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About
the
Earth
Action
Team
The Earth Action Team (EAT) works with the Congregation to explore our relationship with the Earth.
The Earth Action Team focuses it's energy in three ways:
- Education:
Exploring
religious
and
spiritual
issues
related
to
the
environment,
including
its
overlap
with
social
justice;
- Church
Action:
Examining
the
environmental
choices
we
make
as
a
Congregation,
as
families
and
as
individuals,
looking
for
opportunities
to
improve;
and
- Action
Beyond
the
Church:
Reaching
out
to
affect
issues
beyond
our
Church
community.
In the first category, we explore some of the Biblical and scientific issues associated with the Earth and our role in it. We address questions such as what the Bible says about our place in the environment and relationship to it. For example, did God give us dominion over the Earth? What does this mean? How does our relationship with the Earth and its creatures relate to our obligation to our fellow humans?
Second, we examine our own actions and the operations of the Church to determine how well we are doing by these standards. In particular, we look at waste, recycling and energy use at the Church to determine if there are prudent ways that we can reduce our waste stream and energy use. This could include identifying opportunities for use of more recycled paper (including the providers of the bulletins for Sundays), composting and other steps. We hope to coordinate any ideas we develop with the folks working on the Church’s facilities and landscaping. We may seek available grants from the County and others to assist in this effort. In addition, we hope to be able to present information and ideas for home energy savings and "green" steps to allow people to further act on their beliefs (and possibly save money during this period of high utility costs).
Third, we regularly identify one issue regarding which we will send a letter, comments or other support from EAT and other members of the Congregation. For example, for the next couple of months, we hope to send comments regarding (1) the proposed relaxation of the Road less Rule that protects areas of our National Forests from development and (2) ongoing indiscriminate and inadequately mitigated gas drilling on habitat and other lands in the West. We invite speakers (including Bob Castellino, who has been taking moving photos about the costs of unmitigated drilling) to provide slide shows and talks about these and other critical issues. It is hard to keep up with the many causes that are worthy of support and we want to help filter some to let the Congregation know about a good sample of some of the most pressing issues.
We welcome any feedback, ideas and fellowship on these activities and welcome anyone who wishes to help. In particular, we welcome youth involvement, because they have the greatest stake in these issues insofar as they will live with the consequences of our decisions the longest. EAT is a great way for youth to get involved with the Church and the community and should involve a number of learning opportunities.
Spiritual
Education
-
We are committed to educating ourselves about the spiritual aspects of Earth stewardship.
- Monthly Meeting at Southside Walnut Cafe
- Discussions on Global Warming
- Earth Prayers - included in our monthly Echo newsletter
- Earth Actions - ideas for Earth stewardship included in the monthly newsletter
- Simple Living Lenten Program - In the Lenten season of 2005, Community UCC studied simple living. "Lent is all about seeing the direct effect of faith in your life and disciplining yourself," said Pastor Pete Terpenning. "What could be better than simple living? That's what Lent is about, putting your faith into action."
- "Oil
on
Ice"- The Earth Action Team sponsored the Sierra Club documentary on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photographer Robert Castellino will present aerial photographs made flying over the Roan Plateau and the San Juan Basin with Eco Flight on the Kestrel Project. We wrote letters to our Senators and let them knowour stand on these important issues.
- "Genesis - Our Place and Purpose in Creation" - study group with Peter Sawtell
Earth
Actions-
The
following
is
a
list
of
actions
that
we
have
taken
(with
parentheses
afterward
indicating
time
implemented),
and
a
list
of
ideas
proposed
for
future:
- Install photovoltaic panels (2006-2007)
- Host An Inconvenient Truth (October, 2006)
- Install energy-saving flourescent lightbulbs in church (2005/2006)
- Celebrate Evolution Sunday (2006, 2007)
- Install energy saving thermostats (Winter 2005)
- Earth Actions column in the CUCC monthly newsletter, The Echo.(ongoing)
- Simple
Living study group (Spring 2005)
- Install composting bin. (Spring 2005)
- Write
letter
to
CDOT
about
plans
to
widen
Interstate
70
(May
2005)
- Propose
to
make
our
church
sustainable
by
2014
(Spring
2004)
- Celebrate
Mother
Earth
Day
and
plant
a
tree
and
flowers
(Spring
2004)
- Support
two
Colorado
ballot
initiatives
that
passed:
Renewable
Power
and
FasTrac
for
Public
Transportation.(Fall
2004)
- "Oil
on
Ice"
-
educational
slide
show
and
movie
on
oil
and
gas
drilling
on
Roan
Plateau.
(Spring
2005)
- Investigate the Valmont Butte Proposal
- Study "Our Place and Purpose in Creation" with Peter Sawtell
- Buy compostable cups, forks, spoons.
- Install in-floor radiant heating to save energy (2001)
Plans
- Get Bulletins printed on recycled paper
- Adopt
a
Trail
- Community
Supported
Agriculture
- Examine
impact
of
individual
life
choices
on
the
natural
environment.
- Create a LifeCycler composting garden at CUCC. TO be designed with help of artists of CUCC, this garden would celebrate recycling and the creation of soil, the foundation of a healthy garden.
-
Adopt
Bear
Creek
as
a
local
neighborhood
Eco-Justice
activity.
-
Connect
with
Boulder
Open
Space
volunteer
projects
in
the
vicinity
of
CUCC.
-
Involve
Youth
in
community
service
projects
such
as
installing
insulation
on
water
heaters
for
those
in
need
such
as
elderly
poor.
Web
Sites
Ecojustice
Ministries - ecumenical web site that helps churches answer the call to care for all of God's creation, and develop ministries that are faithful, relevant and effective in working toward social justice and environmental sustainability.
Interfaith Power and Light - Their mission is to engage and support people of all faiths to respond to serious environmental challenges of energy consumption, so that we can become more faithful stewards of the Earth.
EarthMinistry
-
their
aim
is:
"Helping
Individuals
and
Congregations
Connect
Christian
Faith
with
Care
for
the
Earth."
This
web
site
contains
lots
of
resources
for
child
and
adult
education.
National
Religious
Partnership
for
the
Environment
-
Its
four
founding
partners
include:
The
U.S.
Catholic
Conference,
the
National
Council
of
Churches
of
Christ,
the
Coalition
on
the
Environment
and
Jewish
Life,
and
the
Evangelical
Environmental
Network.
Creation
Care
-
Web
site
of
Evangelical
Environmental
Network
&
Creation
Care
Magazine
10
Principles
of
Creation
Spirituality
-
from
Trinity
United
Methodist
Church,
inspired
by
Matthew
Fox.
ChristianEcology.org
-
Colorado
Environmental
Coalition
-
Coloradans
united
to
protect
our
natural
heritage
and
quality
of
life.
Elise
Jones,
Executive
Director.
Volunteers
for
Outdoor
Colorado
-
This
organization
is
dedicated
to
promoting
and
enabling
citizens
and
visitors
to
be
active
stewards
of
their
public
lands
in
Colorado.
They
do
this
by
helping
volunteers
to
get
out
on
a
trail,
on
a
greenway,
in
an
urban
garden,
on
a
peak
--
and
working
to
preserve,
protect,
and
maintain
our
state's
valuable
natural
resources.
Web
of
Creation
-
an
interdenominational/interfaith
organization
working
to
provide
on-line
environmental
resources
for
faith-based
communities.
They
believe
religion
is
a
crucial
factor
in
issues
of
ecology
and
justice.
God's
Earth
is
Sacred
-
an
open
letter
by
the
National
Council
on
Churches.
Globalresponse.org
-
this
Boulder-based
organization
seeks
to
empower
people
of
all
ages,
cultures,
and
nationalities
to
protect
the
environment
by
creating
partnerships
for
effective
citizen
action.
David
Suzuki
Foundation
-
works
to
find
ways
for
society
to
live
in
balance
with
the
natural
world
that
sustains
us.
Earthday.net
-
Check
out
their
ecological
Footprint
quiz
to
measure
your
impact
on
Earth's
resources.
BioGems
-
Send
an
email
to
help
protect
unspoiled
places
in
the
Americas
facing
imminent
destruction
from
development.
This
is
an
effort
of
the
Natural
Resources
Defense
Council
(NRDC)whose
mission
is
to
safeguard
the
earth.
Earth,
Soil,
Garden
Quotations
Suggested
Reading
and
Viewing
- Greening
Congregations
Handbook:
Stories,
Ideas
and
Resources
for
Cultivating
Creation
Awareness
and
Care
in
Your
Congregation.
- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
- Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn
- God is Green: Ecology for Christians by Ian Brodley "There can be little doubt that the threat posed by human exploitation and pollution of the natural environment is the most serious problem facing the world..."
- Simpler
Living,
Compassionate
Life:
A
Christian
Perspective
- Web
of
Life:
A
New
Scientific
Understanding
of
Living
Systems
by
Fritjof
Capra
- A
Sand
County
Almanac,
Aldo
Leopold
- The
Dream
of
the
Earth,
Thomas
Berry
- Earth Prayers From around the World: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth
by
Elizabeth
Roberts
-
This
is
an
ecological
celebration
of
365
prayers
for
the
Earth
from
cultural
and
religious
traditions
worldwide.
This
book
includes
prayers,
poems
and
invocations.
- Spirit
and
Nature
-
In
this
video,
Bill
Moyers
interviews
major
religious
leaders
including
Dala
Lama,
Native
American
Elder
Audrey
Shenandoah,
Protestant
Theologian
Sallie
McFague,
Jewish
history
professor
Rabbi
Ishar
Schorsch,
Islamic
Studies
professor
Seyyed
Hossein
Nasr,
and
J.
Ronald
Engel,
professor
of
social
ethics.
This
video
gives
a
deep
ecumenical
religious
basis
for
environmental
conservation.
- The
Sacred
Balance:
rediscovering
our
place
in
nature,
-
David
Suzuki.
This
famous
Canadian
biologist
shows
how
spirituality
and
science
are
needed
to
restore
the
Earth
to
health.
- Diversity
of
Life
-
E.O.
Wilson
-
This
biologist
talks
about
the
importance
of
biodiversity
to
global
sustainability
and
the
interrelatedness
of
life.
- Antarctica,
Kim
Stanley
Robinson.
This
science
fiction
novel
set
in
Antarctica
of
the
near
future
shows
how
humans
have
weighted
down
life-ship
Earth
to
below
the
Plimsoll
line,
the
line
on
boats
that
shows
the
cargo
is
too
heavy.
One
of
the
heros
of
the
story,
Ta
Shu,
shows
the
importance
of
the
spiritual
connection
to
the
Earth.
He
advocates
the
fusion
of
modern
science
and
spirituality
to
create
what
he
calls
"Knowing/Loving"
as
a
motivation
to
preserve
the
Earth's
biosphere.
Mother Earth Day Celebrations
- Mother Earth Day, 2007
-
Creation
Sunday,
April
24,
2005
- Childrens' time about caring for forests
- Inauguration of church's composting bin
- Slide
show
of
beautiful
wild
places
by
Bob
Castellino
- Mother
Earth
Day,
Sunday,
May
9th,
2004.
- Bob
Castellino
presented
a
slide
show
by
entitled
"We
are
the
Keepers
of
the
Earth"
- Tree-planting. Adults and children helped plant the tree.
- Elise
Jones,
the
Executive
Director
of
Colorado
Environmental
Coalition,
spoke
about
"What's
Important
Now
–
What
we
can
be
doing
for
the
environment."
- Children
planted
flowers
for
Earth
Day
in
the
front
gardens.
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