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Create in me a green heart ... resources for a sustainable life.


Creation and Christ

Churches looking for Looking for

In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with.
 Christian leadership Since the time of Jesus people have been claiming to be "Christian leaders." The idea of leadership as it is currently understood in its many variations and facets would have been little understood by Jesus' earliest followers.  in the area of environmental justice should check out the work of the Evangelical Environmental Network, a ministry whose aim is to help Christians and society at large "understand the fullness of Christ's reconciliation" among God, people, and creation. The EEN n. 1. The old plural of Eye.
And eke with fatness swollen were his een.
- Spenser.
 produces Creation Care (www.creationcare.org), a quarterly magazine, offers online resources for hosting an annual Creation Sunday celebration, helps coordinate a creation-care small group network, and offers fact sheets on topics ranging from air pollution to the harmful effects of mercury. Of particular note is the ministry's biblically grounded call to action, "An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation," signed by hundreds of clergy, theologians, professors, and organizations.

Stamp of approval

Looking for information on the most earth-friendly household cleaners, appliances, or industrial products? Green Seal, an independent nonprofit, certifies and recommends environmentally sound products ranging from household cleaners and paper to windows and paint. If you're looking for lodging while on an earth-conscious vacation, the site also lists facilities across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area.  that have earned the GS-33 mark--Green Seal's certification that a hotel, motel, or resort has adequate policies and practices for dealing with waste, energy, water, and hazardous substances, www. greenseal.org

Zero Waste

Feeling adept at recycling? Take on the zero waste challenge and consider ways to prevent the generation of waste altogether. According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 the Zero Waste Alliance, a project of the International Sustainable Development Sustainable development is a socio-ecological process characterized by the fulfilment of human needs while maintaining the quality of the natural environment indefinitely. The linkage between environment and development was globally recognized in 1980, when the International Union  Foundation, "the entire concept of waste"--including solid, hazardous, toxic emissions, material, energy, and human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees.  waste "should be eliminated." The site www.zerowaste.org helps universities, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies use materials in ways that "either return [them] safely to a cycle within the environment or remain viable in the industrial cycle." Check it for publications, links, and the facts, theory, and strategies of zero waste.

Or visit the Grassroots Recycling Network (www.grrn.org) for tips about introducing zero waste projects in your community. GRRN's zero waste advocacy includes campaigns to end landfills and subsidies for wasting, as well as a recycling program for kids (complete with organizing tips for K-12 students and teachers). Downloading a Zero Waste Community Activity Kit makes it easy to organize a zero waste event or challenge your local government's waste policies. College students in particular should heed GRRN's Zero Waste Campus page, which offers links to notable green campus campaigns and projects.

Eating Well

Buying "industrial" food means ingesting additives, cancer-causing hormones, and antibiotics, squelching small farmers, limiting biodiversity, and being complicit com·plic·it  
adj.
Associated with or participating in a questionable act or a crime; having complicity: newspapers complicit with the propaganda arm of a dictatorship.
 with bad labor policy, according to Sustainable Table, a consumer campaign of the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (www.sustainabletable.org). The organization advocates sustainable food production and consumption and offers dozens of practical resources to help you eat, shop, and cook sustainably. Use its helpful Eat Well Guide, www.eatwellguide.org, an online directory that locates stores and restaurants according to your zip code zip code

System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities.
, to find out where you can purchase meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy items that have been raised in a sustainable way. Visit its Shopping Guides section to access lists of farmers' markets It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. , buy the greenest seafood, avoid the most pesticide-soaked vegetables on the market, or support local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA (1) (Canadian Standards Association, Toronto, Ontario, www.csa.ca) A standards-defining organization founded in 1919. It is involved in many industries, including electronics, communications and information technology. ) projects--country-wide share-buying relationships between consumers and small farmers that promote land stewardship and strengthen the local economy. The site's countless features include recipes and cookbooks, tips and toolkits for making school cafeterias sustainable, as well as access to the popular flash-animation film "The Meatrix."

For additional information on sustainable agriculture sustainable agriculture
n.
A method of agriculture that attempts to ensure the profitability of farms while preserving the environment.
 and CSAs, visit www.sare.org, the site of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education or (SARE) is a part of the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. SARE is a granting organization that tries to promote environmentally friendly agriculture and help small farmers become more profitable. . This organization researches and promotes sustainable farming--and has real-life success stories to show for it. Check out its "For Consumers" section for tips on how even city dwellers can support the cause.

Recycling 202

Refresh your reducing, reusing, and recycling skills with the help of Earth 911's directory of sustainability-minded services near you. This nonprofit environmental organization, dedicated to offering community resources on sustainability, provides information on where to recycle paper, ink cartridges, and computers; where to take batteries, tires, or motor oil for ecologically friendly disposal; how to fertilize your lawn with grasscycling, start your own compost, or allow vermiculture worm buddies to eat up your organic waste. Visit www.earth911.org, type in your zip code, and relearn Verb 1. relearn - learn something again, as after having forgotten or neglected it; "After the accident, he could not walk for months and had to relearn how to walk down stairs"  your three (green) R's.

Earthy Churches

From placing ads urging the United States to support the Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol: see global warming.  to publishing an anthology of denominational environmental statements, the National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Program (www.nccecojustice.org) supplies a plethora of ideas and resources for churches that wish to actively promote eco-justice. Its work includes everything from national faith-based trainings on clean water advocacy to resources for congregational study. Its Capsules: Eco-Justice Views and News newsletter will keep you and your church updated and energized.

Java Justice

Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, reminds us that what we eat is only part of the question. Where our food--or, in this case, our coffee--comes from, and how it gets into our markets, is another part of sustainability. The organization's answer is fair trade, "an equitable and fair partnership between consumers in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere.  and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean." Global Exchange's Fair Trade Coffee Campaign (find it at www.globalexchange.org) provides links to 20 companies that market fair trade (and often organic) coffee and chocolate, fair trade news and media reports, and targeted campaigns--that you can support--urging Starbucks and other corporations to make the fair trade switch.

For another excellent synopsis of the fair trade "whys"--and for practical tips on working with the media, fundraising, building coalitions, or consuming coffee responsibly--download Oxfam's 2004 report "Just Add Justice: Bringing Fair Trade to Your Community," available as a PDF (Portable Document Format) The de facto standard for document publishing from Adobe. On the Web, there are countless brochures, data sheets, white papers and technical manuals in the PDF format.  at www.oxfamamerica.org.

Think Globally

"As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning," states the Earth Charter, a 2000 document that, according to www.eartheharter.org, expresses hope, advocates "global interdependence and shared responsibility," and outlines "fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century." Available in 32 languages, the document draws on religion, science, philosophy, and international law, has influenced the United Nations, and facilitates a youth initiative and programs in education and community-based sustainability. The document's writers meant for it to start discussion. So download a copy and get talking!

Read All About It!

For cheeky and refreshingly grassroots environmental news and commentary, check out Grist Magazine, a Seattle-based online publication whose credo is to "Pull no punches This was the technical first release by The Blackout. It featured three tracks, one of which lasted to feature on their official debut release The Blackout!The Blackout!The Blackout!. , take no prisoners, eschew the wealth and fame that so often seduce online environmental journalists." Grist's columns--which feature book reviews, keep tabs on breaking news, follow the sustainable energy movement, and host question-and-answer sessions with activists--inspire and entertain hot discussions within the environmentalist environmentalist

a person with an interest and knowledge about the interaction of humans and animals with the environment.
 community. Access articles, published daily, at www.grist.org.

Emily R. Hershberger is editorial assistant at Sojourners.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Sojourners
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Author:Hershberger, Emily R.
Publication:Sojourners
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:May 1, 2005
Words:1158
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