Creation Care Resources

 

The Episcopal Church in the Bay Area seeks to restore and strengthen our relationship with “this fragile earth, our island home” and the rest of life that inhabits it. Our immediate concern is climate change and our moral responsibility as people of faith to address environmental degradation. We strive for a deeper understanding of the spiritual dimensions of ecological problems, and we work to enable Episcopal congregations to become centers of ecological understanding, action, and healing.

Season of Creation

The Season of Creation, September 1st through October 4th, is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation. The Episcopal Church joins this international effort for prayer and action for climate justice and an end to environmental racism and ecological destruction. In celebrating the Season, we are invited to consider anew our ecological, economic, and political ways of living.

September 1 is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation!

For this day and throughout the Season of Creation, we invite you to utilize these resources for your congregations:

  • SeasonofCreation.org – this is the primary website for materials to observe the Season of Creation from September 1 through October 4. Bishop Marc Andrus is on the Advisory Board for this organization.
  • Liturgical resources from the Episcopal dioceses of Massachusetts and W. Massachusetts. These materials are gathered in one document to go with materials from seasonofcreation.org.
  • More liturgical materials for the season can be found at greenanglicans.org. Under the tab RESOURCES at the top are tabs under “Liturgical Resources” and one of these dark green buttons says “Season of Creation.”
  • Creation Care Collective starts free program for churches on September 8. Creation Care 101 is a free program, toolkit, and community building resource, designed to educate and engage churches in the work of caring for the earth.
  • Watch a workshop on resources for the season.

Quick Links:  Frequently Visited Sites

  • sustainislandhome.org — The Episcopal landing page for the carbon tracker, Sustain Island Home. This is where to set up an account, log back in to an existing account, or see how much progress Episcopalians have made to reduce our collective carbon footprint.
  • diocal.org/climate — The “go-to” page for use of the carbon tracker, with presentation materials, how-to videos, etc.
  • episcopalchurch.org/creation-care — The main creation care resource page of the wider Episcopal Church. Contains links to programs, organizations, and grant opportunities.

Worship Resources

  • https://www.interfaithpower.org — California Interfaith Power & Light offers information about current events relating to public awareness of climate change, prayers and bulletin inserts, and resources for approaching climate change as a justice issue.
  • fore.yale.edu — A rich collection of articles, links, news and events created by the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.
  • holyhikes.org — An eco-ministry based in the Bay Area with chapters nationwide.  The ministry “seeks God in nature by celebrating Eucharist one footstep at a time.”
  • seasonofcreation.org — Season of Creation (Sept 1 to Oct 4) liturgical and formation resources. The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation. It is celebrated by Christians of all traditions. Leaders of faith traditions, including Bishop Marc Andrus who is part of the Season of Creation Advisory Committee, encourage the faithful to participate through events, service, and worship.
  • Prayer cards  —  Prayer cards for spiritual practice. The Episcopal Church delegation to the annual UN Climate Conference (COP) often uses these to ground and guide their work.
  • Honore Farm Church Flour CSA Program — A subscription available to churches from a local, sustainable farm with roots in the Episcopal tradition. Provides fresh, stone-milled flour from heirloom grains for Communion bread, along with seasonal meditations, grain for blessing at the altar, and, soon, communion wafers.

Resources for Support of Diocesan Creation Care Resolutions

Carbon Offsets

  • United Airlines partners with Conservation International, a nonprofit focused on protecting forests and oceans while ensuring economic stability for indigenous peoples, to market carbon offsets to the flying public.
  • Delta Airlines offsets support forestry conservation and restoration while empowering local communities to transition into sustainable livelihoods.  Both United and Delta figure flight-specific offsets (miles flown does not translate exactly to pounds of CO2 produced; there are other variables) and both airlines offer offsets whether or not you are flying with them.
  • The Good Traveler — A simple, straightforward site; nonprofit; easy to use.
  • Terrapass is similar to Sustain Island Home in terms of letting you evaluate your entire carbon footprint, but it does not incorporate regional variation as our endorsed carbon calculator does, and there are several areas it does not evaluate. But Terrapass is a good resource for offsetting air travel, automobile travel, etc.
  • Cool Effect offers a range of project types, including those mostly likely to reliably reduce emissions over the long run.

 

Vendors of Alternatives to Single Use Plastic Products

Advocacy Resources

  • episcopalchurch.org/creation-care/episcopal-vision — A description of The Episcopal Church’s Vision for Creation Care, with descriptions of the environmental resolutions passed at the 79th General Convention.
  • wearestillin.com — America Is All In is a partnership of over 3500 states, cities, corporations, faith organizations, and tribes, organizing to ensure that the United States stands by its commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • citizensclimatelobby.org — Citizens Climate Lobby is a non-partisan, grassroots lobbying organization advocating for legislative solutions to the climate crisis.
  • lcv.org — The League of Conservation Voters is an advocacy organization which organizes actions and lobbying efforts, and maintains a scorecard of Congressional voting records on the environment.
  • 350.org — 350.org is an international organization focusing on community-based clean energy deployment, cessation of new fossil fuel developments through community resistance, and divestment.
  • ucsusa.org — The Union of Concerned Scientists combines rigorous science, technical assessment, and advocacy to find an implement solutions to protect the planet.