To Inspire and Mobilize

What do spiritual communities have to contribute to the conversation on climate change?

2018-03-15T12:03:00.002-07:00

Photo: Jan Messersmith

There is a bizarre little story from the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Scriptures that just came up recently. The Israelites are out wandering in the desert for 40 years with Moses and God leading them. They keep complaining: “The food is terrible, and the portions are so small!” But that suddenly seems like nothing when they are beset upon by serpents. People are dying of snake bites. So the Israelites come to Moses and say, “We are so sorry we ever complained against you and God. Now please fix this situation!” So Moses goes to God and says, “Um, God? We have a situation here.” And God says, “Make a serpent out of bronze and mount it on a pole. When people get snake bites, they will look at this snake on a stick and they will be healed.”

Which is terrible medical advice, just for the record. But on a metaphorical level, it’s terrific. The thing that is terrifying you? The thing you are running from and denying with all your might? Turn around and stare it in the eyes. Because then it loses its power over you. Then you can figure out exactly what the issues are and start devising ways to deal with them.

Climate change is one of those things we can lift up like a snake on a stick. If we say, “Too scary! Too scary! Don’t want to look it in the face! Don’t want to talk about it!” then we just stay in freak-out mode and don’t actually deal with the problem. That helps exactly no one. The people who look to you for spiritual leadership are already freaking out. They already know it’s bad. Not talking about it, or saying it will all work out in the end, is not doing anyone any favors. But just lifting it up like a snake on a stick and freaking people out is also not doing anyone any favors. We have to look at this snake on a stick and figure out what is our power here?

So what strengths and gifts do we bring, as leaders of spiritual communities, that help empower our people to stare down the snake on a stick?

We know how to talk about greed. Those who market products to us would have us believe that we are not enough—not good enough, not attractive enough, not popular enough—unless we buy their beer, their eyeliner, their car. And then we will suddenly be surrounded by attractive young people playing volleyball on the beach or something. They are selling this image that always starts with the premise that we are not enough. But we have this counter-message, very counter-cultural, that says each person is a fabulous creature, a beloved child of the Divine, and that all those possessions may just get in the way of a good relationship with our Creator and with all of creation.

We know how to talk about lament for what is being lost. Where do people go when someone dies? They put together a memorial service, and even if they are not usually showing up in a community of worship, this is one occasion when they often come. Because we know how to grieve together in community. We know how to support each other in times of loss. And what we’re losing right now is the earth we used to know.

Earth Ministry members at the 2017 Seattle Climate March

We know how to talk about hope, even in the face of what appears to be hopeless. Our hope comes from within, and we are empowered to work out of this place of hope not because we expect to win something, but because it is the right thing to do. Hope is a spiritual practice. If our hope is placed out there somewhere, beyond our control—we hope that the president will fund solar panels for every home in the U.S.—we are setting ourselves up to be passive and to be disappointed. If our hope is instead based out of our spiritual connection to our Creator and all of creation, we are empowered to live into the world that we want to see, whether it actually comes to fruition or not in our lifetimes.

We know how to talk about gratitude and abundance, community and support. We know how to talk about sharing what we have. These concepts are familiar to us. We don’t have to face the challenges of climate change alone.

We know how to talk about power. Joanna Macy talks about the difference between power over and power with. The first creation story in Genesis talks about God giving humans dominion over creation. Many have understood this as free license to do as they please with the planet. But we as spiritual leaders understand that dominion means God created everything, called it all good, and then gave it to us to take responsibility for keeping it good. How counter-cultural a message is that? No, you do not have permission from your Creator to rape and destroy the planet. You are to be a good steward of it. To take care of it. To live in harmony with it.

We as leaders of faith communities can and need to say these things. We need to offer spiritual grounding, moral and ethical frames to center our people in this work, encouragement to help people be their best possible selves, ways of seeing beyond the individual to the greater good of the community and the ecosystem. We can only do this work if we dare to raise climate change like a snake on a stick and stare it straight in the eyes. We can help each other. We can pray, meditate, advocate. We can become the world we want to see.

The Rev. Meighan Pritchard is the pastor of Prospect Congregational United Church of Christ, an Earth Ministry Member congregation.

2018 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

2018-03-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Earth Ministry members deliver
Oil Spill Prevention Valentines

Well that’s all she wrote folks – the Washington State legislative session is a wrap! I am thrilled to share the good news that thanks to the advocacy efforts of people of faith statewide, two of Earth Ministry’s priority bills were passed and are now waiting to be signed into law.

Successes:

Oil Spill Prevention Act, E2SSB 6269

Provides secure and reliable funding for the Department of Ecology’s Oil Spill Prevention Program by expanding the barrel tax to pipelines. Thanks to this legislation, marine protections will be fully implemented and ongoing concerns will be addressed regarding oil spill prevention and preparedness.

Healthy Food Packaging Act, ESHB 2658

Phases out toxic PFAS chemicals from paper food packaging. An added victory is that a companion bill also passed to ban this same class of chemicals in firefighting foam. Washington state is the first in the nation to place restrictions on these chemicals that are linked to a slew of health concerns. We are grateful to live in a state that pioneers protecting the vulnerable.

More to Come:

Equitable Price on Carbon

While Governor Inslee’s attempt to put a price on carbon did not make it through the legislature, the Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy filed an initiative to the people immediately after the bill was pulled. This move is the culmination of over three years of organizing efforts to bring together diverse constituency groups in support of a policy that reinvests in Washington and truly holds equity for impacted communities as its core value. Earth Ministry has been a member of the Alliance Steering Committee since it was founded and we are excited to work with you to pass this initiative this fall. Stay tuned for more ways to get engaged, including opportunities to help collect signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

People of faith from Whidbey Island meet
with their Representative Dave Hayes

Earth Ministry members have had so many opportunities for engagement with their elected officials this year! My top moments from this session were teaching workshops at interfaith advocacy days in Spokane and Olympia, going door to door with Earth Ministry Colleagues delivering handmade Valentines in support of the Oil Spill Prevention Act, watching Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator Leda Zakarison testify at a committee hearing for the first time, and organizing meetings for faith leaders from Whidbey Island to speak with their legislators about chemical safety.

By sharing our stories within a values-based framework, people of faith bring a new depth to legislative action. Earth Ministry’s advocacy efforts encouraged legislators to look beyond bills as solely environmental and instead to consider them as opportunities to uphold the moral choice of protecting communities and creation.

Even though the legislative session is over, our faithful advocacy continues strong! Democracy is like going to the gym – in order to see progress, you must work your democracy muscles more than once a year. So while we certainly deserve to catch our breath and celebrate, we will keep putting faith into action through our upcoming Earth Month activities and initiative campaign efforts. We look forward to partnering with you along the way.

With joy in our shared victories,

Jessica

Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Program and Outreach Director

A More Greening Mission: St. Leo Church Tacoma

2018-02-27T15:48:00.001-08:00

A Church’s Journey in Living out a Dynamic Mission in Solidarity with a Changing World.

St. Leo's L'Honey Project.
Photo: Courtesy Franciscan Volunteers

For those who know of St. Leo’s, they will say that it is an interesting parish and has a unique flavor in the expression of liturgy and the mission of its congregation. Like all congregations we have our own history and expression of what it is to be Church. As it states in 1 Corinthians, the church is one body with many parts. We come together in love and faith to worship our Creator in unique and wonderful ways. Collectively, we all are all called to be the Good News to our world by living out our faith in God.

All of our congregations give expression to that faith we hold in common but express it uniquely! How we “do church” is our faith response to the working of the Spirit in our world. Our faith is expressed dynamically and responds to the needs of our time. We are an expression of the living Body of Christ in the world and in each other’s lives. Because faith is dynamic and the Spirit of God works in and through us becoming that Good News - we have to be open to change. We have to be open to the shifting needs of a suffering world. If our expressions of faith become static and incrusted by routine and habit, we may miss the moving of God’s Spirit. In the Papal Encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1965, it states that we have the “duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel.” This call to duty has been echoed by Popes Benedict, Francis and other church leaders in various ways in more recent times.

Change and keeping up with the needs of our world is difficult, energy sapping and overwhelming. It takes faith. A faith that can build upon our past to address the issues of today and that of future generations.

St. Leo Church has grown and changed over the years. In its earlier days the focus was on providing a faith home and quality education to the local population of arriving immigrants and their children. As the needs of providing parochial education to the community waned, the emphasis shifted to address the growing social concerns of the poor and displaced as the community struggled with urban decay.

The need to provide a place to nurture a healthy faith-life, educate our young and care for our most vulnerable remain a concern we try to address. We continue to build upon the good works of the past, but our understanding of mission and what it is to be church has changed and has grown. We now know that we are called to be Stewards of Creation. We are sisters and brothers with all of Creation. Our God is understood as the God and Creator of All.

With this new understanding we are compelled to broaden our Mission by bringing good news to ALL of Creation, not just the human family! This year, 2018 St. Leo Church is making a commitment to stand in Solidarity with all that God has created. If we are to understand the world as it really is, we need to embrace the concept of solidarity with all that God has made. This understanding does not cheapen or lessen the value of humankind; it gives us a deeper richness to that understanding of what it really means to be human!

Totem Pole Journey at St. Leo's, 2013

As a parish, we really began to be more receptive of the needs of God’s Creation by supporting a cause made known to us by our Lummi Nation Sisters and Brothers in 2013. Master carver Jewell James of the Lummi Nation brought a colorful 22-foot healing totem pole to St. Leo as part of a 1,700-mile journey from Wyoming to British Columbia. The trip was a rolling protest against the potential export of Wyoming coal to China via Northwest ports. This very moving and spiritual event captured the hearts of many and helped continue to weave threads of connections with the created world and all of God’s people. It awakened concerns for the need to end the use of fossil fuels and to find alternatives. Coupled with the parish’s growing honeybee program and this awakening stirred by the Lummi People made clearer our call to environmental stewardship and advocacy.

Since 2013, the parish has greatly expanded its educational/community outreach on care for Creation with its honey bee program – The L’Honey Project. We have instituted parish recycling efforts, improved energy efficiency (a work in progress) and are planning to create a parish greenspace for young and old alike on our church campus! The parish has become more active in clean energy promotion and legislative advocacy in Olympia as well as at the federal level. We are continuing to work in partnership with our Sisters and Brother at Earth Ministry and Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center.

Truly we are entering into a different understanding of our relationship with each other and the created world. We are all knitted together, in solidarity and we will not be pulled asunder.

Peace,

Rick Samyn

Rick Samyn is the Pastoral Assistant for Social Justice at St. Leo Church in Tacoma, WA. St. Leo is an Earth Ministry Greening Congregation.

Grit and Grace

2018-01-09T10:22:00.002-08:00

Jessie Dye is Earth Ministry's Senior Campaign Strategist. She wrote this piece as a reflection on the new year and the new challenges and opportunities it brings. If you would like to receive reflections and updates about Earth Ministry/WAIPL programs directly to your inbox, you can sign up for our email newsletter on our website.

Beloved Community,

The week after New Year’s Day is the most difficult of the working year. In the Northwest, we are in full hibernation mode during the weeks just past the winter solstice, our darkest season. The music, lights, and reunions of the mid-winter holiday are behind us. Nature lies bare with only the tiniest hint of the daffodils to come.

Facing the demands of this new year is formidable as well. In 2017, we confronted and fought our way through horrific environmental decisions made by the current presidential administration – the cannibalizing of our public lands, plummeting US global leadership on climate, and the gutting of the EPA. Attacks on the poor, the ill, and the immigrant are increasing and hate speech is no longer seen by some as shameful. Rising to the challenges of 2018 daunts our most resolute activists.

At Earth Ministry/WAIPL, we pledge ourselves to grit and grace this year.

Grit, because we are in it for the long run and serious obstacles are part of the landscape.

Grace, because it is only with kindness, love, and the presence of Spirit that we are able to reach across the rifts that divide us, here and around the world.

How can we act with grit and grace when our democracy, our heritage, and our children’s future are being robbed in plain sight? Gratitude for each other takes us a long way there, as does compassion for the angry ones, and honest pride in the remarkable successes we’ve accomplished together.

Image: Patrick Wilson on Flickr

This year, we celebrated many victories. Thanks to our shared efforts, decision-makers denied permits needed to build the coal terminal in Longview and have ordered a more in-depth review process for a methanol refinery in Kalama. We expanded the Children's Safe Product Act, ensuring that parents can protect their children from harmful toxic chemicals. And due to public outcry, both the City of Tacoma and Whatcom County paused construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure projects in those communities.

Gratitude goes first to the Native Nations of our region and across the country. Thanks to the Lummi, Quinault, Yakima, Nimiipuu, and Upper Columbia Tribes as well as many others, we have fought terrible fossil fuel projects in the Northwest and won! This beautiful video tells part of the story.

Gratitude extends to our environmental partners, who have open-heartedly welcomed faith leadership into their circles and shared their policy wisdom and resources with us. We are all so much stronger together.

Earth Ministry is particularly grateful to each one of you who said a prayer, preached a sermon, picked up the phone, submitted a comment, attended a hearing, sent a check, made a monthly donation, talked with your family, and sent in a ballot in the last year. Take pride in the good work we have done together. It takes a powerful movement to protect creation, and you are at the forefront of it!

Finally, showing compassion for those who are terrified of change is a powerful moral and strategic lesson from the Civil Rights Movement. In a fast changing world, our kindness is our greatest strength and builds the social bonds we require for a civil society and for long-term care for our common home.

In 2018, Earth Ministry has an absolute commitment to you that we will find the right messages, provide strong leadership, and maintain the stick-to-itiveness necessary to get us though this year with grit and grace. We count on your grit and grace as our beloved partners in the coming journey around the sun.

Blessings to you in the new year,

Jessie

Our Call to Protect Public Lands

2017-11-30T15:06:00.002-08:00

The Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel is the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Olympia, which encompasses all of Western Washington (www.ecww.org). Earth Ministry/WAIPL is proud to partner with the Diocese of Olympia and many of its member parishes to care for creation and advocate for our Native neighbors. He wrote this opinion piece in advance of the Trump Administration's announcement that they will be significantly cutting the size of Bears Ears national monument.

On Monday, the President of the United States is scheduled to visit Utah and is expected to put in motion a process to dramatically cut the size of national monuments in that state and others around the nation. From the Grand Canyon to the Everglades, from Ellis Island to Mt. St. Helens, public lands in our country are, for so many, religious and not, a spiritual and moral anchor, a touchstone of inspiration, honor, and respect. These lands exist not only for our enjoyment and recreation but also to teach us. Our faith compels us to be stewards of the land and to protect these special places.

Five Native nations of the Southwest have worked for decades to establish Bears’ Ears National Monument, which protects almost 200,000 archeological sites as well many places sacred to the People. Recently, all seven Utah Chapter Houses of the Navajo Nation that surround Bears Ears National Monument unanimously came out in opposition to the President, and our government, taking any action to diminish formal protections for this sacred place.

Goose Neck State Park, part of Bears Ears National Monument.
Photo: Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management.

Many Christian denominations, like mine, have, in our history, failed to respect Native culture and religion. I must admit that. And that makes it all the more painful to see Native sacred sites still being seized for mining, grazing, and drilling. I was raised to believe that the theft of Native lands was a thing of the past. Now, very little land remains protected on behalf of Tribal communities. This is already a scar upon our nation and the action being contemplated by our President only makes this worse. Bishops and denominational executives in Washington State wrote letters of apology to our Native neighbors in 1987 and 1997 acknowledging the harm they suffered at the hands of Christians in the past. These faith leaders promised to stand with Indigenous people on behalf of their sacred sites and treaty rights if threatened in the present. That time is now.

Public lands are part of our great American heritage. Republican president and conservationist Teddy Roosevelt recognized the importance of public lands and fought to protect them, in part though the Antiquities Act of 1906. This bipartisan act allows the president to conserve our natural, spiritual, and cultural heritage for our children and all future generations.

There is a saying that “conservationists are the best ancestors.” We are called to be good ancestors, and as people of faith, good stewards, and protect the Antiquities Act, which is under attack by Congress and the Administration. Gutting the Antiquities Act will greatly reduce the power of Native nations to protect Bears’ Ears. It will also make it more difficult for all of us to protect our shared heritage from corporate interests who are so often only concerned about their own gain.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, and the Diocese of Olympia, is proud to have partnered with Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light to stand with our Native neighbors and host Totem Pole Journeys of the Lummi House of Tears Carvers in defense of Northwest Native sacred sites and treaty rights. Now we stand with Tribes across the United States and all of those who value our beautiful and well-loved public lands from further diminishment at the hands of our government. For the sake of future generations, and in the spirit of stewardship of what has been so carefully passed down to us, I encourage all people of good will to call their elected officials and ask them to keep the Antiquities Act intact and to continue to protect the great riches we have in our national monuments and parks.

To read more of Bishop Rickel's writing, please visit his blog at www.bishoprickel.com.

Ecoreformation Resolution

2017-05-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Lisa Therrell is an Earth Ministry Colleague from Leavenworth Washington. She gave this brief speech at the Eastern Washington-Idaho ELCA Synod Assembly in 2015, at which two Eco-Reformation resolutions were adopted. One prioritized ecological justice in light of climate change be included in planning for the 500th anniversary celebration of the Reformation. The other is a commitment to creation care in the life and mission of the Synod. Lisa eloquently connects the call to stewardship with reformation values. Earth Ministry is grateful for her leadership, along with others who are raising up the moral voice for climate action in Eastern Washington!

"My name is Lisa Therrell. I am from Faith Lutheran Church in Leavenworth, Washington. I am retired from a 34 year career with the United State Forest Service, where discussions on climate change science became commonplace towards the end of my career. Our family also has a farm in Asotin County that has been in our family prior to Statehood, where we witness changes to the landscape.

In the Genesis story we read, “And God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”

Flickr: Chris Weber

We know this about the Inland Northwest: a land defined by mountains and canyons, prairie and scabland, forests, rivers, lakes, and fertile fields. We are defined by this landscape, fed by this landscape, renewed by this landscape.

I am here to remind you the Earth is God’s Good Creation worthy of our care. Before you are two companion resolutions. Memorial 1 is directed to the 2016 Churchwide Assembly to make addressing climate change and ecological justice major themes of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Resolution 1 is to this Synod, to advocate for reduced dependence on fossil fuels and to step up our care for creation.

God appointed us to tend the garden. Our failure to care for the garden is a sin against God, a failure to love the Creator with our whole heart. The challenge is clear. We must steadily reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. And we can do it. Our congregation put 96 solar panels on our local Middle School, a sign of the transition we can make to renewable energy.

But what does this have to do with the Reformation? The Reformation was a return to our biblical roots and a call for the renewal of the church and its mission. Theologians have coined the term “Ecclesia semper reformanda” meaning “the church is always to be reformed”. So we can observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation as a “looking back”, but also a “looking ahead” for where the active presence of God’s people is needed in an ailing world.

There are many ways churches can work on ways to reduce their own carbon footprint and to inspire members to do the same. We can be a faith voice in our communities, region, and nation for care of creation. We can lead the way globally as peacemakers and healers of the land, standing in solidarity with those in peril and leaving a positive legacy for unborn future generations.

We are a church of reformers. I ask for your vote in favor of leading an Ecoreformation to save the atmosphere that surrounds our fragile planet while there is still time.

Thank you very much."

From Resisting Religion to Resisting Through Religion

2017-04-12T13:59:00.001-07:00

The following is an article written by Earth Ministry's Outreach Coordinator, Emily Martin, for our Spring 2017 Earth Letter:

I’ve always had a stubborn sense of right and wrong. As a child, I would drive my mother crazy with demands for her to explain injustices to me (usually about how wrong it was that my older sister always got to sit in the front seat of the car). When I finally exasperated my mom with questions about how she could allow such a thing, she would eventually say, “Sometimes life just isn’t fair,” an answer I could never accept.

My passion for fighting the good fight eventually led me to my high school’s debate team, then to an internship with the Washington State Legislature, and finally to non-profit advocacy.

This same fire in my belly is why I initially avoided organized religion like the plague. Like many angst-ridden teens, I viewed religion as an anesthetic that kept people numb and passive to injustice in the world. I thought people of faith viewed suffering as a part of God’s plan and that their motto was that call to apathy: “everything happens for a reason.”

A class on world religions exposed me to the history of diverse faith traditions and began to teach me a different story. Each religion is unique but they share common threads, one of which is that they all tell stories of resistance to oppressive systems of power.

Prophets and other religious leaders have historically been countercultural; the visions they fought for stood in direct opposition to the political status quo of their lifetimes. The most iconic social justice activists of all time were inspired by their faith.

From the earliest Jewish stories of Abraham, Moses, and Deborah to the Hindu non-violent resistance of Gandhi; from the unification of warring tribes under Islam by the Prophet Muhammad to the compassionate yet firm push for Tibetan liberation by the Buddhist Dalai Lama; the histories of world religions illustrate that no oppressive government has stood the test of time once the members of its society collectively realize their power.

The most powerful revolutions history has ever seen were brought about by those who knew that God does not want us to bury our rage with prayer. God calls on us to harness the fire in our bellies, using its flames to consume injustice and leave nothing but that same fire’s illuminating and loving glow.

We are called to action. We cannot sit by idly while the health of our brothers and sisters and that of the environment is degraded for profit. Treating each other and our planet with love and respect is not radical, it is necessary if we are to call ourselves people of faith.

I avoided the faith community for most of my life, thinking that religious folks thought God would take care of everything for them. My exploration of faith has led me to the United Church of Christ where I am a proud member today. My newfound congregation is a justice-driven and advocacy-focused community that both inspires me and moves me to action. I know now that faith groups are the most effective when we recognize that God by any name works through us, not for us.

-Emily Martin
Earth Ministry’s Outreach Coordinator.

Creation Care: A Letter to the Editor

2017-04-05T13:12:00.004-07:00

The following is a Letter to the Editor that was written by one of Earth Ministry’s Alaska members and printed in the Sitka Sentinel:

Genesis 26+: Then God said, “Let us make humankind[c] in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,[d] and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth..."(NRSV)

It’s with intense, deep emotion that I write this letter both as a Christian and conservationist. I am called to speak on behalf of those without a voice - the winged, four-legged, furred, finned, scaled as well as the air, water, soil and plant life. March 28th will be marked as a dark, dark day for Creation. Not only was the Clean Power Plan rolled back by a stroke of President Trump’s pen, but the moratorium on coal mining on public lands was lifted, the EPA directed to not enforce environmental protections and on the heels of Monday’s approval of the Keystone XL pipeline permit.

Flickr: Richard Ricciardi

Additionally, this week the senate joined the house in passing joint resolution 18 and 69, respectively, using the Congressional Review Act. These were sponsored by the Alaska delegation. This legislation allows the reversal of “fair chase” hunting practices in the 16 Alaska National Refuges. It was opposed by 47 national and local hunting and wildlife conservation groups. Now, bear cubs and sows with cubs can be taken plus bears can be baited as well as killed with snares or traps or from an aircraft and wolves/coyotes can be taken during denning season. This violates ethical rules of fair chase and is completely out of line with what the Creator meant by dominion in my opinion.

Our elected officials appear to be influenced by neither science nor ethics, but by powerful forces that are putting profit and greed before reason and the health of our fragile island home. So how can we collectively raise our voices on behalf of Creation and take planet-focused action?

First, join Sitka’s emerging Citizens’ Climate Lobby to advance a national carbon fee and dividend program. A fee is placed on fossil fuels at the source starting at $15 per ton of CO2 and increases each year by $10. All of those fees are returned to American households on an equitable basis. Additionally, a border tariff adjustment is placed on goods imported from or exported to, countries without an equivalent price on carbon. The carbon fee and dividend program moves us towards clean energy keeping pollutants out of air and water and promotes the public’s health and the economy.

Second, learn more about assaults on Creation. Hop on to webinars or read e-newsletters from advocacy groups like Earthjustice, 350.org, League of Conservation Voters, or Alaska Audubon as well as Creation Justice or Earth Ministry to educate yourself about the issues that are putting undue stress on God’s good, green earth.

Third, call your congressional delegation about pending legislation that impacts the health of the natural world that’s been entrusted to us. It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, and our delegation appreciates hearing from Alaskan constituents. Use 5calls.org or submit emails on our Alaska delegations websites to make sure the voice of Creation is heard.

Fourth, pray, meditate, and spend time in Sitka’s bountiful Creation then bring Creation Care issues to your houses of worship for reflection and action.

Finally, join fellow Sitkans on April 29th for the People’s Climate March. Collectively, we need to rise up and boldly and compassionately steward the Divine’s holy Creation.

Lisa Sadleir-Hart

You Are a Prophetic Leader

2017-04-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

The following is an article written by Earth Ministry's Senior Outreach Coordinator, Jessica Zimmerle, for our Spring 2017 Earth Letter:

Early last year I found myself overwhelmed at a conference for young adults in ministry. You know the feeling – that creeping realization that one person can only do so much. A mentor noticed my discomfort and sat down for a conversation that would completely shift my perspective.

He listed five types of leaders: apostles, shepherds, evangelists, teachers, and prophets; then asked which I think I am. Without enthusiasm I guessed the shepherd.

“Interesting,” he said, “I’d rank shepherd low for you. I think you’re a prophetic leader.”
My initial reaction was, “WHOA don’t put that on me!” In my mind, being a prophet meant being the next Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I could easily brush that notion aside with degrading self-talk. I’m not that kind of leader.

With a smile, my mentor encouraged me to consider the prophet differently. Instead of the person whom everyone looks to for inspiration, what about the prophet who creates inclusive spaces to uplift voices that aren’t being heard? How about the prophet with heightened awareness of our interdependence, called to heal where we are broken and celebrate where we’re not? Now that’s more like it!

Nearly one year later I was in a seminary classroom engaged in conversation about prophets. The professor described the prophet as one who sees or hears the present reality compassionately with critical eyes and ears tuned in on a Gospel vision.

Let’s break that down. Prophets are aware of where we are, but know we have a long way yet to go. So they respond, not react, so as to balance criticism with compassion. This approach, one that requires both creativity and collaboration, is encompassed in religious values of justice and peace.

After the class I approached another student and thanked her for being a prophet. Similar to my initial response, she denied her prophetic qualities by saying she wasn’t doing enough activism because she’s a busy mother who is also in school. I encouraged her otherwise, sharing how I am inspired by the beautiful insights and challenging questions she brings to our cohort. She began to cry in gratitude, I hugged her, and we both left the room feeling more resilient.

Can you recall a time when you’ve been the prophet? Instead of downplaying this role, can you claim your prophetic qualities as God-given gifts? How would doing so strengthen your community?

Earth Ministry certainly believes in your prophetic abilities, and we’re happy to remind you that you are making a difference. As members of the Earth Ministry community, you are spreading the prophetic message of creation care, you are implementing creative solutions in your congregations, and you are working together to advocate for policy reform. Even on days when you don’t have capacity for any of that, you are supporting an organization that reflects your values and puts your faith into action.

So, my friends, let’s walk boldly through the world as prophets. Let’s respond with loving criticism and take steps to build a brighter future for all of God’s children. And let’s find strength in knowing we are not alone on this journey.

-Jessica Zimmerle
Earth Ministry’s Senior Outreach Coordinator.

Keeping the Faith Despite the Latest News

2017-03-28T16:37:00.002-07:00

Today you read that President Trump signed an Executive Order reversing the Clean Power Plan and other strong national environmental policies. The bad news is that the president believes that climate change is a hoax, despite the fact that 2016 was the hottest year on record and the third record-breaking year in a row. The good news is the vast majority of Americans in both political parties support building a clean energy economy.

Do not despair and do not lose heart. We have won so much more than we have lost, and the tide of history is turning in our favor. The National Association of Clean Air Authorities reports as of today: 75% of US states are already meeting their 2022 interim greenhouse gas targets under the Clean Power Plan, 20% of states are already meeting their 2030 final targets, and 85% are on track to meet the 2030 targets. In China, where multitudes of people are dying each year from pollution and climate change, the government is aggressively turning away from coal and investing in renewables. No matter what the carbon barons would have us believe, the age of fossil fuels is soon to end.

As people of faith we hold fast to the mystery of hope, especially in this season of death and resurrection. This Executive Order is the last gasp of a dying order, while together we are crafting a just transition to a clean energy future.

Thank you for our shared partnership in this great work,

The Earth Ministry Team

Urgent Standing Rock Update: Act NOW!

2017-02-08T13:34:00.003-08:00

Yesterday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced their intention to issue a permit for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under Lake Oahe –a route that would jeopardize the drinking water and desecrate the sacred lands of the Standing Rock Sioux –as soon as tomorrow. The Army Corps also stated that they would grant the easement without completing an Environmental Impact Statement (an inclusive project evaluation process that allows for public input).

Last December, the U.S. Army Corps found that an Environmental Impact Statement was necessary to determine the safety and environmental impact of the pipeline’s construction, and yesterday’s announcement circumvents this legal process while jeopardizing the health and cultural rights of our Sioux brothers and sisters.

The Department of Defense has direct jurisdiction over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Act Today: Call Secretary of Defense James Mattis at 703-571-3343 and urge him not to grant the easement without a full Environmental Impact Statement that properly consults the Standing Rock Sioux and upholds treaty obligations. If the voice mailbox is full, please keep trying!

Call Script:
"As a person of faith, I am deeply concerned about the welfare of the Standing Rock Sioux people. Granting an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline without first completing an Environmental Impact Statement circumvents an important legal process and jeopardizes the health and human rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. I urge you to ensure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers abides by the processes they set forth in December by completing a full Environmental Impact Statement, while properly consulting the Standing Rock Sioux and honoring treaty obligations."

Thank you for taking action. To read the official Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's press release on the decision, click here.

Beloved Community: DAPL Actions

2017-01-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

Beloved Community,

Tens of thousands of us have stood behind the Great Sioux Nation against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). President Obama rightfully declared that a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required to test the safety of a pipeline that would cross a river providing water to 28 million people.

Now, a president with no mandate has signed executive actions to advance approval of the Dakota Access Pipelines, meaning that tribal leaders will not be consulted on issues that affect them directly. As people of faith and citizens in a democracy, it is our responsibility to speak out against this action for what it is: sinful. It is sinful and illegal to once again disregard the sovereignty and Treaty Rights of Native Americans.

Flickr: Dark Sevier

Our Indigenous neighbors have asked people of faith to speak against the greed of the President and his fossil-fuel infused cabinet. Here’s how:

• Tell the Army Corps of Engineers to support the full environmental review currently underway for DAPL. Remind them that your faith calls you to be careful with creation, protect future generations, and demand justice for Indigenous peoples. Submit a quick comment here.

• Call the United State Capitol switchboard and leave a message for your senators: 202-224-3121 *Especially if you live in RED states or districts*

• If you are near Seattle, come to next week’s City Council Meeting on Wed, February 1 from 9:30 to 12:30. An ordinance will be discussed that would divest $3 billion of Seattle’s money from Wells Fargo to end the city’s relationship with one of the major banks funding the DAPL.

We can do this with love and respect for all God’s children as we say NO to theft of Native sacred lands, our water supply, and our children’s inheritance,

Jessie Dye
Program and Outreach Director
Earth Ministry and Washington Interfaith Power & Light
www.earthministry.org
206-632-2426

Beloved Community: Compassion and Resistance

2017-01-19T13:23:00.003-08:00

Beloved Community,

Flickr: Mumu Matryoshka

We are living through a challenging week. We Americans are standing directly in the path of history and the moral arc of the universe. Everything we do – and don’t do – will make a difference. How do we navigate this very dangerous passage, being true to our faith and to our one and only planet? In deep discernment in the weeks after the election, Earth Ministry has committed to two values that we affirm in our decisions and actions in the times ahead: compassion and resistance.

Compassion
The Golden Rule has iterations in all faiths – the requirement to love our neighbors is a deeply-held religious value. Unfortunately, our neighbor can be a bully and a thief or someone who cheers on bullies and thieves. Our neighbor can condone hate crimes, make racist comments, and denigrate women. Yet as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:

“Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.”

Compassion – in the Buddhist sense – is love combined with wisdom and non-attachment. Compassion isn’t weakness, it is strength beyond measure. It is a positive and powerful force against darkness. Compassion flowed through the Civil Rights Movement, because non-violence requires that we respond to evil with peace. MLK also reminded us that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” The faith community is uniquely positioned to model this kind of meaningful response.

Resistance
Yet we must also resist evil when we see it. Resistance is the ability to set clear limits on the way we and others are treated, and on decisions that affect us all.

Resistance means standing up for justice, speaking out for equality, and putting our faith into action. Resistance has a strategic purpose in protecting our neighbors, our communities, and our common home from harm. It is extremely powerful when carried out in community, though it requires honesty and courage.

We are entering a period when our outspoken and compassionate resistance may have an historic, even evolutionary effect. Our greatest strength as a faith community lies in our deep commitment to care for each other as a way to honor the Creator of life. At Earth Ministry we know that the faith community is up to the challenge of our times.

To begin this profound undertaking, we invite you to gather with Earth Ministry at the Seattle Womxn’s March on Saturday, January 21 at 10am in Judkins Park.

March Start Location: Judkins Park, 2150 S Norman St, Seattle, 98144
10am Start time - arrive, find Earth Ministry (we will try to be at the south end of the park near S. Judkins Street between 21st and 22nd Avenues South.)
10:30 rally/speakers begin
11:00 groups begin marching
End Location: Seattle Center, 400 Broad St, Seattle 98109
Route Length: 3.6 miles

March with us and thousands of others in compassionate resistance to the ugliness taking root in our highest public offices. We are better than this, and our love for each other, our country, and all of creation will see us through. See you on Saturday!

Yours,
LeeAnne Beres
Executive Director

Beloved Community: Two Pieces of REALLY Good News!

2017-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Fabulous Friends of Faith,

Great news! Today, the Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark announced that he is rejecting the aquatic lease permit for the Longview coal export terminal because the company refused to provide basic information about its finances after the bankruptcy of the previous owner, Arch Coal.

For many years Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light – with your help – has been fighting proposals to ship coal mined in Montana and Wyoming through Northwest’s deep-water ports to be burned in Asia. Thanks to today’s decision, we are one step closer to defeating the last of six fossil fuel export projects proposed in the Northwest. Good work, team faith!

And speaking of excellent news, Lummi Nation applauded Commissioner Goldmark and the Department of Natural Resources for honoring the tribe’s request to protect the lands of Xwe’chi’eXen, Cherry Point, by adding 45 acres of aquatic lands to the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve. Lummi was determined to protect this area permanently as it has been their ancestral home and traditional fishing area for millennia.

In May – through the advocacy led by Lummi Nation and supported by Earth Ministry on behalf of the faith community – the US Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for a coal export terminal at Cherry Point. Today’s decision by Commissioner Goldmark to place these acres into an aquatic reserve will protect the area marine habitat and keep future fossil fuel proposals away.

In this dark time of the year and state of our democracy, let this news be a reminder that you can make a difference. The faith community is an important part of the rich partnership that led to these victories. We are grateful to our Native neighbors, to Commissioner Goldmark, and to each of you who contributed to this success in so many ways.

With gratitude and joy in 2017,

The Earth Ministry/WAIPL team

Beloved Community: Take Action for Standing Rock TODAY

2016-12-01T14:57:00.002-08:00

Beloved Community,

For many generations, Native leadership has been at the forefront of protecting God’s creation, often at great sacrifice to themselves. This is especially true for the Standing Rock Sioux, who have stood as peaceful and powerful warriors on behalf of their ancient lands on the Missouri River in North Dakota. They have drawn a line at the Oceti Sakowin camp (the Native name for Sioux) against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) that threatens to poison the water of this great river.

The Water Protectors at Standing Rock are at a crisis point, since the company behind DAPL is pushing hard to complete the pipeline by January 1 at current contract prices. Pipeline owners need the Native resisters out of the way NOW. While the Army Corps of Engineers has issued an eviction notice to the camp as of Monday, December 5, the Corps has since said they will not enforce the action.

The Governor of North Dakota, on the other hand, is not so gentle. He intends to starve the water protectors and freeze them out. While this is nothing new to indigenous peoples of the Dakotas, it is shocking that it is still going on today. Governor Dalrymple is a Presbyterian and we are asking people of faith to write to him this week, urging him to live into our shared religious values, including loving our neighbors as ourselves.

As people of faith of all traditions, we have been asked to join the warriors of Sioux Nation this week by taking these steps:

• Email Governor Dalrymple here (or send a letter to him c/o Office of Governor, State of North Dakota, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505) and ask him desist from attacking the Oceti Sakowin camp— on behalf of our shared faith and care for God’s creation.

• Pray with the Standing Rock Sioux in your faith communities this weekend, as requested by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota tribes (the Buffalo people). He has asked for prayers for the Morton County Sherriff’s Department deputies who have attacked the water protectors, prayers for the Governor and the DAPL pipeline owners, prayers for President Obama, and prayers for the people at Oceti Sakowin.

• Call your Senators today, as precious few have heard from religious voices on behalf of the Water Protectors. Washington’s Senator Maria Cantwell is on the Indian Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate and can be reached at (206) 220-6400. Senator Patty Murray is at (206) 553-5545. If you live outside Washington State, find your senators here.

The Standing Rock Sioux have stood strong against that which will pollute their water and sacred lands. They are no less powerful for their good prayers and peaceful means. May we join them in compassion and resistance.

Jessie Dye

Program and Outreach Director
Earth Ministry
Washington Interfaith Power and Light

Beloved Community: Uplifting Gratitude

2016-11-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Photo by Let Ideas Compete on Flickr

Beloved Community,

Gratitude is one antidote to grief, and both can live in our hearts at the same time. This Thanksgiving we are full of appreciation for so many of our friends, partners, and colleagues who have been heroic models of courage and joy in the past year.

We are grateful for Native American leadership in the Northwest and around the country. Lummi, Quinault, Yakima, and the Great Sioux Nation among many others, have stood in protection of God’s creation, the land and water their ancestors gave them to hold in trust for their descendants. Indigenous people have shown us how to be strong warriors despite terrible losses, how to be resilient strategists, and how to forgive. At this moment, in the middle of several battles for clean water and clean air, tribal communities are in the forefront spiritually, politically, and legally. We are deeply in their debt.

We honor and value the many strong advocates for climate protection who worked hard on Washington’s Initiative 732, a proposal to put a tax on carbon in our state. Though it did not pass, the initiative has been a powerful tool for uplifting climate concerns and bringing home the desire of so many voters to find real solutions to a warming planet. Environ

We uphold the many, many victories that we have won for environmental protection and a healthy future for all God’s children. With your help, Earth Ministry/WAIPL has stopped five of six proposed coal export terminals that would have irreversibly damaged the stability of Earth’s climate. In fact, we and our partners have defeated or seriously delayed 25 different fossil fuel projects in the Northwest! Nationally, the Keystone XL oil pipeline is history, the three largest coal companies in the country have gone bankrupt, and people across the nation are standing with the Standing Rock Sioux. Globally, representatives from 175 countries signed the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the UN and Pope Francis has unleashed a faithful climate revolution. Can you believe this all happened in the last year?

When the future is uncertain, remembering the good we have done gives us strength. Thank you to everyone who contributed even a small act to make these successes possible.

Finally, it is our love, acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude for each other that carries us forward. If you are reading this, you have a special place in our hearts at Earth Ministry. You matter to us, and your support and friendship over so many years has given us life, energy, and the spark of Spirit in our work. Thank you.

Blessings to you this Thanksgiving,

LeeAnne Beres
Executive Director
Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light

Religions for the Earth

2014-10-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Written by Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

Dear friends,

"A peacemaker takes on the causes, not just the consequences."

- The Rev. Jim Wallis

Climate change is a major ethical dilemma facing my generation. This challenge, and the resonating issues of environmental justice within faith traditions, is the passion to which I will devote my life’s energy. For further professional and personal development in this field, and thanks to a generous grant from the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship, I attended the Religions for the Earth Conference at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

The Religions for the Earth Conference was both captivating and inspiring. Interfaith representatives gathered from around the world, each bringing their own unique perspective with the goal of building a collective movement of people fueled by a spiritual essence to combat climate change.

I was in awe of the amount of wisdom shared by global faith and environment leaders, scribbling down notes frantically in an attempt to absorb the abounding knowledge they offered. One specific session I would like to share was the opening workshop that focused on what moves us. Faith traditions met to discuss what creation care means to their spiritual practice, afterwards sharing their main points with the large group.

Buddhism focused on the delusion of separation from the Earth; Islam invoked caring for creation as a form of worship; Indigenous traditions called for Mother Earth to be treated as a relative rather than a resource; Christianity honed in on revitalizing the tradition of stewardship within existing practices; Judaism spoke to the indivisibility of sustainability and justice; Secular Humanists desired connection as one people on one planet; and Indic traditions offered nature as an inspiration to change our own hearts. The collective message was fantastic, presenting unique gifts from each tradition and acknowledging that, although we are not one in the same, Earth is an equalizer and a foundation for interfaith collaboration.

Throughout the conference, I identified three major themes: contemplation, commitment, and action. A main focus of the contemplation aspect was the question of how can we stand in the center of this crisis with love? This question was addressed by acknowledging that love and experience generally proceed caring and action. Building off of this foundation, faith can, in the words of Al Gore, “become a wellspring of energy for transformation.”

Taking time for personal contemplation after each session was also incredibility beneficial. This self-reflection gave me space to personalize what I was learning and ponder further questions, contributing to a deeper understanding of my own beliefs and developing methods to move forward towards action.

Another strength of this conference was the level of commitment articulated by incredibly influential leaders. Terry Tempest Williams set a serious tone by saying that “the eyes of the future are looking back at us, and they are praying that we see beyond our time.” The intergenerational implication of our actions, and the severity of current climate disruption, resonates on a different level when placed within the framework of how our faith values call us to strive for justice in this world. With this motivation, we can breach the identity barriers that may otherwise divide us to strive for a stronger collective commitment.

Not only were commitments implied throughout our discourse, but they were solidified through a powerful ritual. At the closing multi-faith worship service, each speaker shared their personal commitment with the audience and set it in stone by placing a rock on the central alter. Everyone in attendance participated, building a mound of commitments to combat climate change. Personally, I vowed that I would commit my life to this movement and draw strength from this experience when I lack faith, courage, or hope.

The goal of the conference was not simply to engage with one another in conversation, but to prepare strategic ways to put our faith into action. For, as Larry Schweiger said, “it is one thing to know the truth, another to act on it.” The conference aligned with two major international gatherings, the UN Climate Summit meeting and the People’s Climate March, both of which were significant opportunities for faith leaders to show the world that climate change is a moral imperative.

I was one of the 400,000 that participated in the People’s Climate March in New York City. The entire march was historic and exhilarating, but it was especially outstanding to see the faith contingent, 12,000 individuals strong, demonstrate that we are serious about climate action. The collective spirit of the crowd was absolutely electric, providing a space for folks from all walks of life to share in a common vision of a more sustainable future. This global action certainly caught the world’s attention and was an excellent way to take what we discussed in the conference and enact it on the streets.

This experience definitely provided further clarity in my vocational calling for faith-based environmental justice. I left feeling renewed and empowered with hope that, as peacemakers, we can take on the root cause of climate change and strive towards a faith-based paradigm shift.

This experience was invaluable and I am incredibly grateful that I had to opportunity to attend the Religions for the Earth Conference and the People’s Climate March due to the generous support of the Krista Foundation and Earth Ministry. I am excited to continue onward towards a more cohesive global faith network, spreading the good news that religions are indeed for the earth.

In peace,
Jessica

To read more about my experience at the People's Climate March, please click here.

Praying with Our Feet - People's Climate March

2014-10-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

Written by Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

Dear friends,

All of creation is suffering from the injustices of climate change. Unfortunately, increased natural disasters, droughts, and extreme weather have not moved world leaders to create sustainable policy solutions. So it was time we took a different approach to captivate their attention – bringing together 400,000 people at the People’s Climate March in New York City for history’s largest climate demonstration.

After traveling cross-country to attend the inspiring Religions for the Earth Conference at Union Theological Seminary, Earth Ministry/WAIPL Executive Director, LeeAnne Beres, and I were anxious to put our faith into action. Let’s take a moment to set the scene.

Photo credit: Oxfam International

It was a cloudy early morning in New York City. Climate activists crowded our subway ride from Harlem to Central Park. Emerging above ground, we were met immediately by volunteers sharing information, youth handing out signs, and a constant flow of people filing in for the faith-based section of the march. Different traditions were grouped together, each celebrating creation in their own manner. Upon entering the crowded city streets, we cheerfully greeted friends from all across the country and gathered with other affiliates of Interfaith Power & Light.

The energy of the crowd was tangible. As our start time approached, the street was jam packed and the atmosphere became absolutely electric. After the Muslim call to prayer, we stepped off while singing “We Are Marching in the Light of God.” Slowly but surely the 12,000 people of faith joined the larger march, incorporating with the hundreds of thousands others who filled 80 city blocks of New York City.

A mobile mosque and an ark filled with interfaith representatives proudly led the religious contingency. As Al Gore said afterwards, we were "praying with our feet." Some chanted while they marched, others sang danced through the streets. Many proudly held banners and signs with clever phrases, showing where they had traveled from and their motivation to march. Onlookers lined the streets to cheer us on; some acknowledged us directly with words of encouragement.

Throughout the entire march, the passion did not wane. Nearing the end of the route, we were informed that the final block party had reached capacity and were asked to disperse early. Even after the 7 hours we had spent on our feet together, people were hesitant to disband. It truly did feel like the People’s Climate March, and we the people did not want to stop demanding climate action now.

Environmental activism was taken to a whole new level by this global action. Over 675,000 people participated in over 2,500 solidarity events worldwide, including 2,000 individuals that took to the streets of Seattle. This turnout certainly made a statement to the world leaders who gathered at the United Nations Climate Summit the next day and have the power to implement more sustainable policy at next year’s UN Climate Conference in Paris.

Looking back on the experience, I already know it is something I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life. I felt a tremendous sense of empowerment through uniting with folks from all walks of life sharing a common vision of a more sustainable future. It was as if I was lifted up and refueled with hope by the spirit of all who surrounded me, as well as the even larger groups they embodied.

I did not march in the People’s Climate March for myself, but for you – honored to represent Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s members and the values we stand for. People of faith hold the megaphone for the moral voice of climate justice, and we are not afraid to use it. We proudly took to the streets to express our faith and tell the world that each of our traditions call for us to care for creation.

My hope is that we will retain this energy and keep moving forward with persistent zeal, continuing to build the faith community as the ethical base for a climate action. Thousands of creation care advocates caught the world’s attention in New York City; let’s keep up the momentum and continue marching forward in their footsteps towards a more sustainable future.

In peace,
Jessica

To view Earth Ministry's Facebook photo album of the march, please click here.
To view photos of the People's Climate March from across the globe, please click here.

Stommish: Unity, Spirituality, & a Run Against Fossil Fuels

2014-06-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Written by Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

Dear friends,

Grand festivities continue this weekend at the Lummi Nation where tribal and community members are celebrating the 68th annual Stommish Water Festival. Earlier this week, the Lummi hosted a series of public events to raise further awareness about the serious threat that increased fossil fuel extraction and transportation pose to numerous tribes throughout the region.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Stommish Sacred Summit, where I was repeatedly moved by the wisdom of the elders and experts who shared their stories and beliefs about sacred obligation to the environment. Leaders joined from the Plains, the Midwest, and Canada to promote a common message of unity in the face of oppression.

Chief Phil Lane Jr. of the Ihanktonwan Dakota & Chickasaw Nations emphasized that “we are all in this together; we’re only here for a short time…like shadows vanishing before the setting sun.” Building further on the call for unity, Chief Reuben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation encouraged everyone to live in honor of “all our relations, with one heart, one mind, and one prayer.” These powerful messages resonate with this fall’s upcoming totem pole journey in which the Lummi will connect ongoing battles against coal export, tar sands, and the Keystone XL Pipeline.

As the speakers shared their stories, a strong sense of spirituality permeated the longhouse. The silver lining to these detrimental projects, as Chief Lane explained, is that the fossil fuel companies have inadvertently awakened a spiritual giant. In this spiritual springtime, people are coming to the realization that we are all indigenous people to Mother Earth, created to care for our one and only planet. It is this grounded faith that gives us the strength to carry on because, although taking on the fossil fuel industry may feel daunting, “the Creator is much bigger than all of them, that’s why we do the right thing.”

Winona LaDuke of the Abishinaabe Nation is an incredible activist and champion of Native rights. She opened her talk with a saying from the Lakota:

“How long are you going to let others determine the future of our children? Do not operate out of a place of fear, operate out of hope. With hope, all things are possible.”

Hope is crucial to maintain the energy for this battle. Not only hope, but perspective - keeping in mind that the fossil fuel era is a very short blot on the spectrum of history. We currently live in a short-sighted linear economy and must recognize that we are all indeed fossil fuel addicts that have relinquished our agency and found ways to rationalize our behavior. But, if we start to shift back to a more cyclical worldview, we can accomplish the graceful exit from our addiction to consumption and transition to a higher quality of life that we actually desire. LaDuke offered some practical and technical advice for how to achieve this goal, but ended with the reality that “sometimes you have to go outside what is comfortable.”

So I took Winona’s advice, and I ran. Without planning, training, or knowing if I could even make it to the finish line, I ran eight miles from Cherry Point in solidarity with the Lummi. This last minute decision was far beyond my comfort zone, and it ended up being the best run of my life.

This event, the “Sacred Relay,” followed the theme of the summit in being both unifying and spiritual. Folks gathered on the beach at Cherry Point where runners and paddlers were blessed and given a pair of carved prayer staffs, carried by land as well as by water, to eventually be re-united at the Stommish grounds. As we ran, the staff was traded off and filled with prayers, the woods were alive with the sounds of creation, and supporters lifted us up with encouragement. It is difficult for me to place words to what I experienced on that run, but needless to say it was incredibly empowering and I am sincerely honored to have participated.

Our friend Kurt Russo boldly stated that “their evil is mighty, but it can’t stand up to our stories.” That is why these stories, your stories, perseverance, and actions, are such an important piece of our Power Past Coal campaign. Let us continue on the journey together, spreading the epic tale of our collective movement towards a fossil free future.

In peace,
Jessica

Many Faiths, One World: Interfaith Earth Day

2014-04-07T15:21:00.002-07:00

Written by Karin Frank

Outreach Coordinator for WAIPL

More than one billion people worldwide in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. While it is a civic observance, in many ways Earth Day is the first interfaith holiday. April 22 is a day observed around the world by religious communities of all faiths through services and activities. Earth Day does not belong to any one religious or cultural tradition, but addresses something that is central to all faiths – our relationship with our planet and the ecosphere that we all exist within.

Jan Brueghel, Garden of Eden

In the Jewish and Christian traditions, this relationship forms the very basis of human existence. At the very beginning of our scriptures, as humankind is formed from the Earth, we are told that the meaning and purpose of human existence is to “till and to tend” – to live in, care for, and cultivate creation. In Islam, the created order is a sacred prayer to God and an ayat, a sign of the Creator that humans have been created as stewards of. In the dharmic traditions, interconnectedness means that we are a part of a larger web of existence in which we should strive to maintain balance and harmony. All of our faiths, in unique ways, challenge us to live out a healthy relationship with our larger world. Earth Day is an opportunity for people of many faiths to gather around something that is central to all faiths but proprietary to none.

All faiths have wisdom to share on the human relationship with nature, and they all have an obligation to do so. As Iranian-American philosopher and Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr argues, "the environmental crisis is fundamentally a crisis of values." Religions are accountable for the values of the cultures they inform and so they bear responsibility for the impacts of our cultures on the environment.

Learning how to coexist with one another as a global community of diverse cultures and traditions is inherently tied up in how we learn to coexist with the planet we share. Humans do not have a choice but to figure out how to coexist with one another in a way that is in accordance with the well-being of the larger world. Our shared humanity is inherently tied up in our shared residence on the Earth, and intercultural or interfaith work can ignore neither. It is for this very reason that Earth Day was originally envisioned as a day of not only environmentalism but also peace

This year, Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light and Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry, Interreligious Dialogue Initiative, and Campus Ministry are gathering people of many faiths to explore how each of our diverse traditions puts people in touch with the natural world. Speakers from five different communities - an Orthodox rabbi, Muslim community leader, Episcopal priest, Zen Buddhist, and Swinomish tribal elder – will be sharing what their faith teaches about the human relationship with nature. If you live in the Seattle area, we encourage you to join us, and over one billion people worldwide, on April 30, 2014, 4:30-6:00pm, at Seattle University, Student Center 160. For more information, click here.

Making My Daily Bread (Recipe Included!)

2014-03-13T16:16:00.001-07:00

Written by Rev. Jenny Phillips

Minister for Environmental Stewardship and Advocacy

for the PNW Conference of the United Methodist Church

Reblogged from PNWUMC

“Give us this day our daily bread…” this is the line in the Lord’s Prayer that I most take for granted. In my household, when there is a bread shortage, it is because someone forgot to pick it up at the grocery store. But despite my access to bread, I’m going to attempt to bake my own for the season of Lent.

It is easy to forget that the gift of daily bread is dependent on sustainable agriculture, abundant water, and healthy people. It takes an ecosystem to make bread. I trust that the sun will shine and the rain (and irrigation waters) will fall on the wheat fields that provide grain. I have unabiding faith in the industrial bakeries that produce thousands of loaves each day, and in the interstate highway and local road systems that ensure fresh bread as well as ingredients like flour, yeast, salt and oil will be delivered regularly to the grocery stores near my house. I expect to have the money I need to buy this staple. And I don’t have any of the allergies or medical conditions that can make wheat bread dangerous.

With all of this in mind, I’m taking up the practice of breadmaking for the next forty days. My intention is for the process of sourcing ingredients, kneading them together, trusting in the miracle of fermentation, and sharing the results to bring me closer to the Creator who breathes life into the earth that nourishes and sustains us.

Most days I expect I’ll make a basic recipe for whole wheat buns that requires a few minutes of kneading in the evening, a long rise overnight, and 20 minutes in the oven in the morning. Voila–breakfast! But I also plan to experiment with gluten-free breads, in the hopes of developing options for gluten-free communion bread that tastes good even to wheat-eaters.

I’m looking forward to this commitment. For me, kneading creates space for quiet reflection. It is a way to pray with my hands. But I’m also nervous. The idea of making this sort of Lenten commitment feels like a luxury I can hardly afford. My life (probably like yours) is generally busy and complicated. I worry that there will be times when I can’t pull this breadmaking off, but I still want to try. So I’m going to attempt to translate my worry into a deeper appreciation for the challenges of those for whom daily bread is not a given. I’m hoping that if I promise myself some grace at the front end of this season, that will make it easier for me to give grace to others in whatever situations I might face over the next six+ weeks.

I’m planning to post updates on my process along with some theological reflection every so often. If you’d like to bake along with me, let’s be in touch to encourage one another and to share recipes and insights. My starting recipe is below. I like this one because it is flexible–even if you don’t get it exactly right, it still usually turns out okay. Not a bad metaphor for life.

Basic Bread for Lent

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey
¼-½ teaspoon active dry yeast (I use less if I can let the bread rise for 4 hours or more, and more if I only have an hour or two)
2 cups flour (I use a mix of King Arthur white bread flour and locally-grown wheat flour. All-purpose flour works too. This particular recipe works best with at least 50% white or white whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, stir one cup warm water with one tablespoon honey. (If you have an instant-read thermometer, go for around 110-degrees. If you don’t have one, just go for warm.)

Sprinkle the yeast over the honey water.

While yeast becomes active, measure the flour.

Stir the olive oil, salt, and half the flour into the honey-yeast water.

Work in the remaining flour with a spoon, and later, with your hands.

Add more flour as needed. The dough should feel soft, springy, and not too sticky.

Knead for several minutes.

Allow the dough to rise in a bowl covered with a towel, at least one hour or up to 12 hours. The longer the rise, the better the flavor.

Punch down the dough. Form rolls or a loaf. Let it rise again while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake rolls for about 20 minutes, a loaf for about 45 minutes. The top will be brown and the internal temperature will be around 200 degrees (but you don’t have to check it unless you’re fussy like that.)

Eat warm with lots of butter. Share with someone who is hungry for food and/or love.

Why You Should Be an Activist (of Faith)

2014-03-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

Written by Karin Frank

Outreach Coordinator for WAIPL

1. Make big change

Switching out our old school light bulbs for CFLs, biking or busing instead of driving, and eating less meat – individual lifestyle changes – are critical. But they only go so far. When we work together to change the systems we live in - switching out our old school coal fired power plants for renewable energy sources, investing in equitable and sustainable transportation systems, and creating food systems that encourage local, green growing and eating – we vastly magnify our impacts. And like changing light bulbs, all that is needed is for each of us to make our own small effort.

2. Activism is easy

It can take just a five minute phone call to the Washington State legislative hotline (1.800.562.6000), or look for the toll free number in your own state, to tell your legislator that renewable energy is important to you or that you are concerned about toxic chemicals in household products. You don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need to know who your legislators are; you only need to give the hotline your address. You don’t even need to speak about a specific piece of legislation, although it can be helpful. You can spend a day in your state capitol for a literature drop or an advocacy day (such as Interfaith Advocacy Day in Olympia) with an organization that can guide you through the process. Make sure you are on the Earth Ministry/WAIPL mailing list and we can keep you informed of when opportunities come up.

People of faith meet with Rep. Brady Walkinshaw

at Interfaith Advocacy Day 2014

3. Lawmakers want to hear from you

They want to hear from the real, regular people that make up their constituency. Legislators tell us this every time we are in Olympia. They tell us when they’ve been getting phone calls and emails about a specific issue. They love visitors. Lawmakers are real, regular people themselves, especially at the local level. They don’t care if you are an expert on the issues, and chances are they aren’t either. They want to hear your story. They want to know what you care about and why you care about it.

4. Politics is about values

In a political system where too often the focus is the bottom line, our faiths tell stories of a world where people matter more than profits. When we bring our faith language to political action we bring a moral framework that can inspire and motivate citizens and political leaders. Our faiths provide language for us to tell stories about the type of world we want to live in and leave for our children and the type of society we want to be.

5. Faith unites people

…from all over the political spectrum, from across economic divides, regional divides, and racial divides. People who might otherwise see themselves as having very different interests can come together around shared stories and values to work together on issues we all care about.

6. People of faith represent wider communities

People of faith can lift their voices louder by speaking as a community. When you speak as a person of faith, you can act as a spokesperson for a larger community of people who share your values.

7. Your faith tells you to

Our faiths call us to live out our values in the world. They teach us that it is our responsibility to speak out against injustice and for care for all of creation. Our faiths tell us how to live our lives, both as individuals but in particular as communities and societies. Because the political process is how we live in our communities and structure our societies, our faiths demand our engagement.

8. It works

People often bemoan the corruption and inefficiency of the political system that at times listens more to money than to people. However broken it may be, our government is still run and elected by us, and our voices affect real changes every day. Recently, a lawmaker told me that he introduced amendments to a piece of legislation because a single constituent called him with some good suggestions.

Governor Gregoire signing Senate Bill 5769 in 2011 -

Earth Ministry's LeeAnne Beres is on the far right!

In 2011 Earth Ministry/WAIPL, in partnership with the other members of the Power Past Coal campaign, succeeded in passing legislation to close the single largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Washington State, the TransAlta Centralia coal-fired power plant, by 2025.

Just this fall, thousands of citizens testified at hearings opposing the Longview coal export terminal, citing health, environmental, and climate concerns and submitted more than 215,000 comments. The Washington Department of Ecology listened and recently announced that they will be protecting the people of the northwest by taking into account all of the impacts of the coal export process, including the impacts of greenhouse gases and global warming and looking at the entire export process from rail transportation to the burning of the coal abroad. There are thousands of victories, small and large, happening around the world every day because regular people decide to get involved.

The Moral Voice Against Toxics

2014-02-26T15:24:00.000-08:00

Written by Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

Dear friends,

Earth Ministry/WAIPL continues to fight the good fight by storming the steps of the capital this Legislative Session. As the session progresses, we are getting more creative with our faithful advocacy to ensure that our elected officials know the importance that these bills hold for the faith community - my favorite was a Valentine's Day Lit Drop in which we delivered handmade valentines asking Senators to have a heart and support the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act, as well as ones thanking our rock star Representatives who already voted yes on the bill in the House.

We have also attended hearings to advocate for strong toxics legislation in the Senate Energy, Environment, and Telecommunications Committee. I want to share my testimony with you because, as the moral voice on this issue, it is important that we continue to articulate the values behind our campaign about why this is an issue of faith and stewardship.

My name is Jessica Zimmerle. I am a lifelong Lutheran, a recent graduate of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and a current staff member at Earth Ministry through a year of service with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I oppose SB 5984 and SB 6540 as written because they do not create a long-term systemic solution to the injustice of toxic chemicals in our homes.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is currently affirming our mission with a “God’s Work, Our Hands” campaign; which is why I am here today to put my faith into action by supporting a strong Toxic Free Kids and Families’ Act that bans all chemicals of high concern and stops the toxic treadmill. I am advocating for effective protections against the use of harmful flame retardants because my faith calls me to be a good steward of God’s creation and to stand up for vulnerable populations, including children.

As a future mother, I want strict limits on the chemicals in the products in my home. I have, at the age of 22, already watched friends lose battles with cancer, and I cannot imagine how these tragedies will escalate in the future if you, our State Senators, do not protect citizens from harm that we cannot control. The presence of dangerous and unnecessary toxics in children’s products and family furniture actually makes me question whether or not I feel safe having children because of my inability to protect them from the world they would inherit.

You have heard the frightening scientific risks of these toxics. I am here to remind you of your moral responsibility to protect your constituents. You wouldn’t let your baby play around with a bottle of bleach, so why is it acceptable to ignore the invisible flame retardants that permeate our homes? How can we stand by when we do not know what types of cancer, learning disabilities, and reproductive harm will result from the toxic cribs, car seats, and couches that Washington’s children and grandchildren come into direct contact with every day?

The burden will inevitably fall on my generation to bear the impacts of the decisions you make now. Please prioritize the health of our families by ensuring that toxic flame retardants stay out of our homes. This is a moral responsibility that only the legislature can fulfill. Thank you for your time.

A weakened version of ESHB1294 passed out of this committee today. The good news is that this bill can still be strengthened to phase out of the worst flame retardants and create a system to prevent them from being replaced with equally toxic chemicals. It is time to raise up our moral voice and be sure that our Senators know that our families and firefighters deserve better. It only takes a moment to ask your Senator to restore ESHB 1294 to its strong original version, and it will make a world of difference for the well being of future generations.

In peace,
Jessica

*If you are unfamiliar with Earth Ministry/WAIPL's legislative priorities this session, please check out the previous blog post entitled "Faithful Advocacy in Action."

Faithful Advocacy in Action

2014-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Written by Jessica Zimmerle

Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

Dear friends,

As we settle into the new year, we take time to reflect upon our past, learn from our experiences, and look forward to what we will accomplish in the year to come. January is a brisk month when we can embrace the opportunities for growth, adventure, and hope that come with this fresh start as we begin to put our resolutions into action. It is also a good time to ponder how we carry out our values in our daily lives. An excellent way to do so, and to put our faith into action, is by advocating for safe policies that benefit our communities as well as the environment.

Here at Earth Ministry and Washington Interfaith Power and Light, we have kicked off the new year with great enthusiasm for faithful advocacy during the Washington State Legislative Session. Each week, Earth Ministry staff and members are heading down to Olympia to speak up in support of legislation that embodies the core values of our faith. We are filling the hallways of the capitol buildings with catchy phrases like "care for creation," "faithful advocacy," and "good stewardship" to ensure that our representatives know what the faith community is concerned about.

The issues that Earth Ministry has prioritized this Legislative Session are ones that directly influence many of our members and resonate with our desire for environmental justice. Our first priority is the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act (HB 1294), which would phase out the toxic flame retardants that currently infiltrate our homes in children's products and furniture. We are also collaborating with the Environmental Priorities Coalition to close the big oil tax loophole (HB 2465), an accidental tax break that Big Oil has taken advantage of to avoid $41 million of their fair share of taxes. Rather than continuing to allow Big Oil to profit from this loophole, we are advocating for that tax revenue to be reinvested in community-based priorities, like education. Finally, we are supporting the Oil Transportation Safety Act (HB 2347) to protect our communities and waterways in light of the unprecedented increase in crude oil being transported through our state. Please see our website for more information on each act.

On a personal note, I must admit that participating in the Legislative Session is a completely new experience for me, and I have already asked myself multiple times why I did not get involved sooner! Although the legislative process seemed rather daunting at first, there is something quite exhilarating about providing input so that elected officials can better represent their constituents. After all they need to hear from us, as this is the core of democracy; and it is encouraging to feel how much the legislators appreciate us taking the time to address these issues and ask for their support.

The most exciting part so far was that last Wednesday, one week after we delivered literature to every legislator, the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act passed the House of Representatives with a 72-25 vote. This is a huge bipartisan accomplishment considering that last year's vote on the exact same bill was 53-44, a success that fills me with hope and fuel to carry on with the good fight!

So, does this all sound like fun or what? If you would like to get involved, we'd absolutely love to have you join us at one of our upcoming Capitol Drop-in Days!

Wednesday, February 5, 10:00am-2:00pm

Friday, February 14, 10:00am-2:00pm

Please contact us at 206.632.2426 or email Jessie@earthministry.org for more information and to RSVP.

I want to emphasize that each time Earth Ministry/WAIPL steps into the capitol building, we are representing YOU as we make known the values of our membership to our state legislators. The faith community is an incredibly powerful moral voice and we thank you for joining us in standing up for responsible creation care.

In peace,
Jessica

If you would like to follow the Toxic-Free Kids and Families Act online, please click here.

It Ain't All about Trees: Bringing Tu B'Shvat Full Circle

2014-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Written by Yaira A. Robinson

Reblogged from our friends at the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy

The Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat is not what it used to be. Increasingly referred to as the “Jewish Earth Day,” it offers a good example of a religious observance that has grown and changed over time—in interaction with and response to current challenges and community needs.

I first learned about Tu B’Shvat’s history from Nigel Savage at Hazon’s annual Food Conference a little over three years ago. He described four different incarnations or movements of the holiday, beginning with "The New Year for the Trees" and a tax on fruit- and nut-bearing trees during Temple times. After the Temple was destroyed, the community didn’t really know what to do with this holiday that had centered so much on the religious infrastructure that the Temple and its priests offered, and so the holiday went dormant for a while. A long while.

Fast forward to the 16th century in what is today northern Israel, where a young rabbi named Isaac Luria led a revival of Jewish mysticism in Safed. He and his community re-imagined Jewish prayer, practice, and traditions—among them, Tu B’Shvat. The second movement of this holiday, then, has its roots in Luria’s community, which brought to Judaism a Tu B’Shvat seder that ascribes multiple layers of meaning to a new holiday tradition of eating fruits and nuts from the land of Israel.
The third movement of Tu B’Shvat is closely connected to the founding and early years of the modern state of Israel. Picking up on the concept of a New Year for the Trees, a tradition of planting trees—especially in the land of Israel—was born. The metaphor of establishing roots was especially appealing to a people still reeling from the horrors of the Holocaust, and longing for a place to call home.

Today, Tu B’Shvat is undergoing another transformation—one that, as Dr. Ari Elon notes in this article, expands the holiday’s concerns to encompass the whole planet. Tu B’Shvat as the Jewish Earth Day was born out of recent awareness of environmental degradation and concerns about global warming. It has become a day when increasing numbers of Jewish leaders and communities reflect on climate change and other environmental concerns, and consider appropriate Jewish responses.
In this new movement of Tu B’Shvat, people are creatively weaving together strands from previous movements. Tu B’Shvat seders—from the mystical movement—are becoming more popular, though ecologically-conscious Jews in the U.S. might add to or even replace the traditional fruits and nuts from the land of Israel with local foods. Planting trees in Israel is still popular, although many Jews in the U.S. now also plant trees here at home.

This fourth and most recent movement of the holiday is creating some traditions of its own, much of them focused on trees and nature. People go on nature walks, introduce children to the wormy world of food composting, and lift up Jewish teachings and practices that center on connecting with the earth and protecting it as God’s creation. All of these things are good—but they are missing a crucial element, one that Dr. Elon says was the motivation behind the first incarnation of Tu B’Shvat: concern for the poor.

One of the challenges the environmental movement faces is its association in popular imagination with—wait for it…—tree-huggers. We know that climate change will have/is having devastating impacts on glaciers and trees, polar bears and frogs. But we also know that climate change will have/is having devastating effects on people. Especially poor people.

If we are right now in a process of reimagining Tu B’Shvat as a religiously-rooted Earth Day, then into this reimagining we need to better incorporate the central priority of the original observance: making sure that the poor, the widow, the orphan—those on the bottom rungs of society—are cared for by the rest of the community. If Tu B’Shvat was originally a tax whose offerings were redistributed to those in need, then how can we reimagine that practice as part of the holiday’s new, environmental focus—and wouldn’t that, in a way, faithfully bring the holiday full circle to its origins?

Might we collect donations for organizations working on the front lines of global warming impacts—for example, with climate refugees? Plant trees in areas that have been hit by floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes made worse by climate change? Educate our communities about disproportionate impacts on the poor? Advocate for environmental justice in all the places we consider home?

This Tu B’Shvat, I am bringing locally-grown nuts and fruits to a potluck lunch at the office. It’s an interfaith organization, so I’m also bringing an explanation of the holiday and a short, fun video about Honi the Circle Maker. Maybe later in the afternoon, I’ll go for a walk outside with my kids. I love the tree-hugging aspects of Tu B’Shvat. I’d just like us to more actively be hugging people, too.

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Here's an example of a great environmental justice-themed reflection on Tu B’Shvat. Thank you, Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt.

The above photo used courtesy of Joaquin Martinez via Flickr Creative Commons.