I’m thinking of my friend Doug Hamm today.  Doug has been up for an hour by now, even though it is only 6 a.m. in the California foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range (9 a.m. in D.C.).  He’s making his rounds of the water meters, checking that the well and 10,000 gallon holding tank will keep up with demand on this hot day in August.  The Sierra Friends Center is a 230 acre property that hosts a high school semester program (www.woolman.org), including staff.  The semester program is built around peace, justice, and ecological sustainability. Doug, a tall, lean man in his early 60’s, is in charge of the physical plant.

                After checking the potable water supply, Doug will turn a seasoned eye to the irrigation situation.  The Center receives irrigation water from the Nevada Irrigation District, a system of ditches that runs across the foothills, based on structures that hydraulic miners used in the 1849 Gold Rush.  The property gets ten miner’s inches, which is to say, as much water as will flow through a ten-inch-on-a-side square hole cut in a plywood board slid down in the slot in the irrigation box on the ditch twenty-four/seven.  This water then fills the irrigation pond and is used to water the cow and sheep pastures, central lawns, and the orchard.  It also runs to all the fire hydrants on the place.  Even though water use in the summer is high, it is important that the irrigation pond always be at or near its maximum level because Sierra Friends Center is located in an area that receives the insurance industry’s highest rating for fire danger, and it is fire season in California, in case you were unaware.

                The screen in the front of the irrigation box gets clogged with debris, and in some seasons this happens fairly quickly.  When I lived at the Center, I would frequently walk up the gravel access road to clear the screen.  Eventually, I wondered what the point of the screen was, and left it out.  It turns out that at least one reason not to do this is that there are native turtles that live in the ditch, and if they get pulled to the screen, they can get off of it and swim away, but if they get pulled right to the 10” by 10” hole, and are too big to go through, they get stuck and drown.  Doug found the turtle that I drowned in this way.  He was very sad about it, having a lifelong affinity for animals of all kinds.

                Doug will check the orchard irrigation (also a source of water for the bees that live in hives under the apple trees).  He will check on the livestock, fix leaks and squeaks, work on the new roof for the Redwood House, harvest veggies in the organic garden, pour biodiesel into his little Kubota tractor, and then clear pine needles off of a few roofs, since they are a fire danger.  Although Doug works with “Big John” Springsteen, there are 42 old buildings on those 230 acres, and there is always more to do than there is time to do it in.  However, Doug is unfailingly affable, helpful, modest, and respectful of every being he encounters.  Doug is a great steward of God’s Creation.

                I’m now working in the “God Box,” a.k.a. the Methodist Building on Capitol Hill.  My name is Carl Magruder, and I started work here three weeks ago.  I am a Quaker, and sometimes call myself an EarthQuaker.  From where I sit, a person with a good arm could literally throw a rock and hit the Capitol from the front of our building—just put 110 Maryland Ave NE, Washington D.C. 20002 into Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/) if you think that I’m exaggerating.  (It is not recommended that you try the rock throwing, by the way, no matter how good your arm is.  You’d probably end up in Guantanamo Bay detention center P.D.Q.)   I sit under fluorescent lights in front of a computer most of the time, and the big picture goal here is to influence Congress to pass the laws that would best manifest the notion that humankind has a sacred obligation to love and care for Creation.  It is a daunting task.  The track record isn’t what one might wish for.  Things don’t move fast, and often the legislation that is proposed is not as comprehensive as we might wish it to be.  After reviewing the setbacks with the Farm Bill this year, I felt pretty frustrated and I wondered how Doug remains so positive in the face of overwhelm.  After some consideration, I think I know how he does it.

                Doug sees himself as a part of a larger project.  He is involved in a massive collaboration, in fact.  As far as Doug is concerned, he is working on a joint effort with the school’s Board, its teachers, and the other supporting staff.  The Head of School is a particularly good accomplice.  He works with the sun and the wind and the apple tree, just like John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed.  The soil and soil organisms, the cows and the kids (goats and human), the turning of the seasons and the nearby Yuba River are all characters in the great Creation play.  Doug is too respectful of Mystery to purport to be able to give you a concise definition of God, but I would make bold to say that he experiences himself as a plain member of the Kin-dom.  He doesn’t despair because he isn’t alone in his efforts.

                And neither am I.  The good folks here at the NCC Eco-Justice Program are excellent compatriots in a difficult endeavor—they are smart, capable, positive, and helpful to newcomers.  We are a part of a community of faith-based advocacy work here in D.C. and there is a long history of collaboration between the different groups.  More than that, we are a part of a global movement of historic proportions, according to Paul Hawken (www.paulhawken.com).  And we are also collaborating with bees, trees, kids, farmers, scientists, artists, and folks like you.  I am convinced that the whole blue green marble that we live on is held in the palm of God’s hand, and is ready to sing a new song.  Meditate on the sheer improbability of Life finding such abundant expression here!  As Martin Luther King Jr. loved to quote, “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards Justice.”  We will prevail.

A week or so ago, the NCC Ecojustice program sent out a request to individuals and communities asking them to share the ways that they are reducing their energy bills as well as their energy use in an effort to save a little money and protect God’s creation by reducing their carbon foot printprint. We received hundreds of submissions and wanted to share a few with you as they are both inspiring and troubling. While they are wonderful examples examples of how each of us can tread a bit more lightly on this planet we have been blessed with, they are also very telling of the struggles that many Americans are facing due to our unsustainable energy systems.

Thanks to those who shared their stories. They have been inspiring for me and i hope they for others in the Eco-Justice community!

The Fellowship that I attend has been collecting money donations for a local food pantry for years. Recently, we decided to collect funds for compact fluorescent lightbulbs as well. The food pantry was delighted to receive these donated items. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are 70% more efficent than “regular” incandescent lightbulbs. Using CFLs will decrease the electricity used by people in need, potentially decreasing the carbon dioxide emitted by the coal-fired power plants in their area.

It can lower their electric bills, allowing them to use precious funds for other necessities.

Story #2 - what churches are doing for themselves

- We have a set of city recycling trailers at our church and recycle whatever we can to save on garbage pick up.

- All of the heating and AC are on timers, as well as the outdoor lights.

- We have almost completed changing all of our lights over to florescent bulbs.

- In the summer, we close off unused classrooms and spaces.

- We are supposed to report ANY dripping faucets or leaks we see so they are repaired quickly.

- We have been planting trees and creating self-sustaining landscapes.

Our sprinkler system is on timers to prevent over watering.

Our sanctuary is extremely inefficient in every way….we are starting to work on that, but it was built in the 70’s, the ceiling peak is 60 ft. high and the lights, sound, and heating/AC are archaic to say the least. If anyone has good ideas, sure would like to hear them!

2) Switched to green light bulbs.

3) Buy only organic and often locally grown food at the food coop.

4) Buy some items at green businesses and local businesses.

5) Only use oxygen bleach and other Earth friendly cleaners.

6) Wash my laundry about once every 2-3 months.

7) Reuse plastic bags many times over.

 Rarely heat my bedroom and hallway in cold weather.

9) Adjust window shades according to daily weather.

10) Use space heating -close or open outer and inner doors and windows to

help maintain temps.

11) Only use fans, not air conditioners, as needed.

12) Use reduced flow shower head.

13) Do not travel long distances.

14) Recycle practically everything.

15) Green fiber insulation in house.

16) Compost.

17) Do not use dish washer.

1 Use only a cell phone-leave it at home-do not use it often-got rid at recycling center my “land” phone and answering machine.

19) Unplug everything except refridg and stove when not in use.

20) Maybe other things.

Story #4 - A new idea for churches

Our Quaker meeting does not own its meeting place, but began a “Dime-a-saur” program some years ago, encouraging members to donate 10 cents per gallon equivalent of energy used. The resulting funds subsidized free CFLs and later steel water bottles to replace plastic single use bottles. Displays, some handouts, and a website offer education to our Meeting on home and transportation energy use, energy issues related to agriculture and transport of food, water issues.

I, as well as you, remember the recall of Thomas the Tank engine last fall for high lead levels. And some of you might have read my post on lead in toy Easter eggs last spring for high levels of lead. Hopefully this will be the last Christmas season that we will have to worry about if the lead levels in children’s toys are safe or whether or not the phthalates in the yellow rubber duckies will cause damage to the reproductive systems of boys and girls.

Last night the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act with a vote of 89-3. The bill passed through the joint House-Senate conference committee a week ago, and the House passed it on Tuesday with a vote of 424-1. This bill is overall a huge victory for children’s health and, after 2008, it will make toys and products geared towards children twelve and under that contain lead and phthalates safer. I pray that this is only one step towards securing product safety for the most vulnerable in our society- children, women, and communities of color. It is through prophetic witness from the faith community in partnership with nurses, doctors, and public health advocates that we took this first step.

Highlights of the bill
-This bill bans six phthalates in children’s products up to age twelve. Three are permanently banned and three are banned for a year and a half to two years until further study of these chemicals can prove if they are safe. What is significant about this decision is that Congress chose to apply the precautionary principle and remove the chemicals of concern until proven safe. In the meantime, the chemicals of concern will be replaced with safer alternatives.

Scientific studies link phthalates to early puberty in girls, damage to young male reproductive organs and sperm quality, reproductive dysfunction, obesity, and type II diabetes.

-This bill also ratchets down lead limits from 600ppm to 100ppm in children’s toys and jewelry, and to 90ppm in lead paint over a three-year period. While not meeting the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the standards are six times stronger than our current standard and makes the policy mandatory rather than voluntary. The AAP came out today in support of the legislation as well.

-The bill directs the CPSC to establish within two years a searchable database to include any reports of injuries, illness, death or risk related to consumer products submitted by consumers, government offices, physicians or child care providers. This will be a useful source of public information for parents.

Concerns about the bill
-The bill contains a state pre-emption clause. This means that federal law trumps all state laws. On the one hand, it means that states that had no law or weaker laws have to comply with this stronger standard. But on the other hand, it means that states that have stronger legislation (such as Washington) or that were working for stronger legislation, will not be able to further improve lead or phthalates product standards. Efforts to remove the pre-emption clause did not make it out of the joint conference report.

We will continue to lift up the Christian witness to protect the most vulnerable among us so that all people can play and work free of toxic exposure and so that God’s Creation can flourish.

We are called to live in a different world, a world where the good fo the individual and the good of the community are intrinsically and intimately related. But how do we get there? How do we even begin to live differently when our world is increasingly ordered around the greed of the individual and the decay of nature [...] We return to verse 24 of Isaiah 65: ‘Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking i will hear.’ That is the only reason we dare to imagine a different world - because God is before us, God is there already. The world imagined by our biblical texts is not fantasy [...] this is not a dream, but the way things should be, and will be, with God’s help. To the degree we live in God, from God, and for God, this world will emerge. (205)

Above is a quote from Sally McFague, from an essay titled Human Dignity and the Integrity of Creation in the book “Theology that Matters: Ecology, Economy, and God”. That quote, along with a variety of others I know and love, sums up what is the goal of the Christian life. That with God, we are called to introduce into this world another way of living - a way that reflects not the values of this world, but the values of the Kingdom of God. And for sure, it is a call that is hard to live into in the current circumstances, as calls go up for more drilling to sustain an unsustainable energy policy, public land protection bills stall in Congress, and a United Church of Christ report on race and toxic waste shows little change over the last 20 years - besides another minority being discriminated against.

But it is precisely into these times that we are called as people of faith to respond. And last week we sent out an email asking just what you are doing to respond to the energy situation we find ourselves in. The responses have lifted my heart more than any legislation passing Congress possibly could. They have been reflective of living out our call to build a different world, and of living in the presence of God. From biking or mass transit, no longer using plastic and paper bags, changing your light bulbs, to making a Prius into not a hybrid but a full blown electrical car, the steps people are taking out of their faith to create another reality are beautiful.

It reminds me of the tag line, if you will, of my own denomination, the Church of the Brethren. “Continuing the Way of Jesus: Peacefully, Simply, Together. Another Way of Living”. I see this in the communities of faith we have the joy of working with every day. And Sally McFague’s quote reminds us that we can do this because we are not alone - we live and walk because God has lived and walked and is still living and walking with us today and into the future. This is a huge thing to remember as the political conversations continue about the future of our energy policy, and our ability to weigh in and make it a just and sustainable one. As McFague reminds us:

The dream we have for a new world, a new earth, is not just our dream; it is the dream of God, and God has placed this dream within each one of us. The dream of paradise and the dream of the kingdom of God is, finally, why we keep going and how we keep going. We are paradise-haunted creatures who yearn for the kingdom of God. We hang in there because God hangs in there. Hallelujah! (212)

There is a growing concern about the health effects from power plant pollution and its impact on God’s creation, especially the children. Whether at school, home, or play, children are exposed to power plant emissions. Emissions from power plants and their byproducts form particulate matter, ozone smog and air toxics. These pollutants are associated with respiratory hospitalizations, lost school days due to asthma attacks, low birth weight, stunted lung growth, and infant death. Air pollution is a pervasive problem across America for urban, suburban, and rural communities. Tens of thousands of schools are located near outdated power plants. It is an inescapable fact that air pollution is everywhere, indoors and outdoors; and kids breathe and absorb more of it than adults do.

Of these hazardous pollutants, the pollutant of greatest concern is mercury. America’s coal-fired power plants spew approximately 48 tons of mercury each year, poisoning our water, our fish and our communities. Once emitted, mercury can be transported long distances in the atmosphere and eventually settles onto land where it can be washed into rivers and waterways, posing a serious health hazards. Human beings exposed to mercury face severe health risks including neurological and kidney damage, liver failure and fatal heart disease.

Power plants are the predominant source of sulfur dioxide, emitting approximately 68 percent of the emissions in the US. Sulfur dioxide is a dangerous gas that adversely affects human health throughout the U.S, and has been associated with health effects ranging from asthma attacks to premature death.

Another adverse effect of power plant pollution is the emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is estimated that about 40% of the U.S. carbon dioxide pollution comes from power plants. This figure accounts for approximately 25% of the global warming pollution, making energy use the single largest source of greenhouse gases in the United States. Unfortunately, this problem continues to grow as more power plant pollutants are spewed into our atmosphere, increasing the risk of the spread of infectious diseases, and temperature-related stress on children.

I may have finished my first week as Eco-justice Advocacy and Outreach Specialist for Healthy Churches, but my life seems to be full of new beginnings. The list of firsts I have experienced this past week is about as long as my title. Already I am seeing exciting things happening within the faith community on green buildings and global warming and there are many opportunities for action on the horizon.   

Yesterday, I attended my first briefing on Capital Hill. The briefing was for a new report titled, “A Climate of Change: African Americans, Global Warming and a Just Climate Policy for the U.S.” It was authored by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC) and Redefining Progress, and can be found on the web at www.ejcc.org/climateofchange.  A Climate of Change details the ways in which global warming will amplify existing racial and socioeconomic inequalities and explains the connections between global warming, economic and racial justice policies. It makes the case that climate policies that best serve African Americans also best serve all U.S. citizens as well as our brothers and sisters in the Global South. The report also details the effects different potential climate change policies will have on African Americans and criticizes the apparent lack of solicited input from African Americans in the formation of policy proposals. 

One of my favorite scripture passages is Proverbs 31: 8-9, “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” I have always counted creation to be among the poor that needs to be spoken for and defended, and have attempted to do so. But, as I read the report and listened to the briefing, I began to realize that there were those who felt the human voice to the story was being drowned out.  We must take great care that in our fervor to give voice to the voiceless; we do not silence or attempt to speak for those who are ready and waiting to speak for themselves. Working together, we can create such a clamor that the walls built up to prevent the formation of a comprehensive climate change policy will come crashing down. The report states “Engagement in climate change policy must be moved from the White House and the halls of Congress to social circles, classrooms, kitchens and congregations.” I am already seeing this transition take place in congregations across the country as I look for success stories to highlight on our website, and can’t wait to see what happens next.  If you have a success story to share, please let me know by commenting to this blog!

One of my favorite spiritual authors is Thomas Merton. I get a weekly email with a quote from his many writings. The one below is from a couple weeks ago.

Merton calls us to put our busy, energy consuming lives in perspective and to not love the noise too much. He tells us that the noise we make with all our machines is an illusion that prevents us from hearing the reality of the silence of the world.

Psalm 46 tells us to “Be still and know that I am God”.

Responding to the call of a simpler lifestyle not only reduces our carbon footprint, but it also puts us in a position to be more attuned to the reality of the world and the suffering of others as well as the One who created it all and suffered so that we might have life.

Those who love their own noise are impatient of everything else. They constantly defile the silence of the forests and the mountains and the sea. They bore through silent nature in every direction with their machines, for fear that the calm world might accuse them of their own emptiness. The urgency of their swift movement seems to ignore the tranquility of nature by pretending to have a purpose. The loud plane seems for a moment to deny the reality of the clouds and of the sky, by its direction, its noise, and its pretended strength. The silence of the sky remains when the plane has gone. The tranquility of the clouds will remain when the plane has fallen apart. It is the silence of the world that is real. Our noise, our business, our purposes, and all our fatuous statements about our purposes, our business, and our noise: these are the illusion.

Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955: 257.

Justin, of Weatherford, Texas, writes a blog called “Old Testament Ecology“, and recently highlighted our Bottom Line Ministries report, and our overall Green Buildings Program, as a different entry point into the conversation for churches through cost savings. Check it out - and the rest of his blog. There is some good thinking happening.

The only thing I would add is that I hope that cost savings is only the entry point into the larger conversation, and that greening your buildings can be seen not only as a way to free up money for ministry, but as a ministry all its own. Click here for a YouTube video about a congregation that found this to be the case.

Almost everyone by now has heard about the building of a border fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. However, not near as many have heard about the adverse effects it is creating. Through a provision in the REAL ID ACT of 2005, congress gave the Department of Homeland Security the authority to bypass over 30 environmental laws, because they laws stood in the way of the continued construction of the border fence.

This fence has created so many more problems that it is fixing, already. The main goal of the fence, as I understand it, is to strengthen the nations security, but should the wildlife near the border have to pay for something they are not even apart of. This border fence is being built right smack dab in the middle of many animals’ habitat. So much of the wildlife near the border migrate back and forth, from the U.S. to Mexico, on a daily basis for food, water, and especially during mating season. This fence will dramatically affect those specific animals and the way they live, and it already has.

Our God created this earth so that we may have somewhere to live, something to live from. We are to be caretakers of this world, caring for nature and all the inhabitants on it, including all wildlife. We need stop and think about what we are doing. Instead of just focusing on what is best for us, as humans, we need to think about all of our animal brothers and sisters that are being negatively affected by our actions.

The border fence also runs through numerous conservation areas that are being damaged and or destroyed in the process. We need to think about how our earth is affected first before we begin to manipulate and change it on a whim. Without our earth, where would we be? That is just the thing, we wouldn’t be, we would no longer exist. Caring for our earth has to be the top priority, because without it, we have nothing.

This week was the Church of the Brethren’s Annual Conference, in Richmond, Virginia, and also a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the denomination. Included among the activities were actions being taken by Brethren to better protect God’s Creation.

The General Board, in their display, had a spot about their efforts to “Go Green” as a matter of faith. The Brethren Witness/Washington office was also a presence, with materials for the Brethren on their particular faith basis for taking action, and also served as the home of the NCC Eco-Justice materials for the week.

On Tuesday, the 15th, we were the featured partner of the Witness/Washington office, and had an opportunity for members of the Church of the Brethren to sign statements calling on Congressmen Dingell and Boucher, calling for them to take action on climate change, especially as to the impacts it will have on those living in poverty. Over 300 of these letters were signed. That night, an insight session on the impact of climate change on people of faith and church ministries, and what the Brethren’s response would be, saw over 70 people attend. The session was co-sponsored by NCC Eco-Justice, the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, New Community Project, and the Shenandoah District Eco-Justice Commission.

As a member of the Church of the Brethren, it lifted my spirits and heart to see my denomination taking such actions during a week of celebration for our 300 years of witness. There was also talk of a coming resolution for next years annual conference. It also made me wonder - what are your denominations doing to take action? Leave a comment and let us know!