CARE OF CREATION
The work of California Interfaith Power and Light is energized by the understanding that every major faith tradition call on us to be stewards of Creation. We have a responsibility to protect the earth for our children and future generations. For CIPL members, faithfulness to the care of creation is a spiritual mandate. We continually strive to nourish our commitment to the goal of living as responsible stewards. In so doing, we draw from the wisdom of Creation's many faith traditions.
At this sacred time of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim year when the first revelation of the Holy Qur'an is commemorated, we lift up this prayer from the tradition of Islam:
 The Koran states that God allows human being to enjoy everything
necessary to satisfy their desires, such as food, clothing, housing,
transport and every other ornament or means of enjoyment, with
transport and every other ornament or means of enjoyment, with
with balance and moderation and no excess or overuseÖEach genera-
tion will only live for an allotted time. The environment is not some-
thing that can be owned by anyone here and now. The environment
and the climate belong to coming generations.
Professor L. Khamlichi,
Islamic Scholar from the Moroccan Palace.
Reprinted from "The Cry of
Creation", Earth Ministry.
CIPL NEWS
Another Smooth Move
HOT TOPICS:
The Chilling Realities
“Climate change threatens the survival of thousands of species - a threat unparalleled since the last ice age, which ended some 10,000 years ago.” Quoted from an article that appeared in the UK's The Independent on October 2, co-authors Andrew Buncombe and Severin Carrill, give a chilling account of the animal species from the Arctic polar bears in the north to the penguins in the far south that are imperiled by global warming. It is the migratory animals, Buncombe and Severin explain, that are most at risk; those species whose survival depends on “the intricate web of habitats, food supplies and weather conditions which, for some species, can stretch for 6,500 miles. Every link of that chain is slowly but perceptibly altering.” Their list of the climate endangered includes the caribou, musk ox, four out of five migratory birds, sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins, whales, salmon, cod, haddock, plus scores of fish that humans don't eat, the mountain gorilla, wildebeest, savannah elephant, Thomson's gazelle. Öand of course, the penguin and the polar bear. The bears' habitat is being destroyed by thinning ice and longer summers. Ice flows are shrinking, driving the starving bears to try to swim hundreds of miles to find new ice flows or driving them into human settlements where they are shot. Local hunters find their corpses floating on seas once coated in a thick skin of ice. A polar bear can swim 100 miles, but not 400 miles in pursuit of the retreating ice.
The UK has been the driving force behind getting climate change at the top of the global agenda, with the industrialized nations of Japan, Australia and the United States refusing to acknowledge the responsibility of human activity as a key contributor to the global warming planetary crisis.
Another Hole in the Argument
The scientific community has warned that CO2 and other heat trapping gasses associated with global warming are having an impact on the thinning of the ozone layer. Paola Vasconi, coordinator of the Santiago-based Terram Foundation's environment program, told the IPS that increases in ultraviolet radiation also drives up climate temperatures. “The hole in the ozone layer expanded this year, and the quantity of ozone destroyed within that area increased as well,” said, Bedrich Magas, a researcher with the University of Magallanes. Magas carries out daily measurements of ultraviolet radiation in the port city of Punta Arena located at the southern tip of Chile. “One thing is certain: if the climate does not stabilize, the hole in the ozone layer will never close.”
The ozone layer protects the earth from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, which include skin cancer and cataracts in humans and poses serious threats to flora and fauna.
Excerpted from an article by Gustavo Gonz·lez, “Chilling Effects of Climate Change in the Antarctic” Inter Press Service News Agency, October 12, 2005
“I Think That I Shall Never SeeÖ”
The bird's eye view provided by satellite imaging has revealed the startling news that Brazil's lush region of bio-diversity, the tropical rainforest, is disappearing more than twice as fast as researchers estimated. Writing for the Christian Scientist Monitor, staff writer Peter N. Spotts, reported recently that selective logging was likely responsible. “Selective logging in the region releases nearly 100 million tons of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, ” Spotts reports. Little wonder that selective logging is of concern to climate scientists and ecologists alike! Deforestation contributes to climate change because the forests, sometimes called the lungs of the earth, serve the ecological function of scrubbing the atmosphere of C02. To read Spotts' complete article, go to http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1021/p04s01-sten.html.
A man on Lagoa dos Reis paddles across a blanket of dead and dying fish.
Compounding the current devastation of the rainforest is severe drought. This year, large parts of the Amazon rainforest are the driest they have been in 60 years, according to an article in the UK's Guardian newspaper. “Rivers and lakes are drying up, revealing huge sandbanks and making navigation difficult for boats. Since many towns are only accessible by river, medicine, food and fuel is running out in some communities ” says Alex Bellos in Menaus. “There is no rain here because the air is descending, which prevents the formation of clouds,” said Ricardo Dellarosa, of the Amazon Protection Organization (Sipam) in Manaus. “The air is descending here because the air is rising very intensely in the north Atlantic, creating storms and hurricanes. What goes up must come down. ” Due to the extreme draught conditions, fishing in the muddy lakes of the Lagoa dos Reis region is over for the locals. Made up of over 60 lakes, the lack of rain has left most of the lakes dried out and the dead fish are too numerous to count. It would seem that life in the rainforest is changing, perhaps forever, with implications for the health of planet earth that could be colossal.
Are you ready? Global Warming Preparedness
Click here to read the excellent editorial that appeared on October 2 in the San Francisco Chronicle written by Sierra Club president, Carl Pope: http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views05/1002-25.htm
GOOD NEWS:
Hallelujah!
Richard Ciszik, Vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, was interviewed on NPR's' Living on Earth' broadcast on October 22, in the same month in which he was interviewed by “The Daily Grist” writer, Amanda Griscome Little. He is on a campaign to further the cause of a paper the NAE released last year entitled, For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility, which articulates a “Caring for Creation” theology. (Where have we heard that before?) The document calls for the organization's 30 million members to live their lives in conformity with sustainable principles, and our government to reduce pollution and resource consumption. Ciszik told Grist writer that climate change was a crisis of “biblical proportions.” Amen to that! He added that his organization is currently working on another paper to be released in November that will deal with some “policy details.” He further stated, “I am modestly optimistic that there has been some momentum in the discussion in Washington and the public at large. I am confident that the administration can change its direction, and we can help them do that.” Ciszik stated that the NAE membership represents 45,000 churches, 7,000 mega churches, some with billion dollar budgets. He also stated, “We represent 40% of the Republican partyÖ. There is a saying that 'as evangelicals go, so goes the West' -- meaning our community sets trends.”
Sports Futility Vehicle
It has been said that Americans like “big” and that seems to be true, at least, when it comes to cars. But driving an SUV is an exercise in futility, if you also want to be a steward of Creation or want to decrease the size of the human foot print in the name of the ecological well-being of the planet. The gas guzzling SUV puts more heat trapping CO2 into the atmosphere, as most people now realize. Well, it could be that Americans are getting the message, either in their heads and hearts or at least in their pocket books, because Ford and General Motors are reporting a 50% decline in sales this month over this time last year. While some are saying that Katrina and Rita and the sky-high price at the pump are the reasons for the dip in sales, it could that there is also elevated consciousness of the need to reduce our use of fossil fuel and thereby lower emissions in the process. The marketing opportunities for switching to more fuel efficient vehicles are just opening up. An eco-friendly New York deli boasted of their green delivery service, “rye bread in a hybrid!”
Governors on the Move...In Smaller Cars!
On Tuesday, October 4, InfoZine staff writer, Eric Kelderman reported that three of our nation's governors were parking their SUVs, permanently! Florida Governor, Jebe Bush, Minnesota Gov., Tim Pawlenty and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico are all opting for fuel efficiency in their cars. Gov. Bush may now be seen in his new Ford Escape hybrid. In fact, in state capitols across the country, conservation has become a buzzword in the aftermath of Gulf Coast oil rig losses. In Kentucky, for example, State business travel has been limited to “urgent only” status. Delaware's Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has asked state residents to car pool and to keep their tires properly inflated. Other States are taking a range of conservation measures to deal with today's gasoline shortages and the high price of fuel.
To get the whole story in the Kansas City Infozine, click on http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/10627.
Sierra Club's Cool Move to Cool our Cities
The Sierra Club has announced its “Cool Cities Campaign,” saying that they will be working with mayors “to solve global warming one city at a time.” (that has a familiar ring too!) In a press release issued on October 12, the Cool Cities Campaign stated the goal of working with mayors to help them develop strategies. “While it is encouraging to see the growing list of cities supporting action to curb global warming, many mayors do not yet have the strategies in place to meet these targets,” said Brand, spokesperson for the campaign. “This is why the Cool Cities Campaign will tour the country and advocate for local energy solutions that can help cities meet their climate protection commitments.” The first phase of the project will include a tour of 20 cities this fall.
For further information, contact Brian O'Malley, (202) 675-6279.
Celebrities Speak Out
Leonardo Di Caprio spoke out on global warming, a topic he's been hot under the collar about for eight years now. A guest on the Oprah Winfrey show on Friday, October 28, Di Caprio said, “It's something that's going to affect not only us, but our children and our grandchildrenÖand generations to come.”
The World Speaks Out
A Call for an Action Campaign on Global Warming; A Day of Action on December 3, 2005.
From November 28th to December 9th representatives from 150 or more nations will be meeting at a Climate Conference in Montreal, Canada. The vast majority of those present will be signers of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. They will be discussing the latest developments with this deepening world crisis and what should be done about it.
A Delegation of six from the National Interfaith Power Light Movement will be participating. Watch for a report on that historic event in next month's newsletter.
FACING FACTS
* The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration determined that sea surface
temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico was higher in August than at anytime since 1890.
* 2002, 2003, & 2004 were the hottest years on record.
* 2005 is on track to be the hottest year on record, continuing a 25-year trend.
* The U.N. has warned that rising sea levels, desertification and shrinking fresh water
supplies will create 50 million environmental refugees by the end of this decade.
* The U.S. is responsible for 25 tons of CO2 per capita every year, compared to 3.7 tons
for Chile and a global average of three tons per capita.
* According to the World Health Organization, in 2000, more than 150,000 premature
deaths were attributed to climate change impacts.
* Almost a fifth of all ill health in poor countries and millions of deaths can be attributed
to environmental factors, including climate change and pollution, according to a report
from the World Bank.
COOL TIPS
Prepare for the winter cold in energy-saving, money saving mode:
Add caulking and weather stripping to your windows and doors to keep the cold air out and the warmer air in.
Look for those hidden sources of air leaks:
* Around the edges of light switches, electrical outlets and light fixtures
* Around fireplace flues, dryer vents and range hood vents
* Wherever pipes go through walls or ceilings (behind the washing machine,
underneath the sink, behind the toilet) Use a heat-resistant foam
sealant for these jobs.
For detailed instructions on how to weather-strip your doors, go to http://doityourself.com/energy/weatgerstruooubg.htm
EVENTS
Morning Prayer & Discussion:
“Viewing Katrina Through a Spiritual Lens”,
the Rev. Dr. David Romain
Saturday, November 5th
9:00 A.M.
Hesed Society
3745 Elson Road
Oakland, California
San Francisco Green Festival
Saturday & Sunday November 5th & 6th
Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 7pm
Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco
8th & Brannan Street
Sacramento CIPL Working Group
Monday, November 7th
Noon - 1:00 pm.
St. John's Lutheran Church
2nd Floor Conference Room
1701 L Street
Sacramento, California
RSVP to Rev. Dexter McNamara
916-448-2212
dexter@isbsacramento.org
Environmental Stewardship and Your Faith Community
Saturday, November 5th
9:30 Refreshments, 10:00-Noon Program
Sage Granada Park UMC
1850 W. Hellman Avenue
Alhambra, California 91744
For more information contact Tom Bourne:
tom@interfaithpower.org or 916-442-5447
Local contact: Marge Bermann at 626-814-2450
World Climate Conference
Nov. 28th - Dec 9th
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Montreal, Canada
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Does your congregation have an eco-event coming up? Let us help you get the word out to all of our covenant congregations. Do you know of a great film or reading that you wish everyone would take advantage of? Let us know about it and we will include it in the Newsletter. Send us all copy by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the next month's edition. Email Rev. Sally Juarez at outreach@interfaithpower.org.
CLOSING REFLECTION
“Blessing of galaxies, blessing of stars:
Great stars, small stars, red stars, blues ones.
Blessing of nebula, blessing of supernova,
Planets, satellites, asteroids, comets.
Blessing of our sun and moon, blessing of our earth;
Oceans, rivers, continents, mountain ranges
Blessing of wind and cloud, blessing of rain.;
Fog bank, snowdrift, lightning and thunder.
Bless the wisdom of the holy one above us.
Bless the truth of the holy one beneath us.
Bless the love of the holy one within us.”
- Earth Prayers From Around the World
The CIPL E-Newsletter is produced by:
California Interfaith Power & Light
4044 Pasadena Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821-2868
Office (916) 488-7300
Fax (916) 488-7310
www.interfaithpower.org
Rev. Sally Juarez
Outreach Director
outreach@interfaithpower.org
Tom Bourne
Executive Director
tom@interfaithpower.org
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