Green Churches Forum in Ottawa (May 11, 2017)

Earth Day message from Anglican and Lutheran leaders

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.—John 12:24

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, 2017, we invite you to join us in praying for the humility and discipline to use Earth’s resources wisely and responsibly.

LOCATION: Youth Childrens Litter Clean Up Earth Day Event

For more information click here. To confirm your interest click here or contact Richard at stewardshipoftheenvironment@outlook.com

Raising Awareness and Encouraging Action: Details About the Youth Litter Clean-Up Event in Montreal on Earth Day

To encourage good stewardship of the natural world and consistent with our mandate, the Stewardship of the Environment Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal is organizing a Youth Litter Clean-Up Event. This event will take place on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, 2017, between 10 AM and 12 PM.

We will be meeting at 10 AM on Mount Royal at the Chalet (lookout), 1196, Camillien-Houde, Montreal.  Look for the Stewardship of the Environment sign.

The first 25 children will receive a loot bag that will contain an environmentally themed children's book, seeds, and among other things easy to follow instructions on composting, recycling and making environmentally safe cleaning products. 

* All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Green Churches Forum 2017

Green Churches Forum 2017 will take place on May 11, 2017 in Ottawa. The Honorable Catherine McKenna, Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change will show her support to Canadian churches of all denominations as spiritual and moral leaders in their efforts to reduce their ecological footprint. She will say a few words at the opening of the Forum and will be on hand to meet and exchange with participants.

The keynote speaker will be The Right Rev. Mark MacDonald who will give the talk intitled "Celebrating the Spirit of Creation".

Climate Justice Keynote Speech by Bishop Sofie Peterson

The Lutheran Bishop of Greenland (Church of Denmark) Sofie Peterson, is an Inuk pastor who will deliver an address on climate change in Montreal this Friday March 17 (1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.).

Bishop Peterson was born in Maniitsoq, Greenland and she studied theology and graduated from the University of Copenhagen 1986.  

Youth Litter Clean-Up Event in Montreal on Earth Day

On Earth Day Saturday, April 22nd 2017, the Stewardship of the Environment Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal is organizing a spring litter clean-up day on Mount Royal.

In addition to cleaning up trash the event is designed to sensitize children to the importance of a clean environment.

Please consider joining us to help raise awareness at this critical time. This event is open to parents and their children as well as anybody who cares about acting on behalf of a healthy planet.

The first 25 kids will receive a loot bag that will include an environmentally themed children's book, seeds and information.

For directions click here or to confirm your interest click here.
If you have any questions contact Richard at stewardshipoftheenvironment@outlook.com

Give it up for the Earth!

Give it up for the Earth! This Lent, Citizens for Public Justice invites you to participate in an exciting new faith-in-action campaign to increase climate justice in Canada. Many Christians mark Lent by “giving up” a bad habit or distracting practice during the 40 days leading up to Easter. By signing the Give it up for the Earth! pledge, you’ll be committing to Give it up for the Earth! – by reducing your driving or meat consumption, for example. You will also signal to the federal government that Canadian Christians want policy changes to move us further and faster towards international climate change goals. To learn more visit www.cpj.ca/for-the-earth and to sign the pledge, go to www.cpj.ca/pledge.

Christmas 2016

Message from Interfaith Power & Light in the Wake of Trump's Victory

In light of last night’s election results, IPL has a more important role to play than ever before. We can’t afford to backslide on our hard won victories: the Clean Power Plan, the Paris climate agreement, cleaner automobiles. Our work may have just gotten harder, but we are not giving up. There is far too much at stake.

IPL is rooted in theology -answering God’s call to be the stewards of Creation and to love each other. Our focus for 16 years has been protecting the climate while recognizing the injustice and inequality of who and where harm is experienced. We believe that climate change is a critical global challenge and we are committed to meeting that challenge by advocating to limit carbon emissions, energy efficiency and transitioning to a clean energy economy. We believe that fossil fuels belong in the ground.

Hindus Worldwide Commit to Addressing Climate Change

As the celebration of Diwali commences, this is a good time to review how Hindus around the world have pledged to act on climate change. 

Diwali is a festival of Lights and it is celebrated by Hindus and others to commemorate the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.  Rituals surrounding the event include the recitation of prayers in the name of happy, healthy futures.

As indicated in this November 23, 2015 press release Hindus are calling for climate action.

Islam and Climate Action: Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change

According to Islamic scholars, we are called to engage in climate action. The Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change is a document designed to help clarify what the Qur'an says about climate action. It was launched at a symposium in Istanbul which took place on 17, 18 August 2015. The document is a result of collaboration between of IFEES/EcoIslam and Islamic Relief World Wide in 2014. The document was reviewed by a team of Muslim specialists consisting of academics and environmentalists.

Time for Creation (World Council of Churches)

The period between September 1 and October 4 is "Time for Creation." The beginning and the end date of Time for Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity, respectively.

September 1st was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the environment by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989.

The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world. On 4 October, Roman Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the Canticle of the Creatures.

Season of Creation raises ecological awareness through prayer

As summer turns to autumn, Christians worldwide will unite in prayer and commit to the ministry of healing the earth during the Season of Creation, an annual initiative spearheaded by global Anglican, Roman Catholic, ecumenical, and interfaith organizations.

The Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1—proclaimed as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation by the Orthodox Church in 1989, and subsequently recognized by other denominations—through the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4. During this period, Christians across denominations and national borders are encouraged to join together in prayer for creation and environmental stewardship.

Opposing Fossil Fuel Pipeline at the first Anglican Sacred Earth Camp

A group of budding young environmental leaders immersed themselves in the eco-justice issues of the lower Fraser Watershed from July 31 to August 13, publicly expressing their opposition to the proposed Kinder Morgan Pipeline expansion project as the first Sacred Earth Camp unfolded in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.

Taking place at A Rocha’s Brooksdale farm in South Surrey, B.C. with trips around Coast Salish territory and the lower mainland, the camp aimed to teach youth and young adults about the local bio-region and to help them learn the spiritual and practical skills necessary to become long-term leaders for environmental justice.

Eco-Justice at the first Anglican Sacred Earth Camp

A group of budding young environmental leaders immersed themselves in the eco-justice issues of the lower Fraser Watershed from July 31 to August 13, publicly expressing their opposition to the proposed Kinder Morgan Pipeline expansion project as the first Sacred Earth Camp unfolded in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.

Taking place at A Rocha’s Brooksdale farm in South Surrey, B.C. with trips around Coast Salish territory and the lower mainland, the camp aimed to teach youth and young adults about the local bio-region and to help them learn the spiritual and practical skills necessary to become long-term leaders for environmental justice.

Ecological Resolutions Pass by an Overwhelming Margin at Synod

The Anglican Church of Canada will form a social and ecological investment task force  The church will appoint a task force for social and ecological investment—including, possibly, selling its existing investments in some companies.

General Synod passed, by large majorities, two resolutions Tuesday, July 12, related to responsible investing. Resolution A171 calls on the church to form a task force “as soon as possible,” to review its investment policies; address governance practices of companies and sectors in which it invests; and develop “guidelines for constructive dialogue, and where necessary divestment, leading towards a low carbon economy.”

Anglican Leaders Offer Points of Reflection Relevant to General Synod's Ecological Motions

Anglican leaders have offered some prescient remarks that are relevant for the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada's climate focused motions (to see excerpts of some of these remarks read below). We have already seen Diocesan Synods pass fossil fuel divestment motions across Canada including motions that passed in both Montreal and Ottawa.  We will soon see if the call from Anglican leaders to address climate change resonates at General Synod.

Catholic Orders Heed Pope Francis and Divest from Fossil Fuels

Four Australian Catholic orders are jointly and publicly divesting from coal, oil and gas: ‘We believe the Gospel asks no less of us’

Four Australian Catholic organisations have announced they are completely divesting from coal, oil and gas in what they say is the first joint Catholic divestment anywhere in the world.

The move comes as prominent Jewish rabbis, Muslim clerics, Anglican bishops and other religious leaders call on the Australian government to protect the Great Barrier Reef, stop approving coalmines and remove subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, in an open letter published by the Guardian.

Divesting from fossil fuels: Open letter from religious leaders

Letter seeks to draw attention to ‘the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef … principally due to global warming’

To those in public office or aspiring to it:

As leaders in a range of faith traditions, we draw attention to the wake-up call which the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef provides.

The reef is a wonder of the natural world and, to people of faith, a sign of the spiritual dimension of life. It also supports many jobs and economic benefits.