Inter-Church Sign on Opportunity: A letter to four Premiers with questions about their commitment to developing Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
A Lenten program "Give it up for the Earth" was started by Citizens for Public Justice, which seeks human flourishing and the integrity of creation as our faithful response to God's call for love and justice. Here is the bulletin invitation to Wilmoters to take part in a Wilmot approach and have your ideas shared. You can use the form for your ideas or just email them.
Here are some resources for learning more about how to care for the earth in our times, the challenges the earth faces, how we can have agency in helping while addressing the anxieties around this topic as we do so. See Care for the Earth Resources for Learning, Acting and Staying balanced!
If you know of written or electronic resources that you feel others might appreciate reading or listening to, or if you have suggestions of speakers or presentations relating to "care of the earth" who might be invited to Wilmot, please contact Gail Wylie.
Small Booklet used in schools: "What is Climate Change?"
By Gail Herman
See a copy on Wilmot Care for the Earth Info table at coffee hour.
The following resources to were located by web search for:
"Climate Change Primer".
"Climate Change" The science of global warming and our energy future Second edition Edmond Mathez and Jason E. Smerdon.
On the website the Book cover/description is accompanied by an interview with co-author Jason Smerdon. It is described as a "succinct, non-ideological reference for anyone who wants to understand what we know (and don't) about climate..."
Note: Smerdon is a climate scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory and co-director of the Earth Institute's Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development.
"A Global Warming Primer, by Jeffrey Bennett"
Website has a Book review
"Understanding Climate Change, A Primer"
Woods Hole Research Centre
Very Brief overview of climate change (approx 10 pages) on the web. Uses a mix of text, cartoon drawings and flow charts to describe the source and amount of Green house gases over time, the impact and some solutions - most requiring governmental/intergovernmental policy. (Heavy emphasis on forestry in conjunction with reducing fossil fuel use.)
Local presenter, Carl Duivenvoorden gave a presentation to Wilmot Church "Beyond an Inconvenient Truth", based on "An Inconvenient Truth", former US Vice President Al Gore's Academy Award-winning movie and book and updated with Canadian and local information. The flyer for his talk outlines his very stimulating approach to this topic, updated with local and current examples! To learn more, Click Here to visit his website
Website:
Drawdown or related book "Drawdown" edited by Paul Hawken ( New York Times Best Seller - comprehensive plan to reverse global warming. Has 80 solutions ranked by GHG reduction, $ cost and $ savings of implementing.) Penguin $29.00 in Canada (Copy available browse at Wilmot info table)
Website:
New Brunswickers' Response to Climate Change: Final Report of the Select Committee on Climate Change.
(58th Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick)
Conservation Council of New Brunswick Summer 2016 issue of "ecoalert" Describes 4 young innovators building sustainable communities in New Brunswick (See copy on Wilmot coffee hour info table.)
Wilmot's Letter to the Government
Request of Endorsement to Wilmot Council
Request for Meeting with NDP Leader
Other research articles by Louise Comeau, director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Research Centre at the University of New Brunswick, and member of federal Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Results
A Strategy and Roadmap for implementing New Brunswick's Climate Change Action Plan commitments to Education, Awareness, and Capacity Building Proposal for 2018 to 2020 Prepared by: Louise Comeau, Director Environment and Sustainable Research Centre, University of New Brunswick ETF 1-128877 52-01 March 2018
If you are feeling challenged to respond to climate messages yourself, or to talk to others about climate change & environmental issues, you are not alone. This TV Ontario program has four people discussing how they are coping: A Psychiatrist from USA, a long-time climate scientist in Chicago and two Canadian sustainability communicators share their perspectives and end on a humorous note! TVO The Agenda Jan 22nd 2019 Burnout and Despair: Studying the Climate
Greta Thunburg, is the 15 year old girl from Sweden who is striking for climate action and who spoke frankly and clearly to both the International Conference on Climate Change (COP 24) in November 2018 and to the Davos global business conference in 2019. Her message was a critique of the failures of world leaders to do enough to address climate change, the resulting urgency of the task now and the fact that this impacts the world that today's youth are facing and will face in even worse form in years to come. Click Here for a short video.
Article from The Guardian Here
Fredericton will be the site of New Brunswick youth march for climate action in front of the NB Legislature, on March 19th 2019.
This is an episode of Tapestry (CBC) which features Margaret Atwood and Vandana Shiva who both were at the Parliament of the World's religions last November in Toronto. Excellent perspectives on climate and religion, how to cope with climate despair.
Global Catholic Climate Movement
Anglican Church Environmental Network in the Maritimes
We all see the news, or experience directly, how climate change events are disrupting the environment and threatening lives. We are also learning and seeing how the wastes we generate are degrading our oceans and land.
Lent is a good time to begin efforts in saving this home we love, the earth. We can make a start by reducing the green house gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, and by reducing the waste material that our way of living creates.
Wilmot Outreach invites you to share your plans and ideas so that we can post them on our "Care for the Earth with Love" Bulletin Board. We hope that this sharing will multiply the effect!
What lifestyle changes are you planning in order to reduce GHG emissions or waste?
What actions do you want your governments (City/Local, New Brunswick and Canada) to take in order to reduce GHG emissions or waste?
Over the next four weeks before Lent, please write you ideas (no limit on the numbers) and drop them off at coffee hour. We will type and post them for all to read.
Follow up:
* If there are some common themes in ideas submitted we will consider what follow up activities as a church community might help to move those environmental solutions ahead.
* A Speaker Series? Over the year we would like to have a speaker series where expertise on specific aspects of environmental action can be presented. Are there topics you would like to learn more about (e.g. Forestry for Carbon sequestration)? Let us know.
Click Here for a printable version