Learn more about energy stewardship
Here are some books with practical advice on what we can do - in our personal lives, in our congregations, and in our country - to prevent further global warming. Many of these books would be available from your public library.
Faith-based books
Inspiring Progress: Religions' Contribution to Sustainable Development
by Gary Gardner of the WorldWatch Institute
Inspiring Progress explores the need to reconnect with religions’ core tenets of moderation, compassion and stewardship of the earth to solve the growing environmental crisis.
"Finally, someone has pulled together a comprehensive book on the influence of religion on cultural change. Inspiring Progress is just that—an informative accounting of the diverse ways that faith communities will lead and inspire a more sustainable lifestyle."
~ Rev. Sally Bingham, Executive Director, Regeneration Project/Interfaith Power and Light
Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action
by Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth
Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made. Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and mainstream Christians. He and his family are harbingers of the creation care movement, which calls on all those who love God to love our planet. Sleeth shares how material downscaling led his family to healthier lifestyles, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. More than a book, it's a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival.
The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future
by Thomas Berry
"Already the planet is so damaged and the future is so challenged by its rising human population that the terms of survival will be severe beyond anything we have known in the past." This may make him sound like a scolding, doomsday prophet, but Berry is an optimistic soul, hopeful that humans will rise to the challenge of cherishing the natural world in the third millennium. Because Berry has a science background as well as a spiritual orientation (he is the founder of the History of Religions Program at Fordham University), he brings a balanced and fresh voice to social ecology.
Ethics for a Small Planet: A Communication Handbook for the Ethical and Theological Reasons for Protecting Biodiversity
This handbook (available online) on the ethical and theological underpinnings of biodiversity conservation is meant to be a tool to open a broader conversation on the ethical considerations related to protecting species, habitat, and ecosystems. A publication of the Biodiversity Project.
Taking action to save energy
Dauncey, Guy with Patrick Mazza Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change
Langholz, Jeffrey and Kelly Turner You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!): 51 Easy Ways
Brower, Michael and Warren Leon The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists
Global warming and global warming policy
Tim Flannery The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth
Gelbspan, Ross The Heat is On
Gelbspan, Ross Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists, and Activists Have Fueled the Climate Crisis - and What We Can Do to Avert Disaster
