Sign up for
Creation Justice Advocacy Team 2021
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Dear friends
Have you signed up for our Creation Justice Advocacy Team 2021? This team will be a rapid response team to email and call legislators during the Oregon legislative session to support climate and environment-related bills, and we will also host opportunities for training and lobbying so we can speak up as people of faith about creation justice.
Kick-off events for our Creation Justice Advocacy Team will happen on Thursday, March 11 at 7pm. Register here to participate.
We are also participating on March 11 with GreenFaith's day of global climate action with small actions all over the state to "Sound the Alarm" on the climate emergency. You're encouraged to hold an event at 11am on March 11th, symbolizing the "11th hour," but you can hold your event at whatever time works for you.
We encourage you to host a small event with your family or friends, or a virtual or in person (at a safe distance outside with masks) event with your congregation. See instructions here, and register your public or private event here. We hope people at each event will make a video of yourselves "sounding the alarm" using liturgical instruments or noise-making implements around your home, and saying, "Oregon's faith communities demand 100% clean energy for all!" |
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Cherice Bock
Creation Justice Advocate
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
Oregon Interfaith Power & Light
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Oregon Interfaith Solar Campaign |
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Is your faith community interested in installing solar panels, and perhaps solar with battery backup storage so your congregation could be available to assist your community in the event of climate and other disasters? Perhaps you're interested in installing solar but you're not sure what the next step is, or how you would fund it.
Oregon Clean Power Cooperative is holding a series of webinars in March and April, 2021, geared directly toward faith communities. OCPC is a nonprofit organization with the sole purpose of helping faith communities and other nonprofits find the technical and financial support to put solar and battery backup on their own buildings, and support solar projects in tribal and low-income communities. Learn more by signing up to attend a webinar at one of the following times:
- Tuesday, March 16th 11:00-12:00 PM
- Tuesday April 6 12:00-1:00 PM
- Tuesday, April 13th 7:00-8:00 PM
- Thursday, April 22nd 12:00-1:00 PM
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An Oregonian organization called Build Soil would like to give away edible chestnut trees to faith communities and individuals all over the state. Would you like some trees? Perhaps this would be a good Earth Day project, to plant chestnut trees around your faith community's land and at the homes of your members. Contact us below with questions, and let us know how many trees you would like.
Build Soil was started to inspire people to engage directly with community based solutions for the repair of the climate. Their current central project is to get one million chestnut trees planted around the world in community settings with the hope that we can help communities create tools for food and climate resilience, while addressing climate change.
They have hundreds of trees to give away! They chose chestnuts (not American chestnuts, which are unfortunately prone to blight) because:
- chestnuts grow well here.
- chestnuts are nutritious and can be used as a grain.
- mature trees each produce half of the grain a person needs in a year and take up much less land and resources than other agricultural grains, and only have to be planted once.
- they create shade and habitat, help cycle water, and build soil.
To learn more or order trees, contact Cherice Bock.
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Support Oregon Clean Energy Opportunities Bills |
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This legislative session, we are working with our partner organizations to support a set of bills called the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity Campaign. These bills include:
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The Energy Affordability Act (HB 2475) promises to lower energy costs for Oregon's most energy-burdened families.
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The Healthy Homes bill (HB 2842) will fund home repairs and retrofits to improve the health of families in low-income and environmental justice communities.
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The 100% Clean Energy for All bill (HB 2995) will require all of Oregon's electricity to be emissions-free, guaranteeing environmental, health and economic benefits for communities across the state!
Write your legislator today in support of these bills by using this site to shape your own letter from our template and then send it to your own legislators with the click of a button.
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Wild Communion & Forest Bathing |
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Have you been missing spending time in creation with others? Do you long to be rejuvenated through connecting with God in the natural world?
Our friends over at Creator Spiritus are offering "wild communion" virtually. Sign up, pick an outdoor spot (where you can access Zoom), and commune together with God, creation, and other people. March 7 spots are filled up, but they have opened up space on March 8, or you can sign up for April 10 or May 16. |
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If you're hosting an event related to creation justice, let us know and we will help you publicize it! Right now, most events are virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital events can be shared, too, so if you want others to join your digital events, please let us know! Email Cherice Bock to share it with our networks.
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Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
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Stay Connected with EMO's Creation Justice |
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