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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 Conference--Noveember 4-5, 2006
The conference begins on Friday evening with a storytelling event. Saturday is an all-day event of speakers, workshops, and worship to help people connect faith to their care of the earth. This year the topic will be:
"Good Earth! Good God!"
The Friday evening event will be at Community Christian Church, Tempe and the Saturday conference will be at Central United Methodist, Phoenix.
Get this year's information and registration form here
Past topics include:
"H2Oly Water: Source of Life" (2004)
"Religious beliefs and environmental sustainability"
"Environmenal Advocacy"
"Endangered Species"
"Organizing the congregation for action"
"Preserving sacred places"
Earth Day Celebrations--held in various locations on April 22 of each year
The Feast--an autumn festival of stories and food to celebrate the goodness of the earth. Check back for details.
Sonoran Desert Protection statement
Arizona Ecumenical Council
Earth Care Commission
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Message
Our Mission...
to inspire and mobilize Christian communities to build a just and sustainble future for all of God's Creation.
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 Earth Care Commission
Since 1996 the Earth Care Commission has been affiliated with the Arizona Ecumenical Council, consisting currently of 18 denominational partners and approximately 22 organizations as well as strong interfaith ties. We express our unity of faith through worship, prayer, study and service. We participate in legislative advocacy, liaison with local churches, program development, environment conferences and workdays, nature hikes, trail restorations, Earth Day events, storytelling events and more.
You are receiving this email either because you are a member church, church member or because you have expressed an interest in the work of the Arizona Ecumenical Council. If you wish to unsubscirbe you may do so at the bottom. Please do not label us as "spam", but simply "delete" unwanted newsletters. Thank you. There is a button to forward this along, as well, and we hope you use that button often!
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 Interfaith Power and Light
Dear Friends,
In his inaugural address President Barack Obama called us to unite across party lines and religious divides to "roll back the specter of a warming planet." Because climate change is, at its heart, a moral and spiritual issue, we want to encourage churches, synagogues, mosques, and all faith communities across the state of Arizona to take a leading roll in protecting God's good earth for future generations.
It is urgent that we act swiftly. Scientists are increasingly alarmed that major changes in the climate are occurring faster than projected, resulting in long-term threats to human welfare and the rest of Creation through drought, fiercer storms, wildfires and rising ocean levels. Climate change is real and happening now. To avoid the worst outcomes of major climate change requires strong action now from both private and public leaders. Our voice can provide the strength to encourage needed change to avoid the worst outcomes and to lead us into a more just and sustainable future.
The Interfaith Power and Light (IP&L) campaign is mobilizing a national religious response to global warming and promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation- (www.theregenerationproject.org). Across the nation, 29 states have branches of IP&L. Arizona does not-yet. We have planned three events* in the state to invite leaders in your faith communities to respond to the crisis of global warming and to establish an IP&L in Arizona.
We will provide scientific information from local experts on how climate change is affecting us here in Arizona and around the world. We will also tell you the story about why we think that caring for the earth is a spiritual mandate for us as stewards of the Creation. We will outline the ways that our houses of worship can respond to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Finally, we will talk about how people of faith can work together to affect public policy and create greener cities here in Arizona and around the country. Please join us in the important effort to care for God's Creation and each other.
Sincerely,
Jan Olav Flaaten
Watch for meeting dates at www.aecunity.net
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 St. Gregory's Community Garden
St. Gregory's Catholic Church, founded in central Phoenix in 1947, is considering a way to help struggling parishioners that goes back as far as the church: a community garden.
"It would be a food resource that our community could participate in," says the Rev. Kevin Sandberg, associate pastor. "This is something that could make a difference in people's lives."
Harvested food would go to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for distribution, and to members who cultivate the garden. Sandberg says the garden would serve another purpose. "People work side by side in a community garden," he says. "You're able to share your burdens, to make them a bit lighter."
Parishioners came up with the idea. The church will get a new pastor in July, and the garden is one the first proposals that will be presented to him.
St. Gregory's already has implemented other ideas in these tough times, including adding a food-drop box in the church lobby. But Sandberg has high hopes for the garden."The kids at school (here) attend Mass and sing with gusto about making a difference," he says. "This is a way to show them that making a difference is an actual reality."
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 Buffalo Exchange as a Green Machine
HELPING OUR ENVIRONMENT
Buffalo Exchange offers clothing for both men and women and is bought from the public and sold at far lower prices than retail. When they accept items, they pay cash or give trade-in value. Buffalo Exchange is a sustainable company that works to protect the environment by reusing and recycling clothing. The E.P.A. estimates 11.8 million tons of textiles were generated in 2006, or 5% of total U.S. municipal solid waste.Almost half of the 2.5 billion pounds of postconsumer textile waste prevented from entering the solid waste stream is recycled as secondhand clothing, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. So trading used clothing has a positive environmental impact.
TOKENS FOR BAGS CHARITIES
Buffalo Exchange donates to local nonprofit agencies in the community through its Tokens for Bags® program, which has generated over $300,000 for hundreds of nonprofits since 1994, saving 6 million bags. Shoppers are encouraged to accept a token instead of a bag for purchases, and Buffalo Exchange donates five cents to a charity of the customer's choice. When a customer does request a bag they now are using bags made from corn by-products that are 100% biodegradable. They can be buried or put in a compost heap and within a month have completely disappeared.
EARTH DAY RESULTS
Buffalo Exchange raised $25,300 to Save the Whales at their Dollar Day Sale in April. All proceeds went to the Save Whales-Not Whaling program of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International. Buffalo Exchange has raised a total of over $274,000 for environmental causes through Dollar Day Sales on Earth Day since 1997. They also donated 913 used furs to The HSUS' Coats for Cubs program, providing bedding and comfort to orphaned and injured wildlife. Since 2006, Buffalo Exchange has collected a total of 3,885 used furs on behalf of Coats for Cubs.
Visit Buffalo Exchange online at WWW.BUFFALOEXCHANGE.COM.
There are locations in Phoenix, Tempe, Tucson and Nogales.
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 Tzu Chi Foundation
TZU CHI MISSION
While the Tzu Chi Foundation has Buddhist origins and beliefs, the organization is best known for its selfless contributions to society in charity causes, medical contributions, education development, humanities, international disaster assistance, bone-marrow donation, community volunteerism, and recycling. The foundation operates over 4,500 recycling stations throughout Taiwan. One of the foundation's projects is the recycling of plastic bottles for textiles. The project, which began in 2006, collects plastic bottles, shreds and rinses them, then converts the shreddings into polyester resin which is spun into yarn and woven into cloth. By September 2008, about 12 million bottles were used to make more than 152,000 polyester blankets, many of which were handed out as part of their disaster relief programs. Other items made with the recycled resins include thermal underwear, t-shirts, hospital bed sheets, medical gowns and uniforms for Tzu Chi volunteers.
Disaster Work
When the Tzu Chi volunteers come into a disaster zone the first thing they do is clean the environment of all debris and trash. This is both for sanitation and to have a more pleasant environment for the disaster survivors to be in. The Tzu Chi work in many areas, including feeding, medical, spiritual care, rebuilding and more. Above is the story about the blankets that they give out in disasters and how they are made from used water bottles. Besides this, they supply disaster survivors with dinner kits. This is a bowl, plate, cup and utensils in a bag. This is to reduce trash and earth-hazardous items such as styrofoam, plastic and other non-biodegradable items typically used. They serve nutritious vegetarian meals with dried food they supply and water. They teach the people to use minimal water to wash the dinnerware afterwards.
Tips to Save and Reuse Water Often
1. When using water, open and adjust the faucet to the minimum required flow and turn it off as soon as possible.
2. Showers use 50% less water than baths. Place a bucket under the showerhead to catch the excess water. It can be used for watering plants, cleaning (such as floors) and other uses.
3. Avoid wasting water by using the appropriate load level and amount of detergent for laundry.
4. Install water saving toilets if possible.
5. When drinking water, finish the entire cup or bottle. Decline water refills at restaurants if you do not think you will finish it.
Count, Count, Count and Save, Save, Save on Electricity
1. TURN OFF one light for 5 hours a day and save 2 degrees of electricity a month.
2. CHANGE OUT 2 60W regular lightbulbs for 13 W eco-friendly bulbs, use them only 5 hours a day a save 14 degrees of electricity.
3. UNPLUG! TVs, computers, microwaves, washers, sound systems and more use electricity just by being plugged in. Unplug and save 28 degrees every month!
4. TURN UP your refrigeration to 78 and save 6% every day for 10 hours, saving 9 degrees of electricity.
Tzu Chi Foundation website
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 DONATE WATER, SAVE LIVES!
The Network is organized and throughout the county, but without YOUR help, this will be a difficult year. Currently need far exceeds donations. This is the time to have water drives at your churches, organizations and businesses. At the link below, read more about the needs and find links to maps for the many locations that both accept and distribute water, along with tips for dealing with the heat and for those you might see suffering from the heat.
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Check out our website - www.aecunity.net - for more news, information and opportunities for education, volunteerism and more. In the lefthand column, under "Upcoming Events" you will find current opportunities along with important information on various issues.
Send article and calendar requests to Lita Johnson at aec@aecunity.net
Our phone number is 602-468-3818.
Our new fax number is 602-314-7950.
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Arizona Ecumenical Council
Rev. Jan Olav Flaaten, Executive Director, 602-468-3818, aec@aecunity.net
Arizona Ecumenical Council Earth Care Commission
Rev. Doug Bland, Commission Chair, 480-967-5266, doug.bland@tempeccc.com
Sarah King, Editor, garbageldy@hotmail.com
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