Check out these resources for inspiration!

We have included ideas, materials and calendars for our eco-congregations as well as general secular information on the environment, energy and climate change. Some resources are aimed at specific religious groups. Others are applicable for people from all different religious backgrounds. This is indicated in bold after each description.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us!

 

Useful resources for Eco-congregations:

Greening Events – “Green Tips” – This document provides ideas on how to plan and implement a green faith-based conference or event.

Building an effective green team - Guidelines for setting up an effective green team in your congregation

Eco-tips for your newsletters - Here are some tips you could publish in your newsletter and on your website.

Copy of Enviro calendar 2012 – Here’s your free copy of the Environmental Calendar for 2012!

A YEAR OF SPECIAL DAYS 2013 -  This booklet supports educators and community leaders to make links between environmental days in the environmental calendar and environmental learning. The ‘Year of Special Days 2012′ has been developed through Share-Net, a project of WESSA.

A YEAR OF SPECIAL DAYS 2012 – This booklet supports educators and community leaders to make links between environmental days in the environmental calendar and environmental learning. The ‘Year of Special Days 2012′ has been developed through Share-Net, a project of WESSA.

Practical Guide to Energy Efficiency of Religious Buildings - This guide has been compiled by Faith & the Common Good and relates to the climate and products available in Canada. However, it might give you ideas to take similar initiatives in your own context. 

 Eco-congregation leaflet - This leaflet provides information on what an eco-congregation is and how you can register as an eco-congregation.

 

Religious environmental resources:

How your faith community can get involved in Earth Hour - Guide for Earth Hour on 23rd March 2013 .multi-faith

Globalized Eco-Islam – A survey of Global Islamic Environmentalism. Muslim

Ramadan Tool-Kit 2011 – an environmental guide for the Ramadan by Green Muslims, with hadiths, quotes and reflections to inspire a new connection with your faith and ideas for environmental action. Muslim

10 Tips for a Healthy Sustainable Rosh Hashanah - In celebration of this time of turning and returning, we have compiled a list of healthy, sustainable ideas that will help you welcome Rosh Hashanah with mindfulness, sustainability, and joy.  Jewish

 Celebrating a Season of Creation 2011 - Background Themes and Readings  Christian

 A carbon fast for Lent - 2013 Carbon Fast for Lent Christian

 

Energy related resources:

Smart Electricity brochure -  Fast-tracking our transition to a healthy, modern, affordable electricity supply for all.

 

On Fracking:

FRACKING & FAITH - SAFCEI leaflet on why people of faith should be concerned about fracking.

Fracking – Information for South Africans - a short info summary on fracking by “Treasure the Karoo Action Group” (TKAG)

Extraction and displacement: the potential social and environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing in South Africa - Paper by Dr David Fig. presented at the International Conference on Global Land Grabbing II – October 17‐19, 2012.  Organized by the Land Deals Politics Initiative (LDPI) and hosted by the Department of Development Sociology at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

 

Water related resources:

 khutbah-water – This is a draft on Islam and water conservation. Khutbah to be performed on any Friday in March. Muslim

Ideas for World Water Day  – The Eucemenical Water Network provides some ideas in this PDF for church activities around World Water Day which is every year on the 22nd March. Christian

Anglican Water Rio+20 - a document from the Anglican Alliance in preparation for Rio+20, including world water facts, Bible passages, reflection and prayer. Christian

Seven Weeks for Water 2012 Throughout the seven weeks of Lent the Ecumenical Water Network publishes weekly meditations on its website. Included here are just a small sample of the many possible activities that you could organize in your congregations or elsewhere for World Water Day and during Lent. Christian

Seven Weeks for Water 2011 – Compilation of the EWN Seven Weeks for Water in 2011. Christian

 

Climate change related resources:

Climate Change and Eco Justice Rio+20 - a document from the Anglican Alliance in preparation for Rio+20, including world climate change facts, Bible passages, reflection and prayer. Christian

Sri Lanka – Interfaith Dialogue on Climate Change report - report on the Inter-religious Dialogue on Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation which was held in Sri Lanka from the 23 to 27 September.  2012 Over 150 people representing 20 countries from Asia and across the planet from Buddhist, Hindu, Baha’i, Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Asian animists/naturalists from Sri Lanka (Vedda) and Vietnam, and Islamic faith traditions, gathered at Sewalanka’s peaceful Islander Center, which itself provides a unique model for sustainable living, community cross-cultural and interfaith relationship building, and biodiversity regeneration in an area scarred by the impacts of war and extremes of unpredictable climate patterns. multi-faith

 

On consumption, waste and pollution:

Prosperity teaching and its’ influence - article by Sue Pnematicatos on Christian’s attitude towards creation – a critique of prosperity teaching. Christian

 

Food and eco- justice related resources:

Food and Eco-Justice - a document from the Anglican Alliance in preparation for Rio+20, including facts on food, hunger, Bible passages, reflection and prayer Christian

 

Examples from other eco-congregations:

JAEI – Eco-congregations The Johannesburg Anglican Environmental Initiative (JAEI) is a formal body of the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, formed to address the challenges being faced by this generation with regards to the environment. This report contains photo’s and further information on their work. Christian

 

Practical guides to help reduce your impact on the environment:

 

The Wonderbag – what does it do? - Find out more about the amazing wonderbag/hotbox.

How to…guides - Courtesy of WESSA and USAID

How to make a hotbox - This guide explains step by stake how to make a hotbox

How to build a fuel efficient clay stove 

How to build an owl box - To attract owls to your garden, you don’t need to introduce food, as it should already be there. What you need to do is provide accommodation!

How to build a vertical bottle garden – The  “Vertical Bottle Garden” can be placed anywhere. It works on gravity feed to irrigate the bottles. You are re-using plastic bottles. Water is recycled through this process. It is cheap and easy to construct. You have a high yield of vegetables. And it looks beautiful!

How to make a solar funnel cooker - The Solar Funnel Cooker is safe, low cost, easy to make, yet effective in capturing the sun’s energy for cooking and pasteurizing water. Be amazed at how easy it is to boil water using the sun’s energy. This is a fun project for the holidays, to make at home, in Sunday school or on a youth camp.

How to recycle 2-litre coke bottles - This step-by-step guide explains three creative ways to recycle your plastic 2 litre coke bottles: a useful plastic bag screw-on lid; a mole-proof bulb planter; a pretty candle or potplant holder. 

How to make fire bricks - Making your own paper fire bricks or fuel logs is an easy green solution that saves money!

 

Links with further resources:

Southern African:

JAEI resources - The Johannesburg Anglican Environmental Initiative (JAEI), has many useful (Christian) liturgical and theological resources related to earth-keeping. Christian

NECCSA liturgical resources -  Network of Earthkeeping Christian Communities in South Africa (NECSSA) liturgical resources.  Christian

 A Rocha SA resources - An essential part of A Rocha South Africa (ARZA)’s work is our Theology & Citizenship programme which invites Christians to integrate care for creation into their day to day living. Christian

 

International:

Green Faith Resources - Green Faith is an Interfaith coalition for the environment in New Jersey which was started in 1992. From sample prayers and religious education curricula, to tips for ‘greening’ the building and help with undertaking environmental justice advocacy, GreenFaith is a one-stop shop for religious-environmental work. multi-faith

IPL Study Guides - Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) is a religious response to Global Warming based in the USA. multi-faith

Time for Creation – Resources on the World Council of Churches (WCC) website with prayers and liturgies, preaching and educational resources. Christian

Faith & the Common Good Resources – “Seeking common ground for the common good”. Here you can find resources created by Faith & the Common Good and Greening Sacred Spaces, some of which are available as free downloads for individual use. multi-faith

Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale - This is the largest international multireligious project of its kind. With its conferences, publications, and website it is engaged in exploring religious worldviews, texts, and ethics in order to broaden understanding of the complex nature of current environmental concerns.  multi-faith

ARC Resources – the Alliance for Religions and Conservation (ARC) is a secular body that helps the major religions of the world to develop their own environmental programmes, based on their own core teachings, beliefs and practices. multi-faith

Canfei Nesharim resources  – Connecting traditional Torah texts with contemporary scientific findings, Canfei Nesharim educates and empowers Jewish individuals, organizations and communities to take an active role in protecting the environment, in order to build a more sustainable world. Jewish

The Eco-Muslim – UK website/blog on environment & Muslim life: food, health, books, eco-islam, fashion & design. Muslim

Ecospirituality Resources: Free resources, especially new annual reflections for Advent & Lent. Christian

Green Guide for Hajj - The world’s first green Hajj guide by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation  (ARC). Note: over 16MB! Muslim

Green Prophet/ Religion - News stories on religion & environment in the Middle East. multi-faith

Evangelical Environmental Network Creation Care resources – EEN seeks to equip, inspire, disciple, and mobilize God’s people in their effort to care for God’s creation. Christian

Earth Ministry resources – is a non-profit organization committed to engaging the Christian community in environmental stewardship in the US. Christian

COEJL Resources – Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), US.  The Jewish community’s collective commitment to fundamental change on energy and sustainability will emerge from exploration of the rich resources of Jewish tradition and contemporary life.  COEJL develops and disseminates materials to enable Jewish organizations and communities to inspire, educate and mobilize communities. Jewish

Catholic Climate Covenant Resources -  is  funded by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and  was started to address the questions concerning what are the moral  implications of climate change, who is most impacted, and what should  the Catholic community do? Christian

IFEES Eco-Islam Newsletters - Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) in the UK – temporary website with informative previous newsletter editions. Muslim

Green Muslims - Green Muslims are an environmental group in the USA. Muslim

Eco Faith – Interfaith Dorset Education & Action’s website (IDEA) –  an interfaith group primarily focussed on the environment. IDEA has two simple goals, both expressed in the name – to educate people about the challenges facing the environment, as well as to educate them in the responses by the different faith traditions, and to act on that learning by making positive changes in our lives. multi-faith

Earth Sangha – The Earth Sangha is a nonprofit charity based in the Washington, DC area and devoted to ecological restoration. They work in the spirit of Buddhist practice, but our members and volunteers come from a wide variety of religious and secular backgrounds. Buddhist

Renewal Resources – Renewal is a Christ-centered and student-driven creation care network that strives to inspire, connect and equip college students in their sustainability efforts in the US. Christian

 Year of Jewish Learning on the environment - Jewcology has launched a Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment, in partnership with Canfei Nesharim!  Materials from eighteen different Core Teachings topics will be released approximately every 3 weeks between Tu b’Shevat 5772 and Tu b’Shevat 5773.  Jewish

 Christian Ecology - The Fund for Christian Ecology, Inc. is an Idaho Non-Profit Corporation established in 1998 to facilitate a discussion of all historic and emerging strands of thought within Christianity related to God’s creation, humanity’s role within it, and the Earth’s current environmental crisis. Christian