New England Religious Leaders Summit on the Energy, Climate & Economic Crisis

Thursday, November 20, 2008
11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 
Plymouth Congregational Church, Framingham, Massachusetts

Sponsored by:
The Massachusetts Council of Churches Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ; The Episcopal Church, Diocese of Massachusetts; and Boston Theological Institute

Religious leaders, clergy, staff and lay leaders are encouraged to come together November 20 for reflection, information and resource-sharing on the urgent and inter-related problems of energy costs, climate instability and economic decline.  
 
What are the roles of religious communities in responding to this triple crisis?  How might our traditions provide guidance and support to both policymakers and local communities?  
 
The Interfaith Summit is a time for those who lead religious communities to reflect together on ways of responding to the growing crisis of energy costs and climate destabilization.  We will explore religious dimensions of the energy and environmental challenges we now face.  Religious and NGO leaders will share the latest information on the human, environmental and economic impacts of these growing crises. Resources for action and advocacy leadership will be shared.  
 
We will explore stewardship, mission and justice implications – how the rapidly unfolding crisis touches many aspects of religious life and our communities.  We will discuss ways of responding to immediate needs while also addressing the root causes of humanitarian disasters, rising food prices, conflict, and economic vulnerabilities inherent in our current energy system.  We will share models and solutions from Europe and forward-thinking cities which reduce negative impacts on communities, health, creation and the economy while promoting community vitality and resiliency.  
 
We will discuss the leadership roles that religious leaders and congregations can play in transformation and renewal: how our faith traditions can play critical roles in supporting creative, life-nurturing change and new, faith-based community leadership.

Bill McKibben, internationally-known author on climate issues and Methodist, will speak on his new global initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Requested donation includes lunch and resource materials:  $40
Payable to Massachusetts Council of Churches at the door or in advance:  MA Council of Churches, 14 Beacon Street Suite 416, Boston, MA  

Cool Congregations

How cool is your congregation?

Take the Interfaith Power and Light Carbon Footprint Quiz.

Got Hope? Connecting the dots between faith and the environment

post by Carol Hohle, re-published from www.inspirationhouse.org

I first heard Roger Gottlieb speak a few years ago when I first enrolled at Andover Newton Theological School. I was drawn to his warm, inclusive demeanor and found myself taking copious notes. He spoke to both my head and heart as he reflected on the subject of faith and the environment. He spoke from the perspective of many traditions – Buddhist, Christian, Jewish…. The idea of tukkum olam – a central Jewish tradition of working towards the repair of the world – and his articulation about the sacredness of all of creation was especially meaningful to me.

Gottlieb’s talk compelled me to re-examine theological assumptions I held about the environment. I became aware of the anthropocentric view I had let seep into my view about life – how I had come to think of non-human things as objects here on Earth for my consumption and domination, or perhaps even worse, my responsibility!  Reading Gottlieb’s A Greener Faith I learned how to reframe my “me first” understanding of Genesis 1:28 teaching “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it; have dominion over…every living thing…” and have begun to think theocentrically – Psalms 24:1 “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

This Sunday, October 19, Roger Gottlieb is speaking at First Parish in Weston, MA, 349 Boston Post Road, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. His talk, “Got Hope? The Promises of Religious Environmentalism,” is free and open to the public. I highly recommend hearing him! Wherever you are on the spectrum of “being green” and “being religious” Roger honors everyone’s journey and gently provides fresh ecological and theological views that can enrich our individual and collective lives here on planet Earth.

Note: You are welcome to join First Parish’s Green Book Club on Monday evening at 7:30 p.m., October 20, for a discussion of Roger Gottlieb’s A Greener Faith.

Green Jobs Now

ATTENTION: NEW LOCATION DUE TO RAIN!
Boston Only: Note Time Change and Shortened Program!

Green Jobs Now!
National Day of Action to Build the New Economy
Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Cambridge City Hall: 10:30-12noon Rally (moved inside)

Boston,The Hyatt Regency Hotel: 12:45-3:00pm Rally (note time change)

Somerville, Community Growing Center – Union Square Festival: 5:00-10:00pm Rain or Shine (see details below)

Massachusetts Green Jobs Coalition (MAGJC), in partnership with the Green Jobs Now! initiative, invites you to join us for a National Day of Action on Saturday, September 27, 2008. 

Festivities will begin in Cambridge City Hall, Sullivan Chambers at 10:30 am-noon, and on the Boston Common, they will begin at 12:45-3:00 pm. A Full Agenda for All Activities can be found below. 

At both locations there will be an array of dynamic community leaders, elected officials, guest speakers, fun local music (www.melodeego.com), BioTour’s Vegetable Oil Powered Bus (www.biotour.org), and other entertainment. 

In Cambridge, MAGJC has partnered with the Sustainable Business Network and Cambridge Local First for a Green Jobs Now! event on the Cambridge City Hall steps, with Mayor Denise Simmons. 

In Boston,MAGJC has partnered with Service Nation (www.servicenation.org), a coalition of 110 organizations including NAACP, AmeriCorps, City Year and YouthBuild USA, to name just a few. 

Service Nation has generously invited us to share their venue at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Together, we will be hosting the National Day of Action events with the Green Jobs Now! portion of the program beginning at 12:45pm. 

Supporting Organizations: 

Cambridge Local First, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston, BioTour, Clean Water Action, Youth Build USA, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Boston Workers Alliance, ACE, BCAN, CLU, MCAN, GreenPort, and many others. 

The Green Jobs Now! Day of Action is a non-profit, non-partisan initiative of Green For All, 1Sky, the We Campaign and our many important partners, including MAGJC!

Environmental Movie Series Screening at First Parish in Weston, MA

First Parish in Weston is launching an eco-documentary movie series beginning this Sunday, September 21 at
7 p.m.  Each month through May 2009 we’ll be screening a different documentary:

September 21   “Renewal – Stories from America’s Religious-Environmental Movement” 

October 26   “King Corn” 

November 30    “Kilowatt Ours” 

December 28    “Planet Earth” 

January 25   “End of Suburbia” 

February 22   “Blue Vinyl” 

March 29   “Flow: For Love of Water” 

April 26   “The Eleventh Hour” 

May 31   “Renewal” 

This movie series is part of First Parish’s “All-Parish Project,” which involves all ages in an endeavor to “change the world and change us.”  This year we will be putting our care for God’s creation into action by increasing environmental awareness and promoting sustainable lifestyle changes.  There will be a variety of education and service-related programs including book discussions, guest speakers, examining our carbon footrpint, this film series, and more.  

Mark your calendars for these movie date. Join us and feel free to invite your friends!  Bring drinks/snacks – we’ll provide the popcorn!

Location:  First Parish Church, 349 Boston Post Road, Weston  View Map

P.S.  Save the Date:   Roger Gottlieb, Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and author of many books of the subject of ecology – including “A Greener Faith,” will be speaking on Sunday, October 19th, 7:00 p.m., “Got Hope?  The Promises of Religious Environmentalism.”

Fighting Poverty with Faith

A Rally Opposing Question 1

Copley Square, outside Trinity Church
Wednesday, September 17th, 5:30-6:30 pm

As part of the national Fighting Poverty with Faith week of action, September 11th-17th, over 20 major faith based organizations around the country will join together to call on their local, state and national candidates to address the pressing issues of poverty and opportunity in America in their first 100 days in office. Here in Greater Boston, diverse faith groups and social justice organizations will hold a rally calling our candidates to anti-poverty action, and calling on all MA citizens to vote No on ballot question # 1, which would eliminate the state income tax and gut essential state services to the most vulnerable among us and to all our citizens.  

Join Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM), the Righteous Indignation Project, the Muslim American Society, Moshe/Kavod House, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the MA Board of Rabbis, JALSA, the Workmen’s Circle, the Labor Guild of the Archdioceses, UU MA Action, MA Interfaith Worker Justice, ACORN, Jobs with Justice, AFT-MA, SEIU Local 615 and many others for a rally filled with interfaith prayers and calls to action, singing, voices from our communities, and the blowing of the Shofar as a call for change.

To learn more contact Margie Klein, margieklein1@gmail.com.
If you are able to bring others, please let us know!

Fall Forum on Religion and the Environment

A SACRED TRUST

Wednesday, September 24, 2008


4 p.m. – 9 p.m.

First Church of Christ
 Congregational

12 South Main Street

West Hartford, CT

Presented by Hartford Seminary
 and
 The Interreligious Eco-Justice
Network

Keynote Address by John Grim

Religion and Ecology:
 The Problems and the Promise

For decades, environmental issues were considered the concern of scientists, lawyers, and policy makers. Now, the ethical dimensions of the environmental crisis are becoming more obvious, What is our moral responsibility toward the future generations? How can we ensure equitable development that does not destroy the environment? Can religious and cultural perspectives help solve environmental challenges? Our challenge now is to identify the vision and values that will spark a transformation toward creating a sustainable future. Such a multiform planetary goal requires not just managerial or legislative approaches – the saving of forests or fisheries. Undoubtedly, these are necessary, but our goal needs a vision of that future, evoking depths of empathy, compassion, and sacrifice for the welfare of future generations. We are called to a new intergenerational consciousness and 
conscience.

John Grim comes from the Missouri drift plains of North Dakota where he grew up leaning against the winds until they blew him east to study with Thomas Berry in the history of religions at Fordham University. His area of scholarly exploration is indigenous traditions. Currently he is a Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar at Yale University, and Environmental Ethicist-in-Residence at Yale’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics. With Mary Evelyn Tucker he is the co-founder of the Forum on Religion and Ecology and series editors of World 
Religions and Ecology. He has been a professor of religion at Bucknell University, and Sarah Lawrence College where he taught courses in Native American and Indigenous religions, World Religions, and Religion and Ecology. John is also President of the American Teilhard Association.

Click here to view the program brochure

Visit Hartford Seminary’s website to register and for more information

James Hansen to Speak In Lexington MA June 1st

On Sunday, June 1, at 7:30 PM, the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition (LexGWAC) will host a talk by James Hansen, Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University in New York City and world renowned climate scientist.

He will be joined by local author Mark Bowen, who wrote the newly released book “Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming.”

Dr. Hansen will speak about his latest findings and the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the next couple of years or face the consequences
of a very different climate. Hansen’s efforts to speak openly about the importance of reducing greenhouse gases was impeded by political appointees at NASA, who attempted to censor or alter Hansen’s reports and writings.

Bowen’s book, “Censoring Science” will be available for sale and signing after the talk.

The talk will be held at Cary Memorial Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington. A contribution of $5 per person is requested, to help defray the cost of bringing top-level climate change researchers and policy-makers to this area. Seating will be limited, so early arrival is recommended.

For more information about this event or GWAC, go to http://www.lexgwac.org or email info@lexgwac.org

Bill McKibben to Speak At ANTS on June 5!

Healing God’s Planet in Peril
June 5, 12:00 noon– 4:00 p.m. (lunch included)
Andover Newton Theological Seminary, Newton , MA
A Gathering of Christian Leaders for Inspiration, Prayer, Briefings and Strategy
Bill McKibben , environmental author and Methodist Sunday School teacher, will speak on our current situation, and the critical nature of the next few years in determining the fate of our earth and the well-being of all living things. He will share a new, global initiative called www.350.org.

The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas , Episcopal priest, retreat leader, and climate activist, will offer theological reflections and opportunities for prayer. Rev. Jim Antal , President of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ, will lead us in sharing and developing strategy. Bishop Steven Charleston , President and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School, will share a new interfaith initiative, the Genesis Covenant ( www.genesiscovenant.org ) Climate scientists from the Sustainability Institute will brief us on the latest science . (www.sustainer.org). Leaders from Religious Witness for the Earth and Clean Water Action will share information about advocacy initiatives. ( www.religiouswitness.org , www.cleanwateraction.org/ma)

Requested: $30, payable to Clean Water Action (You may pay at the door, or send a check for “June 5 Climate Seminar” to CWA, 262 Washington St., #301 , Boston , MA , 02108 , Attn: Jeff) Scholarships available. To register, please send your check to CWA or email: tclarke@cleanwater.org (Tina Clarke, Clean Water Action, 413-549-6834)

March 28-30 Enviro Exhibit at Hynes Convention Ctr in Boston

Down:2:Earth is an exposition of the latest environmentally responsible products and services, and an educational forum exploring sustainable living. The show highlights alternatives in food, fashion, transportation, energy, investments, home, and garden that tread lightly on the earth.

D2E will also entertain with cooking demos, eco-chic fashion shows, and a full line up of workshops, like greening home remodeling and construction, natural landscaping and composting, and local versus organic food. A full schedule is posted online.

Other highlights include:

* Keynote speakers Bill McKibben and Frances Moore Lappé
* Live local acoustic music
* Cooking demos from Boston chefs
* Sustainable art and design symposium
* Green jobs panel
* Old electronics recycling
* Children’s story time Saturday and Sunday
* Sample edible insects (!) Friday evening
* Win a trip for 2 to an Eco-retreat in the Yukon and other prizes!

Visit www.d2eboston.com for the full list of exhibitors and workshops.