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Standing Rock and Water

11/29/2016

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The Rev. Pamela Dolan, a friend to MO IPL, recently posted this to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Please read it as she captures why this is such an important issue. 

The reason water is such a powerful symbol in religious ritual, poetry, art, and even in dreams is because it is so powerful in our real lives. It is the primary component of our bodies. We cannot survive without it; at the same time, we know it can kill us.

It should come as no surprise that the hashtag #waterislife has become one of the rallying cries for those protesting the Dakota Access pipeline that is slated to stretch more than 1,100 miles, including through land considered sacred by the Standing Rock Sioux.

Last Sunday night the demonstrations took a horrific turn. While the reports of militarized police using attack dogs, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and tear gas were brutal enough, there was something almost obscene about the images of water cannons set loose on human beings, nearly drowning them with their torrential force, especially given that the air temperature was in the 20s.

Water as a weapon, being used against people protecting water — this is beyond irony and veers into an almost blasphemous kind of cruelty. Feeling my heart heavy with the images I had allowed myself briefly to witness, including clips concerning a young woman who may have to have her arm amputated due to injuries received (allegedly by a concussion grenade thrown by police), I decided to reach out, to find some connection to someone with firsthand experience.

Lauren R. Stanley is a fellow Episcopal priest; I know her only through Facebook, although many of my friends in the St. Louis area know her personally from time spent on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where the the Rev. Stanley is priest-in-charge. Based on her life and ministry among Native people and her multiple visits to Standing Rock, she has much to say about the situation there.

Her first point is that the people demonstrating against the DAPL are not merely protecting their own water and land — they are doing this for the sake of others, as well. As she put it, there are 17 million of us who live downriver from the part of the Missouri that the proposed pipeline would cross — do we all know where our water comes from? Are we sure it wouldn’t be contaminated in the event of a spill? She repeated a familiar but potent refrain: “I can’t drink oil.”

Stanley also spoke of the long history of exploitation of and violence against the original people of this land. She traced it back to the Doctrine of Discovery, as first officially promulgated in a papal bull in 1492 that allowed for the subjugation of any people who were “discovered” in the so-called New World.

This took away their humanity along with their rights to the land on which they had lived for untold generations. This history can only add to the pain caused by the treatment of the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies today. One especially traumatic episode that she recounted was when four tribal leaders were arrested while at prayer; during their detention officials put them in dog kennels. “Enough is enough,” Stanley said. “This is about dignity and respect.” When asked what she wanted people to do about the situation, Stanley asked for everyone concerned to look at the tactics being used and say, “This is not who we are.” She urged everyone to contact state and federal officials to demand that the militarized response end. She continued, “Let’s stand up for the people without whom we would not have survived on this continent, and from whom we took and took.

This Thanksgiving, can we at least show respect?” Thanksgiving and the winter holidays that follow are times for family reunions and for expressing gratitude for the gifts in our life. I consider it a tremendous gift to be a priest, but a gift that comes with responsibilities. The first time I baptized a baby, I cried. The power of the sacrament hit me with such force that I could hardly get the words out. Before the actual baptism, the part where the water makes contact with the body, the priest says a Thanksgiving over the Water that begins, “We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water. Over it the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation.” In baptism God does something that is irreversible and therefore eternal, using two primary ingredients to bring forth new life: water and human beings. Water is the outward and visible sign of a powerful inner grace, the transformation that occurs when one is adopted into the household of God and made a member of his eternal priesthood.

​We desperately need transformation in our world today. We cannot let our sacred words and actions become empty rituals because they do not reflect the way we live our lives. Perhaps as we gather with family and friends during this holiday season we could place a pitcher of water on our dining tables, a reminder of the source of all life and a pledge to protect our planet and the most vulnerable among us.

Dolan serves as rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Town and Country. She is a regular Faith Perspectives contributor ​

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Greening Your Purim

3/15/2016

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This post is brought to you by Gail Wechsler the Director of Domestic Issues and Social Justice at the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. The post originally appeared on their Planet Jewish blog. 

​The Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins this year on the evening of March 23, celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from their enemies in the biblical Book of Esther. Purim typically involves reading from the Megillah, dressing up in festive costumes , eating hamantashen and giving gifts of food and drink to others (Shalach Manot). With a little creativity, you can make this holiday more eco-friendly. Below are some suggestions:
• Do a clothing/costume exchange with friends: Instead of buying a new costume for the holiday, gather with friends (both adults and children) and do a swap of costumes. Reusing and recycling a costume previously used is key.
• Make your Shalach Manot gift more environmentally friendly: There are several ways you can do this. First, put your food items in a reusable package, such as a reusable cloth bag or a Mason jar. Second, find organic and local food items to put in your bag. Finally, minimize packaging. Items such as apples, pears and other fresh fruits don’t need to be placed in separate bags. Reduce waste as much as possible.
• Consider focusing on the needy on this holiday: Giving money and gifts to the poor is an integral part of celebrating Purim. Consider delivering your Shalach Manot gift bags to residents of an area nursing home this year. In addition, donate any unopened food or gifts you don’t need or can’t use after the holiday ends to a local food pantry (such as the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry), rather than throwing anything out.
• Cook with organic and healthy ingredients for your own Purim festivities: If you are making hamantashen, look for organic jams and jellies for your filling. If you are inviting others over for a meal to celebrate the holiday, focus on foods that are local and healthy for your Purim table. Look for winter farmers markets to buy your ingredients.

Chag Sameach!

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Eco-Friendly Lent

2/3/2016

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Lent is quickly approaching. For those who observe this time of reflection, repentance, and sacrifice, I encourage you to spend the next forty days opening your hearts and mind's to the care of God's beautiful creation. 

Following are some sites and programs that may help you in your spiritual journey.

:: Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
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:: Daily Lenten Carbon Fast from Michigan IPL
:: Presbyterian Tread Lightly for Lent
:: A Green Lent - 40 Days of Green Preparation for the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
:: Christ Church ESM Lenten Care Practices

If you have any additional resources, please let me know. May this Lent reflect our passion for all that God has made!

In faith,
Tracey

* I would love to compile a list of *greener* fish fries in Missouri. Drop me line if you know of one!

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Thank you! Year in Review

12/15/2015

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​Dear Friends,

This has been an exciting year of growth for Missouri Interfaith Power & Light! Thanks to your help, we:
  • co-sponsored the successful Make a Bigger Difference Event
  • organized the Interfaith Moral March for Climate Justice
  • held the Merchants of Doubt film viewing & discussion
  • implemented the 12 Tasks for Reducing Congregational Energy program
  • provided the opening blessing for St. Louis Earth Day
  • lobbied our legislators in Jefferson City and Washington DC
  • worked with the US Green Building Council to provide energy audits & Energy Star training for congregations
  • presented at numerous congregations making the connection between faith and earth stewardship
With the Paris Climate Talks successfully concluding, it is now more important then ever that faith communities become involved in the care of our common home.  Please help MO IPL continue to be a beacon and resource for congregations. Your donation goes directly to programming.  We would love for 2016 to be another year of education, growth, and inspiration. Thank you!


Tax deductible donations can be made to:

MO Interfaith Power & Light
c/o USGBC
4651 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110

In faith,

Tracey
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The Encyclical Can Resonate with all Faiths

7/7/2015

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The encyclical by Pope Francis makes a compelling case as to why, as the pope stated, “climate change is a global problem with grave implications” and “one of the principal challenges facing humanity today.”

Many of the themes noted by the pope are resonant not only to the Catholic faith, but to other faiths as well. A core tenet of Judaism is that the Earth is a gift from G-d and human beings are stewards and protectors of G-d’s creation. As Jews we learn that we are not to destroy G-d’s world, “for there is no one to repair it after you.”


Another theme common to the encyclical and Judaism is that we have a duty to address the needs of the poor. Just as Pope Francis connected the fragility of the Earth and its devastating effect on the poor, so we as Jews view repairing the Earth as connected to helping those in low-income communities, communities that often bear the worst consequences of pollution and environmental degradation.

We hope people of all faiths will heed the pope’s words to recognize we all have a moral imperative to love and care for creation. This should compel us to take bold steps to address climate change, including drastically reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and expanding our development of clean, renewable energy. We must change our behaviors as individuals, organizations and citizens of the planet for the good of humankind.

Susan Mlynarczyk  •  Creve Coeur

Chair, St. Louis Jewish Environmental Initiative, a committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis

Gail Wechsler  •  Creve Coeur

Director of domestic issues/social justice, Jewish Community Relations Council

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We Need Your Help!

6/15/2015

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This summer will be an important one for the environmental movement.  With the upcoming Pope's environmental encyclical, the release of the Clean Power Plan, and the release of the Missouri Comprehensive State Energy Plan, we need to make sure the faith voice is heard!  As people of faith, we realize this is a moral issue that needs to be addressed now. 

One of the best ways to do this is to write Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds.  I would like to compile a list of folks who would be interested in helping with these.  Fear not if you have never written one!  I am here to help and guide you.  Please let me know if you would be willing to be contacted to write one.  The larger and more diverse our voices, the better chance we have in making a difference and preserving God's beautiful Creation.  Never forget that your voice matters.

In faith and hope,
Tracey

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Rational

5/26/2015

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Thank you, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, for publishing my letter to the editor!

Kevin Horrigan’s May 17th op-ed, “Reason v. Guilt” makes no sense. How is it rational to know the devastating effects of climate change, yet completely ignore any culpability you may have in the problem? As a person of faith, I see it as my moral responsibility to take care of all that God has given us. I want my children to enjoy all the beauty and diversity in the world that I have enjoyed. I also realize that to make this happen, I need to take action. While it will be a challenge to make the necessary changes, it’s increasingly clear that supporting clean energy will have both economic and health benefits. According to a recent NRDC report, Missouri could see the creation of over 3,900 jobs. I encourage my fellow rational Missourians to contact Gov. Nixon’s office to support a strong, clean energy based Comprehensive State Energy Plan and to advocate support for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan with our Senators.  Not only is this a rational approach, it will also relieve some of that guilt.

In faith, 
Tracey


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Take Back Earth Day

4/14/2015

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Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote "Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of invevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men (and women) willing to be co-workers with God, and with this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation."

While King was writing about the Civil Rights movement, I believe that the current environmental crisis is facing the same urgency.  Environmental justice needs folks like you to work on the behalf of those who do not have a voice.  Climate change will affect those who are least able to adapt.  We need to step up and demand justice for everyone.  I invite you to join us and other groups across Missouri to Take Back Earth Day.  We need voices of faith to show Missouri lawmakers that we see climate change as a moral issue.  As stewards of God's creation, we have been covenented to take care of his masterpiece.  We need lawmakers to support policies that bring about this end. God did not say it would be easy or comfortable or convenient.  It is, though, important and necessary.  Please join us April 22nd, 10am in Jefferson City.  

Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good"

Faithfully,
Tracey

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We Need You!

2/23/2015

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Do you know how important your voice is? VERY! It is important to your family, to your community, to your congregation, and to your legislators.  As people of faith, it is critical that we lend our voices to the the environmental movement.  God granted us stewardship of creation. Part of stewardship is speaking up for those who do not have voice.  Missouri IPL has recently joined a newly formed statewide climate coaltion.  Organizations around Missouri are banding together to work towards a clean energy future for the state.  Together, we will be the loud voice our legislators need to enact policies that positiviley affect our future.  To amplify our voice, we need you to participate in our grassroote efforts.  Please join us tonight to learn more about ways you and your congregation can help.  Can't make it tonight?  Send me an email or stay tuned to our website for continual updates.  Don't underestimate how important your are! Click HERE for details.

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Lent

2/16/2015

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For many Christian denominations, Lent is a time of sacrifice and reflection.  As I think about how I will observe it this year, I can think of no better way then caring for the gift that God has given all of us: Earth.  As a culture, we have taken for granted many of life's conveniences.  What were once luxuries are now considered necessities. These *necessities* are taking their toll. We would need five Earth's to keep up with our current standard of living! Lent is an opportunity to take some time every day to evaluate our priorities in this world and become closer to God and all that he as given to us. Please see the links below to some inspirational programs to help guide you through the season!

Iowa Interfaith Power & Light Carbon Calendar
United Church of Christ Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast
Catholic Climate Covenant Carbon Fast Lenten Calendar




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