Equipping People of Faith to Address Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Food, Faith, Climate Workshop Moves Nancy From Talk to Action
Banana plantation workers dipped a brush into a bucket of liquid and painted something on each bunch being packed for shipping. “What’s that?” I asked our tour guide in Honduras. “Pesticide,” he said. “They can’t risk having an entire cargo ship of bananas getting an...
Why Julia Cares for Creation
Julia Smith, mother of two, is her daughter’s Girl Scout troop leader, and the Charter Representative for her son’s Cub Scout Pack. She is also active in her children’s school Parent Teacher Association and works as a Dental Hygienist. “When I think of my own precious...
Saving Money and Saving the Earth
St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Norwalk, Iowa is turning to solar power to save money and protect the earth. The 60kW-dc array, set to be installed this month, is expected to offset 37% of the congregation’s electricity and save them $2,000 each year. Though...
Iowa Success Stories
Urbandale UCC voted to take the first step of the Paris Pledge, committing to reduce the carbon pollution from its church building by 50 percent by 2030. It is the first congregation in central Iowa, and the first UCC church in Iowa to take this action. “Our church wants to make a public witness that the earth is God’s and the fullness thereof,” said church moderator Tom Rendon, echoing lines from Psalm 24. “We, as Christians, have a moral responsibility to those affected by rising sea levels and by the extremes of climate change – such as floods and forest fires. This is a religious act.”
Urbandale United Church of ChristSt. Luke’s United Methodist Church has their fingers in the soil of two amazing garden projects to benefit the food insecure. Their church garden is located on Mary Purdy’s rural acreage. Mary is a member of St. Luke’s and helps tend the 5,000 square foot plot that has produced between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables every year since 2010. St. Luke’s also a sponsors a wading pool garden project where they provide members of their community with a plastic wading pool, soil, seeds, plants, a trowels, and education on how to maintain the garden.
St. Luke’s United Methodist ChurchAmericans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year! Metro Community Church made the sustainable switch to reusable coffee mugs in order to better care for creation. “God expects us to be good stewards of all of our resources,” says Pastor Rich Hendricks. When the congregation moved into their new building they decided they wanted to make their facility as environmentally responsible as possible within their budget. Along with making the switch to reusable coffee cups, they upgraded to a new, more efficient heating system and improved their lighting.
Metro Community Church