring our sense of awe about the Earth. Mankind's footprint has been heavy but the earth is very resilient if we just learn to tread lightly.

The last sentence in the book sums it up pretty well.

"Without us, Earth will abide and endure; without her, however, we could not even be."

An interview with Alan Weisman on the Daily Show.

Greening of Christmas

2008-01-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

I had a nice green Christmas. Thanks to my wife and daughter-in-laws, I received a magazine subscription, books and a plethora of green cleaning supplies.

An Earth-Friendly Christmas

2007-12-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Will your Christmas this year be Earth-friendly? Beside over- consuming our natural resources, we generate a record amount of trash during this time of year.

Merry Christmas to the landfills everywhere!

The environmental stewardship team at our church put together a list of Suggestions for an Earth-Friendly Christmas. Check it out, try a couple of ideas and lighten your impact on the environment this year.

Climate Change Event

2007-12-11T08:01:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to attend a one-day event, "Ethical, Cultural and Civic Dimensions of Global Climate Change" in Charleston which was sponsored by the Center for Humans and Nature and Coastal Conservation League.

The main draw for me was the chance to hear Bill McKibben, who is one of my environmental heroes. Other speakers included Kirstin Dow from the Department of Geography at the University of South Carolina; Wes Jackson, founder of the Land Institute; and Dana Beach, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation League.

Kristin Dow's talk was a good review of the science of climate change and consequences. She ended with this poignant question:

"Our great-grandchildren will know we had this information. What would they want us to do?"

Wes Jackson's talk dealt with a our use of the land and carbon. He had a number quotable facts but this one made an impact on me.

" During the life of a 22 year old today, the world has consumed 54% of the total oil used to date."

Bill McKibben's talk focused on his involvement with national climate change initiative called Step it up 2007 and the need for a new kind of growth which emphasizes local economies. Many of his highlights were from his latest book, Deep Economy.

Dana Beach discussed the activities of the Coastal Conservation League and showed a short lighthearted film on the serious issue of global climate change entitled "Global Warming Guy". The film was produced by Coastal Conservation League and was filmed at various locations in the Charleston, South Carolina area.

Swamps

2007-11-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

After listening to a recent podcast of a lecture by Michael Grunwald at Duke's Nicholas School of Environment, I purchased his book, The Swamp. Michael Grunwald is an award-winning environmental reporter at the Washington Post and his latest book covers the history of the Everglades and south Florida's political and natural history.

The story is a classic tale of man vs. nature. Today, half the Everglades is gone and the remainder is dying, as a result of a massive flood control and drainage project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Seven million residents now live in this once sparsely populated region. An unprecedented $11 billion effort is now underway in an attempt to restore this 3 million- acre ecosystem.

After reading the book, I see a parallel in our current global climate change crisis. We are in a swamp of politics and inaction. It is time for the faith communities to stand united and speak out for governmental action on climate change. We must become the shepherd's that care for God's creation.

Waiting for the Comet

2007-11-09T16:51:00.000-05:00

Like a comet orbiting the earth, widespread concern for the environment swings into view only periodically …
In between, when political action is unlikely, come quieter moments for laying plans, for collecting the ideas and solutions that will form the basis of the next environmental debate.
For that debate will surely come again, that comet will swing back into view …
From: Introduction to Hope, Human and Wild -
Bill McKibben (1995)

Twelve years later and I can see the comet coming. Everyday now, on TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, books and the Internet, environmental issues are getting more and more coverage. We will know the comet is here when our politicians wake up and take action on the environmental problems.

The comet was last here in the 60's and 70's. It was first sited when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and got closer when 20 million people celebrated the first Earth Day in 1970. It was bright in the sky during the 70s with the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passing of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Let's pray that this new comet will have similar results.

Native American Spirituality

2007-10-31T07:10:00.000-05:00

The main focus of Native American spirituality is the relationship of man with the land. Native Americans walk softly upon the Earth and have respect for all living things. A recent concert of the Carolina Master Chorale highlighted this. Several selections from Native American Ambiances by Jackson Berkey were performed. The words to one of the selections, The Web of Life, were especially meaningful.

This we know.
The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth.
All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.
We do not weave the web of life; we are only a strand of it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

The words are attributed to Chief Seattle of the Suquamish tribe and remind us that we need to learn to tread lightly on God's creation.

Toxins in the Environment

2007-10-15T07:44:00.000-05:00

After listening to an interview with Mark Schapiro, I have added his latest book, Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power, to my reading list.

Mr. Schapiro points out that in 1970's the United States was the world environmental leader. The Environmental Protection Agency was the first of it's kind. Unfortunately, that is not true today. The European Union and other countries are moving ahead of the United States on initiatives to ban toxic chemicals in cosmetics, electronics, toys, automobiles, etc. Europe uses the "precautionary principle" and tries to prevent harm before it happens. In contrast, the U. S. has been setting up more and more obstacles in the regulatory process that makes banning a chemical nearly impossible.

Companies are actually reformulating products and removing banned chemicals for the European market but still selling the older products in the U.S. market.

I think everyone needs to become knowledgeable of material in this book.

Remembering an Era

2007-10-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

Today's Google logo, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sputnik, brought back many memories. I remember sitting in a classroom and hearing the news over the intercom. The beeping sounds of this strange object circling the globe signaled the beginning of the space race. The event was a catalyst for many including myself to enter engineering school.

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon by the end of the decade and the mission was accomplished. We are now in a new era and in need of similar bold and ambitious goals to tackle climate change and renewable energy.

Where are the dynamic, visionary leaders today?

How will future generations look back at "our era"?

Is Big Better?

2007-09-25T10:14:00.001-05:00

Our houses have more the doubled in size over the last fifty years as the average number of occupants has decreased. Our energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions have increased and are adding to the global warming problem.

"We have moved from the little house on the prairie to the big house on the cul-de-sac."
Bill Mckibben

Are we happy?
In his book, Deep Economy, Bill McKibben points out the results of a happiness survey. Since World War II, the National Opinion Research Council has polled Americans once a year with the fundamental question:

"Taken all together, how would you say things are these days - would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?"

The proportion of respondents saying they were very happy peaked in the 1950's and has decreased steadily in the years since.

Thinker and writer, Leonard Sweet, has some good thoughts on our "bigger is better" mentality in a Napkin Scribbles podcast entitled "Do Smaller Larger".

The First "R"

2007-09-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

The first "R" in the environmental slogan "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" may be the most important, but gets forgotten in all the promotion for recycling.
Good shopping practices can reduce waste entering our house and help conserve our natural resources.

Some things we can do ...

buy only what you need ( differentiate between "wants" and "needs")

buy products with the least amount of packaging

buy products that can be reused

reduce paper waste by canceling unwanted mail

buy non-toxic products whenever possible

say "I don't need a bag" for small purchases.

Best New Energy Source

2007-08-24T17:08:00.000-05:00

I have read several articles recently stressing the need for conservation and efficiency to reduce our energy demands.

They are the proverbial "low hanging fruit". Easier and quicker to obtain than any new energy source that is still in laboratories. Since coal make up over half our electricity usage, reducing our consumption will decrease the carbon dioxide and help our climate.

Conservation and efficiency needs to be a national priority!

Learning from Nature

2007-08-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

I have recently read The Gecko's Foot by Peter Forbes which shows how we are engineering new material from nature through bio-inspiration. Some areas of study include:

self cleaning properties of the Lotus flower
adhesive properties of the gecko's foot
underwater adhesive from the mussel
spider's silk - considered the Holy Grail for researchers

I continue to be in awe of what God has created in the natural world. The importance of protecting this for future generations is paramount.

This video of Janine Benyus from the TED Conference provides fascinating examples of “innovation inspired by nature.”

Wind Power

2007-08-08T15:49:00.000-05:00

The Daily Show looks at the proposed wind farm for Nantucket Sound.

The 11th Hour

2007-08-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Coming to a theater near you August 17th.

Stewardship of Water

2007-07-26T12:09:00.000-05:00

"God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. God called the dry ground 'land,' and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good."

Genesis 1: 9-10

A few facts about water:

While 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water, only 1 percent is suitable for human consumption.

Over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water.

more than 5 million people die each year from water-related diseases

What can the faith community do?
The Eco-Justice website of the National Council of Churches has a very good resource, Water Stewards: A Toolkit for Congregational Care of Local Watersheds (free registration required). This guide provides tips and resources so that we can make wise choices and take positive actions to protect our watersheds for our generation and those to come.

Lester Brown

2007-07-14T20:16:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post has called Lester Brown "one of the world's most influential thinkers." He has been an influential member of the environmental movement and has authored or coauthored 50 books.

In 1974, after an early career in agriculture, he founded the Worldwatch Institute, the first research institute devoted to the analysis of global environmental issues.

In 2001, he founded the Earth Policy Institute to provide a vision and a road map for achieving an environmentally sustainable economy.

Lester Brown's latest book, Plan B 2.0, Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, outlines a plan, a budget and a timetable for rescuing our twenty-first century civilization.

Chapters of the book are available in pdf and html format on the Earth Policy Institute website (link)

Video of Lester Brown speaking at the UC Berkeley Institute for the Environment.

Learning from the Lorax

2007-07-09T09:41:00.000-05:00

The Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax, has a message that still rings true today. This is a modern day parable about greed, pollution and blatant disregard for the environment. Both children and adults will learn and appreciate the need for a sustainable lifestyle.

The book was first published in 1971 , a year after the first Earth Day, and at the beginning of America's environmental awakening.

Here are two teaching resources utilizing The Lorax:

Cornell Waste Management Institute

Illinois State College of Education

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
The Lorax

Environmental Podcasts

2007-07-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

The world of mp3 players, from ipods to cell phones, has seen phenomenal growth. Music is not the only thing playing on these devices. The advent of "podcasts" several year ago has brought "radio shows" to the user on demand, sort of a TiVo for your mp3 player.

National Public Radio makes available most of their programs as podcasts for download (NPR podcast directory). Universities are podcasting course lectures.

Apple itunes makes it easy to subscribe to particular podcasts which will automatically download to your computer. You can listen to them on your computer, put them on an ipod or other mp3 player.

Here are a couple of my favorite environmental podcasts:

NPR: Environment - A weekly 30 minute collection of stories about the environment.

Living on Earth - A weekly 50 minute show of news, features, interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues.

Sierra Club Radio - A weekly 30 minute show of tips, stories and interviews.

Fewer Songs in the Air

2007-06-27T21:55:00.000-05:00

Birds are an indicator of the health of our environment, which makes the recent Audubon report all that more serious. Over the last forty years the population of 20 common birds have decreased by more than 50%.

Some of the reasons for the decline are associated with habitat loss due deforestation and climate change due to global warming. The Audubon website lists some things we can do to help.

Here are a couple of recent books that are available at the Horry County Library.

Dr. Bridget Stutchbury in her book, Silence of the Songbirds, gives a good account of why we are losing our songbirds and what we can do about it.

Even small things can help, like switching to shade grown coffee and using recycled paper.

Interview (mp3) with Dr. Stutchbury from CBC radio.

Miyoko Chu's book, Songbird Journeys, is a fascinating introduction to bird migration.

Interview (mp3) with Miyoko Chu from NPR's All Things Considered.

And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky. . . . and let birds multiply on the earth.’
Genesis 1:20-22

2007 Farm Bill

2007-06-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Congress will soon be deliberating on the farm bill which will set the direction of our food system for the next five years. This will have an affect on all Americans, not just the farmers. The subsidies that are passed out will decide what we will be eating and ultimately our nutritional health.

I am currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which presents a good look at how actions of the Dept. of Agriculture affect our food system. Corn, the most subsidized crop, shows up at our table in most of our processed food, in the beef and chicken that were raised on corn and in our drinks sweetened with fructose. The industrialization of our food system has led to a few large corporations benefiting the most from our agricultural programs.

The United Methodist Church is one of more than a dozen Churches and faith-based organizations that have come together as the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill. Their goal is to urge for major changes in the U.S. agricultural policy aimed at reducing hunger and poverty, and promoting the livelihood of farmers and rural communities, in the U.S. and around the world.

Our Throw Away Culture

2007-06-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

Nearly 90% of the materials used in conventional manufactured goods in up in landfills, turning billions of dollars worth of material assets into costly, potentially harmful liabilities. The industrialized world has become better at manufacturing waste than making products.

In the book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough and Michael Braungart point out two fundamental problems in the way we have designed products.

We design products to thrown "away" when, in fact, there is no "away". The Earth is a finite, closed, living system. Our cradle-to-grave designs are affecting the health of our planet.
We use material and chemicals that are unsafe and harmful to ourselves and our environment.

Wouldn't it be great if this would lead to a new sustainable industrial revolution?

Here is a great video of William McDonough speaking at the TED Conference.

Bill McKibben

2007-06-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

Over the past year, I have become aware of Bill McKibben. His name has appeared in magazine articles and was mentioned numerous times at a recent Caring for God's Creation conference. He was instrumental in this year's Step It Up 2007, a National Day of Climate Action on April 14th.

Bill currently lives in Ripton, Vermont and is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College. He is also a Sunday school teacher in the local Methodist church.

I just finished reading his first book, The End of Nature, written in 1989 . It was one of the first book to bring the topic of global warming to the general audience and is considered an environmental classic. The book was published after being serialized in the New Yorker magazine which was also the case with another classic, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

I have added his latest book, Deep Economy, to my summer reading list. It deals with need for a new economy based on strong local communities.

Listen to a Bill McKibben Interview.

One Year Later

2007-06-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

Attendance at the Caring for God’s Creation conference at Lake Junaluska served as a catalyst for the forming of our Environmental Stewardship team at First Church in June of last year. To date, the mission of this group has been fulfilled in the following ways:

Program to emphasize Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs
Church energy audit by our electric utility company
Added Environmental Stewardship information to the church website
Periodic environmental articles in the Steeple
Encouraged the church to recycle paper, cans, plastic bottles, print cartridges and batteries
Changed copy paper to 35% post consumer content
Created a list of where to donate re-useable items
Created a list of earth-friendly Christmas ideas
Movie night with the showing of An Inconvenient Truth and provided a copy in church office for members to borrow
Lenten emphasis on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere

This is a beginning, but we must continue to keep the focus on caring for God's earth in the minds and hearts of our congregations.

World Ocean Day

2007-06-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

June 8th is World Ocean Day.

Take some time to think about how we are affecting the oceans through global pollution and over-consumption of fish. We must learn to live more sustainably on planet Earth.

World Environment Day

2007-06-05T19:32:00.000-05:00

June 5th is United Nation's World Environment Day and this year's slogan is

Melting Ice - a Hot Topic?

Check out the PSA video.

Eating Local

2007-06-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

I have been reading a number of articles lately on the value of eating locally grown food. In the last 50 years we have seen both an industrialization and a globalization of our food supply. America is now a net importer of food. Our increasing diet of processed food has led to increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.

The current system of transporting food an average of 1,500 miles to our table will not be sustainable in a future of increasing energy costs and oil depletion.

Now is the time to make that visit to the local farmer's market a weekly happening. The food is fresher and tastes better, You are supporting the local economy and reducing the environmental pollution leading to global climate change.

Most of us are three to four generations removed from the farm. Many young children today don't know how vegetables grow. Maybe it's time to plant a garden this summer. Let your children help. They may even learn to like vegetables.

Rachel Carson

2007-05-27T06:05:00.000-05:00

Today is the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, marine biologist, gifted writer, and one of the inspirations for the modern environmental movement. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Carson’s most famous and controversial book, Silent Spring, was written in1962 and dealt with the indiscriminate use of pesticides. This book led to the banning of DDT, the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and revolutionary changes in public perception about our air, land, and water.

Check out the short video of her legacy at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website.

Her witness for the beauty and integrity of life continues to inspire new generations to protect the living world and all its creatures.

“We must all have a great sense of responsibility and not let things happen because everyone takes the comfortable view that someone else is looking after it. Someone else isn’t looking after it.”

Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)

A New Ark

2007-05-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

Environmental activists are reconstructing a model of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey, where the Bible says the ark came to rest. The model is meant as a warning to mankind to act now to prevent global warming.

Volunteers are racing to complete the wooden vessel by the end of May to coincide with a summit of leading countries next month in Germany where climate change will be high on the agenda.

Importance of Trees

2007-05-23T16:26:00.000-05:00

On the third day of creation God said, " Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seeds, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." (Genesis: 1:11)

The Bible contains more references to trees and wood (over 525) than to any other type of living organism except humans. There are 22 specific trees mentioned in the Bible.

Trees were important in Biblical times and also today. With global climate change and rising carbon dioxide levels we are hearing how vital trees are in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests are second only to oceans in their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.

Poet, Joyce Kilmer, wrote "But only God can make a tree". It is going to take all of us to preserve and protect that tree.

Environmental Justice

2007-05-16T19:45:00.000-05:00

Environmental justice had it's birth in 1982 in a Warren County, NC landfill which was created to dispose of PCB contaminated soil in a low income, predominately Black community. After years of protest the decontamination of the site was finally completed in 2004.

A new form of environmental justice is on the horizon and it's called climate change. The recent United Nation's IPCC report predicts that the world's poor will be affected the most by climate change. Increased drought, crop failure, disease, extreme weather events and sea level rise are all likely to fall much more heavily on struggling populations in Africa, Asia and South America.

The faith community is called to care for all of God's children, especially the most vulnerable, and to protect and restore God's creation. It is time to take action to help curb the adverse effects of climate change.

Encyclopedia of Life

2007-05-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Scientists are planning a modern day "Noah's Ark registry" of all of Earth's 1.8 million known species of animals, plants, and other forms of life on Earth It will be called the Encyclopedia of Life and will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to scientific journal papers. It is a colossal undertaking and is expected to take ten years to complete and fill about 300 million pages.

The encyclopedia is being set up at eol.org. Check out the interesting video at their website. This project has been launched by a consortium of the universities and museums. After it is completed, it will be made available freely to anyone with an internet connection, and will be the most comprehensive repository of life as we know it.

This endeavor is the dream of renowned biologist, E. O. Wilson who recently won this year's TED prize. Check out the video of his speech at the TED Conference.

Ecological Footprint

2007-05-10T14:45:00.000-05:00

How big is your "ecological footprint"? This term was first coined by Prof. Bill Rees at University of British Columbia over a decade ago.

It is a metaphor used to depict the amount of land and area a human population would hypothetically need to provide the resources required to support itself and to absorb its waste, given prevailing technology.

Here is a questionnaire (pdf file) that can be used to calculate your ecological footprint and compare it to others around the world.

I can see this being a useful tool in a small discussion group at church and could lead to some good dialogue on sustainability and a Christian's responsibility.

Think Outside the Bottle

2007-05-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

I have read a number of articles recently about the environmental effects of bottled water. There are a number of issues:

Plastic Bottles - The plastic is made from oil (1.5 million barrels of oil annually), a nonrenewable and soon to be diminishing resource. This is enough oil to fuel some 100,000 US cars for a year. Transportation of bottled water uses more oil. Nearly a quarter of all bottled water crosses national borders to reach consumers. According to the Container Recycling Institute 86 percent of plastic water bottles in the United States are not recycled and end up as garbage and can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Water Quality - Bottled water is regulated by the FDA which has weaker regulations than the EPA regulations for tap water. Studies have shown that there is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle, it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap. Roughly 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water; often the only difference is added minerals that have no marked health benefit.

Cost - Bottled water can cost ten thousand times more than tap water. No wonder that bottled water is not only the fastest growing segment of the entire beverage industry, it is also the most profitable.

Water resources - Corporations are exercising their power to get access to springs, aquifers and municipal water supplies to keep their profits growing, with little regard for the environmental impacts of large water withdrawals.

Corporate Accountability International has a public education campaign across the US called Think Outside the Bottle, to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our public water systems, to build the broad base of support needed to protect our water over the long haul, and to pressure the corporations that profit from it.

Children and Nature

2007-05-04T17:28:00.000-05:00

Last year I read Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, which refers to the nature-child disconnect as "nature deficit disorder". For too many children the "green space" of the outdoors has been replaced by the "screen space" of TVs, video games, computers and cell phones.

I recently ran across this website, Green Hour, by the National Wildlife Federation. They recommend that parents give their children a "Green Hour" every day, a time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. The website gives parents information and inspiration to get their children and themselves outside.

I thought this quote was poignant:

"Today's children have no idea what goes on in the natural world around them. They are the first generation to be effectively cut off from nature."

We need to encourage our church families with young children to take advantage of this information.

Canary in the Beehive

2007-05-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

Are honeybees becoming an environmental version of the proverbial "canary in the coal mine?

A major crisis is affecting honeybees. Bee hives all across the country are being deserted with only the queen and "brood" of bee larvae remain inside until they die also. The phenomena has been named "Colony Collapse Disorder". Some die-off has been around for years but never to the magnitude that is being seen right now.

Why is the loss of bees important? They provide pollination of $14 billion dollars of U.S. agriculture annually which accounts for one out of every three bites of food.

Research labs in colleges and the USDA are working hard to find the cause. A number of theories are being investigated including: parasites, mites, viruses and pesticides.

Bees are a profound reminder of the importance of all of God's creatures. We are enormously dependent on even the smallest elements in the web of life that sustains us.

Einstein predicted that if bees were to die, humans would starve within four years. That's a sobering thought.

Is the Pope Green?

2007-04-29T07:35:00.000-05:00

The recent conference on climate change, organized by the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, marked the most significant plunge to date by the Roman Catholic Church - the world's largest Christian grouping - into one of the hottest contemporary topics.

Scientists, environment ministers and leaders of various religions from 20 countries sat down for two days to discuss the implications of global warming and development.

Pope Benedict XVI urged bishops, scientists and politicians to "respect Creation" while "focusing on the needs of sustainable development".

According to Vatican sources, the present Pope is far more engaged in the green debate than John Paul II. This is very significant since worldwide membership of the Catholic church numbers over one billion.

Protecting Our Water

2007-04-27T08:10:00.000-05:00

UMC.org has an interesting video story of an Earth Day project. Methodist churches across northern Michigan set up collection sites for people to bring their outdated and unwanted pharmaceuticals.

The impetus for this program was a U.S. Geological Survey study that sampled 139 streams in 30 states and found 80 percent of them contaminated with trace amounts of chemicals commonly found in prescription drugs.

"The life of every river sings its own song, but in most the song is long marred by the discords of misuse."

- Aldo Leopold (1886-1948),
Sand County Almanac.

Christians Care About the Climate

2007-04-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

I was glad that our Caring for Creation conference participated in the Step It Up 2007 campaign on April 14th - National Day of Climate Action. People gathered in all 50 states and 1,400 locations and were united in a common action: "Step It Up Congress: Cut Carbon 80% by 2050."

The power of the Internet allowed people everywhere to be a part of a national action right in their own communities. This is definitely more environmentally friendly than transporting thousands of people to a big march in Washington, DC.

I'm the guy with the letter "I".

Earth Day

2007-04-22T06:33:00.000-05:00

This photo of "Earthrise" taken by Apollo 8 astronaut, William A. Anders, December 24, 1968, showed Earth for the first time as it appears from deep space. It gave a new global perspective to the modern environmental movement which was born on that first Earth Day in 1970. Nature photographer Galen Rowell has described this image as "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken".

Earth Day started out as a secular event but more and more the religious communities are using it to mark awareness of the environment and God's creation. With Earth Day falling on a Sunday this year it allows for even more emphasis in churches everywhere.

the environment is 24/7

"Everyday is Earth Day"

Tipping Point

2007-04-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Climate change has pushed news on the environment into the mainstream media. I am also reading more and more articles about the faith communities getting involved in environmental issues. Is this just the current fad or have we reached a "tipping point"? Only time will tell.

I recently heard a speaker compare the ebbs and flow of the environmental movement over the years to a comet which only comes around peroidically. Well, the comet is here, it's time to grab hold and keep the focus on caring for the God's creation.

Reflections

2007-04-18T09:01:00.000-05:00

Now that I am home, I have reflected on this year's Caring for Creation conference. The number of participants at this year's event was about the same as last year (approx. 50). There were people from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and even Arkansas. More than a dozen of those attending were there last year and it was nice to see some familiar faces.

I was hoping for a greater attendance and I feel badly that I didn't do more to promote the event in our district and conference. I have resolved to do more to spread the word about this event and how it has been the catalyst for our church's Environmental Stewardship team. Maybe it would help inspire other churches to get involved.

The two things that really stood out:

The perfect setting - the lake and surrounding mountains helped everyone focus on what God has created and importance of protecting it for future generations.

The people - being in the company of others with a real passion for the environment was a delight. No one had all the answers but we are all striving to learn more each day.

My batteries have been recharged. Now it's time to get to work.

Saturday Highlights

2007-04-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

This morning we had a presentation on "Local Food Systems" which really pointed out the need for getting back to local sustainable agriculture. This was followed by a workshop on "Ways of Involving Your Congregation in Caring for Creation" which verified some of the actions our team has already taken and provide some new ideas.

After lunch we went to a native wildlife presentation which I will post about tomorrow.
In the afternoon there was a presentation on Environmental Justice which is becoming a important topic. The afternoon workshop on political advocacy explored ways the faith community can speak to elected officials on the importance of caring for creation.

Here is a photo of the Caring for Creation participants. We are sending photos with banners to Bill McKibben's Stepitup2007 website for the "April 14th -National Day for Climate Action"

Friday Highlights

2007-04-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

This morning we took a tour through a native plant garden here at Lake Junaluska. They have approximately 500 species of plants but only a few were in bloom this time of year. Most are labeled which makes this a very educational habitat.

We also toured a solar/wind powered home on a nearby mountain peak. It had solar water heating system with pipes in the floor. Electricity was generated with a wind turbine and solar panels. Most of the time they are able to sell excess electricity back to the power company.

The keynote speaker was John Hill, Director of Economic and Environmental Justice for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. He did a nice presentation entitled "A Religious Answer to Global Warming". A second speaker tonight did a presentation about climate change and the story of Noah. One thing that became evident in all of this is that the faith community must get more involved in the problem of climate change. We must lead the way in caring for creation.

Check-in and Registration

2007-04-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

Lambuth Inn, Lake Junaluska, NC

It was a nice drive across the state and into the western North Carolina mountains. I was able to have lunch with my son, Robert, who works in Greenville. We ate at a Whole Foods Market which seem to fit in well with this environmentally focused weekend.

After checking into the Lambuth Inn, I took a walk around the lake. It was sunny with a little breeze and it felt good to stretch the legs.

Tonight was registration and about an hour of videos. The first video was a 60 Minute TV segment on global warming. The second video was a documentary called "Killowatt Ours" and takes a look at the consequences of our coal powered economy. It provides ideas for employing energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Everyone was impressed with it and it would be a good one to show at our church.

The evening ended with a demonstration of singing bowls. A potter from Asheville produces clay bowls that resonate with a soothing sound when the edge is rubbed with a piece of wood. I will try to get a video tomorrow.

Off to Lake Junaluska

2007-04-12T08:44:00.000-05:00

I am looking forward to this year's Caring for Creation conference. The inaugural conference last year was a catalyst to start an Environmental Stewardship team at First Church. Hopefully this year will lead to more ways to grow our environmental focus within the church and beyond.

I will try to post a short summary of each day's activities.

A Little Humor

2007-04-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

The headlines about the environment can seem like so much "Gloom and Doom" but here is a humorous look at "reduce, reuse, recycle" from Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Channel. It is good to keep a sense of humor to get through the trying times ahead.

IPCC Report

2007-04-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued their second report of 2007 explaining how global warming is changing life on Earth. The regions projected to be hardest hit are mainly poor and already facing dangers from existing climate and coastal hazards.

Rajendra K. Pachauri, the chairman of the panel said “People who are poor are least equipped to be able to adapt to the impacts of climate change and therefore, in some sense, this does become a global responsibility.”

Global warming is becoming an environmental justice issue and it's time for the faith community to stand up and be counted.

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 22:16

Where Does the Garbage Go?

2007-04-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

This book has recently been added to our church library. It is aimed at children in the primary grades and deals with the problem of too much trash and shows how recycling can be a part of the solution. This provides a good teachable moment about "caring for God's creation".

The children of today will be the environmentalists of tomorrow.