Annual UCC Earth Summit

What an uplifting experience with Earth Day Summit speakers who informed and inspired! We also had much to celebrate with our newest Creation Justice Churches, our recently launched Climate Hope Affiliates, and the announcement that both of these programs will now be available to churches from over 30 different denominations through our partnership with Creation Justice Ministries! 

Recordings from the Earth Summit are now online:

• Read about the Earth Summit
• Watch the Entire Summit
• Watch Katharine Hayhoe's Keynote
• Watch the Panel of Grassroots Leaders in North Texas

Earth Day Everyday at Middleton Community Church UCC

Over three hundred people attended the fourth annual Earth Day Every Day Fair, held on Saturday April 26 at Middleton Community Church. This free family-friendly community event is an environmental sustainability fair and electric vehicle show.  Bob’s Your Uncle provided live music, and the Henry Vilas Zoo gave two shows with live animals. The Middleton Library Bookmobile was there with environmental books, and Antsy Pants Face Paints decorated kids with animals and flowers. There were free drawings throughout the day; the grand prize was an EGO electric blower.  (Gasoline-powered leaf blowers are exceptionally polluting.) Compadres Mexican Restaurant and Momma Meg’s Ice Cream provided food, and there was fresh-popped popcorn and a large youth bake sale to raise money for an upcoming mission trip. 

There were lots of activities for children, including making their own solar-powered toy race cars, bubbles and sidewalk chalk, spin art with MG&E, a fish craft with the Madison Children’s Museum, wind turbine experiments with Wisconsin Energy Institute, solar experiments with Sauk Prairie Solar Schools, energy experiments with KEEP (Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program), a recycling sort with the University League, and more. 

We heard several great stories at the fair. One person told us that coming to our Earth Day Fair last year was what made her decide to join our church. Another woman told us that seeing the cooking demo at our fair in a previous year inspired her to get an induction stove (which is better for one's health and the environment than a gas stove).   

If you'd like to come to Madison, we invite you to come to our next Earth Day Every Day Fair in late April 2026!

Read the complete article here.

2025 Climate Hope Art Contest Award Winners

Plant Seeds of Hope

The celebration of the 2025 Climate Hope Art Contest for children and youth of the United Church of Christ was held on Saturday, April 5. 

Entries were sent in by 140 churches, representing 33 states across the U.S., with 541 artists participating. Pennsylvania led the pack with the most zip codes. The state with the highest number of participants was Wisconsin with 58. Age groups included: Under 6, age 7-9 years, age 10-13 years, age 14-18 years, and an overall winner was chosen. 

Judging was based on how the artist articulated the Climate Hope theme, which this year was "Planting Seeds of Hope," as well as artistic ability, and whether the artwork would fit on a postcard. 

Ages 10-13 category was won by Eloise, age 13, from the First Congregational Church of Madison, Wisconsin. Read the full article here.

Great Lakes Cooperative Retreat and Resources

The Great Lakes Creation Care Collaborative invites you to join us at our UCC Tower Hill Camp, Aug. 24-26, among the sand dunes of Lake Michigan's beautiful east coast. The attached flyer gives you the details and the way to register. Watershed Discipleship leader and New Testament scholar Ched Myers will be our keynoter, and we will enjoy fellowship with creation caregivers from the Ontario region of the United Church of Canada and the UCC conferences around the Great Lakes.

Also find below an Adopt a Body of Water curriculum written by our Michigan collaborator Mike Mulberry. Use it in part or in whole to introduce church members to the ministry of care for the watershed where we find ourselves.

Lesson plan 1

Lesson plan 2

Lesson plan 3

Lesson plan 4

Lesson plan 5

Lesson plan 6

Union UCC, Green Bay, Solar Project

By Achim Seifert, member Union UCC, Green Bay

Installing solar panels on one of the flat roofs of our building was identified by the Capital Campaign Committee as a possible goal nearly 3 years ago as a way to reduce energy costs and be good stewards of the earth. As generous contributions rolled in, Stewardship Ministry decided it was time to put a small team together to investigate and possibly make that goal a reality. We promptly called ourselves Team Solar. We met to discuss the project and identified a number of hurdles we wanted to investigate before we made a recommendation to Common Ministry. Read about our hurdles and how we over came them here.

Introducing Drive $mart Wisconsin

As the oldest and largest not for profit grassroots organization in North America, we are dedicated to educating and training our D$W members as well as the general public, on the benefits of $mart Driving through safe and fuel efficient driving skills. These skills can be used in any vehicle, gas or electric, old or new. We also educate and promote the importance of sustainable transportation vehicles and alternative fuel technology.

We are a cross section of average drivers that are tired of high fuel costs and the effects of emissions on the environment. Through our D$W Planning Team, made up of world-class instructors, we are made aware of the how $mart Driving can be safe and cost efficient in their current vehicles. All of our members are taught how to be teachers and students at the same time as they learn and pay forward their new $mart Driving knowledge and skills.

We gather for "Meets" on a regular basis around Southeastern Wisconsin to listen to outside and member speakers that discuss $mart Driving techniques, fuel saving strategies, current and upcoming new vehicles and how to make each of our transportation choices as sustainable as possible. We exchange ideas and experiences with one another and share a pot luck meal together. Our meets are on Saturday mornings and last about 3 hours and are absolutely free and offer free driving instruction.

In addition to the knowledge and experience exchange at our Meets, we offer free behind the wheel $mart Driver training to our members at the novice, intermediate and advanced level with our D$W Planning Team instructors. We offer public outreach activities at fairs and other events and perform our unique "Pump Your Ride to $avings" at various locations around the state.

Learn more about Drive $mart Wisconsin and how you can make a presentation in your area here. Check out their recent newsletter here.

Short Movies/Videos

Good for Adult Sunday School, Discussion Groups, a Sunday “mission moment” etc. Each video is 3 minutes or less.

Global Warming from 1880 to 2022 (1/2 min.)

NASA Jan 2023 

Map of the globe showing change in temperature from blue to yellow to red

Climate change is taking the places we love (1 min)

Science Moms 2024

This is the World’s first 100% Renewable Island  - Denmark’s Samso Island (2 ½  min)

Nov. 2016 

COP 28: The Impossible Dream (2 ½ min)

Dec 2023

The Land of Mountaintop Removal (3 min)

Smithsonian - Modern Coal Mining 

SAVE THE DATE - Creation Care Regional Event!

The Conference Creation Care team and First Congregational UCC Fort Atkinson invite you to a Saturday half-day event on Sept. 6 in Fort Atkinson. We have held successful regional events in Tomah last fall and in Fond du Lac last spring, and now it is time for our southern region to gather. We will start at 10 am and be done by 2 pm. We will have a chance to share our interests and struggles with creation care work in our local settings and find inspiration to become more deeply engaged. All area Creation Care/Green Teams come and meet others doing the same work in your area! Registration information and further details will be coming soon.

Want a Healthy Lawn? Add Clover.

Nine Reasons to Plant a Clover Lawn

#1 Clover Is Versatile & Beautiful

You can plant Clover just about anywhere. Most species thrive in full sun, while others can tolerate part shade. Some grow tall to create the look of a meadow, while others are low-growing to create the look of a traditional lawn. 

#2 Clover Attracts Pollinators

Long-blooming Clovers are an easy way to supply a consistent food source for pollinators in your yard. 

#3 Clover Attracts Beneficial Insects

In addition to pollinators, Clover also attracts beneficial insects. Planting Clover and other flowers to attract these natural predators is a great way to manage pests in the garden without the use of chemical pesticides, which are harmful to people, plants, and animals.

Read more here.

Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds

from Cornell University Lab of Ornithology 

How many of these simple, bird-saving ideas can you incorporate into your daily routine? From the coffee you drink, to what you buy, to the way you tend the land where you live, there are easy ways to help stem the declines in bird populations. 

Photo of the Month/Moment of Awe

Stones 

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

www.unfoldinglight.net

…Turn these stones into bread…

…Standing there were six stone water jars

for the Jewish rites of purification….

…Let the one who is without sin

cast the first stone….

…Is there anyone among you who,

if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?…

…If these were silent

even the stones would cry out….

…Not one stone will be left here upon another;

all will be thrown down….

…Pilate sat on the judge’s bench

at a place called The Stone Pavement….

…The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone….

…Roll away the stone….

     Even the stones are alive and serve us,

     speaking of the grace of God.

Editor: Susan Webb