Plymouth Congregational Church - Caring for Creation

About Plymouth

This Working Group meets the first Sunday of each month, 12 Noon to 1:15 p.m.

Other events –

Sunday, May 18 – Additional listening sessions on the proposed statement on environmental sustainability over lunch in the Lenmark Dining Room. Look for specially marked tables and join us for lunch.

Sunday, June 8 – There will be a Green Festival/Sustainable Living Fair at Plymouth following 10 a.m. worship. Watch for details.

Details on Caring for Creation plans and activities [PDF].

Calendars of local events

SEEK – Environmental education events for all ages.

A potpourri of resources

New American Dream – This site helps Americans consume responsibly, with information on stopping junk mail, kids and commercialism with tips for parenting, institutional purchasing, carbon offsets, socially responsible investing, home cleaning, cars, CFL's, computers and much more.

"Ecotheology and World Religions" [PDF] – An article by Jay McDaniel, who was hosted at Plymouth by the Plymouth Center in March 2007.

Earth Day Footprint Quiz
Ever wondered how much "nature" your lifestyle requires? You can find out here.

Fresh Energy
"Fresh Energy is leading the transition to a clean energy system by harnessing research, advocacy and community engagement." Many interesting links.

Grist Magazine
"The nation's largest and most respected online environmental publication — 'a beacon in the smog.' Its news and analysis are delivered with a sly dose of humor..."

"The Crossroads of Climate Change"
Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, 2001.
This on-line article describes the probable responses of the flora and fauna to global warming, specifically in Minnesota.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe by Elizabeth Kolbert. This book is a good primer on global warming.

"Energy's Future Beyond Carbon," Scientific American special issue, September 2006. An excellent overview with nine articles on realistic solutions for a sustainable world. Available here, digitally or in print.

"Vegetarian is the New Prius," Organic Consumers Association, 2007. An on-line article. "The U.N. report says almost a fifth of global warming emissions come from livestock ... that's more emissions than from all of the world's transportation combined."

The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery. A book on global warming, he's impassioned and clearly explains the science.

Shopping: The Moral Ecology of Consumption
[PDF], an article by James J. Farrell.

Ecotheology and World Religions
[PDF], an article by Jay McDaniel.

(Jim Farrell and Jay McDaniel, authors of the above two articles, spoke at Plymouth in 2007 as guests of the Plymouth Center.)

The Minnesota
Energy Challenge

Join hundreds of others in the interfaith movement in taking the Minnesota Energy Challenge, which educates people about the actions they can take to reduce their own energy use.

Tips for taking the Challenge on-line:

If you filled out the paper form and returned it, please don't do it on-line also.
For your records, you could print each page of the Challenge as you go along.
When you buy "green power," your utility asks for a monthly kWh figure. Be sure to multiply that by 12 to get the annual figure needed for the on-line Challenge.
Go to Windsource to sign up for Xcel Energy's "green power" program.
Go to Wellspring Renewable Wind Energy to sign up for Dakota Electric Association's program.
You can return on-line and modify your pledge anytime.
At the end of the Challenge, please credit your savings to the Plymouth Congregational Church "team."

For further information, check the Outreach bulletin board or contact us.

Return to Social Action/Caring for Creation

Earth Hands

TIPS — Working to heal the world

Composting

Remember clotheslines?

About compact fluorescent lamps

Plant a tree, love a tree
Remember the book, The Giving Tree? In it, a tree loves a boy and gives him everything she has until there’s nothing left.

We Minnesotans love our trees, and there’s nothing like the wonderful feeling of planting a tree that might live longer than we do. Tree planting involves work, hope and satisfaction beyond measure. It also reduces home heating and cooling costs, saves dispersion of soil by wind and water and reduces noise pollution.

Give a tree to someone you care for; there’s no lovelier gift than a tree planted in the honor of a family member or friend. Birds make their homes in trees we plant and cheer us with their joyous singing. Treat yourself: plant a tree. What could be more uplifting than that? –Joy Bumgarder

Plant a tree photo: © Danijelm | Dreamstime.com

Plan your trips
Even if it’s a short local trip, consciously anticipate an order that uses the least fuel. If you’re a parent, ask your children to help plan: Will you go to the grocery store first, then back home, and later, make another trip out to Grandma’s and the hardware store? Or can you save energy by traveling from the grocery store to the hardware store, next to Grandma’s for cookies and then home? Planning together, you can save both money and energy. This kind of planning can become an important part of your children’s way of living. Together, we can help to heal the world.

Turn down the heat
Save energy by setting thermostats for furnace heat to a lower temperature when going to bed at night. Snuggle in with warm blankets instead, and raise thermostats again in the morning. Heal the world? Yes! We can do it together.

Sustainable Living Fair at Plymouth

April marked the 37th anniversary of Earth Day. This year's focus was a call for action on climate change. A dozen enthusiastic Caring for Creation volunteers staffed tables in Guild Hall, sharing information on climate change, earth friendly food, waste reduction, energy, population growth, efforts to save the polar bear and more. Here are a few photos from the event.