Christianity and : A faithful response

You send forth your Spirit, and…renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:31)

• The Episcopal Church just released a new Creation Care webpage with revamped resources on loving formation, liberating advocacy, and life-giving conservation (episcopalchurch.org/creation-care). Lots of good ideas! Check it out!

• Lighten your carbon load Enroll your household in the Episcopal Church’s carbon tracker, Sustain Island Home (www.sustainislandhome.org/), and learn how to reduce your . Questions? Email the Rev. Lise Hildebrandt ([email protected]) or the Rev. Laurie Rofinot ([email protected])... Get a free home energy assessment, save money on energy bills, and get rebates, incentives, and technical assistance (www.masssave.com)...“Green” your home’s electricity by switching to 100% local, . If you sign up here (https://info.greenenergyconsumers.org/mothersoutfront), Green Energy Consumers Alliance will give $25 to the grassroots climate action group, Mothers Out Front… If possible, purchase a hybrid or electric car. Ride a bicycle. Fly less. If you must fly, buy carbon offsets (e.g. https://www.terrapass.com/).

• Go vegetarian or vegan Moving toward a plant-rich diet is one of the most immediate and effective ways we can reduce carbon emissions. Eat local. Eat organic. Waste less food.

• Go “green” in your house of worship For a modest fee, scaled to your church’s budget, your church can join Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light (www.mipandl.org), get help with environmental , and build the religious environmental movement.

• Weave care of Creation into every aspect of your congregation’s life Resources for prayer, learning, action, and advocacy are posted at Episcopal Diocese of Western MA (www.diocesewma.org – go to Creation care). Resources for worship, prayer, & adult and children’s education are also available at Creation Justice Ministries (www.creationjustice.org) and Earth Ministry (earthministry.org/). Check the links at RevivingCreation.org.

• Join the movement Sign up for weekly emails from 350Mass for a Better Future (350mass.betterfutureproject.org/), our volunteer-led, grassroots statewide climate justice movement, with a MetroWest node that includes Lincoln (350massmetrowest.org/).

• People of Faith for a Green New Deal Sign GreenFaith’s statement of support (greenfaith.org/greennewdeal) for this bold proposal to transform the U.S. energy system in a fundamentally new direction, fueled by values of love, justice, and compassion.

• Join Citizens Climate Lobby The latest report by IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on ) states that putting a price on carbon is one of society’s best strategies for ditching fossil fuels. Citizens Climate Lobby builds support in Congress for a national bipartisan solution to climate change via a carbon fee and dividend (citizensclimatelobby.org).

• Restore the land and grow food Support local land trusts and farms. Cultivate a landscape that sequesters carbon and provides food for the homeless and low-income households. Launch projects such as composting, tree planting, habitat restoration, gardening, and growing produce for food pantries.

• Read books on spiritual and moral resilience, such as… Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, ed., Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (2019) Jim Antal, Climate Church, Climate World (2018)

• Climate science and coronavirus Subscribe to a free daily summary of current climate news ([email protected]). Subscribe to “Climate in the Time of Coronavirus,” Grist’s new semi-weekly newsletter, covering all things at the intersection of climate change and the novel coronavirus (https://go.grist.org/signup/coronavirus).

• Stay connected Visit RevivingCreation.org for blog posts, sermons, articles, and books, and to sign up for my monthly newsletter, Creation Care Network e-news. (If you prefer not to be added to the mailing list of Episcopal Diocese of Western MA, sign up only for my blog posts.)

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care, Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts & Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ Email: [email protected] May 2020