Creating a Greener Community

2012-01-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

2012 has finally started and we're excited to see what the new year brings as we continue to work toward sustainability at Our Savior's Lutheran Church. As our Creation Care Team develops plans and strategies for the new year we wanted to share with you this message of hope from Matthew Sleeth, Executive Director of Blessed Earth, an educational nonprofit organization that inspires and equips Christians to become better stewards of the earth:

Faith, Hope, and Love in the Year Ahead.
New Year's Greetings from the Executive Director of Blessed Earth

Dear Blessed Earth friends and family, As we journey into a new year, I wanted to offer a word of encouragement. The world seems to be suffering hardship in every way -- creation groans, people are drowning in debt, and civil unrest abounds. It is easy to be depressed by the news we hear and wonder what difference, if any, we can make.

At times like these, we need to be reminded that we are called and equipped not only to keep going -- to "not tire of doing good" -- but to keep doing good with a spirit of hope. We long to inhabit the joy and loving-kindness our Christian faith generates and sustains.

In the wider world of environmentalism, there is a high level of pessimism and even outright negativity. But when Christians talk about "going green," they bring something unique to the discussion: hope. Not just hope for a better future in heaven, but hope for today through the power of God's Holy Spirit at work in His Church.

As believers in Christ, we are in the life business-life today, life tomorrow, and life for the year ahead. Combine faith, hope, and love, and things get done. Change happens (Matthew Sleeth, January 2012 Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 1).

Learn more about Blessed Earth and their work in creation care at www.blessedearth.org.

Living Earth June 2011 Reflection

2011-06-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

From the ELCA e-Advocacy Network's June issue of the Living Earth e-newsletter

"Fracking" Poses Challenges for Communities and our Energy Future
By Mary Minette
ELCA Director for Environmental Education and Advocacy

Due to concerns about air pollution and climate change, many view natural gas as a much cleaner source of electricity than dirtier fossil fuels like coal and oil. Some coal-fired power plants are already switching over to natural gas, and this trend is expected to continue. However, easily available sources of natural gas are dwindling, and many of the largest remaining untapped natural gas reserves are in hard-to-reach underground shale formations. A technique called hydraulic fracturing injects water mixed with sand and chemical fluids into wells drilled deep in the shale in order to force natural gas from the rock.

If you live in states like Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Texas, you've probably already heard of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it's often called. Each of those states sits on top of shale formations that contain significant reserves of natural gas. Drilling and fracking are happening at an accelerated rate as demand for natural gas continues to grow.

But in many communities with shale formations that show potential to produce natural gas, some are questioning the spread of fracking. They claim the demand for cleaner natural gas is making their communities dirty.

And they may be right: a recent study linked inadequate safety measures in the drilling process to groundwater pollution from methane. In addition, the fracking process uses large amounts of water (between one and nine million gallons per well) and the storage, disposal and recycling of the waste water, which can contain hazardous chemicals, may also threaten surface water supplies. Some states, including Texas, Wyoming and Arkansas, are now requiring that companies disclose the chemicals they are injecting into fracked wells. Other states, including Pennsylvania, do not have disclosure requirements, posing a risk to those who live nearby and to those who respond to emergencies when wells explode or accidental releases occur.

So what's the solution?

Our country needs energy. Natural gas is far cleaner than coal or oil, and shale formations potentially contain a substantial supply of gas that could give us the time we need to develop new, cleaner sources of energy such as wind and solar. Drilling and fracking are bringing revenue to rural landowners and jobs to struggling rural communities.

But the natural gas boom also comes with risks. In addition to the potential to pollute ground and surface water supplies, communities dealing with fracking see other risks and problems. They worry about the impact the "boom and bust" of drilling a non-renewable resource will have on the long-term health of their local economy. They see neighbors in conflict over fracking contracts and who got a better deal, or over whether to allow fracking in the first place. They are concerned about the strain that gas development and population growth is putting on community resources such as schools and social services and roads. And they worry about what comes next after the drilling is done, the wells are played out, the jobs and the money are gone and their communities are left to clean up their land and water.

Some questions to ponder
If we follow the advice of Paul in his letter to the Philippians and consider the interests of others before we consider our own, how do we answer the questions raised by fracking?

Does clean air outweigh clean water?

Are the energy needs of our country more important than the long-term health of rural communities in another state such as Pennsylvania?

Do we really have to choose between these things or can we find a way to make fracking safer for our communities and for the environment?

A prayer for the journey
Loving and compassionate Creator, you sent us your only Son to teach us to love our neighbors and to consider their needs. Help us to find our way through complexity to care for our neighbors and our world. Amen.

Join the ECLA e-Advocacy Networks mailing list by clicking here and selecting to subscribe to the Evnvironmetal Reflections: Living Earth: A Reflection Series on Our Relationship With God's Creation at the bottom of the page.

Garbage vs. Compost

2011-05-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

Who says composting doesn't make a difference? If you were able to join us for our Earth Sunday picnic, you may have noticed that the all the plates and cups we used were 100% compostable! That's right - compostable. The plates are 100% biodegradable sugarcane and the cups are 100% biodegradable corn plastic and they can both be stuck in your backyard composter or sent to a commercial compost facility.

Just take a look at how much waste Our Savior's avoided by composting for this meal! And in case you're not sure, the compost is in the BIGGER bag :)

Compostable dishware was donated for our event by Carrie Brusven, your Local Green Irene Eco Consultant

Earth Sunday was a Success!

2011-05-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped make Earth Sunday a fantastic success!

Our guest speaker, Cheryl Biller from Presbyterians for Earth Care, gave us a wonderful message which helped make our worship services very special and the creation care-centered liturgy from the National Council of Churches for Eco-Justice were a great touch!

If you missed our services on Sunday, click here to check out the Earth Sunday video, created by Scott Brusven. The video features several members and friends from Our Savior's faith community, as well as a few folks from the wider Fargo-Moorhead Community, who tell us a little about what they do in their homes and in their lives to be more green and why it's important to them, especially as Christians. It really helps to underscore our Earth Week theme: Eco-Justice as Community. All the little things we do individually work together to make a big difference. We are one body of Christ and when all the parts of the body work together to take care of the more vulnerable parts - amazing things can (and do!) happen.

It was great to see everyone in church on Sunday - enjoying the bit God's creation we brought to the front of the sanctuary, being inspired and challenged by our speaker, learning about eco-justice during our education hour and having fun at the picnic lunch. Lust like the issue of eco-justice itself - it was the participation and enthusiasm of the faith community that made this event a success!

Cleanup Week?

2011-05-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

This week is "Cleanup Week" in Fargo - Moorhead. As you drive the streets of the two cities this week you might start to feel like to took a wrong turn and ended up in the city landfill itself. WDAY reported earlier this week that this year's "cleanup" is taking in approximately 40% more garbage than any other year. 40%!

Next week, Our Savior's faith community will experience a week that starkly contrasts the week the Fargo-Moorhead community is experiencing today. Next week is our Earth Week. Next week, Our Savior's faith community celebrates the planet, the resources given to us gifts, the responsibility we all have of "tending the garden" and the amazing Creator who put it all in place.

We hope Earth Week will leave you feeling encouraged and re-energized in your efforts to be stewards of creation and that you experience the many workshops, study groups, worship services and celebrations with joy!

Earth Week Video

2011-05-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

This year's Earth Week theme is "Eco Justice as Community." To help illustrate how all the individual actions work together to make a big difference, we're making an Earth Week video and we want to hear from you! Let us know if you would be willing to participate in a very short video interview to say what you do in your home to help care for God's creation!

Spring 2011 Email List Challenge

2011-05-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Help us bolster our email list and save some natural and financial resources at the same time!

Sign up to receive church mailings via email and your name will be entered into a drawing. The winner will be annoucned on Rally Sunday! So far, we have 110 people already saving the church money and the earth's natural resources by subscribing to our email list. Help us reach our membership goal of 200 subscribers by September 1, 2011. 200 emailed monthly newsletters alone saves 16,000 pieces of paper and over $400 in printing and postage costs per year!

Click here to email the church office and add your email to our list now, or sign up in the Welcome Center. When we all work together - we make a big difference!

Earth Week Celebration at Our Savior's Lutheran Church

2011-05-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Eco Justice as Community

Our Savior's is celebrating Earth Week May 9-15 and our theme this year is "Eco Justice as Community."

Community has always been central to God's mission. In the midst of a culture focused on individualism, as "...Christians [we] are called to reach beyond ourselves, to embrace all God's children and affirm our interconnectedness and interdependence. While technology has enabled sprawling virtual communities and facilitated connections that span the globe, nowhere is the call and opportunity for discipleship and transformation greater than in our local community."

Our Savior's invites you to "...reflect on the goodness of God's creation through the lens of your local community. Can the food we eat strengthen our bonds with one another? How do our choices affect our brothers and sisters who live on the economic or social margins of our communities? How might we, as people of faith, celebrate the abundance God has given us an take action to ensure all God's children share in it?" (National Council of Churches for Eco Justice, Where Two or More are Gathered: Community as Eco Justice, pg. 1).

Below is our fantastic line-up of Earth Week activities - we hope you find something that sparks your interest! Please join us - Earth Week is all about you and the community you are a part of!

Plastic Bottle Drive - Now through Sunday, May 15
Bring in as many plastic bottles as you can between now and the 15th and dump them in our giant recycling dumpster. Write your phone number in marker on every bottle you bring. At the Earth Sunday Picnic on May 15, watch as our "Eco Man" dives for the winning bottle! The winner will be announced at the picnic and will receive our Grand Prize with items from local businesses all over Fargo - Moorhead including Eco Chic, Norwex, Love in the Oven Bakery and more!

Movie Night - Monday, May 9, 6:30 p.m. in the West Narthex
Showing: The Inconvenient Truth
Short conversation time after the film
Snacks and beverages provided

Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop - Thursday, May 12, 6:00 p.m., River Keepers Living Lab, Fargo
Rain barrels are great tools for conserving water and money during the hot summer months when lawn care and garden watering are at their peak. Register by emailing the church office (oslc@oursaviorsmoorhead.org), call to sign up (233-2412) or stop by the Welcome Center and add your name to the list! This is a great family project!

Art Contest - Paint our Rain Barrel
Our Savior's made a rain barrel in the rain barrel workshop last fall and before we install in on the church grounds it needs to be painted! But why not do something fun and creative? This is where YOU come in! Artists young and old are encouraged to participate in this contest. Submit your design to the church office, in any format your like, by Friday, May 13, and the winning design will be announced at the Earth Sunday picnic on Sunday, May 15.

Adult Education Series: Hope for Creation - Wednesdays at 7:30 in Larsen Lounge, beginning May 11
In Hope for Creation, Dr. Matthew Sleeth explores his personal salvation experience and desire to follow Jesus in the context of the love story God tells in Genesis 1. In these six sessions, Dr. Sleeth guides us through each of the created elements - light, water, soil, heavens, animals, and man - and reminds us of our God-given commission to "tend and protect the planet." Dr. Sleeth is the founder of the Blessed Earth organization - learn more about Blessed Earth at http://www.blessedearth.org/.

Earth Sunday Worship Services - May 15, 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Worship on this special Earth Sunday will worship the Creator and celebrate his amazing creation. Special guest speaker, Cheryl Biller of Presbyterians for Earth Care, will deliver the message that day.

Education Hour Projects and Learning Opportunities for All Ages - May 15, 9:30-10:20 a.m.
Parents are encouraged to attend the Sunday School education hour with their kids for a fantastic hour of celebrating and learning about God's creation.

Earth Sunday Picnic Celebration - May 15, 11:30 a.m.
Our Earth Week celebration comes to an exciting finish with a picnic catered by the VIP Room. Join us for great food, enjoying the outdoors (if the weather is nice), drawings, prizes and much more!

A Recent Victory for Creation Care

2011-01-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

Celebrate Veto of Mountaintop Removal Permits

An email notice was mailed out today from the National Council of Churches USA for Eco-Justice Programs announcing that after years of litigation and debate, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said "no" to the devastation that Mountaintop Removal mining has on God's Creation. According to the NCC Eco-Justice Team, "Two weeks ago the EPA finalized a veto of permits for a new mountaintop removal coal mine in West Virginia, specifically the Spruce Number One Mine.

The following thank you note was sent to the EPA by the NCC Eco-Justice team:

"Dear Administrator Jackson,
We are writing to express our gratitude for the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to veto the Spruce Number One mine permit in West Virginia. As people of faith, we believe that we are called to be stewards of the Earth and to manage our land, water and other resources for the benefit of all of creation and for future generations. For years we have, as a community, expressed great concern over the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian Mountains, which favors short term economic gain over the protection of these ancient mountains and the unique culture and communities that depend upon them.

Over the years, mountaintop removal mining has led to polluted drinking water, increased risk of flooding, damage to homes and buildings due to mining blasts, massive amounts of dust, related health ailments, and a devastated landscape.

Your decision to revoke the permits for the Spruce Number One mine reflects the often overlooked negative impacts that mountaintop removal mining has on Appalachia. High rates of poverty, high unemployment, and high illiteracy rates along with damaged ecosystems and degraded human health are being borne by the people who get little benefit and can least afford to adjust to these circumstances.

We support your decision and look forward to working with you in the future to slow the growth of mountaintop removal mining and help communities that have been affected seek justice for their families and future generations."

Click here if you would like to sign this thank you note to the EPA.

To learn more about the NCC Eco-Justice Program click here.

Let There Be... Stuff?

2011-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of the internet sensation, The Story of Stuff? Do you ever wonder what you can do to make the biggest difference on the future of the planet? Do you want ot feel closer to God while you're at it?

If the answer is "YES!" and you're between 13 and 18 years old, then you have a great adventure ahead. Come be part of the Let There Be... Stuff? program. Commit to six sessions and change the world.

Contact Melissa, Minister for Youth & Family Discipleship (yfd@oursaviorsmoorhead.org), to sign up!

Starting Sunday, January 9, the Youth & Familiy Discipleship program is offering this special, six-week program for our Sr. High students and the Lutheran Campus Ministry students at MN State University, Moorhead. Study sessions will be Sundays in the Youth Room, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Recycled Paper for the Future of the Planet

2011-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed in your bulletins this past year that Our Savior's uses paper from sustainably managed forrests as well as recycled paper? Though you may have seen it printed you might still be wondering "what does that mean?"

The Sustainable Forrest Stewardship Council, whose seal can be found on the packaging ofthe paper filling the shelves in our church office, has been certified by Scientific Certification Systems, meaning the wood used to create our bulletins comes from forrests that are being managed in an environmentally responsible way.

Even better, we have recently been using more and more recycled paper - anywhere from 50% to 100% post-consumer content - meaning fewer trees have to be cut down to make it and less damage to God's creation.

Recycled paper does cost more in the catalog than non-recycled paper and that can deter people from choosing the recycled option. Even the sales rep from our supply company who sells us our paper commented one day when an order was placed, "You know, not many people order that recycled stuff. It's too expensive!" And then he asked the inevitable question, "So why are you buying the recycled paper?"

Why? Because it's the right thing to do. Because God never promised His way would be easy. But He did promise to be with us along the journey - and what an incredible journey it will be, the more and more we choose God's way over the easy way.

Styrofoam

2010-10-11T12:23:00.001-07:00

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more .
1 T h e s s a l o n i a n s 4 : 1

Last Thursday, the Creation Care Committee attended the Women's board meeting to present on the topic of styrofoam. Our Savior's has, for many years, used styrofoam cups for the fellowship hour on Sunday mornings and has them available for use during the week as well. Styrofoam is also used on occasion for potlucks and community meals held in our building.

Vonnie Thordal, Co-President of the women's board, was enthusiastic and positive about adding the subject of styrofoam to their meeting agenda and we want to shout out a great big "Thank You!" to her her openness and willingness to consider another way!

Why is it important to stop using styrofoam?
Caring for the environment is part of our call to serve God and love our neighbor. A significant way we carry out that call is in the way we manage activities and functions on church grounds. This is easy to forget because our culture tells us it's our right to do what's easy and convenient. Christ tells us though, that it is our responsibility and vocation to honor God and the abundance He has given us.

Styrofoam is a bad deal
Styrofoam is a bad deal from beginning to end. Firstly, styrofoam is made from benzene, a known carcinogen, which is breathed in by the factory workers who often live lives of poverty which offer them little or no other choice for employment. The Benzene is converted to Styrene, polymerized and finally turned into foam by injecting gasses known to contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer and the production of smog. Benzene itself is made from oil and sometimes coal which is processed in plants which pump even more toxins and pollution into the air and ground and consume more oil to power the production process.

Secondly, there is no good way to recycle styrofoam. It is difficult to do and only a very few places do it. Furthermore, there are very few uses for recycled styrofoam and it is not suitable for making more cups. So recycling your cup does nothing to mitigate the need for more raw materials to make your next styrofoam cup.

Third. So styrofoam is made to be discarded and the damage to the environment is significant. According to the Recycler's Handbook, Americans send over 25 billion styrofoam cups to the landfill each year (and that's just the cups!). Consider Our Savior's: if 100 people drink coffee on Sunday mornings and use just one styrofoam cup, though some use more than one, times 52 weeks per year = 5,200 cups, they would use and throw away enough cups to fill 16 32 gallon trash cans. Then, the 5,200 cups are hauled away to the landfill in big, gas-guzzling trucks and dumped into the ground, where the chemicals leach into the ground and groundwater to become a problem for future generations.

Why is styrofoam still around if it's so bad?

Companies get away with it because they can. Styrofoam is cheap to make, cheap to ship and cheap to buy and they know if they put it on the shelves people will buy it. It's time for the Christian community to be the voice that says "No. This is not acceptable." We have to stop endorsing products that destroy what God gave us and charged us to protect.

There are several alternatives to styrofoam. The best and cheapest, of course, is to use ceramic mugs. One woman present at the meeting asked "how much would those cost?" and I was very happy to answer "nothing! We already own them and they're sitting in the cupboard downstairs in the kitchen!" Of course, using ceramic mugs requires the added time and effort of running the dishwasher as well as carting them upstairs to the Lounge on Sunday mornings and then back down again after the fellowship time is finished. We discussed the viability of asking the service unit volunteers who serve the coffee on Sundays to do this job or of finding someone who took on that task on a regular basis.

The next best thing would be biodegradable disposable cups - we still end up feeding the landfill but they would not be a toxic to God's creation and His people (factory workers!) as styrofoam. They are also thicker than paper cups and do well to hold hot liquids.

Yet another alternative is paper cups - though it was generally agreed at the meeting that those cups get pretty hot to hold.

Now what?

Though we did not reach a solid decision to discontinue stocking the church building with styrofoam cups, the women present at the meeting last Thursday were very gracious and open to learning more about the environmental issue around styrofoam and to the discussion of alternatives. Friends, this is where the process begins! And "Creation waits with eager longing..." (Romans 8:19).

June 21, 2010 Meeting Highlights

2010-06-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Creation Care Committee met at Atomic Coffee in Moorhead and enjoyed the sun and heat - and wind - while sitting outside for our meeting. Thanks be to God - even for the wind!

Youth Project: Clean Up The Red
Plans for a Youth project with River Keepers are underway. Minister for Youth & Family Discipleship, Melissa Pickering, is on board and excited to do a "Clean Up the Red" day with the Youth. She has been very busy with the Mission Trip and will be able to plan more details in the coming weeks.

We anticipate the event would be on a Sunday afternoon in late summer and be no more than two hours long. Information on safety and what to wear when cleaning up the Red River is available from River Keepers. The Creation Care Committee will put this information into a packet to be sent home with the students. Carrie will check with Melissa about sending permission forms to be signed by the parents with these packets as well.

Rain Barrel Class
Carrie has been in contact with Lauri Winterfeldt at River Keepers about doing a rain barrel making class at Our Savior's. We feel it would be best to hold the class on a week night before the fall, while people are still interested and can still get some use out of them this summer. We don't have a date nailed down yet so we will put a general "head's up" announcement in the coming church newsletter. River Keepers is busy with other projects until July 28, so our class will have to be after that date.

The Use of Styrofoam on Church Grounds
Our goal is to address the use of styrofoam on church grounds this fall. We will propose that the church grounds be kept a styrofoam-free zone. This would mean using the ceramic coffee cups the church already has or supplying biodegradable cups rather than the styrofoam cups we currently supply. This would be the rule for Sunday fellowship times as well as for groups meeting in the church building throughout the week.

The Women's Board is currently without a president so we feel it is best to wait until after their fall elections.

Carrie has an article about the toxicity of styrofoam and why it's important for churches not to use it in the Web of Creation materials to include with the proposal. We will also include a short synopsis of the other ways Our Savior's cares for creation so it is understood that this is a church-wide effort and part of a grander plan.

Blessing the Animals, October, 2010
St. Francis of Assisi is remembered as a lover of all creation. Learn more about St. Francis and the custom of animal blessings here. The Creation Care Committee would like to hold a Blessing of the Animals on October 16. We would like to hold the blessing in Hansman Park and invite the surrounding neighbors to bring their pets as well.

We would need to create fliers and organize a time and volunteers to distribute them to neighborhood homes. This may be a wonderful opportunity for outreach!

Pr. Keith Zeh has done animal blessings before - Carrie will check with him to see if he would be willing to help us with this one.

Greenies Among Us
Laura will come up with some interview questions to use for email interviews of Our Savior's members who Care for Creation in various ways. Their answers and photos will be posted on the blog and advertized in the church newsletter.

Next Creation Care Meeting
Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 5:15 at Atomic Coffee in Moorhead.

If you have comments about what was discussed in our meeting, or if you would like to suggest a project to help Our Savior's care for God's creation, please click on the "Comment" link below or contact us by email.

Benefits of an Energy Audit

2010-06-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Benefits of an Energy Audit

The article above is written by Jason Parmer and appears on the Blessed Earth website (see the post below to learn more about Blessed Earth).

When was the last time you took a tour of your home's crawlspaces?

My own home was built in 1921. It's a fairly small house so one would think the energy bills wouldn't be too high - wrong! Our energy bills are through the roof during the winter months, despite several "do-it-yourself" attempts to winter-proof.

So what's the next step? An energy audit! Why haven't we done it yet? Honsetly, there is no good reason. We just haven't gotten around to it. I think that might be the default answer for many people who care about creation, but still haven't made any significant changes in lifestyle. We just "haven't gotten around to it yet." But how long will the earth wait for us?

The effects of climate change are increasing every single day - what are we waiting for? Most utility companies provide this service for free - there is nothing to loose, except energy loss of course.

Read Jason Parmer's article, Benefits of an Energy Audit, and find out what he learned by doing an audit on his home.

Blessed Earth

2010-06-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Blessed Earth is an organization I just discovered this spring. A person in Illinois was reading our blog and sent me a link to their website suggesting that we might find it interesting. Let me tell you, "interesting" is quite an understatement!

I perused their website, read their blogs, viewed a few videos about an educational series they created and could hardly stay in my chair I was so excited.

"Blessed Earth is an educational nonprofit that inspires and equips faith communities to become better stewards of the earth. Through outreach to churches, campuses and media we build bridges that promote measurable environmental change and meaningful spiritual growth" (Blessed Earth mission statement).

Not only do they provide resources for churches in pratically every context I can think of, but it is also completely founded in Scripture. The founder of the company, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, is a surgeon turned Creation Care Expert. He may know more about this issue than anyone in the nation.

Please, if you're looking for inspiration, check this out!! blessedearth.org. Read - learn - watch the videos - join the mailing list - be inspired. I was.

Of particular interest is their page with Creation Care tips - talk about an incredible resource! Click here to check it out!

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

The heavens are telling the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;

their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

P s a l m 1 9 : 1 - 4

Indeed - this IS the day the Lord has made! And what a glorious day it is! Happy Earth Day to you. We hope you will find a way to celebrate the miraculous creation today. For ideas, click here.

There is a "Green Expo" coming up on May 9 at the Fargo Civic Center. Click here for more details.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Earth Week events here at Our Savior's. Our worship services on Sunday and Wednesday celebrated the great Creator. Over sixty-five worshippers pledged to become better stewards of creation during those services. Discussions during our three global warming classes this week were thoughtful and spirit-filled.

We are the people of God and we are making a difference right here Moorhead. When the task of "going green" begins to look overwhelming or unattainable please remember this: God's grace is a renewable resource! He will give us what we need to make a difference. We are the hands and feet of Christ - let's let Him work through us today!

A Prayer for Earth Day
God our Creator and Parent, who is as far as the stars and as near as our breath, You are holy. Let all creation worship you and live in harmony with you and each other. Give us today what we need; and forgive us for withdrawing from mutuality with You, as we forgive those who have withdrawn from mutuality with us; let us find our happiness in You. For all that matters is in You, and through You, and of You and for You, forever. Amen.

Global Warming Might Spur Earthquakes and Volcanoes

2010-04-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The following article was emailed to me by an Our Savior's member who attended last night's Earth Week video: "An Incoveneint Truth." Please note that this article was written in 2007 on LiveScience.com. When are we going to start believing scientists' predicitons?

By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 30 August 2007 08:57 am ET

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and landslides are some of the additional catastrophes that climate change and its rising sea levels and melting glaciers could bring, a geologist says.

The impact of human-induced global warming on Earth's ice and oceans is already noticeable: Greenland's glaciers are melting at an increasing rate, and sea level rose by a little more than half a foot (0.17 meters) globally in the 20th century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

With these trends in ice cover and sea level only expected to continue and likely worsen if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, they could alter the stresses and forces fighting for balance in the ground under our feet—changes that are well-documented in studies of past climate change, but which are just beginning to be studied as possible consequences of the current state of global warming.

"Although they've described it in the past, nobody's thought about it in terms of future effects of climate change," said Bill McGuire of the University College London's Hazard Research Center.
McGuire's speculations of increased geological activity have not yet been published in a journal, but he has written an article about them published in the Guardian Unlimited.

Rebounding crust
One particular feature that can change the balance of forces in Earth's crust is ice, in the form of glaciers and ice sheets that cover much of the area around Earth's poles plus mountains at all latitudes. The weight of ice depresses the crust on which it sits.

As the ice melts, the crust below no longer has anything sitting on top of it, and so can rebound fairly rapidly (by geological standards). (This rebounding is actually occurring now as a result of the end of the last Ice Age: The retreat of massive ice sheets from the northern United States and Canada has allowed the crust in these areas to bounce back.)

Areas of rebounding crust could change the stresses acting on earthquake faults and volcanoes in the crust.

"In places like Iceland, for example, where you have the Eyjafjallajökull ice sheet, which wouldn't survive [global warming], and you've got lots of volcanoes under that, the unloading effect can trigger eruptions," McGuire said.

With the changing dynamics in the crust, faults could also be destabilized, which could bring a whole host of other problems.

"It's not just the volcanoes. Obviously if you load and unload active faults, then you're liable to trigger earthquakes," McGuire told LiveScience, noting that there is ample evidence for this association in past climate change events.

"At the end of the last Ice Age, there was a great increase in seismicity along the margins of the ice sheets in Scandinavia and places like this, and that triggered these huge submarine landsides which generated tsunamis," McGuire said. "So you've got the whole range of geological hazards there that can result from if we see this big catastrophic melting."

Roland Burgmann, a geologist at the University of California, Berkeley, agrees that changes in ice cover can have significant effects on the underlying crust, but says that more research needs to be done to determine the actual scale of the threat and where the effects are most likely to occur.

Water pressure
Ice melt can have an added consequence because all that melted ice has to go somewhere—namely, the ocean.

And ice melt won't be the only factor changing sea levels: as ocean temperatures rise, the water itself expands (a process called thermal expansion).

As all that extra water piles up, it could apply pressure to faults near coastlines.

"The added load of the water bends the crust, and that means that you tend to get tensional conditions in the upper part of the crust and compressional a bit lower down, just as if you bend a plank of wood or something," McGuire explained.

These compressional forces could push out any magma lying around underneath a volcano, triggering an eruption. (This mechanism is actually believed to be the cause of the seasonal eruptions of Alaska's Pavlof volcano, which erupts every winter when sea levels are higher.)
McGuire conducted a study that was published in the journal Nature in 1997 that looked at the connection between the change in the rate of sea level rise and volcanic activity in the Mediterranean for the past 80,000 years and found that when sea level rose quickly, more volcanic eruptions occurred, increasing by a whopping 300 percent.

If today's worst-case global warming scenarios of catastrophic melting of glaciers and ice sheets come to pass, sea levels could rise rapidly, wreaking all sorts of geological havoc "comparable with the most rapid increases in sea level that we've seen in the last 15,000 years," McGuire said.

Burgmann isn't too worried about sea level rise causing more earthquakes or volcanic eruptions though, noting that catastrophic rates of sea level rise in the future are uncertain and that the current rate of rise—about 0.12 inches per year (3 millimeters per year)—isn't enough to destabilize the crust.

"It would take a long time to add up to a significant amount," Burgmann said—so while it's an area of research to keep an eye on, it's unlikely to have any disastrous consequences, at least for now.

Natural Disasters: Top 10 U.S. Threats
Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming
Timeline: The Frightening Future of Earth

Green Soap

2010-04-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

I had an unexpected visit this morning that made my day. A member of Our Savior's stopped by the church office after returning home from a trip to Arizona and she just had to show me the green treasure had brought back with her.

She and her husband stayed in a fancy, hundred-year-old hotel during their visit to the Grand Canyon. Like so many people and businesses in the area whoare passionate about maintaining and preserving the natural habitats that bring in the tourism which supports their livelihoods, this hotel has taken steps to "go green."

Ever felt guilty about throwing away a "mostly"-used bar of soap? Hey, we've all done it - that little bit of soap left at the end is just too much of a pain to keep using so we toss it and put out a fresh bar. Well this Arizona hotel has found the solution: "Green Natura," waste-reducing exfoliating body cleanser.

I'll let the box speak for itself:
"This innovative, ergonomically-shaped 'waste-reducing' soap has been designed to sliminate the unused center of traditional soap bars. This soap is cruelty free and contains no animal fat or byproducts."

Even the packaging is green - made with natural, recycled materials and printed with soy-based inks.

And it even smells great too - way to go!

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Easter Sunday

2010-04-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Climate Change, Faith and Hope - Easter Sunday

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said."- Matthew 28:1-6

The Good News of Christ's resurrection brings hope for a new beginning to all of creation. It frees us to seek justice for the most vulnerable among us and to be good stewards of God's earth. It establishes a new covenant that transforms our hearts and unites us to God through great forgiveness.

As you contemplate the impacts of a changing climate and the suffering of God's people and creation, let today be a beginning. A new vision of justice. Life that is transformed.

Christ is risen! Alleluiah!

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Good Friday

2010-04-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

Climate Change, Faith and Hope - Good Friday

Adapted from "A Tenebrae for the Earth"
by Kim Winchell, Diaconal Minister (2009)

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17

A Prayer of Sorrow
*Adapted from UN Environmental Programme's Only One Earth (1990)

L: We have forgotten who we are
R: We have forgotten who we are

L: We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos
We have become estranged from the movements of the Earth
We have turned our backs on the cycles of life.
R: We have forgotten who we are

L: We have sought only our own security
We have exploited simply for our own ends
We have distorted our knowledge
We have abused our power.
R: We have forgotten who we are

L: Now the land is barren
And the waters are poisoned
And the air is polluted
And the climate is changing.
R: We have forgotten who we are

L: Now the forests are dying
And the creatures are disappearing
And the humans are despairing.
R: We have forgotten who we are

L: We ask forgiveness
We ask for the gift of remembering
We ask for the strength to change.
R: We have forgotten who we are

Pause for a moment of silent reflection

Words of Reflection
How we have muddied our lives, the lives of others, and the beauty of God's Earth! This world that God created and loves and pronounced good and very good. This world that our Lord Jesus came to and walked upon, teaching a new way of life: a way of justice, mercy, compassion, and peace.

This world into which Christ came, to restore the fullness of relationships - to reconcile – all things, whether in heaven or on Earth. This world into which Christ came to model the true abundance of life - not accumulation of material goods, but the storing up of love, peace, mercy, and justice in our relationships.

How often have we not loved our neighbors as ourselves?
And do we limit whom we call a neighbor?
How often we have neglected justice!
How often we have lacked compassion!
How often we have not established peace for our fellow brothers and sisters or for all of creation!
How often we have caused broken relationships, with one another and with all of creation!

How often, in our ignorance, apathy, arrogance and greed, we have continued to cause you pain, Lord Jesus, in the way we treat one another and all of creation.

O Lord, forgive us, for too often we DO know what we do.

Help us to change. Move our hearts. Speak to our hearts ... and stir up our spirits, so that we may more faithfully follow you and your call to love and serve God ... and to love and serve our neighbor ... and to love and care for your Earth, out of the deepest gratitude for all that you have done for us, especially as we remember your suffering for us, and for all of creation, upon your cross.

And let all God's people say: Amen.

Climate Change, A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Maundy Thursday

2010-04-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Climate Change, Faith and Hope - Maundy Thursday

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."- John 13:34-35

Love for our neighbor is a key aspect of Christian discipleship. That love includes an aspect of service: before the meal on his last night with his disciples, Jesus washed their feet, humbling himself to show that service to others was at the core of his ministry on earth.

As people of faith and followers of Christ, we also see such service as the core of who we are, and our ministries reflect that conviction - we feed the hungry and heal the sick, we educate children, we help to build homes and dig wells, we accompany people in their journeys out of poverty. When we see people suffering, we are moved and called to act.

But as climate change impacts more and more of our neighbors, how do we heed this call to love our neighbors and to serve their needs? How can we serve the Pacific Islander whose land is disappearing in rising seas? How can we serve the African farmer whose crops fail because of years of drought? How can we serve Alaska natives who are suffering from toxic exposure as glaciers melt?

In the coming years, we will have to make hard decisions about how we assist the growing number of individuals and communities who are suffering with the same resources. But more importantly, we will have to love.

As Christians, we are taught to reflect love - reflect the love of Jesus Christ to the whole world. And it is in love that we are truly able to do the work of the Lord and serve the most vulnerable among us. Climate change will challenge us in ways that we cannot imagine if we fail to address it in a meaningful way. And the only way to prepare for this is to learn how to love the way God intended for us to love one another.

Source: ELCA e-Advocacy Network

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discovery

2010-03-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Climate Change, Faith and Hope - A Prayer

Palm Sunday

Eco-Palms: A Climate-Friendly Alternative

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!”- John 12:12-13

Harvesting palm leaves and palm products is an important source of supplemental income for many indigenous families and communities in Guatemala and Mexico. However, over-harvesting can threaten the livelihood of these communities as well as the forests where the palm trees thrive. On the global level, such deforestation in tropical regions currently accounts for about 20 percent of all climate change emissions.

Palm-producing areas in these countries are home to some of the poorer segments of rural populations. These communities rely heavily on the palm harvest for their modest income. But, although purchases of palm leaves in the U.S. may reach as high as $4.5 million each year, the palm harvesters themselves earn very little. Typically, palm harvesters are hired by local contractors, who then sell palms to large floral export firms. Payment is based on volume, motivating harvesters to gather a large number of palms without regard for their quality. This method contributes to rapid depletion of the forest's rich biodiversity, including many bird species that migrate to these regions during the winter.

Eco-Palms are harvested in a more sustainable way, paying the harvesters based on the quality of the palms they harvest rather than the quantity, which helps to limit the amount of palms taken from the forest. These communities have adopted better harvesting practices that minimize impact on the natural forest and helps to protect wild palm species.

In Guatemala the palm harvesters have received SmartWood certification from the Rainforest Alliance. The certification is a “seal of approval” that ensures consumers the wood products they purchase come from forests managed to conserve biodiversity and support local communities. In areas where the waste ratio used to reach 50% or more, the discarded palms now count for only 5-7% of the harvested volume.

And, rather than sending the harvested palms off to a distant warehouse for sorting and packaging, the community members complete those tasks themselves and sell their palms directly to Continental Floral, the floral company, rather than relying on middlemen. This ensures that more of the money paid for the palms actually goes to those who worked the hardest to provide them.

When done in a socially and environmentally just way, palm gathering protects valuable natural forests. Steady markets for these palms prevent the forest from being destroyed for other uses. This program is a great example of climate change mitigation and how communities can preserve natural resources for the future. The importance of forest conservation is passed along to the next generation of palm harvesters, along with the hope of a better and brighter life.

Last year alone, 644,000 palms were sold through the Eco-Palm program. It is a practical and easy way for churches in the United States to be socially conscious and help out the planet. People can collectively stand up in celebration of justice and the environment and share the jubilation of Palm Sunday with the people who harvest the palms they wave.

Lutheran World Relief is in its fifth year supporting Eco-Palms, and is now working with the Presbyterian, Methodist, and Episcopal churches on this project. To find out more about this program and how to order Eco-Palms for your congregation’s Palm Sunday service in 2011, click here.

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Week 6

2010-03-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Climate Change and Faith and Hope - A Prayer

As we prepare for Holy Week, here is a prayer from St. Francis of Assisi praising God and his creation:

Canticle of the Creatures
St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory and the honor and all blessing,
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day and
through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
From whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in You most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Week 4

2010-03-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Climate Change and Development – An Action

This week has highlighted the ways that climate change is having devastating impacts on those in the world’s less industrialized nations. Yet as we learned in last Wednesday’s reflection, leaders around the world cannot agree on how to address this crisis. This has been the “climate challenge” for more than a decade and will remain the central focus of this issue in the near future – how do we get the world to agree on a unified response to climate change?

There are a number of small steps that each of us can take to help push this process forward. First, the U.S. must engage in the climate conversation in a helpful and meaningful way. Ideally, the U.S. would establish a comprehensive climate system that, over time, reduces our own carbon emissions. You can help make this a reality by signing our letter to the Senate. This letter calls for swift action that protects God’s people and God’s Creation.

Click here to read the letter and add your name.

Another way you can help is by giving your support to relief and development organizations that are helping communities and families around the world cope with the impacts of climate change while continuing to develop economically.

In Uganda, Lutheran World Relief works directly with Rosemary to support her and her community in their efforts to become more productive and successful farmers. This type of support helps people living in poverty around the world who are already dealing with drought, flooding, more severe storms and other climate change impacts.

You can take part in this important work by supporting the ELCA World Hunger program, which works with international partners including Lutheran World Relief and The Lutheran World Federation to address root causes of hunger and poverty, including climate change, through relief, development, education and advocacy. Take part in this important work by supporting ELCA World Hunger.

Climate Justice, A Lenten Journey of Discover - Week 4

2010-03-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Climate Change and Development – A Story
Written by Tyler Edgar
Climate and Energy Program Manager
National Council of Churches

“For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” - Psalm 22:24

Rosemary Mayiga is a rural Ugandan farmer who has been working to develop sustainable local agriculture in her community for more than a decade. Over the last few years, Rosemary has developed a cooperative group of farmers who support each other. She has worked hard to support the farmers in her community, coordinating seed purchases and trips to the local market to help reduce costs. Until 2007, she had been wildly successful: most families in the community grew enough food to feed their families with a little left over to sell for income. That income allowed them to send their children to school, travel into the nearby town more frequently and raise their standard of living.

Like farmers all around the world, every year is a little bit different for Rosemary and her community. The weather a little warmer or cooler, the rains coming a bit earlier or later, but generally, the climate each year remained the same with only mild variations. Then in 2007 everything started to change. That year, the rains were dramatically different—the fall rains came almost two months late. By that time, most farmers in the community who were unable to water their land had lost all their seeds and with them their opportunity to grow a crop. Families struggled to get by and some left the village temporarily to find other work. Many thought it would all go back to normal the next year.

However in 2008, the rains, again, arrived late. The farmers had used most of their savings the previous year to help their families survive and this year there was little money to buy new seeds or food when the crops died. As a result, this community is investing its time and energy in preparing for erratic rain cycles and life for many in the community has changed. Instead of receiving an education, children are now focused on helping their parents and their communities survive. In addition, Rosemary has turned her attention to ensuring her own crops are productive and doesn’t have as much time to help the community collaborate and grow.

Stories like this are growing more common in Africa, Asia and subsistence farming communities around the world. Even here in the U.S., farmers are struggling to recover from the unusual winter of 2010 – for example, thousands of Florida orange groves were lost to freezing temperatures. If we fail to address climate change, this will only become more and more prevalent, threatening the ability of our farmers to feed their families, their communities and the world while pushing families and communities like Rosemary’s further into poverty and limiting their ability to develop and prosper.

---------------------------------------------
A Prayer for the Journey
From Episcopal Relief and Development

Let us pray for all nations and people who already enjoy the abundance of creation and the blessings of prosperity, that their hearts may be lifted up to the needs of the poor and afflicted, and partnerships between rich and poor for the reconciliation of the world may flourish and grow.

Almighty God, you created the world and gave it into our care so that, in obedience to you, we might serve all people: Inspire us to use the riches of creation with wisdom, and to ensure that their blessings are shared by all; that, trusting in your bounty, all people may be empowered to seek freedom from poverty, famine, and oppression. Amen.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery, Week 3

2010-03-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Climate Change and Health - An Action

As climate change continues to unfold, the impacts on communities and creation alike are and will be devastating. The story of the Yupik in Alaska and the indirect impacts that climate change is having on their health and well being is an example of the interconnectedness of all of God’s Creation and an example of the challenging situation that we have created through our patterns of consumption and dependence on fossil fuels.

There are many changes that will need to be made in order to prevent some of the worst impacts of climate change from taking place. One of these changes can protect both God's creation and God's people. We need to shift to renewable, sustainable and clean energy. This includes wind power, solar power, and geothermal power along with new emerging technologies such as tidal power and cellulosic ethanol.

Shifting our dependence to these forms of energy not only reduces air pollution creating healthier communities but it also reduces our impact on God's Creation. The process through which we obtain wind power is much less devastating than the oil and gas exploration that are currently devastating Mountains in Appalachia and Wyoming plains.

In addition, renewable energy and energy efficiency are the key to a successful green jobs future for all of the U.S. A recent study showed that a 25% renewable energy standard by 2025 would create more than 274,000 new jobs just from energy production alone. This does not include many of the indirect jobs that would result from this developing industry.

We have the resources to power our homes and congregations with renewable and sustainable energy forms and we must be willing to make the transition. Please urge your Senators to enact a strong Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that will prioritize wind and solar over coal and oil.

Click here to send an email to your Senator calling for a strong RES that will protect God's Creation and God's children.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery, week 3

2010-03-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

Climate Change and Health - A Story

Written by Chloe Schwabe
Environmental Health Program Director
National Council of Churches

Vi Waghiyi is from the native Arctic Yupik community of St Lawrence Island in Alaska. The Yupik communities on the island are members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and see their traditional diet of fish, seals, birds, and bird eggs as a form of physical and spiritual sustenance. But climate change and toxic chemicals produced and used in far away places threaten their spiritual and cultural traditions.

Vi and her family are suffering from the impacts of climate change – but not in the way that you might imagine. As temperatures warm and ice melts, indigenous communities are seeing increased exposure to toxic chemicals. Toxic chemicals emitted by industries around the globe are carried to the Artic by wind and water currents and locked away in the ice. As ice melts, these chemicals, known as PBTs - persistent, because they last in the environment for many years, bioaccumulative, because they can be stored in body fat, and toxic, because they are harmful to health - are seeping into Arctic waters and eventually the bodies of Alaska natives.

“The Indigenous Arctic peoples are suffering the most from these chemicals,” says Vi Waghiyi, “because the chemicals – pesticides, perfluorinated compounds and toxic flame retardants—are long lasting, and drift North on wind and water currents from where they are applied in the Southern latitudes. That means these chemicals are also in our traditional foods and affecting our health and the health of our children.”

As ice melts, levels of PBTs are on the rise in Arctic species such as polar bears, eagles, northern fur seals, and green-winged teals. Native peoples consume these species as part of their traditional diet. These chemicals, many linked to health conditions such as infertility, learning and developmental disabilities, and cancer, accumulate in fat and become more toxic as they move up the food chain. For example, Inuit women have higher levels of PBTs in their breast milk than most women, putting their children at risk for chemical contamination if they choose to breast feed.

For the Yupik residents of St. Lawrence, the addition of contaminants adds a greater burden of chemicals to already high exposures due to an abandoned U.S. Cold War military base that has not been cleaned up. Many community members have died from cancer or are fighting cancer. Children are more susceptible to immune deficiency diseases and developmental disabilities. Vi herself has had had three miscarriages.

The story of St. Lawrence reminds us of the interconnectedness of God’s web of creation and reminds us that the choices we make can impact the health of our brothers and sisters here and around the world and the health of all God’s creatures. We are all part of the body of Christ, and as one part of Creation suffers, we all suffer (Romans 12:5). When Arctic communities experience health challenges and other impacts of climate change we share in their suffering. We can respond to the suffering of others through individual choices and stronger climate change and chemical policies.

“The act and ritual of our subsistence food activities encompass who we are and is a vital source of our spirituality. I emphasize these things because I want you to know how much of an impact the threat of contaminants has on these things that are so sacred to us.” - Sally Smith, Chairperson, Alaska Native Health Board

Learn More Listen to a radio program about the Yupik communities in St Lawrence Island.

Read more about the St Lawrence community

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery - Week 3 - Action

2010-03-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Climate Change and Economics – An Action

Small changes in the way we manage our homes, our congregations and our communities can both reduce our contribution to climate change and save us money. These small changes, when taken collectively, can make a huge difference. Over time, they will also help us live in right relationships with God’s Creation and at the same time prevent challenges like those being experienced by the people of Houma, Louisiana, whose story was featured in last Friday’s reflection.

Studies have shown that the 300,000 houses of worship in the U.S. spend more than $2 billion on energy each year and consume 2 percent of all energy used in the United States.

This year for Earth Day, the National Council of Churches is focused on honoring our sacred worship spaces with practical solutions that will make congregations better stewards and more faithful and sustainable examples in our walk with God.

Here are some ways that you can reduce your congregation’s greenhouse gas emissions, save money and live out God’s call to be stewards of Creation and seek justice for all.

Install programmable thermostats
Weatherize church buildings to limit the loss of heat in the winter and cool air in the summer
Lower the temperature of your hot water heater
Replace broken and old appliances with energy efficient models

These simple changes will help save money while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, helping your congregation to live out God’s call to be good stewards of all Creation and our obligation to be good stewards of our financial resources.

Click here for more examples of how your congregation can improve your stewardship of God’s creation with the 2010 Earth Day resource on Sacred Spaces.

Climate Justice - a Lenten Journey of Discovery, Week 3

2010-03-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

Climate Change and Economics - A Story

By Cory Sparks

Pastor of Faith Community United Methodist Church, Youngsville, LouisianaChair, Commission on Stewardship of the Environment, Louisiana Interchurch Conference

Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water, you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers and blessing its growth. - Psalm 65:4, 9-10

South Louisiana is vanishing. An area the size of Rhode Island has disappeared since the mid-1950s. That’s a football field of land every thirty-eight minutes, but it’s hard to comprehend statistics on that scale. It’s easier to see the change with your own eyes as people point to pastures that have become fishing holes and fishing holes that have turned into open water. These stories used to come only from the older generation. Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, even children can tell you about change they’ve seen in their lifetimes.

The coast can no longer rebuild itself like it has over the centuries. Sediment that would restore the wetlands is channeled straight into the Gulf of Mexico by levees. Canals dug for navigation and oil and gas exploration break up the land and bring saltwater deep into coastal marsh, killing grasses that prevent erosion. And hurricanes have battered barrier islands and low, wooded ridges called cheniers. Now scientists are concerned that sea levels may rise a foot or more over the next fifty years because of global climate change. That increases the risk to the land and to the people and their vibrant culture. It also threatens the economy of the region and of the nation. South Louisiana ports host a 3.5 billion dollar seafood industry and vital thriving ports.

Because so much is at stake, major players from government, industry, and the environmental movement have mobilized to find solutions. But one significant response is coming from an unlikely source—a little white church on the bayou. Bayou Blue Presbyterian Church is located just inland, close to the city of Houma, Louisiana. Since Hurricane Rita, Bayou Blue’s members and their pastor, Rev. Kris Peterson, have hosted Presbyterian Disaster Assistance teams that have come to rebuild homes destroyed by the hurricane. The church members want volunteers to understand the story behind the hurricane, the story of their community. They give teams a taste of life on the bayou, throwing potluck dinners with home cooked Cajun food. After the meal, the members talk from the heart about how much their way of life means to them and about the threat that wetlands loss poses. Although they share the latest research gathered by scientists, they speak about what coastal erosion and climate change mean to their lives and to their livelihood, which have always been tied to the land.

In addition to educating visitors, Bayou Blue is addressing wetlands loss and climate change in another innovative way—by developing their own pilot project to fight erosion. Bayou Blue has partnered with Heifer Project International and the Jewish Fund for Justice to protect the coast by building artificial cheniers as storm protection. The cheniers offer sites for gardens and even oysters, not only protecting the coast but promoting the area’s traditional way of living with the land. It’s a model for a sustainable future that builds from the strength of the past.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery, Week 3

2010-03-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

Climate Change, Disaster and Migration - An Action

The reflection and story from this week have highlighted the impact that climate change is already having on cultures and communities around the world, impacts that are forcing people to leave their homes and communities. There are two ways that we can help those who are already suffering.

First, we can provide the funding and support to help communities adapt to the floods, droughts, intense storms, and other climate impacts that are changing the way they live and threatening livelihoods. This type of international aid, known as international adaptation assistance, can help to keep families and communities from having to make the difficult choice to move or migrate, and is usually targeted at the most vulnerable economically developing nations and small island nations around the world.

Click here for more information on adaptation assistance from Church World Service.
Second, we can provide support to those families who must leave their homes. There are many ways we can do this - through agencies that help climate migrants find new homes and new opportunities here in the US or other countries. Both of these will be vital as more and more communities are forced to migrate as a result of climate impacts.

Click here to read this statement by Pacific Church Leaders on resettlement that is caused by climate change.

An immediate action you can take is to advocate for international adaptation assistance to help those who are already suffering the impacts of climate change. President Obama's proposed 2011 budget for the federal government includes more than $330 million dollars in new funding for adaptation programs abroad. However, Congress will need to approve his budget request this spring.

Click here to send an email to Senator Conrad and Representative Spratt, the chairmen of the Senate and House budget committees and ask them to maintain the international climate budget proposed by the President.

Article provided by the ELCA e-Advocacy Network. Click here to sign up for their mailing list.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery, Week 2

2010-02-26T07:32:00.000-08:00

Climate Change, Disasters and Migration – A Story

By Tyler EdgarAssociate Director, Climate and Energy CampaignNational Council of Churches USA

Then they also will answer Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you? Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you just as you did not do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to me.'- Matthew 25:44-45

In August 2008, I traveled to Ghana to attend the United Nations Climate Change negotiations taking place in Accra. While there, I met with local farmers and activists who were working to help families and communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. While diplomats gathered to talk about predicted and future climate changes, Ghanaians around the country were already suffering from the devastation of climate change that was taking place in their backyard.

While in Ghana, I was taken on a tour of the greater Accra area. During this tour, I discovered that dozens of new communities have sprung up around the city over the past five years. These communities are primarily composed of families who have migrated south to the capital city from the northern region of Ghana, which is located at just below the Sahel region of Africa.

The Sahel region of Africa is where the Sahara Desert begins to transition into Africa’s southern savannas, and has been an area of agricultural prosperity for thousands of years. Most of the inhabitants are semi-nomadic and historically, the northern area of Ghana has supported thousands of farmers who live off the land.

However in recent years, northern Ghana has become more and more like the northern part of the Sahel, experiencing little and inconsistent rain, warmer temperatures, and more violent storms. Crops no longer grow the way they used to and families can no longer survive on the abundance of the land, and while this has always been a fragile ecosystem, farmers have lived here for thousands of years in a sustainable manner that has nurtured one family after another. As a result of the environmental changes, hundreds of families are fleeing the north and moving south to Accra and the coast. They are hopeful that they can find work, feed their families and benefit from the tremendous infrastructure that Accra and the larger more historic coastal towns have to offer.

But Accra is not prepared to deal with this influx of people and many of the families migrating to Accra are forced to live in slums, often near the coast. As our tour guide pointed out, while families now have some support from Accra and the government, they are relocating right next to the sea, and with the impending sea level rise and increased number of severe storms, these communities are now vulnerable to a whole other set of climate impacts.

Ghana is just one of literally hundreds of examples of families and communities fleeing their homes and their cultures to escape the impacts of climate change. If climate change continues unaddressed, these stories will impact every part of God’s world and community.

How will we respond to the needs of the climate migrant who has the least among us?

Prayer for Migrants

Lord, when you multiplied the loaves and fishes, you provided more than food for the body, you offered us the gift of yourself, the gift which satisfies every hunger and quenches every thirst. Your disciples were filled with fear and doubt, but you poured out your love and compassion on the migrant crowd, welcoming them as brothers and sisters.

Lord, today you call us to welcome the members of God's family who come to our land to escape the ravages of climate change. Like your disciples, we too are filled with fear and doubt, and even suspicion. We build barriers in our hearts and in our minds.

Lord, help us by your grace, to banish fear from our hearts, that we may embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister; to realize that you call all people to your holy mountain to learn the ways of peace and justice; to share of our abundance as you spread a banquet before us; and to respond to the crisis that has forced them from their home.

We praise you and give you thanks for the family you have called together from so many people. Amen.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery

2010-02-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

Climate Change and Food Security – An Action

You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.- Deuteronomy 8:10

Food security is an issue that millions of people around the world deal with every day. Thankfully churches and faith-based relief and development agencies are working to address the needs of families around the world and the challenges that climate change will present if left unchecked.

During this time of Lent, reflect upon your own food security.

When was the last time you went to bed hungry? Do you know people in your community who are food insecure? Have you visited places where food is scarce?

To remind ourselves of the relationship between our food and God's creation, and to remember those who go to bed hungry and do not share in God's abundance, we are asking you to join us in Meatless Mondays this Lenten season. (really any meatless day you choose is fine!)

Many people around the world rarely eat meat because of its cost, getting their protein from plants, such as beans. As standards of living rise, people tend to include more meat and fish in their diets; for example, as income levels rise in countries like China and India, their meat consumption also is rising. But meat production comes at a cost to God's creation:

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the meat industry produces one fifth of the greenhouse gases that are contributing to global climate change.

Studies show that an estimated 1800 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of meat (compared with only 250 gallons of water for a pound of soybeans). With global climate change, water, like food, is becoming a scarce commodity.

Less meat also means fewer fossil fuel used. The production of protein from grain-fed animals requires eight times as much fossil-fuel energy as the production of plant protein, as fuel is used to plant, fertilize, harvest and ship the grain that feeds livestock as well as to transport the livestock to slaughter and meat to market.

Eating less meat means you are using fewer resources for your personal diet and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, while making a commitment to global food security.

Click here to tell us your story and share your thoughts on Meatless Mondays.

Climate Justice - A Lenten Journey of Discovery

2010-02-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

Climate Change and Food Security – A Story

Written by Mary Minette, Director of Environmental Education and Advocacy, andDavid Creech, Director for Hunger EducationEvangelical Lutheran Church in America

He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous.- Isaiah 30:23

In the small community of Las Jolotas, Nicaragua, subsistence farmers like Felicita and her son Ariel are already facing the impacts of climate change. Ever since Hurricane Mitch devastated western Nicaragua in 1998, rainfall patterns have grown increasingly unpredictable. Some years the rains fall late; other years the rains fall too hard, and there is no way to predict what type of year it will be. If the rains arrive late, seeds die without producing any harvest. If the rains cause flooding, seeds are swept away.

Farmers in Las Jolotas traditionally save just enough seeds from the previous harvest to plant during the next rainy season. If those seeds are lost, the results are devastating. Farmers may have to borrow money at high rates to purchase more seeds for planting, and may have to take on additional work to pay the loans back. Some farmers have stopped planting during the rainy season, choosing instead to migrate to El Salvador, Costa Rica, or even the United States to look for work. Family members left behind struggle to keep food on the table and children in school while their land lies fallow.

To support Felicita and her family as they try to adapt to the effects of climate change, The Lutheran World Federation - working with the Faith and Hope Lutheran Church of Nicaragua - helped them dig a shallow well. The water from the well is gravity-fed to irrigate crops during the dry season. Thanks to the well and Felicita's hard work, her lush garden - full of beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, and yucca - thrives in the middle of the dry summer months. Felicita will use the garden to feed her family and small farm animals. If there are leftover vegetables, she will sell them for added income.

The well protects Felicita and her family from uncertain weather patterns. In turn, the increased food security ensures that they will have enough to eat and will not have to migrate to faraway places, disrupting and perhaps ending Ariel's schooling and leaving their culture and community behind.

Solutions like this will need to be joined with other, much larger efforts, if subsistence farmers around the world are to adjust to the impacts of climate change that are already occurring. International development agencies are working hard to adapt to and address this new reality, but significant aid from governments and international agencies will be needed to ensure that families like Felicita's are able to survive and thrive as the earth's climate continues to change.

Living Earth: Remembrance

2009-11-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Pass the (genetically engineered) stuffing!
By Mary MinetteELCA Director for Environmental Advocacy and Education

You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.The pastures of the wilderness overflow,the hills gird themselves with joy,the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,the valleys deck themselves with grain,they shout and sing together with joy.- Psalm 65:11-13

Did you know that 68 percent of all corn and 91 percent of all soybeans planted in the United States in 2009 were varieties that have been genetically modified to survive the application of certain commercial herbicides (mostly Monsanto's Roundup) so that farmers can more easily control weeds?

And that 63 percent of corn planted in the U.S. in 2009 contained a gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, that produces a protein toxic to certain types of insects, so farmers can use fewer pesticides?

Given those numbers, it is likely that the cornbread that you use to make stuffing this Thanksgiving or the grain that your turkey ate on its way to your table contain genetically engineered (GE) crops.

What does this mean for you, and for the food supply of our country and the rest of the world?

The companies that have developed these seeds argue that they allow farmers to greatly increase their yield per acre and will be needed as the earth's population grows larger. Farmers say that they are able to apply fewer chemicals to their fields, helping the environment and saving them money, time and fuel. Proponents argue that in the future GE crops will help to manage agricultural risk from drought, pests and disease to make the world's food supply more secure, and that genetic modification holds the promise of developing more nutritious crops. And because farmers do not have to till their fields to remove weeds each year the carbon in the soil stays put rather than being released into the atmosphere, helping to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

However, not everyone is thrilled by increasing acreage planted in genetically modified seed. Some worry that GE crops may not be safe for humans and animals to eat. Thus far, studies of the most common genetically modified food crops have failed to show that they pose any such health risk; however, the massive growth in their use has taken place over a relatively short time period and the long term impacts are not yet known.

Others argue that pollen from genetically modified crops can easily become commingled with pollen from conventional crops. Pollen drift has already led to disputes between organic farmers and their neighbors growing GE crops. Pollen drift from GE crops tolerant of herbicides could potentially lead to "super weeds" resistant to commonly used herbicides and "super bugs" resistant to Bt. If this occurs, farmers will have to return to using more toxic herbicides and pesticides at the expense of the environment.

Some say that the promise that genetically modified crops will help to feed the world ignores structural problems with the world's food supply. They argue that overall supply is not the problem; other factors including unequal distribution of food and international trade policies that favor wealthy countries over poor countries are the root causes of global hunger.

Still others argue that the increasing use of GE crops in agriculture is assisting in the consolidation of our food system and the decline of small farms, as the influence of large agricultural corporations grows through the use of their genetically modified seed and related products.

These are all things to ponder this Thanksgiving, as we enjoy the fruits of the harvest and remember in our prayers those around the world who continue to live with chronic hunger.

Learn More and Speak Out
The ELCA has a social policy resolution on genetically modified organisms and is developing a social statement on genetics. A draft of the social statement will be available in mid-March 2010 and the ELCA Task Force on Genetics will be asking for your input and comments in hearings around the country from March through November of next year. Keep an eye on the ELCA’s website (www.elca.org/socialstatements) for the draft social statement and opportunities to comment!

A Prayer for the Journey
O Lord, maker of all things, you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living creature. We praise you for crowning the fields with your blessings and enabling us once more to gather in the fruits of the earth. Teach us to use your gifts carefully, that our land may continue to yield its increase, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.- Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 62 (Augsburg Fortress 2006)

Stop Moutainton Removal on Coal River Mountain

2009-11-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10TH SPEAK OUT FOR THE MOUNTAINS!
Join in a faith day of action against mountaintop removal coal mining

"Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice."- Micah 6:1

Mountaintop removal coal mining is a practice used primarily in the Appalachian Mountains, where the tops of mountains are removed to expose seams of coal; earth and rock from the mountaintop is then dumped in neighboring valleys. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, over 1,000 miles of streams in the Appalachian region have been buried by fill from mountaintop mines and at least 800 square miles of mountaintops have been lost forever. Mountaintop removal mining provides jobs in one of our country's poorest regions, but at the expense of the land, water, culture and community of the Appalachian Mountains. Learn more about mountaintop removal here.

Several years ago, at the urging of several synods in the Appalachian region, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a social policy resolution that expressed great concern about the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining and advocated for an end to it.

In the years since that resolution passed, numerous efforts have been made to slow or halt the practice of mountaintop removal mining. The ELCA has continued to urge both an end to the practice and the development of alternative energy sources that may become a source of jobs and economic growth in the Appalachian region and beyond.

We need your help now to stop one of the most destructive of these mines from destroying yet another mountain!

Blasting recently began on Coal River Mountain in West Virginia, and the West Virginia DEP has confirmed that coal is being moved off the mountain. This was devastating news to advocates in nearby communities who have rallied around an alternate plan to build a wind farm on Coal River Mountain, the highest peak ever slated for mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and one of the last intact peaks in the Coal River Valley. The proposed wind farm has the potential to provide electricity for over 70,000 homes, as well as to create good, permanent jobs for the community. When fully operational, the mountaintop removal mine will stripmine over 6,000 acres of Coal River Mountain -- close to 10 square miles that will be forever changed and no longer useable for wind power.

God entrusted stewardship of the land and water to our care (Genesis 2:15). As part of our call to be stewards of creation, we have a duty to use the land responsibly, to manage it so that it serves the good of all, and to protect it for future generations and for all life. Send a message to the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to intervene and end the Coal River Mountain mining project.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Stop MTR on Coal River Mountain

Dear Lisa Jackson,
As a person of faith, I believe that we are called to be stewards of the Earth and to manage our land, water and other resources for the benefit of all of his creation and for future generations. I am greatly troubled by the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian Mountains -- this practice favors short term economic gain over the protection of these ancient mountains and the unique culture and communities that depend upon them.

Recently, mining operations have begun on Coal River Mountain in West Virginia. This mountaintop removal mine has been opposed by many in the surrounding communities, who favor building a wind farm on the mountain as a way to protect it for current and future generations, provide energy for more than 70,000 homes, and create good, permanent jobs for residents of the surrounding area. This project would epitomize the clean energy future that President Obama spoken of so often; the mountaintop removal m ine that will prevent it from becoming a reality is a symbol of the dirty energy status quo.

I thank you for all that you have done so far in your term as administrator to slow the growth of mountaintop removal mines, and urge you to intervene in any way possible to prevent the mountaintop mine on Coal River Mountain from further damaging the mountain. I also urge you to lend your support to local community members fighting to establish a wind project on the mountain as a sustainable alternative to the mountaintop mine.

We are called by God to till and tend God's garden; mountaintop removal mining flies in the face of God's call to stewardship. I urge you to continue to do all that you can to ensure a cleaner, and less destructive, energy future for our nation.

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

"The Shack"

2009-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

"Our earth is like a child who has grown up without parents, having no one to guide and direct her. ...Some have tried to help her, but most have simply tried to use her. Humans, who have been given the task to lovingly steer the world, instead plunder her, with no consideration other than their immediate needs. And they give little thought to their own children, who will inherit their lack of love. So they use her and abuse her with little consideration, and then when she shudders or blows her breath, they are offended and raise their fists at God" (The Shack, Wm. Paul Young).

Make a Phone Call for God's Creation

2009-09-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Call your Senators and ask them to support strong climate legislation this year. The U.S. Senate was supposed to take up climate and energy legislation this fall, but now they are saying they won't address climate change this year, if they even do it at all. This delay is unacceptable--climate change is a matter of great urgency for the future of God's creation and for people living in poverty around the globe who are already facing the impacts of a warming planet. Call: 1 888 784-0527

They need to hear from as many people as possible to ensure they address climate change now and not later. Give your Senators a call this week and tell them to pass climate legislation this year.

As people of faith, we are called to use our voices to speak out for justice for God's people and God's Creation. Call your Senators and tell them God's whole earth is good.
Call Today.

Here's How:
1. Dial the toll-free number 1-888-784-0527. Click here to if you do not know your Senator.
2. Once connected to the Capitol Switchboard, ask for one of your Senator's Offices.
3. Then, when you are connected, leave a message with the person who answers the phone.

Here's an example:"Hi. My name is ___________ and I am a constituent. As a person of faith, I believe that the Senate must address climate change this year. It is time for us to be good stewards of God's Earth and seek justice for all of God's people."

4. Repeat the steps with your 2nd Senator's office. Thank you for helping to ensure a strong climate bill.

Starbucks Pilots Coffee Cup Recycling Program

2009-09-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

by Lauren Hasler

Approximately 3 billion Starbucks coffee cups are sent to the landfill each year, but a new recycling program in New York may help to curb that statistic.

Through a partnership with Green Global USA’s Coalition for Resource Recovery (CoRR), seven Starbucks stores in Manhattan began participating in a pilot program last week. Paper coffee cups will be collected and combined with old corrugated cardboard (OCC) for recycling.

Starbucks has a goal to create a comprehensive recycling solution that will make the cups easier to recycle by 2012. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com
Until now, the thin polyethylene plastic coating that prevents liquid leakages has made it difficult for most commercial services to process the cups. For this reason, disposable coffee cups are only accepted for recycling in some communities in the U.S.

However, preliminary trials done at Western Michigan University’s Coating and Recycling Pilot Plant on samples of the cups found they are recyclable and re-pulpable.

Global Green USA reports that every year, 58 billion paper cups are used in the U.S. at restaurants, events and homes. If all paper cups in the U.S. were recycled, 645,000 tons of waste would be diverted from landfills each year.

According to Annie White, director of CoRR, “The lessons learned from the cup recycling pilot can be applied to the recycling of hamburger, pizza and French fry containers, and all sorts of other paper food packaging.”

Cups will be collected in special paper liner bins along with OCC and delivered to Pratt Industries to be recycled. “Within 72 hours after being discarded, the cups collected in this demonstration program will be component in linerboard used to form New York’s take-out pizza boxes,” White said.

The results of the pilot program will be available in November.

DUSTY MAGAZINES? October Magazine Drive at Our Savior's

2009-09-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! I have always loved fall. Not just because of the gorgeous fall colors, warm sun and crisp air, and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils... but also because it feels like a time of new beginnings. Yes, fall means the end of summer, but it is also the beginning of a new season, a new school year, and new opportunities to get inspired about caring for God's amazing creation.

This Sunday was Rally Sunday at Our Savior's - the first day of the new Sunday School year. To help teach our children about the importance of caring for creation, each Sunday School class will build its own recycling box to be used for recycling paper used during class on Sunday mornings.

To decorate their recycling boxes, the students will cut out pictures and words that portray or describe something of God's creation from magazines. Here is where you come in: we need magazines!

Our Savior's is holding a magazine drive during the month of October for materials to use in the Sunday School Recycling Box Project. When the students are finished decorating, the left-over magazines will be taken to the recycling center. So bring your magazines to church during October; collection boxes will be placed in the back of the Sanctuary. You were going to recycle you magazines anyway, right? Let us reuse them first and then we'll recycle them for you!

Take this opportunity to care for creation by recycling your used magazines, but so much more importantly, by helping us teach our children the importance of our Christian role as Earthkeepers.

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-07-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Backyard composters

Tired of seeing your vegetable scraps and more heading into the garbage? Compost them with an Earth Machine™ backyard composter. There have been over 1,000 composters sold in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Homeowners can use the Earth Machine™ to compost leaves and grass from their yards, as well as fruit and vegetable scraps, crushed egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, and more to create rich humus for lawns and gardens. This soil amendment can be used in place of chemical fertilizers, topsoil and mulch. The Earth Machine™ is very user-friendly, controls moisture, heat and ventilation, can be secured to the ground, and turns kitchen and yard waste into a rich soil in as little as six to eight weeks. It stands about three feet tall and is about two feet wide with an 80-gallon capacity.

The Earth Machine™ can be purchased for $36.75 by calling (701) 241-1449.

Source: cityoffargo.com

Fill the Bins!

2009-07-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Collection bins for used ink cartridges and old cell phones have been placed at the back on the Sanctuary next to the clothing collection bins. There is also a box for recycling batteries in the church office. If you have any of these items sitting around your house, bring them along to church and drop them in a bin. Our Savior’s even gets money back for every ink cartridge we send in!

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-07-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

When It Rains
During dry months, 40 percent of the average household's water consumption goes to outdoor watering.

What Can You Do?
Rather than needlessly draining that water out of the faucet, gather rainfall in a rain barrel connected to the gutter system—and use it to keep the lawn and garden green. Just an inch of rainfall on a 1,000-square-foot roof will accumulate over 600 gallons of fresh water. When picking out a barrel, here are a couple things to look for:
Choose a model topped with a mesh screen that will keep debris out of the barrel and a lid that prevents mosquitoes from using the water as a breeding ground when it's not raining.
Look for a barrel equipped with a side spigot where a hose can be attached and watering cans can be easily filled
Also, most rain barrels can hold up to sixty gallons of water, so make sure it's parked on a strong and steady surface.

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-07-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Trim Those Packaging Pounds
Packaging makes up a third of all garbage tossed in the U.S.

What Can You Do?
Here are a few ways to cut down on waste:
· Cut back on single-serving foods and beverages. Instead, buy items in bulk and portion them out into reusable containers.
· Tone down the take-out. Cooking just one more dinner and packing just one more lunch a week will have a big impact on unnecessary waste and will save you money.
· Buy household items, like detergent and cleaning supplies, in concentrated forms so that you get more product per package.
· Whenever possible, look for packaging made from recycled materials, and always check the plastic code to make sure the package is recyclable.

GREEN LIGHT go and take action

2009-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Fight Global Warming: Eat Organic
Conventional farming depletes soil carbon, preventing the soil from absorbing carbon dioxide.

What Can You Do?
Buy organic! A bit like the carbon offsets of agriculture, organic farming not only consumes 37 percent less energy than conventional farming, but in one year, an acre of organic crop soil will pull up to 7,000 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere, according to the Rodale Institute. That's more than half of the average vehicle's total emissions over the course of a year. So while the premiums we often pay for organic food can feel extravagant, the benefits are priceless.

Every effort helps— if buying organic seems like a big step, try doing it just once a month.

GREEN LIGHT go and take action

2009-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Recycle to support Our Savior’s

Did you know Our Savior’s is registered at Minnkota? That means that residents and businesses can donate their aluminum cans and paper to benefit our church! Just tell a Minnkota employee to put it on the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Moorhead account!

Local Minnkota Recycling Centers:

1 1321 1st Avenue North
Moorhead, MN 56560
Tel: (701) 293-8428
Open:
Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

2 2901 4th Avenue North
Fargo, ND 58102
Tel: (701) 293-8428
Open:
Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

3 3510 South University Dr.
Fargo, ND 58103
Tel: (701) 293-8428
Open:
Thursday-Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Paper recycling note: the only kind of paper Minnkota does not accept is neon-colored paper. They do accept copy paper, light-colored paper, cardstock, regular envelopes and window envelopes!

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-06-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

DIY Furniture Polish

U.S poison control centers received 214,091 reports of exposures to cleaning products in 2006. More than half involved children under five.

What Can You Do?
Most conventional furniture polishes contain hazardous ingredients, such as the flammable respiratory irritants isobutene and butane and the skin and eye irritant d-Limonene. Fortunately you can save money, and your family's health, with a homemade wood polish.

Here's a recipe:
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar or lemon juice

A few drops jojoba or olive oil

3 to 5 drops fragrant essential oil (optional)
When considering the right fragrance, choose an antiseptic essential oil. Sweet eucalyptus will give a clean summer scent. And if you want to give your cleaner an unlimited shelf life, opt for vinegar (lemon can turn rancid).

Local Success Story

2009-06-17T08:04:00.001-07:00

The task of "going green" can be daunting, but even the smallest of efforts are a success. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, take heart and read this success story about our very own city of Fargo, ND:

Fargo has received national recognition for its efforts to protect the environment. The Earth Day Network ranked Fargo as the number one urban environment in its evaluation of 72 cities across the country. The evaluation was based on seven factors, including air quality, toxics and waste, and drinking and surface water.

Fargo city leaders are continually looking for ways to add environmentally friendly features to the city's buildings and operations.

Features currently in place

The city's new landfill transfer station and baling facility will greatly reduce the amount of litter being scattered by the wind at the landfill. The new facility allows garbage to be unloaded indoors and baled prior to its placement in the landfill. The building design utilizes renewable energy resources available at the landfill, including methane gas, solar energy and wind energy. The methane gas is placed in a generator to produce electricity for sale to a local power cooperative. Exhaust and engine heat from the generator are used to help heat the transfer station; solar panels and a wind turbine supply electricity to the station. Avoided cost and new sales of electricity are projected to generate more than $370,000 annually on a $1 million investment.
See the energy being produced today at the landfill.

Renewable energy features of the Metro Area Transit (MAT) Garage include a recycling system for water used to wash buses and a high-performance glaze on the outside of the building that will save on heating and cooling costs. The building’s roof is designed to accommodate solar panels; these might be added to the garage to generate energy if they become more economical in the future.

The MAT bus fleet operates on a biodiesel mixture all year long. Biodiesel is made from soybean and other vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled cooking grease or oil. Biodiesel releases less carbon dioxide and particulate matter than traditional diesel fuel. Biodiesel can also save money for MAT; in April 2008, it cost 20 cents less per gallon than regular diesel fuel. There are many environmental and economic benefits for riders of Metro Area Transit.

The city’s Information Technology Department is doing its part to use energy-efficient equipment throughout the city with the help of the federal government’s Energy Star program. Energy Star staff evaluate products based on their energy efficiency and life span, as well as on the amount of environmentally sensitive materials used to make them. Of all the computer equipment purchased by the city, almost half the monitors and desktops meet Energy Star requirements. The city also has a no-landfill policy for its computer equipment. The city donates used equipment in good condition to local nonprofit organizations.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day each year, the city requires residents to limit lawn watering to every other day. This reduces water use by about 2.5 million gallon each summer and reduces the amount of money and energy needed for water and wastewater treatment.

Fargo now uses LED traffic lights. These bulbs last longer and require less electricity than the type used previously, saving the city an estimated $40,000 per year.

Do you have a success story you would like to share? Contact the Creation Care Committee; we would love to know how you have been making care for creation a part of your life!

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-06-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Compost!

Rich compost can work wonders in the garden. It enriches the soil and helps get your plants the nutrients they need. Did you know you can get this beautiful soil for free? If you're a Moorhead resident, head on over to the compost site and get a free load of fresh compost for your garden. Here is a list of the local compost sites for your reference.

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Transportation Tolls

Cars and light trucks consume the lion’s share of petroleum used for transportation in the U.S. Modest changes in efficiency and driving habits could add up to significant fuel savings.

Millions of barrels of petroleum used per day in 2006:

Cars = 4.9
Light trucks = 4.0
Medium & heavy trucks = 2.5
Airplanes = 1.2
Ships & boats = 0.7
Passenger & freight rail = 0.3

If we drive our cars 20 fewer miles each week, we could reduce their CO2 emissions by 107 million tons each year, a 9 percent decrease.

If we improved our cars’ gas mileage by 5 miles a gallon, we could cut their CO2 emissions by 239 million tons each year, a 20 percent decrease.

Source:"Saving Energy; It Starts At Home" by Peter Miller, National Geographic, March 2009

Our Savior's Earth Week 2009

2009-06-05T12:07:00.001-07:00

Earth Week at our Savior's will be celebrated during the Sunday, June 28 worship service at 9:30 a.m. and at the Wednesday, July 1 worship service at 6:30.

Our Savior’s challenges you think about your environmental responsibility and walk, bike or carpool to church for worship during Earth Week.

Life Offering - by Howard E. Butt

2009-06-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

"Starting in the 1930's, Duke Ellington led the most sought-after band in the world. From New York to New Delhi, he played unparalleled jazz. In the Smithsonian, a piece of paper in the Duke's handwriting says, 'The greatest thing one man can do for another is to pray for him.' A friend quoted Duke as saying, 'My music is how I pray.'

So, our work is our prayer. Are you willing to offer up what you do every day as a prayer to God? That's a humbling thought.

Take seriously what you do every day. Make it an expression of your faith - and pray for each other - as part of the high calling of our daily work.

Romans 12:1, The Message: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-05-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Rechargeable Batteries

Hundreds of products – everything from laptops, PDAs, hair dryers, and cordless tools – are powered by rechargeable batteries. Batteries are usually either nickel-cadmium (nicad), lithium ion, or nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH). All should be recycled to reclaim valuable compounds and to keep toxins out of the environment. To learn more, visit ThinkGreenFromHome.com.

There are several places in the Fargo/Moorhead area where batteries can be recycled: Batteries Plus (2119 13th Ave. S. Fargo), Interstate All Battery Center (2627 University Dr. S. Fargo or 4430 17th Ave. Fargo), or City of Fargo HHW Program (606 43 ½ St. N. Fargo – Fargo residents only).

ACTION ALERT- Living Earth: Reconciliation

2009-05-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Keeping Our Promise
by Mary Minette
ELCA Director of Environmental Education and Advocacy

“[T]he LORD said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, and winter, day and night,shall not cease.”

-Genesis 8:21-22

God makes this promise to Noah in the aftermath of the worst natural disaster the earth had ever experienced. I encountered this passage from Genesis in two very different places recently.

The first time was during a trip to Nicaragua to learn how people living in poor communities, mostly small farmers, were experiencing changes in their climate.

These farmers and their families may know little about the politics surrounding the issue of climate change here in the United States, but they do understand that rainfall patterns, which used to allow them to plant and harvest two crops each year during the rainy season, have become far less predictable.

Where they once could grow enough to feed and support their families, they now experience droughts and flooding, hunger and hardship. They see that God’s promise of enduring “seedtime and harvest” has somehow been disrupted, but the strong faith of these farmers that God promises a better life for them and their children endures.

The second time I heard this passage was in a Congressional hearing room, far from the dusty roads of rural Nicaragua. The hearing was about the need to provide help to people living in poverty, like those farmers in Nicaragua, who are already struggling with the impacts of a changing climate. The panel included scientists, policy experts, an ELCA bishop, and a couple of witnesses who were characterized by one member of the committee as “expert skeptics” on climate change. In other words, the room hosted a microcosm of the political debate that is ongoing in our country between people who deny that climate change is real or human-caused, and the climate scientists and policy experts who understand that climate change is real and argue that we must define how to approach the future of our country and our planet. The ELCA has listened to both sides of the climate change debate, and as a church we stand with the majority of climate scientists: God’s creation is in peril because humanity’s use of carbon-based energy sources like oil and coal is causing the earth to grow warmer and changing the climate around the world.

One of the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee quoted the above passage from Genesis during the hearing. He stated that because God has promised never again to destroy the earth, he believes that nothing humanity can invent or do can destroy creation.

The passage is clear: the earth shall endure, and the seasons, and day and night. God promises not to destroy that cycle. But what about us—where do we fit in? Does God’s promise mean that we have no responsibilities?God pledges that the earth will endure, but earlier on, he also tells us that we are to be stewards of all creation, charged with caring for the earth and our fellow creatures. This would seem to imply that we have some promises to keep as well.Are we keeping our promise, not only to God but to all of creation—to polar bears in the Arctic, to farmers in Nicaragua, to communities on small islands in the Pacific who are watching their land disappear under rising seas? The mounting evidence presented by climate scientists indicates that we are not.

Take Action
Currently the House Energy and Commerce committee is considering a bill, American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454), that would require reductions in U.S. emissions of the greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. Find out more about the bill here, and consider making a call or sending a letter to your member of Congress about the bill.

A Prayer for the Journey
Creator God, you have never failed in your promise to us: day follows night; winter’s cold yields to the new growth of spring; seeds are planted, sprout and produce food. Grant us the vision and strength to honor our promises to you, to change our ways, to choose a new path, and to tend and keep your garden, the earth. AMEN

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-05-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Think Global – Buy Local

Decide to purchase your produce locally rather than at the grocery store and you will not only be practicing good Earthkeeping but you will also be supporting our local farmers and local economy. The Fargo/Moorhead area has two local food markets:

Fargo Community Farmers Market
The Fargo Community Farmers Market opens for the season Tuesday, June 2. It is located in the Dike East parking lot at 400 south Fourth Street in Fargo. Hours are 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The market offers a variety of vegetables, melons, cut flowers, honey, jams and is open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, June through October.

FM Farmers Market
The FM Farmers Market in West Fargo is open May though December and is located at 349 East Main Avenue in West Fargo. This market offers an even wider variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, jellies, flowers, trees, shrubs, and other garden plants and supplies.

For more information on specific products available at each market, visit http://www.localfoods.umn.edu/.

ACTION ALERT: Climate Action in D.C. – Time to make your voices heard!

2009-05-19T09:08:00.001-07:00

This week members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee will consider a bill to address the most pressing issue facing God’s creation - our changing climate and the emissions that are causing our planet to grow warmer. This bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454), is sponsored by Committee chairman Henry Waxman of California and Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts (a sample call script is provided at the end of this article).

This is a critical moment, and we are working hard to ensure that the Committee’s bill is strong and protects people living in poverty in the U.S. and around the world, but we need your help and your voice! This is a moment of opportunity and great urgency - please take a few minutes to call Representative Peterson and urge the congressperson to support strong climate change legislation!

Climate change’s impact already falls, and will continue to fall, most heavily on the people around the world who are least able to mitigate the impacts - people living in poverty in the U.S. and in developing countries. As a leading industrialized nation that has disproportionately contributed to greenhouse gas emissions, it is incumbent upon us to rectify this injustice through national legislation to reduce global warming.Please tell Representative Peterson to support strong climate change legislation that:

Follows the recommendations of the scientific community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently this means legislation must ensure that we do not increase the Earth’s temperature by more than two degrees Celsius by reducing emissions by between 20 and 40 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050.
Protects those living in or near poverty in the U.S. from the impacts of climate change and climate legislation. Legislation must ensure that low income Americans do not bear the disproportionate burden of increases in energy costs, must ensure that any increased costs do not push more people into poverty, and must provide for those whose jobs are impacted by climate legislation.
Provides adaptation assistance for those living in poverty abroad. Those living in the most vulnerable developing nations around the world bear little responsibility for global warming and are already feeling the burden of climate change, with little ability to adapt. Through adaptation assistance, the U.S. can prevent the worst impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities around the world while helping them continue to lift people out of poverty. Climate change is a moral issue that elected officials are beginning to address on a national and international level. It is important that they hear the voice of the faith community as they make decisions that will affect the well being of God’s people and God’s Creation.

Together, let us respond to the challenge of climate change with compassion, lifting up the voices of our neighbors living in or near poverty, and striving to preserve God’s “good” Creation.

To call Representative Peterson:
Dial 888-784-0527 (toll-free, thanks to National Council of Churches) to reach the Capitol Switchboard. Ask the operator to connect you to Representative Peterson's office.

Sample Script for call:

"My name is [your name] and I am calling from [your town], Minnesota. I hope that Representative Peterson will support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454) and work to strengthen it. As a constituent and a person of faith, I am concerned that people living in poverty around the world will suffer first and most if we do not aggressively reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. I also urge you to support efforts to protect those living in or near poverty in the U.S. from the impacts of rising energy costs and to provide assistance to those living in poverty around the globe as they adapt to a changing climate."

Thank you for your advocacy work!
ELCA Washington Office

ACTION ALERT: Your Voice Needed as Legislative Session Ends Monday

2009-05-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

The decisions being made in St. Paul in the next few days will have a very real and lasting effect on the most vulnerable among us.

LCPPM Intern Pastor Janel Kuester opened the Minnesota Senate Session on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 with these words, “God of guidance, help us all realize that the situation of our beautiful State is one that we cannot forge through without your assistance. Calm our minds, open our ears, follow our hearts as we all continue to reconcile together”. Full text of prayer.

The session ends at midnight on Monday, May 18. As our six Minnesota ELCA bishops said in a March letter addressed to our elected leaders, “The measure of our moral fiber as a people is how we treat those who need help the most. We ask that you enlist all of us in this effort. Churches and community agencies have increased efforts to serve those in need, but only government has the reach and power to affect us all. Invite us to invest in this state, tighten our belts, and contribute our time and resources. We’re not afraid of tax increases if it means poor people who are sick can get health care, families who lose their homes find shelter, and children are cared for.” Full text of bishop's letter.

Your voice, your powerful voice, is needed!

Now is the time for people of faith to pray for our elected officials and to advocate for our brothers and sisters in need. Contact your legislators and the Governor and encourage them to support revenue-raising in order to make a balanced solution possible. Tell them that revenue-raising must be a significant part of the solution to resolve the state’s budget deficit and to make the tax system fairer.

To find out how to contact your decisions makers, click here.

And the latest developments...
Late Thursday night, Governor Pawlenty signed the Health & Human Services bill. While this is the action that we advocated for, he regretfully used his line item veto power to strike the entire $381 million appropriation for General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC). While we recognize that times are tough and cuts must be made, this veto undermines some of our core values of the common good, human dignity and compassion for the poor.
GAMC provides basic health coverage for the poorest single adults in our state. Nearly 30,000 men and women, most of whom make about $200 per month in income, lose all health coverage with the Governor's decision. $200 equals $7.15 per day. Imagine living on $7.15 per day, and then being asked to carry an enormous burden in solving the state budget deficit.
When the most vulnerable adults lose their health care safety net, they will wait until a treatable symptom becomes a serious illness or disease, and then local emergency rooms (and tax payers) will foot the bill. Most importantly, some people most likely will die because they will no longer have access to basic health care. This is not rhetoric or empty of real consequence. The decisions being made in St. Paul in the next few days will have a very real and lasting effect on the most vulnerable among us.

Governor Pawlenty has indicated that he will not call a special session. If the budget is not balanced by the beginning of the new fiscal year (July 1st), the Governor will have the authority to reduce spending and cancel programs altogether at his discretion.

Plan Ahead for the Planet

2009-05-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

"If you are thinking one year ahead, sew a seed. If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people."
- Chinese poet, 500 BC

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-05-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Incandescent and LED Light Bulbs

One of the simplest ways to conserve electricity is to choose energy-efficient lighting options. Incandescent bulbs are inefficient because the light they produce is simply a by-product of the heat they generate. A 60-watt incandescent bulb generates the same amount of light as a 15-watt fluorescent. Another lighting option is the light-emitting diode lamp (LED), which uses a series of tiny electronic light bulbs that, when placed next to each other, emit as much or much more light than a similar-size standard light bulb. The LED does not burn out all at once, and it uses only a fraction of the electricity of an incandescent.

Incandescent light bulbs will be phased out of the U.S. market beginning in 2012 under an energy law approved by Congress.To learn more, visit http://www.thinkgreen.com/

GREEN LIGHT go and take action

2009-05-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Cut down on your household waste by buying items like detergent and cleaning supplies in concentrated forms so you get more product per package.

For more ideas on how to cut waste visit www.thegreenguide.com and click on Fast Facts.

May Day

2009-05-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

We all know that being "green" is important to our vocation as Christians. It's true, though, that the responsibility and wealth of information available can sometimes be overwhelming.

But being green can be fun too! This morning, when the staff of Our Savior's Lutheran Church arrived at work they discovered a pile of May Day Baskets outside their doors!

Not only did these baskets contain healthy snacks, they were also earth-friendly:

The recyclable paper bags were purchased from a thrift store .

The tags and filigree are made from left-over event programs.

Be creative! Find fun ways to incorporate earthkeeping in your life!

Thanks to our friend who delivered the May Day Baskets! What a great way to start the day!

GREEN LIGHT: go and take action

2009-04-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

“Buildings, not cars, produce the most CO2 in the U.S. The average new house is 45 % bigger than it was 30 years ago.” According to National Geographic Magazine, a 2007 survey of Americans showed that “...60% said they didn’t have enough savings to pay for energy-related renovations. If given an extra $10,000 to work with, only 24% said they would invest in efficiency. What did the rest want? Granite countertops.”

Source:"Saving Energy; It Starts At Home" by Peter Miller, National Geographic, March 2009
To find more information about how to green your living space, visit www.oslcgreen.blogspot.com.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

2009-04-28T10:36:00.001-07:00

ReStore is a building materials thrift store that sells surplus and gently used materials. Profits go towards supporting Habitat for Humanity’s mission of building simple, decent and affordable homes for families in Cass and Clay counties.

Spring Cleaning? Consider turning your “trash” into a tax-deduction

2009-04-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

The cities of Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead will hold their Spring Cleanup week June 1-5, 2009. Before placing your items on the curb, consider donating them to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.

Habitat ReStore helps area homeowners get quality construction materials at bargain prices. Donations also benefit the environment since the items are put to good use instead of ending up in a landfill. Donations are good for the community because they allow Habitat ReStore to provide cost effective solutions to remodeling. In addition, by donating accepted building materials you can receive a tax deduction.

Habitat ReStore gladly accepts the following items in good condition: cabinets, plumbing, electrical, windows, hardware, lumber, doors and door accessories, roofing, carpet, tools, flooring, millwork/trim, furnaces and air conditioners, large appliances, paint (full gallons less than two years old), kitchen and bath fixtures, and bricks.

For a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable items, or to arrange a pickup, please visit http://www.lakeagassizhabitat.org/restore/ or contact Habitat ReStore at 218-284-5253. Drop-offs are also accepted during store hours. We are grateful for donations from community members like you. Before you drop your items at the curb, remember ReStore!

Blessing seed, soil and animals on Rogation Sunday

2009-04-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

In rural York County, Pa., Pastor Tom Shelley leads a Rogation Sunday worship service, on the Sixth Sunday of Easter, with the blessing of seed, soil and animals.

Traditionally Rogation Days were agricultural celebrations, where priests blessed land at the beginning of the planting season. Rogation Days were celebrated during the 50 days of Easter on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension Day. The word, rogation, has its roots in the Latin word which means to “ask” or “petition” and comes from the ancient introit for the Sunday preceding the Ascension. In some places, the celebrations of Rogation Days were quite elaborate and included processions from the church to and around fields while asking for God’s blessing.

Churches that have maintained the practice of celebrating Rogation Days no longer mark these days specifically before Ascension. Instead, Rogation Days are celebrated at times and places that meet local needs. With more emphasis placed on the need for the stewardship of creation, the themes of thanksgiving for the land and petitions for a fruitful earth may be referenced at any time of the year.

In the practice of Zion (Shaffers) United Lutheran Church in York, Pa., the blessing of the animals is part of the service. The congregation processes out of the church building and is met by children and parents who have assembled a host of young farm animals and household pets. These have included hedgehogs, chameleons, turtles, young rabbits and the obligatory cats and dogs. A tree farmer once brought a bucket of seedling evergreens.

Reprinted from Seeds for the Parish

We will celebrate Earth Sunday at Our Savior’s on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

Watch bulletins and the Creation Care Committee blog for more details!

It pays to think green

2009-04-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

For Ginger Vanderveer, it all started with a light bulb.

“Some years back, we had a fundraiser selling energy-saving kits at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (Oak Park, Ill.),” Ginger remembers.

This was the first project for the congregation’s newly formed Green Team and, as a member, Ginger was happy to do her part. She had no idea how purchasing a kit would change her life.

Ginger began using the bulbs at home and says, “I was hooked on the immediate savings from the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in the kit.” So was Good Shepherd.

“We stated adding bulbs in high-use areas at church and pre-programmed our thermostats. The savings in the first year (2001) were over $1,000.”

That was how Ginger discovered that caring for the environment makes good business sense.

Excited by how effective and affordable the CFL bulbs were, Ginger shipped a boxful to her sister, who was maintaining Northside Valley, the family’s estate on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.

Northside was Ginger’s childhood home. Her sister rented the seven villas on the property to local business people.

“[Those bulbs were] our first eco-friendly endeavor at Northside,” says Ginger, but it wasn’t their last. By November 2007, she had transformed the estate into an eco-friendly resort with the help of her brother Philip.

The villas, built over 40 years ago by Ginger’s father, are tucked under the shade of luxuriant native trees. They benefit from the cooling Caribbean trade winds thanks to generously sized windows and high ceilings.

Guests compost, recycle, conserve water and help out with local beach cleanups, all while enjoying St. Croix’s tranquil beauty and Ginger’s green hospitality.

When she’s back in the States, Ginger remains an active and enthusiastic member of the Good Shepherd Green Team.

The Team’s verdant prairie garden in front of the church, lush with native plants and frequented by butterflies and hummingbirds in the summer, has become an Oak Park landmark.

Ginger believes that garden is the Team’s greatest success. She also feels that it’s “a symbol for all that we need to treasure in the environment” and a sign of God’s presence in the community.

“The generosity of the garden is like God’s love: always growing, always providing.”

“It’s also an energy saver in ways that are not so obvious to the naked eye. The roots of the plants go as deep as five feet, thereby sinking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the earth. This helps keep our building cooler. The roots also filter and absorb water when it rains, saving energy for the water reclamation utility...”

Members are excited about saving money in challenging economic times and freeing up funds for other vital programs at Good Shepherd.

Ultimately, going green isn’t just about the money for Ginger. An eco-friendly philosophy is also a remarkable tool for evangelism and a way to make God’s love more tangible and concrete for visitors.

“[Newcomers] are intrigued by our devotion [to the prairie garden],” she says. “Many walk in to see what type of congregation would be so bold as to love a prairie garden.

“When nonmembers see how much love we give to the environment without expecting anything in return, they realize we can give that same love to them. They become eager to be a part of that community.” Good Shepherd is eager to welcome them.

-Marianne Griebler
Associate Director for Marketing-
Member Communications and Storytelling
ELCA Communications Services

Reprinted from Seeds for the Parish

GREEN LIGHT go and take action

2009-04-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

The ePV

Are you interested in helping the church protect God’s creation? Sign up for the ePV—the environmentally-friendly, electronic version of the church newsletter. Email oslc@oursaviorsmoorhead or stop by the Welcome Center in the East Narthex of the church and ask to be added to the email list!

GREEN LIGHT go and take action

2009-04-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Powered House

Electricity is the biggest source of power for U.S. homes - and for every kilowatt-hour used, 2.2 are "lost" as that energy is generated and sent over transmission lines. So, even small changes in our habits can scale up to big reductions in carbon emissions.

Energy Used per Home (2006, in millions of BTU*)

Electrical Loss = 89.3
Electricity used in the home = 41.0
Natural Gas = 40.0
Petroleum = 11.1
Renewable = 3.6

If we converted half of all lightbulbs to compact flourescents, we would reduce CO2 from lighting by 42.4 million tons a year, or 36%.

If we turned off home computers when not in use, we would cut their CO2 impact by 8.3 million tons a year, or 50%.

CO2 amounts measured in metric tons
*The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is used to measure the energy content of fuels and the power of heating and cooling systems. One kilowatt-hour of electricity is equivalent to 3,412 BTU.

Source:"Saving Energy; It Starts At Home" by Peter Miller, National Geographic, March 2009