By Rodric Bradford Busted Halo May 31, 2007 Seattle has never been known as the epicenter of faith, religion or spirituality in the U.S., but for four days from May 31 to June 3 faith and spirituality will be at the center of the Emerald City as Seattle-based Earth Ministry will host its first annual Interfaith Creation Festival.
By Christine Dubois The Catholic Northwest Progress May 31, 2007 Derek Eisel leads work parties for Heron Habitat Helpers, cares for a stretch of stream-side habitat in Carkeek Park, and writes a blog celebrating the good work volunteers are doing in Seattle.
By Julie Lehman Vantage May 01, 2007 Unless your denial skills are uncanny and extend to all things seen and heard, you are probably aware that the world is in bad shape. Those of us who have been paying attention to the overwhelming evidence realize that for the first time in human history humans are capable—and apparently willing—to threaten not just their own survival but that of all life on the planet.
By William Poole Land & People May 01, 2007 Why do people work to conserve land and protect the environment? Episcopal priest Carla Pryne says that at least some of them do so as an expression of faith.
By Janet I. Tu Seattle Times April 14, 2007 LeeAnne Beres has what she calls the "60 Second Scripture" — a run-through of examples in the Bible that show a love of the environment.
This issue features articles from each of the four keynote presenters of the Interfaith Creation Festival. In addition, Bill McKibben, one of the nation's most articulate writers on environmental concerns, highlights the complementary roles of youth and older generations in the environmental movement.
By LeeAnne Beres and Rev. Steve Grumm
Seattle P-I
February 01, 2007
Amen. That was the first word that came to mind after reading Mark Trahant's Jan. 21 column calling for real solutions to climate change ("Moving climate debate into solution arena").
As Trahant states, there is a clear scientific consensus that Earth is warming, and it's high time that our political leaders take concrete action to reverse this dangerous trend. What he didn't mention is that there is also a growing religious consensus that climate change is one of the largest -- if not the largest -- moral issue of our time.
By Rosette Royale
Real Change
January 10, 2007
Every morning, LeeAnne Beres performs the same ritual: She walks along the shores of Alki Beach. Occasionally, she’ll be gazing out to the water when the head of a sea otter breaks the waves. Or perhaps it will be a sea lion, or the dorsal fin of a dolphin. “It renews my soul,” says Beres, executive director of Earth Ministry, an organization that mobilizes the Christian community to play an important role in creating a just, sustainable future.
The central focus of this issue is a closer look at the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches' involvement in political advocacy. We will hear from activists both local and national. This issue provides a number of windows through which we can see the Christian calling to political activism in action. We hear from persons within our government, from writers, and citizen activists.
In this issue, we seek to gain some perspective on the varying definitions of stewardship. To accomplish this task, we have enlisted the help of four capable people. We offer a personal story of serving in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, a look at the connections between stewardship and the cultural issues of poverty and wealth, a perspective from a non-profit that preserves environmentally-significant land, and a primer on "takings", a law that makes environmental protection difficult.
This issue of Earth Letter focuses on the contributions of youth and young adults to the environmental justice movement within the Protestant and Roman Catholic communions. If you look at the average age of the membership in many of our mainline churches, you find a lot of gray-haired people. On the other hand, if you look at secular environmental organizations, you see many active young adults, and a lower percentage of the gray-haired crowd. We have asked these young folks to tell us their story.
This issue focuses on the June 2006 National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Conference in New Orleans. The conference brings together church activists from across our nation. It offers education, inspiration, and a network of fellow activists. The choice of New Orleans as the host city is central to this year's conference. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated that region, the city has become the focal point for environmental, social, racial, and economic justice concerns.
This issue focuses on "lessons from Katrina". If September 11, 2001 is emblazoned in the mind of America as the day we lost our sense of invulnerability to attack, then August 29, 2005 should stand as the day mainstream American began to see the intimate interconnections between environmental issues on the one hand and poverty, race, and privilege on the other.
By Blaine Harden
Washington Post
February 06, 2005
SEATTLE -- Thanks to the Rev. Leroy Hedman, the parishioners at Georgetown Gospel Chapel take their baptismal waters cold. The preacher has unplugged the electricity-guzzling heater in the immersion baptism tank behind his pulpit.
By Christopher Schwarzen
Seattle Times
February 28, 2004
A day after the company responsible for a 4,800-gallon oil spill removed its heavy equipment and ended most of its cleanup efforts, Suquamish tribal elder Marilyn Wandrey sprinkled herbs in the waters of the Doe-kag-wats estuary, a sacred place her ancestors first used for spiritual ceremonies.
