Interfaith groups taking action around the state
Local groups are springing up around the state, joining forces to work together. If there are local environmental stewardship events happening in your area congregations, let us know and we can post yours, too.
Check out what is happening in your area:
Participate in Focus the Nation
HERE's what some congregations are doing...
NYIPL encourages all congregations and faith-based institutions in New York State to participate in this national conversation! Here are some IDEAS:
- On the night of Wednesday, January 30th, Focus the Nation will stream a free, live, interactive webcast called the 2% SOLUTION. Produced with the support of the National Wildlife Federation, and hosted on Earth Day Network TV, the heart of the webcast will be audience-based discussion of global warming solutions, including opportunities for audiences to weigh in with cell phone voting. To screen The 2% Solution, all that will be required will be a computer with internet access, a projector and a screen. There is no charge to download and show the program, but to receive screening details, you must sign-up to host an event on the Focus the Nation website.
- Contact your local university or college (most are participating) - especially the Campus Ministry! - and see if you can have a table to add a faith and justice perspective to the conversation.
- Contact other congregations in your area and have a conversation about global warming solutions, perhaps starting with a copy of IPL's Lighten Up video (contact us for a copy!)
- Invite local energy experts to discuss how you can use less energy in your house of worship and in your home.
- Decorate the area with art and posters showing energy conservation measures or other solutions. A great project for the youth!
- Sign people up for joining a Low Carbon Diet group (see below) to work with others to reduce your carbon footprint in just a few weeks.
- Sign people up for discussion group such as the Northwest Earth Institute's Changing CO2urse, Voluntary Simplicity, or Sustainable Living.
- View the movie Kilowatt Ours (available from Kilowatt Ours) or the New American Dream video More Fun, Less Stuff (available from the Center for a New American Dream), and discuss.
- Invite local community leaders and politicians to share in the discussion. Global warming is not a partisan issue! It's an issue that affects everyone, and our leaders need to know that we expect them to be leaders to protect people all around the world today, future generations, and all of creation.
ITHACA:
Thurs Nov 8 at 7 pm - "Future For Our Planet" in Ithaca - Too much water in the South Pacific. Too little in Georgia and the Sub-Sahara. Coral reefs, permafrost, polar bears, African children and California homes all on the line. As the globe warms, the intricate weave of existence unravels. Only humans, informed and resolved, can halt the disintegration and repair the damage. Join us for a wholistic panel/discussion at the First Unitarian Church on the corner of Buffalo and Aurora Streets. Well-known professors, Per Pinstrup-Andersen (Cornell professor of food and nutrition economics and policy and 2001 World Food Prize laureate) and Jason Hamilton (Ithaca College biologist and expert on global climate change) will join First Unitarian Society minister David Grimm (who will look at the ethical imperatives) to address these issues.
ROCHESTER: Living in Harmony
Contact: Elizabeth Pixley, convener - 585-334-0977 or E-mail: epixley /at sign/ rochester.rr.com.
Tuesday, February 12, from 7 pm – 9 pm, Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road.
Our speaker will be Margy Peet, who will speak on the topic “Color Brighton Green – Making Connections.” Margy is a member of the Green Brighton Task Force, a group working to support community-wide energy reductions measures as part of a nationwide climate protection action plan. One of the goals of the group is making connections with faith-based organizations and other groups to improve energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and economic security. To find out more information about the Color Brighton Green initiative, visit www.ColorBrightonGreen.org.
If you have questions, contact Elizabeth Pixley, convener (334-0977 or epixley@rochester.rr.com).
Envirorama - February 2, 12 pm - 3 pm (Doors open at 11:30) Check flyer for details!
Caring for God's Creation - Thurs. January 31, 2008 7:00 pm Church of the Assumption, Fairport, NY - See flyer for all details!
Tues. January 8 2008 from 7 pm - 9 pm. Living in Harmony meeting. Location: Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road.
Come and learn about organic farming and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in an illustrated presentation by Elizabeth Henderson, one of the founders of Genesee Valley Organic CSA. She has written several books and manuals on organic farming, including the latest edition of Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen’s Guide to Community Supported Agriculture, published in 2007. Elizabeth is one of the founders of Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, along with two other farmers, where they grow 70 crops (vegetables, herbs, flowers, melons and small fruit) on 15 acres. Currently there are 270 member families involved in this CSA farm. She is also very involved in efforts to keep small farmers a vital part of the agriculture business in this country and can address issues related to the farm bill recently passed in Congress. Elizabeth Henderson is a knowledgeable and interesting speaker who gives lectures around the country, and we are privileged to have her at our meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear more about how our food can be produced locally in a healthful and sustainable way – don’t miss it! All are welcome – come and bring your friends.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Pixley, 334-0977 or (Construct email address using @:) epixley /at sign/ rochester.rr.com.
Tuesday, December 11, from 7 pm - 9 pm Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road. The theme for the meeting will be providing information about nontoxic products which are available. The meeting will be informal - no speaker, just an opportunity to share good information. If you have ideas or products you wish to share, this is your chance! Topics can include non-harmful cleaning products, personal care products, products designed to protect our bodies from environmental hazards, or just relevant environmentally-safe ideas. Some items will be available for sale – good gift ideas for the holidays! Those interested in presenting information at the meeting should contact me so we can plan space needed for the meeting. All interested individuals are welcome to attend.
Tuesday, November 13, from 7 pm - 9 pm - The November Living in Harmony meeting will be held at Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road. We will be showing a film titled “Public Exposure: DNA, Democracy and the Wireless Revolution, a 58-minute documentary (2001) on the human health dangers of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR) from cell phones and cell towers... and what we can do to protect ourselves. This film explores the health effects of radio frequency radiation from wireless devices such as cell phones and from the antennas which service them. It features scientists who braved heavy handed telecom industry tactics to show causal evidence of harm to biological life from the use of cell phones.
All interested individuals are welcome to attend. Elizabeth Pixley, convener
SYRACUSE:
Tuesday, December 11, from 7 pm - 9 pm May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society, 3800 E. Genesee St. Syracuse. We will be showing the film Nobelity, a feature documentary, which looks at the world's most pressing problems through the eyes of nine distinguished Nobel laureates. Filmed across the U.S. and Europe, in India and Africa, Nobelity follows Turk Pipkin’s personal journey in learning about these problems and what we can do about them. The true stars of the film are the children that Turk met along the way, for it is our kids and grandkids whose lives will be most affected by the decisions and actions of today.
Sunday, January 27 A Focus the Nation event will be held at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society, 3800 E. Genesee St. Syracuse. Details...
Wednesday, January 30 The Focus the Nation webcast "2% Solution" will be presented as we participate in this national event. May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society, 3800 E. Genesee St. Syracuse. Details...
