The Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN)

Diocese of California

St. Stephen's in Orinda CA: we have just put Barbara Bisel on the commission for the environment which was recently reactivated under Bishop Marc Andrus. She has agreed to co-chair with Sally Bingham.
There will be a special effort over the next few months to identify at least one person in every parish in the Dio of CA to be a liaison to the Commission. We are planning events that will be in several locations in the diocese so no one has to travel very far and we will present the commission as a resource for anything (including solar installation) information. We will be working very closely with the CA Interfaith Power and Light program.

On April 22, 2007, St. Stephen's honored our blessed "island home," with a beautiful, Creation-centered worship service. The liturgy was take from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer, delightful music was sung by the congregation and our Kyrie Choir, and Father Larry delivered an inspiring sermon. Meanwhile, in Sunday School the children planted seeds in nifty, biodegradable peat pots, drew up Care for the Earth contracts, and released hundreds of ladybugs! Following both the 8 & 10am services, the Caring for Creation group sponsored an Earth Day event at Coffee Hour, with table displays.

The readers of the newsletter might like to know that our Presiding Bishop is committed to finding solutions to the problem of climate change. She attended a religious leaders' summit in San Francisco in April that was hosted by The Regeneration Project and helped to author a statement to the President and Congress. The statement can be found at www.theregenerationproject.org. She was an active and engaged attendee with other national leaders such as Bob Edgar from the NCC, Dr. Sayyid Syeed from the Islamic society of North American and The Rev. Joel Hunter from the NAE. Rabbi Steve Pearce represented the Jewish community at the summit and both he and Rabbi David Saperstein signed the declaration. The Episcopal Church can be recorded now as actively engaged in climate solutions.

Sally

Diocese of Minnesota

Wanda did not provide any input this issue

Hall
Hammond

Diocese of
West Texas

Greetings from South Texas. Our Environmental Stewardship Committee in the Diocese of West Texas has been active for over 20 years, but has been out of touch with the EpEN for some time.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Environmental Stewardship/Earth Day Sundays – one of our churches held its third ES Sunday on Earth Day in 2007 and our focus was on local water issues in our state legislature. We had post cards available after the Sunday service so that parishioners could write their legislators for support – 45 were mailed. As in past ES Sundays, we had brochures on various environmental issues available. In the past this church has a recycling company with a truck to receive recycled electronic equipment – over 2500 lbs. collected. We also sold over $600 of compact fluorescent bulbs over two Sundays.

Another church organized a mini-fair in their parish hall with various water, electric and recycling organizations present. They also had children make bird houses out of recycled projects.

Office Depot Buying Program – for the past year and a half we have been promoting a cooperative buying program with Office Depot emphasizing green products that also saves parishes money by buying at lower prices.

Green Building Primer for Church Buildings – this manual was completed last year and now we are encouraging all churches constructing new buildings or remodeling to use this while planning their construction. This was written and compiled by one of our committee members, Judith Infante, and is available at www.episcopal-dwtx.org/envirosteward2/greenbuild.htm.

Environmental Stewardship Management Program – one of our committee members is an environmental management consultant and we are initiating a program at our diocesan headquarters complex.

Hall

Fletcher Harper

Diocese of Newark

Fletcher asked Skip Vilas to provide information from the diocese about Province II for this issue of the newsletter.

Mike
Kinman

Executive Director, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation

Sheila Andrus (Adjunct Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama, Birmingham AL) and I are teaching at CDSP on the MDGs through an environmental lens. Information and registration at http://www.cdsp.edu/center_courses.php#04.

Forward to a More Sustainable Future:
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
July 9-13, 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.

How will people of faith respond to the growing worldwide challenges of human suffering and ecological threat? This course will introduce students to key concepts of sustainable development and the current status of the MDGs in their effort to alleviate human suffering. In highly interactive classes involving individual- and team-led discussions, students will explore case studies of MDG implementation, assess whether or not the MDGs will work, and explore the role of faith communities in the global MDG response.

Required text and advance reading: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2006 (United Nations)

Peter Kreitler

Diocese of Los Angeles

Peter did not provide any input for this issue.

Steve MacAusland

Diocese of Massachusetts

At its convention in November, The Diocese of Massachusetts passed a resolution calling for all member parishes and institutions to report their energy consumption for the last three years to the Diocese. Working with Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, The Diocese will determine its carbon/climate footprint. We will then put our total energy consumption out to bid through a Request for Proposals that will encourage energy generators, suppliers, and service companies to help establish a "ministry in the marketplace." The intent is to aggregate our demand, buy goods and services in bulk, bring costs down, drive efficiency up, and reduce our emissions significantly.

Shortly after Earth Day '07, Bishop Suffragan Bud Cedarholm sent a letter to each of the Bishops in Province One asking them to join with us. He also invited the Massachusetts Council of Churches to join in the effort. The possibility of establishing the "footprint" of the Community of Faith in New England is real. It will take a lot of work, but this is what we are called to do in Province One.

We believe that this is a viable model for the entire Episcopal Church.

Steve MacAusland

Bruce
MacDuffie

Diocese of
North Dakota

One at a Time: a Report from the Environmental Stewardship Committee of the Diocese of North Dakota
(one person, one household, one congregation, one diocese at a time)

Such seems to be the method of the Spirit, working in you and me as stewards of God's Creation. This article summarizes a few activities done by ONE congregation at a time, sometimes by one person at a time. While climate change and global warming have been in the forefront of our committee concerns, we are caring for all the rest of the creation when we care about the human causes of global warming. Species loss is at an all time high, as high as 1000 times the usual rate according to some sources. (The BBC news on May 14 reported that studies now are concerned that as many as one billion people may be displaced by a combination of desertification, political unrest, and the effects of global warming.)

Does it seem insane to say this is also a time of great hope? The challenge of this largest of challenges brings us together in new and creative ways to find common solutions. Perhaps we relearn the joy of a simpler life style, a simpler age, where relating to each other and finding joy in each other builds a new mutual respect all across this globe. We learn Benedictine hospitality where we treat not only each visitor to our homes and churches, but also each neighbor, each creature, as though that sister and brother creature were Christ. We treat Mother Earth as well as we would want our biological mothers treated, with that kind of respect. Working together to make our beautiful island home sustainable, we learn to cooperate with each other across class and ethnic and ideological boundaries.

WEB SITE: Please take a moment to visit www.prairiestewardship.org, the web site of the newly formed Prairie Climate Stewardship Network, based right here in North Dakota. The web site is a veritable treasure trove of helpful information, documents, and links. Some highlights include:

• Climate Stewardship Opportunities with a special section for church buildings including a link to the Kairos Energy Workbook for Religious Buildings.
• Another section for homes.
• Covenants to give us common purpose with others - for individuals, for households, for congregations. Imagine covenants signed and shared for mutual encouragement and support by congregations all over the diocese and the state.
• Clear and helpful information about the encouraging carbon sequestration and coal gasification work in North Dakota.
• The Episcopal Church's "Catechism of Creation" and the statement from the National Association of Evangelicals re our responsibilities for climate change.
  

AND SO MUCH ELSE. Make it your first stop for information about climate stewardship.

So what are we doing as congregations and individuals?

St. Paul's, Grand Forks: Linda Gunderson of St. Paul's organized a lecture and film series earlier this spring re climate change. On Earth Day, St. Paul's, the Unitarian/Universalists, and Presbyterians sponsored a "free" showing of The Great Warming at the Empire Arts Theater. And much more.

Jackie Bernacchi, along with Roman Catholic Deacon, Larry Lang, and about-to-be deacon Bonnie McNaughton organized an Earth Day showing of An Inconvenient Truth in the Devils Lake area, and assembled a "distinguished panel" to discuss the concerns. Reports are that the day began with a special service at St. Thomas Church, Ft. Totten.

St. George's, Bismarck: Zanne Ness reported that possibilities of response to environmental stewardship are discussed in the newsletter and on the bulletin board.

St. Luke's, Ft. Yates: Carmine Goodhouse reports that she began enticing folks to share chili at her home and to see the film, An Inconvenient Truth. She showed it at school, and her work place. Then it was shown at St. Luke's Church itself. The Parish bulletin lists the concrete steps individuals can take. St. Luke's plans to become more energy efficient and to plant trees to shelter the church.

St. John's, Dickinson: St. John's, with a volunteer electrician's help, is surveying all its lighting to install CFL's wherever possible. (MDU offers a small incentive for such change). The film, An Inconvenient Truth, was shown both privately and at Dickinson State University to over 200 people in Dickinson, and also at Sacred Heart Monastery. The Great Warming will be viewed next by similar numbers with some opportunity for discussion by scientific and energy experts. Several people are keeping the concerns in front of the public with letters to the Dickinson Press. A recycling committee has been established in Dickinson, and the city and school system have both undertaken efficiency upgrades to all their buildings, with the savings in energy expenditure actually fully amortizing the cost of doing so.

Hebron: Episcopalian Jane Brandt, editor of the Hebron Herald, persuaded the Hebron Business Club to sponsor a showing of An Inconvenient Truth at the Mayer Theater in Hebron, free of charge. About 30 folks attended, and discussion ensued after the film. Jane retained the DVD to circulate further in the community.

Bruce

Carole
McGowan

Diocese of
Rio Grande

Carole did not provide input for this issue.

Chuck Morello

Diocese of Minnesota

For this issue we asked for contact information for Environmental Stewardship groups within the Episcopal Church. The following groups have been identified:

Province I: Diocese: Diocese of Connecticut Name: The Committee on the Environment Contact:   Diocese: Diocese of Rhode Island Name: Environment Committee Contact: Mary L. Hitt Diocese: Diocese of Vermont Name: Environmental Ministry Team Contact: Inactive   Province II: Diocese: Diocese of New Jersey Name: Environmental Committee (no webpresence) Contact: Joseph Parrish Diocese: Diocese of Newark Name Environment in the Diocese of Newark Contact: Fletcher Harper and Edward M. Hasse, III Province III: Diocese: Diocese of Washington Name: Committee on the Environment Contact: Jane Osborne Province IV: Diocese: Throughout Province IV Name: Environmental Ministries at the University of the South, Sewanee, TN Contact: Joyce Wilding Diocese: Diocese of Alabama Name: Task Force for Stewardship of Creation Contact: Eleanor DelBene Diocese: Diocese of Atlanta Name: Stewardship of our Environment Contact:   Diocese: Diocese of Florida Name: Earth Stewardship Committee, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Gainesville, FL (No Web presence) Contact: David Miller Diocese: Diocese of Mississippi Name: Stewardship of Creation Committee (No Web presence) Contact: Andrew Whitehurst Diocese: Diocese of Mississippi Name: St. Andrew's Cathedral Environmental Stewardship Committee (No Web presence) Contact: Jackie or Avery Rollins Diocese: Diocese of North Carolina: Name: Chartered Committee for Environmental Ministry (No Web presence) Contact: Tom Droppers Diocese: Diocese of South Carolina Name: Environmental Stewardship at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Summerville, SC (No Web presence) Contact: John Chaconas Diocese: Diocese of Southwest Florida Name: Boniface Eco-Stewardship Team (B.E.S.T.) at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, Sarasota, FL. Contact: Kay McGimpsey Diocese: Diocese of Tennessee Name: Environmental Ministry: Caring for God's Creation, Christchurch Cathedral, Nashville, TN Contact: Joyce Wilding Diocese: Diocese of West Tennessee Name: Episcopal Creation Caregivers of West Tennessee Contact: Jim Boyd or Gary Bridgeman Diocese: Diocese of Western North Carolina Name: Environmental and Creation Care Ministry (No Web presence) Contact: Jill Rios Province V: Diocese: Diocese of Missouri Name: Environment Contact:   Province VI: Diocese: Diocese of Iowa Name: Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Contact: Anne Moats Williams Diocese: Diocese of Minnesota Name: Minnesota Episcopal Environmental Stewardship Commission Contact: Tom Harries Diocese: Diocese of North Dakota Name: Environmental Stewardship Committee (No Web presence) Contact: Bruce MacDuffie Province VII: Diocese: Diocese of West Texas Name: Environmental Stewardship Contact: Hall Hammond Province VIII: Diocese: Diocese of Alaska Name: Alaska Interfaith Power & Light Contact: Paul K. Klitzke Diocese: Diocese of Arizona Name: Nature and Spirituality Program Contact: Phyllis Strupp