Earth Care Commission

          

Sedona & Oak Creek                                                Red Mountain & Salt River

Purpose Statement
As delegates of our respective Christian communions who believe that we are called by God to heal, defend, and care for the earth, we pledge ourselves as stakeholders in the quest for eco-justice to:
Pray for the earth and all her creatures
Gather and Disseminate information regarding eco-justice and environmental committees and agencies of all Christ churches and denominations
Educate our respective communions and the community-at-large concerning the gravity of environmental isues and the promise of spiritual, sociaological, and technological solutions to those problems.
Promote action on eco-justice by acting as a catlyst for change through the processes of the Arizona Ecumenical Council and by providing opportunities for our members to experience Christian unity while caring for creation.
The primary events which the Commission presently sponsors are:
Caring for Creation Conferences
Earth Day Celebrations--held in various locations each year
The Feast--an autumn festival of stories and food to celebrate the goodness of the earth.  Check back for details.

 FAITH LEADERS STATEMENT ON WILDERNESS

As people of faith, we see Creation as the glorious work of God. The wild lands and ecosystems throughout the United States provide congregations and communities the opportunity to experience God and to dwell in the beauty of all that God called “good.” God’s lands nourish life, provide the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems and human communities, supply blessings of sustenance like soil, water, timber and minerals, and offer natural space for prayer and spiritual renewal. Stewardship of the land and wild places God has entrusted to our care is a critical part of our call to protect Creation.

As these threats to God's gifts become more pronounced, our call to continue conservation of God’s sacred spaces becomes more immediate.

Preserving public lands helps us answer God's call to equality among people by providing shared resources that nurture our communities Public lands and wilderness play are central to biodiversity, native communities, maintaining the diverse ecosystems that God created and provide the space for faithful reflection and rejuvenation. Overlooking the importance of these spaces and places disregards the role that land and wilderness have had in revealing the mysteries and wonders of God and the Holy Spirit as well as the needs of future generations.

We believe we can and should retain wildlands and public lands as places of intimate connection with God for all generations and protect these vital and irreplaceable pieces of God’s Creation.

 

EARTH CARE COMMISSION NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY, 2011

 

EAGLETAIL HIKE HIGHLIGHTS SONORAN WILDERNESS AREAS

The Earth Care Commission hike into the Eagletail Wilderness area drew 9 hikers lead by Craig Weaver and Rev. Doug Bland, minister at Community Christian Church of Tempe.  The group’s 6-mile round trip allowed them to see a wonderful display of petroglyphs as well as fascinating rock formations unique to this part of the Sonoran Desert.

 

The hike was part of a campaign to lift up this area and others on the west side of Maricopa County that are in need of protection from encroaching growth and development. The Earth Care Commission is partnering with the Arizona Wilderness Coalition under leadership from the National Council of Churches to educate the faith community about the need to protect these lands.  Future hikes and other events are in the planning stages that will highlight this ongoing effort.

 

 

 

FRUITFUL HARVEST PROJECT SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

If your church is looking for a “get-your-hands-dirty” project that will help feed the hungry, Fruitful Harvest needs you.  The project is seeking churches that are located on irrigated property in the Phoenix area to purchase and plant fruit trees, and harvest the produce for use by area food banks.  Interested churches must have at least one volunteer who is interested in being the project steward.  This faith volunteer will be matched to a mentor from the Valley Permaculture Alliance and a food bank in the service area.  Volunteer churches must plant a minimum of 5 fruit trees on its property (at a cost of approximately $100.00) and care for them in conjunction with the Permaculture Alliance mentor.  Harvested fruit will be offered first to needy congregants within the church with the rest given to the food bank.

Asbury UMC has planted 75 fruit trees in conjunction with the project, which are on target to begin producing fruit in about 3 years.  For further information, contact Kelli Donley at 480 326 6501.

 

 

CARING FOR CREATION CONFERENCE
SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 2, 2010 

The Earth Care Commission’s annual Caring for Creation Conference will be held on April 2^nd, 2010, from 9 AM to 1PM at the Franciscan Renewal Center.  This year, the Commission is partnering with the Center to sponsor the event, which is titled “Tending the Garden: Reverence, Rights and Responsibilities.”  Conference participants will learn how to develop a deeper spiritual connection with creation and get practical advice on how to manage the responsibilities that are part of earth stewardship.

 

Cost of the conference is $25.00, which includes lunch and conference-related materials.   Scholarships are available.   For more information, contact Sarah King at 623 582 9449.

 

 

CONCERN OVER “FRACKING” ESCALATES—
ECO-JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO GET INVOLVED
By David Sholin, ECC member

It’s all over TV these days.  According to more than a few sources, fracking’s impacts on human health are real and need to be checked.  For the sake of our health, logically, we owe it to ourselves to keep regular checks on our living conditions.  That’s what intelligent folk do.And that’s why we, the public, have regulatory health structures and regular institutional policy review procedures to keep check on that which affects our health.  It’s high time that we, the eco-justice faith community, call for communal and governmental checks on fracking.  Our sustainable health demands it.

 

(Ed. Note:  Fracking (also referred to as hydraulic fracture or hydrofracking) is a process by which a fluid is injected at high pressure into oil or methane gas deposits to fracture the rock above and release the liquid or gas below.  The process and its aftermath has generated controversy because of harm to drinking water where it has been used, in Colorado and New Mexico, and more recently in expanded drilling plans in the Marcellus Shale in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other mid-Atlantic states.  The process also uses enormous amounts of drinkable water along with toxic chemicals and releases radioactive materials and other hazardous substances in shale deposits.  This has raised significant environmental and health concerns.  In New Mexico, for example, similar processes have leached toxic chemicals into the water table at 800 sites.)

 

 

SUPPORT THE HERITAGE FUND AND STATE PARKS

Now that our state legislature is back in session, it’s important for us as faithful stewards of the earth to keep abreast of legislation that affects our environment.  State park budgets have been imperiled by steep cuts in the state budget.  Some state parks have been “saved” by cities and private groups stepping up to provide needed funding and services, but we need to keep pounding the drum on behalf of our public lands.  Let your legislator know that public lands are important to you by emailing or calling their offices with messages in support of continued funding for our parks, recreation and wilderness areas. So far, Heritage Fund monies have not been garnished to use for other budgetary purposes.  The  Heritage Fund designates up to 10 million dollars per year from lottery ticket sales for conservation and protection of the state’s wildlife and natural areas.  It’s used to recover threatened and endangered species, to help urban residents appreciate and coexist with wildlife, to educate children about the environment and create new opportunities for outdoor recreation.  Let your voice be heard—tell your elected officials that this program is important to you and to the future of our state!