Just Energy 4 All –  United Women in Faith          

Looking for ways to connect with other United Women in Faith members and people of faith who are working to advance just energy all year long?   Newsletters, monthly webinars, and focus work groups.  Get involved!

Creation Justice Tips – January 2023

Free, monthly tips for churches to use in their worship bulletin, church newsletter, weekly emails, and more.

Our Creation Care Tips resource offers you a simple way to get your congregation actively involved as individuals, families or teams in creation justice and environmental ministry!

Forming a Green Team

Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. (2020). Creation Care (Green Teams. https://www.flumc.org/creation-care-teams  

 

Berbiglia, J. for (Legacy) TN Conference UMC.  (2003). ChurchGardeningResourceBook-1pfd

Advocacy Webinars:

State Level Advocacy

UM Creation Justice webinar (February 2021)

Justice Climate Advocacy in the Time of Coronavirus

UM Creation Justice webinar (June 2021)

Speak Up!  Letter Writing Campaign 

West End UMC Creation Care Team webinar and related power point/ download 

 

Greening Houses of Worship (Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light)

https://www.tennipl.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Greening-Houses-of-Worship.pdf  

 

Solar Energy for Churches   (Georgia Interfaith Power & Light)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JgXGyYWMIN1q1k7fvyO7_LnGtbWFhJVx6HoGfKnfvLk/edit  

Solar with Justice https://www.cesa.org/wp-content/uploads/Solar-with-Justice.pdf 

Commercial Rooftop Solar: Frequently Asked Questions/ Better Buildings  (PDF) https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/BBA_Commercial_PV_Roofing_Guide_071715_508.pdf

 

Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County. (2021). Recycling Services in in Nashville: Nashville Recycling: Where It Goes and Why You Should Recycle Right. [5 min Video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxjUoiXuV88  

 

Come, post your compost!   (TN Environmental Council — How to begin composting for home and businesses; plus the invitation to join others in registering your amount of composting)

https://www.tectn.org/comepostyourcompost.html 

 

How to start composting   (Comprehensive overview, helpful photos)  https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/how-to-start-composting/  

 

Urban Water Stewardship  (Rain gardens, rain barrels, water run-off, depaving)

https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/what-we-do/urban-water-stewardship/  

 

Rain Gardens for Nashville:  A Resource Guide for Planning, Designing and Maintaining a Beautiful Rain Garden  (Comprehensive, helpful charts and illustrations; free download pdf, 18 pp.)

https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RainGardenManual-WEB.pdf  

 

How to build a rain garden  (Cumberland River Compact – short form)

https://cumberlandrivercompact.org/2020/09/17/how-to-build-a-rain-garden/ 

 

Gardening Stories From Across the UMC Connection  (Church gardens)

https://umcreationjustice.org/stories-from-earthkeepers-across-the-connection/ 

 

Generate Some Buzz   (TN Environmental Council — Pollinator gardens)

https://www.tectn.org/generatesomebuzz.html

 

How to Build a Pollinator Garden  (US Fish & Wildlife Service)

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/PollinatorGarden.html

 

Nashville Pollinator Project   (Nashville A Rocha; information applicable beyond Nashville)

https://nashville.arocha.us/pollinator-garden-workshop/

 

Homegrown National Park   (movement dedicated to planting native plants) https://homegrownnationalpark.org/?fbclid=IwAR110NUq-yKMGsztszqwkFMNTDZLCQOzs2Ct8FyMQhEqvEDTBTa7gH90qRY  

 

FaithLands Toolkit – A Guide to Transformative Land Use   (Agrarian Trust.org)   (Interfaith/ Indigenous sources; Comprehensive – gardens and more; includes multiple case studies; free downloadable pdf, 146 pp.)

https://agrariantrust.org/faithlands/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FaithLands-Toolkit_A-Guide-to-Transformative-Land-Use-by-Agrarian-Trust.pdf  

 

 

 

 

 

Guide to Green Shopping

Breathe Again: Healthy Air is Health Care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMqkfhNHstQ

(You Tube Webinar presentation by Dr. Anne Mellinger Birdsong – 49 min)

 

United Women in Faith :  Just Energy 4 All — Webinars

The Most Important Thing You Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It.

TED Talk by Katharine Hayhoe. 2018.   (17 min)

Climate Weirding with Katharine Hayhoe

Series of short engaging talks (published weekly[Youtube videos]) by Katharine Hayhoe

Professor Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist, endowed chair at Texas Tech University and Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy) 

 

Climate 101/ Inside Climate News website:  a database of answers to common reader questions   

 

How Trees Talk to Each Other  (TED Talk [You Tube Video], Suzanne Simard, 18 min)

August 30, 2016)   Conservation, regeneration, resilience

 

Thompson, T. (2021, September 22). Young People’s Climate Anxiety Revealed in Landmark Survey.  Nature.

 

Panecasio, S. (2022, February 17). How Minecraft Is Teaching Kids to Face the Threat of Climate Change

 

Langlios, K. (2021, June 26). How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change.  Outsideonline.com.

 

Beginning the Climate Conversation:  A Family’s Guide  (The Climate Reality Project,  23 pp. e-book)  “In this guide, we discuss when to start the climate conversation and how to approach the topic with children. It is not designed as a substitute for formal science instruction. Our goal is to help you navigate a tricky topic so your children can grow into informed young people excited to learn more about how they can make the world a better place.”

 

Climate Justice Simulation Experience  (United Methodist Women)

 

Recycling Center Tour (Grades 9-12)

 

Climate Solutions 101 : Presented by Project Drawdown 

(Free educational video series in six units;  the website also introduces you to the authors/ experts behind this series. Copyright 2021)

 

Goodside’s  Free e-Book: Model for Effective Climate Action  (free download, 99 pp.)

 

 

Wake Up, World!  New Curriculum, New Opportunity

(A six week study for adult groups, developed by two commissioned EarthKeepers.  Read more at https://umcreationjustice.org/wake-up-world-new-curriculum-new-opportunity/ ).

 

Harmony Creation Care Curriculum 

(A multigenerational tool, which ” interweaves gardening stories and strategies with Biblical narratives about creation care.”)  Available at Cokesbury.com

Creation Justice Resources for Children & Youth

(Includes Harmony: God’s Original Plan and Original Seeds in a World of Diversity;  Green Mountain Earth Stewards Virtual Bible School;  Creation Care Curriculum by Minnesota Conference UMC and Hopeful Earthkeepers (free download); Virtual Day Camp from UM Camping and Retreat Ministries; and others.)

A Roche Wild Wonder Camp Curriculum  

(Designed for ages 5-9 yrs)

 

Engaging Youth Groups with Creation Care

Detailed plans for a Youth Eco-Mission week for middle and high schoolers shared via FLUMC monthly meeting.

 

 

Climate Weirding with Katharine Hayhoe

Series of short engaging talks (published weekly[Youtube videos]) by Katharine Hayhoe: atmospheric scientist, professor, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy and person of faith.

 

Recycling Center Tour (Grades 9-12)

 

Climate Solutions 101 : Presented by Project Drawdown 

(Free educational offering in six video units; website link also includes information on the expert panel/authors of the series.)

 

 

Lambert, J. (Last updated 2016). Climate Science Investigations South Florida.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration/NASA. 

“Climate Science Investigations (CSI): South Florida is an online, interactive series of modules and teaching resources that are currently under development. These modules provided the content and learning activities for the course. The objective of CSI has been to develop and pilot modules that enable secondary and undergraduate students to analyze and use NASA data to address the public’s questions and commonly held misconceptions about climate change. The instructional approach is to use the questions about climate change…

The modules are sequenced in such a way that students progressively discover the evidence of climate change and human involvement. They examine data and are guided to formulate reasonable explanations about the causes of climate change as they move through the modules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guide to Green Shopping

 

What’s Your Water Footprint? 

Carbon Calculator

 

Greener Living (US Environmental Protection Agency; broad compilation of resources)

The Powerful Role of Household Actions in Solving Climate Change (Project Drawdown.org. October 2021)

 

The Issue with Tissue. (NRDC.org. September 2021)

Encourages us to purchase paper products made from recycled paper rather than trees. Contains consumer information.

 

Greening Houses of Worship (Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light)

 

UM Creation Justice Tips

This is a monthly publication of suggestions designed to engage individuals and congregations in best practices to respond faithfully to our current climate and ecological circumstances.

 

Recycle the right way  (Davidson CO/  Nashville area.  This web page includes the app Nashville Waste Wizard and also general guidelines for recycling.)

Nashville Recycling: Where It Goes and Why You Should Recycle Right (5 min video)

 

Film Recommendations

The Biggest Little Farm   Documentary, feature film; true story of family farm and the power of biodiversity (2018)

A Life on Our Planet   Documentary by David Attenborough  (2020)    

Kiss the Ground: The Solution is Right Under Our Feet  Documentary by Interfaith Power & Light (2020)

Leah Penniman: Farming While Black- Ecofarm Keynote 2020   YouTube  (40 min)

Under Cover Farmers  YouTube  (28 min)

How Trees Talk to Each Other  TED Talk by Suzanne Simard  YouTube (18 min)

The Most Important Thing You Can Do to  Fight Climate Change: Talk About It  TED Talk by Katharing Hayhoe  (17 min)

Book Recommendations 

Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis  (2015)

Climate Justice:  A Call to Hope and Action  ed. By Pat Watkins (2016 United Methodist Women Mission Study)

All We Can Save:  Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis ed by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Katharine  K. Wilkerson  (2020)

Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe (2021) 

Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman (Paperback 2018)

Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place by Margie Hunter (2002)

Climate Courage: How Tackling Climate Change Can Build Community, Transform the  Economy, and Bridge the Political Divide in America by Andreas Karelas (Paperback, 2020) 

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest  by Suzanne Simard (2021)

From Nature to Creation: A Christian Vision for Understanding and Loving Our World by Norman Wirzba (2015)  [in The Church and Postmodern Culture series, ed.by James Smith]

Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible by Ellen F. Davis (2008)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)

 

Webinars from Faith Climate Action Week (April 2021) / TN Interfaith Power& Light

Sustainable Food Preparation: A Workshop with Seema Prasad [Seema is a chef and local restaurant owner]

Do More With Composting: Workshop with Karen McIntyre [Karen works within the school system toward net zero waste]

Climate Academy / TN Interfaith Power and Light

IPPC & COP26 (October 23, 2021)

United Methodist Creation Justice Summit – (October 16-17, 2020)

The complete 7 hour recording with links to 23 separate/short videos highlighting work of our UMC Boards and Agencies for support of creation care ministry in the local church.

Keynote address —  Bee Moorhead — Four Questions regarding the role of faith communities in addressing climate change

Keynote Address — Rev. Michael Malcolm:  For Such a Time as This  

National Creation Care Summit UMC (July 2019)

Keynote Address — Katharine Wilkinson of Project Drawdown    (July 12, 2019)

Keynote Address — Heather McTeer-Toney of Moms Clean Air Force   (July 13, 2019)

All recorded presentations from National Creation Care Summit UMC (July 2019)

 

Global Ministries EarthKeeper Training 

Spring Online Training Session: March 18-April 2

Link to apply: https://creationcare.umcmission.org/networks/events/75801

Summer Training Session:  July 28- Aug 11

Further information at https://creationcare.umcmission.org/networks/events/75803

 

Facilitator Training:  Life Around the Table programs  

Eating Together Faithfully