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(www.ausable.org), Grand Rapids, Michigan. AuSable Institute of Environmental Studies provides university-level courses with transferable credits in sustainable community-building, environmental education, and restoration. Conducts community and regional conferences and retreats, and outreach services. Programs offered in Mancelona, MI and Coupeville, WA. (brethren.org/genbd/witness/CareforCreation.htm), Washington, D.C. Provides educational resources to Church of the Brethren congregations on frugal living, energy conservation, and natural resources. Conducts “Faith Expeditions” to developing countries, and sponsors Don Vermilyea on ten-year a “Walk Across America . . . visiting congregations to discuss living peacefully with our neighbors and with God's earth.” (www.beulahlandpa.com), Petrolia, Pennsylvania. A 23-acre retreat and learning center for sustainable living and the teaching of creation-centered spirituality. Includes an organic garden, woodland, meadows, ponds, orchard, and herb garden. Workshops are conducted throughout the year including composting, tree propagation, greenhouse construction, yoga, Reiki, Chakra, labyrinth art, as well as reflective camping, drumming rituals, labyrinth walk, and equinox and solstice celebrations. (www.ecozoicstudies.org), Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Develops college-level course work and instructional resources based on the writings of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme. Publishes The Ecozoic Reader. (www.crle.org), Washington, D.C. Founded in 1986 as an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States to foster an ethic of compassion toward all sentient beings and respect for the integrity of nature. Conducts national and international conferences and educational initiatives. Publishes Earth Ethics, a semi-annual journal. (www.web.net/~eaite), Toronto, Ontario. A retreat center on the north shore of Lake Erie. “Rooted in the eco-spirituality of Thomas Berry, the Centre provides educational opportunities for a broad spectrum of the concerned public.” (www.cwed.org), City Island, New York. An educational program exploring the relationships of women, earth, and the divine in the Christian context. Publishes a newsletter and conducts an “Earth Values Caucus” with meetings at the United Nations in New York. (http://www.op.org/cclp/default.htm), Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. An ecumenical organization of 20 churches and religious groups working for the betterment of rural families and communities in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois through the integration of earth stewardship, community, spirituality, and justice. Conducts conferences and workshops. (www.coejl.org/index.php), New York, New York. News, statements, action alerts, program activities. The COEJL "deepens the Jewish community's commitment to the stewardship of creation and mobilizes the resources of Jewish life and learning to protect the Earth and all its inhabitants.” (www.crownpt.org), Bath, Ohio. A 10-acre CSA (community supported agriculture) farm owned by the Dominican Sisters that provides youth education in sustainability, community, spirituality, and justice. (www.earthandspirit.org), Portland, Oregon. Provides a forum for various religious practices to explore their common connection and commitment to protecting the environment. ESC is one of the few organizations to incorporate indigenous cultures' wisdom about the environment into its work. (www.earthcareonline.org), Chattanooga, Tennessee. A model ecumenical volunteer organization serving churches in the Chattanooga area with regional conferences, youth activities, workshops for clergy, and other activities. Promotes “creation stewardship within the Christian community. . . . Provides a means for fellowship, interaction, and inspiration for Christians concerned with the biblical mandate to be stewards of God's creation.” (www.earthcare.ca), Humboldt, Saskatchewan. A ecumenical learning center and agricultural land conservancy—sponsored by Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Church of Canada, and Anglican churches—concerned with sustainable agriculture, spirituality, and land stewardship in the Canadian prairie provinces. (www.earthhealing.info), Ravenna, Kentucky. The website of the noted environmental scientist, author, and Jesuit priest Al Fritsch, former co-director of Science in the Public Interest in Washington and founder of Appalachian Science in the Public Interest, a model regional faith-oriented environmental organization. The Earth Healing site offers a daily reflection on pertinent subjects related to simple living and, on weekends, homilies and other sacred subjects. (www.earthministry.org), Seattle, Washington. Organizes earth-educational programs; works with congregations; publishes a newsletter, books, and instructional material, and maintains a video library. “To help people of faith see more clearly the connections between their faith, their daily lives, and ecological concerns.” (www.earthspiritrising.org), Cincinnati, Ohio. An annual conference, open to all, at Xavier University bringing key national leaders in earth spirituality together to treat with ecology, spirituality, and community. (www.earthsangha.org),
Fairfax, Virginia. Ways that Buddhists can connect with environmental
concerns from the standpoint of individual health, concentration, ethics,
compassion, and wisdom. Also conducts a model "Native Forest Gardeners”
program in the Washington, D.C., area. (www.ecojusticenetwork.org), Elgin, Illinois. Provides information resources congregations, small groups, and individuals. Plans to resume publication of Between the Flood and the Rainbow, a noted quarterly journal edited by Shantilal Bhagat. (www.environmentalpartnerships.org), Boston, Massachusetts. Organizes urban and suburban Episcopal parishes for cooperative environmental justice and stewardship programs. “Congregations and environmental groups make good allies—despite their real differences, both have knowledge and wisdom, care about community well-being, mobilize on justice issues, and strive to talk effectively about right and wrong.” (http://eenonline.org), Tenafly, New Jersey. Concerns emphasize global warming, energy conservation, biodiversity, and agricultural land management issues. Provides liturgical, ecotheological, and advocacy materials to congregations. A “grassroots network of Episcopalians . . . helping the Episcopal Church in the USA to advocate and articulate protection of the environment and preserving the sanctity of creation.” (www.creationcare.org), Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Initiatives include “What Would Jesus Drive,” on energy conservation, and “Healthy Families,” on healthful food and improving household environmental quality. Publishes a magazine (Creation Care) and provides useful resources to evangelical congregations including sermons, liturgical materials, and instructional booklets. “We Seek Solutions Grounded in Jesus Christ and the Bible.” (www.faithinplace.org), Chicago, Illinois. An ecumenical organization with seven “circles” in various suburban areas around Chicago. Among the activities are neighborhood food co-ops, urban agriculture, and light-pollution initiatives. “Drawing from the depths of belief, Faith in Place calls religious and spiritual leaders from throughout the Chicago metropolitan region to gather in dialogue, prayer, and action on issues of environmental sustainability.” (http://environment.harvard.edu/religion), Cambridge, Massachusetts. Conducts research, publishes books and papers, organizes scholarly conferences, and undertakes other activities on the relationship of the world’s religions to environmental concerns. “The Forum recognizes that religions need to be in dialogue with other disciplines (e.g., science, ethics, economics, education, public policy, gender) in seeking comprehensive solutions to both global and local environmental problems.” (www.earthliteracy.org), Tiffin, Ohio. A program of the Sisters of St. Francis who own 500 acres of rural farmland. On-site educational activities for, largely, elementary school children, focus on permaculture, passive solar, and wind generation. “The center is an environmental education center and demonstration facility designed to promote the appreciation of nature and encourage sustainable living practices.” (www.genesisfarm.org), Blairstown, New Jersey. A 226-acre farm operated by the Dominican Sisters since 1980. Conducts residential and non-residential programs on earth stewardship, including an accredited masters-level course in Earth Literacy. Co-founder Miriam MacGillis, OP, writes, “We're at a moment where there are no guarantees as to the Earth’s future. It's a question of our own critical choices. And I think what we're deeply in need of is a transforming vision. . . . A vision that opens the future up to hope.” (www.centreforearthandspirit.org), Sooke, British Columbia. A retreat center on a 23-acre waterfront site on Victoria Island, operated in partnership with the Sisters of St. Anne. Offers conferences and residential programs on the New Cosmology, the Medieval mystics, earth literacy and similar themes. (www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/environment), New York, New York. Provides statements and other materials of use to Orthodox congregations. “The Orthodox Church shares the sensitivity and the concern of those who are distressed about the increasing burden on the natural environment due to human abuse, which the Church names as sin, and for which it calls all human beings to repentance.” (www.greenfaith.org), Trenton, New Jersey. A regional interfaith organization whose “Sustainable Sanctuaries” program helps participating congregations, selected through a competitive application process for resource assistance, model environmentally sustainable behavior to their members and communities and become centers of religious-environmental activism. Another project, “Lighting the Way,” is placing solar panel installations on 25 faith-based sites around New Jersey. The “Covenant for Sustainability"” project encourages congregations to make a commitment toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in support of a state-level initiative in New Jersey. (www.greenmountainmonastery.org) Fr. Thomas Berry Sanctuary, Greensboro, VT. Our Mission as Sisters of Green Mountain Monastery: We are a 21st century monastery in the Catholic monastic tradition. We are participating in bringing this ancient monastic tradition into its cosmological / planetary phase by understanding ourselves within the larger context of the Universe Story. Through contemplative prayer, scholarship, cultivation of the arts and direct experience with the natural world we activate those deep religious sensitivities needed to help guide and energize our way into the future as a single sacred community of life. (www.imagoearth.org),
Cincinnati, Ohio. A 16-acre nature preserve near downtown, offering
educational programs for young people and workshops, discussing courses,
and conferences for adults. Associated with the EarthSpirit Rising conferences,
q.v. (http://www.emoregon.org/INEC.htm), Portland, Oregon. A well-developed statewide program of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. Undertakes information and education projects with churches and other organizations on food sustainability, watersheds and biodiversity, energy and global warming, and “greening congregations.” Publishes Eco Ministry News and Eco Notes. (www.theregenerationproject.org), San Francisco, California. This major, church-based program was started in San Francisco by a single Episcopal church, in order to conserve energy and combat global warming. The ecumenical program now has coordinators in some two dozen states plus the District of Columbia and undertake a variety of faith-based educational and political advocacy projects. (www.morningstarretreatcenter.net), LeRoy, Michigan. Located in central Michigan, the center has 165 acres and 5 semi-rustic cabins, for those seeking insights into an eco-spiritual life. Started in 1982 “to encourage women to value their unique experience of the Divine.” (www.ncrlc.com), Des Moines, Iowa. Serves as a prophetic voice for America's countryside, acts as a catalyst and convener for social justice, and develops support services for rural communities. Publishes Catholic Rural Life magazine and conducts effective legislative advocacy on agriculture and rural life. “Human beings are meant to be responsible stewards of creation, and indeed we can say that we work in harmony with God as co-creators.” (www.nccecojustice.org), Washington, D.C. Provides “an opportunity for the national bodies of member Protestant and Orthodox denominations to work together to protect and restore God's Creation.” Works with denominations on public policy advocacy, provides instructional materials, newsletters, and statements on biodiversity, climate and energy, consumerism, green buildings, land, and water. (www.nrpe.org), Amherst, Massachusetts. The partnership includes the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches U.S.A., the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network. Develops resource materials for congregations, case histories, leadership training, and promotional services. Among the founders are Joan Brown Campbell, former head of the NCC; Paul Gorman, executive director; James Parks Morton, Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; and Al Gore, former Vice President of the U.S. (www.nacce.org), Brooklyn, New York. This ecumenical organization, founded in 1987, sponsors major national and international conferences, advocates for the environment, and publishes Earthkeeping News. “Because we have seen the degradation and the need for Christians to take up revolutionary creativity, society-transforming repentance, it is our purpose through NACCE to articulate the ecological dimension present in Christianity; assist every church to become a witness to Christian ecological understanding and action; help every Christian to become an ecologist; and work with people of all faith traditions to develop a global ethic as a basis for a just and sustainable society on earth.” (www.prairiewoods.org), Hiawatha, Iowa. A Franciscan retreat center on 70 areas emphasizing spirituality with care for the earth. (http://www.pcusa.org/environment),
Louisville, Kentucky. Produces and distributes materials for congregations;
coordinates “Restoring Creation Enablers,” who work with
presbyteries; conducts training sessions and seminars, and participates
in interfaith global warming initiatives. The PCUSA also maintains a
Washington Office (http://pcusa.org/washington/issuenet/enviro.htm)
which sends news bulletins to a voluntary listserv and works with other
denominations and religious organizations on policy matters. (www.quakerearthcare.org), Burlington, Vermont. Conducts denominational programs relating to sustainability, population, native concerns, and policy advocacy. Encourages Friends to “explore the spiritual roots of humanity's relationship to the Earth [and] seek a transformation in attitudes toward the Earth and all living beings.” (http://rei.uchicago.edu), Chicago, Illinois. A University of Chicago program that encourages scholarly dialogue about issues of religion and environment, sponsors educational events and service activities, compiles and distribute a Resource Handbook on Religion and the Environment, and maintains an informational web site. (http://www.ecostewards.org/rcfc.htm), Santa Rosa, California. An activist program, led by Fred Krueger, to preserve forests and other natural resources through direct, in person, appeals to Members of Congress and by organizing on-site witnessing at threatened lands, such as Otero Mesa in New Mexico. Krueger also directs an associated program called “Opening the Book of Nature.” (www.religiouswitness.org), Littleton, Massachusetts. “A national interfaith network dedicated to public witness in defense of Creation. Seeing climate change and environmental devastation as issues of justice, RWE invokes the loving spirit, selfless courage, and moral authority of the civil rights movement. Through prayer, education, and nonviolent action, we join hands to protect the Earth, our beloved home.” Chaired by a Unitarian minister, a Congregational pastor, and a Jewish rabbi, this is to some extent the “Greenpeace” of the religious eco-justice movement, staging non-violent demonstrations, petition drives, and hard-hitting publicity campaigns on issues-of-the-day such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and CAFE (gas mileage) standards for automobiles. (www.sacredearthnetwork.org), Petersham, New Hampshire. An interfaith organization advancing the insights of native peoples. Offers workshops, an “indigenous peoples exchange,” and expeditions. (www.hnu.edu/sophia), Oakland, California. Offers graduate studies relating to the “new cosmology” and earth spirituality, with a number of well-known theologians and religious leaders. (www.spiritinnature.com), Middlebury, Vermont. A model interfaith program, associated with Middlebury College, that provides “a place of interconnecting paths where people of diverse spiritual traditions may walk, worship, meet, meditate, and promote education and action toward better stewardship of this sacred earth.” Beside nature trails at its “Path Center” in Ripton, Vermont, the organization sponsors workshops, sustainable living courses, lectures, and publications. (www.tevacenter.org/programs_sa.asp), New York, New York. Serves students in Eastern seaboard cities on energy flow, cycles, bio-diversity, and interdependence. “Students also explore the relevance of the Jewish concepts of Bal Tashchit (the biblical injunction against wasteful behavior) and Tikkun Olam (healing the world) in light of current environmental problems.” (www.uuministryforearth.org), Lyme, New Hampshire. Provides information services on environmental issues and, through its “Green Sanctuary” program instructional materials for participating congregations on worship and celebration, religious education, environmental justice, and sustainable living. The program implements the UUA's Seventh Principle: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” (www.ucc.org/justice/environment.htm), Washington, D.C. Concerns are privatization, toxic waste, nuclear dumping. (
http://www.vesselgarden.net/) (www.webofcreation.org), Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, Illinois. Provides congregational resources, denominational activities, and links to other programs. Of special interest to theology students. (www.biglaurel.org), Kermit, West Virginia. A retreat center and summer camp (ages 8-12) concerned with eco-spirituality and practical ways of living gently on the land. (www.whidbeyinstitute.org), Clinton, Washington. Organized to “cultivate creative leadership for earth, spirit, and the human future,” the institute operates a conference and retreat center on Whidbey Island near Seattle with overnight facilities for 30 people and daytime capacity for groups of 150. The property includes 70 acres of meadows, gardens, wetlands, forest, and trails. , a
ministry of the Sisters of Providence of St.Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana,
exists to foster a way of living that recognizes the interdependence of
all creation. Grounded in an understanding of Providence Spirituality
as hope and healing, the center offers leadership and education in the
preservation, restoration and reverent use of all natural resources.
(http://www.wisdomuniversity.org/),
Oakland, California. Founded by noted theologian Matthew Fox, the university
offers D.Min. and other degrees and certificates in the wisdom tradition,
with emphasis on the new cosmology ( “universe story” ), the
medieval mystics, and “deep ecumenism.” |