Sunday, December 13th, St. Jude's and other churches will ring their bells 350 times continuously, to draw attention to the need to reduce the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere to 350 ppm. Through the centuries, church bells have been used to sound public alarms. The ringing on Sunday will help alert the public to the dangers of irreversible climate change.
We believe all people are called by God to be stewards of this creation and that it is becoming clearer every day that our planet is in need of greater care. The Greening Ministry of St. Jude's Church mandate is to:
1. gather and analyze information about the current uses of energy and materials in the church buildings and grounds and seek potentially more eco-friendly alternatives, in the spirit of getting our own house in order before we reach out
2. make recommendations to the Council of Ministries on ways to make our buildings and grounds more eco-sustainable by reducing our carbon emissions, use of toxic substances and the production of garbage, and by increasing the proportion of renewable energy usage, recycling and composting.
3. provide helpful information and motivating experiences, including those of worship, to encourage the households and members of the congregation to practice eco-sustainable life styles.
4. the Ministry will be aware of and promote where appropriate and with the support of the Council of Ministries, the eco-sustainability programmes of the Anglican Church of Canada, Ecumenical bodies, civic organizations [e.g. Oakville Green] and government bodies.
This ministry gives expression to the fifth "Mark of Mission", "To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth."
The Coordinator of this ministry is elected by vestry for a term of three years and is a voting member of the Council of Ministries
Working with the Property Committee, we are exploring the advisability of having an Energy Audit conducted. This could tell us what sort of remedial action we might take to reduce our consumption of various forms of energy, and may establish a full agenda for the future.
Related Links:
Faith and the Common Good - www.faith-commongood.net
One Million Acts of Green - http://green.cbc.ca/
David Suzuki's Nature Challenge - www.davidsuzuki.org/naturechallenge
Target Earth - www.targetearth.org
The Story of Stuff - www.storyofstuff.com
Awakening the Dreamer - http://awakeningthedreamer.org
Green Living - www.greenlivingonline.com
OakvilleGreen - www.oakvillegreen.org
Environmental Defence - www.environmentaldefence.ca
Enviroblog - www.enviroblog.org
The Daily Green - www.thedailygreen.com
Groovy Green - www.groovygreen.com/groove
Web Site For anyone interested in sustainability: www.thenaturalstep.org
|
Imagine Creative Communications
