Each year in May municipalities and bicycle organizations around the world observe “Bike to Work Week,” a time for commuters to leave their cars at home and ride bikes to work.  It has led to many improvements for bicycle commuters and pleasure-riders in cities across theUnited States.  The Federal Highway Administration says that 65% of all driving trips are made within two miles of home.  Biking is a carbon-neutral, healthy, and cost-effective alternative.  By biking two miles to and from work twice a week, one can reduce carbon emissions by roughly ten pounds.  Spokane Bike to Work Week is May 16 to 20.  The Faith and Environment Network is encouraging all people of faith to consider setting aside a weekend day on either side of that work week, or another weekend of your choice, as Bike to Worship, whether Saturday or Sunday.  You may work a little harder getting to church or synagogue or temple, but you will give the air and the earth a bit of a rest.  On the other hand, you may find that you are better rested and happier after a bike-ride than you are being shut up in a car.

Talk to your local faith community leaders and engage them for such a day and event in recognition of God’s good gifts to us and our stewardship of them.  For more information on Bike to Work Week in Spokanego to the Spokane Bikes website http://spokanebikes.net/wordpress or to the page that lists that week’s Spokane activities http://spokanebikes.net/wordpress/?page_id=48 .  For more information on Bike Month go to the League of American Bicyclists website http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/ .

Celebrate the arrival of spring weather, finally.  Happy biking.

What a gift to have so many options offered to honor all of Creation on Good Friday this year, which is also Earth Day. Check out the Anglican Church of Canada’s web site for quick and easy resources you can bring to your church for this Holy Day.  There is also a short homily and a solemn intersession that can be inserted with a collect.

http://www.anglican.ca/relationships/action/greening/earthdayliturgy2011/

Please share this link and these ideas with one another and consider how some of them might be incorporated into our prayers and awareness. In this time of unpredictable environmental challenges, it is past time to put our prayers and concerns in the open.

God’s Peace…

Evita Krislock, Faith & Environment Network

As reported in the Spokesman Review, for an hour Saturday March 26, members of the Faith & Environment Network and others in Spokane joined millions of people and thousands of businesses around the world in shutting off their lights in recognition of Earth Hour.  Spokane’s Mayor Verner encouraged Spokane businesses and residents to participate and to embrace alternative energy that could boost our local economy. “In the state and nation, Spokane increasingly is recognized as a leading clean-energy city,” Verner said in a news release. The Faith & Environment Network’s Evita Krislock also noted that “part of the message of Earth Hour is to stand with people all over the globe and say ‘The Earth matters. Every single thing we do has a consequence.”  Read the full article in the Spokesman Review here.

 If you missed our Spokane Earth Hour event, Earth Day is right around the corner.  Another all-day event on Main Street downtown Spokane is planned for Saturday, April 23 to engage, educate, and entertain you with Creation Care related booths and activities.  Check out the Earth Day Spokane web site for details and a full calendar of events.

I live in the country with forest and open fields.  I love having the natural world all around me with few of the distractions of city life.  And yet even here I seldom take time from the work of making a home of this place in order to be aware of neighbors.  Like the field mice which, I realized upon watching our cats, are everywhere, hundreds of them, making their lives and providing themselves as food for many other critters.

As I took time to walk last week—actually walked without a job to do, walked not for exercise but for the sake of paying attention—I found two woodpecker nests with the inhabitant and a great horned owl which I had heard but never seen.  I found them for the first time in places I have passed dozens of times without paying attention.  And I found, only because I looked, buttercups and Idaho blue-eyed grass and closer to the house the first crocus of the season.

Our slowness to awareness: that is why the Faith and Environment Network will focus tomorrow, March 26, Earth Hour Day, on what it means to be mindful, that is, aware of the natural world around us as well as the ways we impact it.  Thich Nhat Than talks about it as “the miracle of being fully awake.”  And with the days lengthening and moving toward warmth, what a good time to consider the natural economy of light and darkness with a representative of the International Dark-Sky Association.  I hope many of you can make the Faith & Environment Network’s “Earth Hour and Beyond: Called To Care,” Saturday, March 26, 4:30 – 8:30/9 pm, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, in Spokane (details below). 

By Tom Soeldner

Earth Hour and Beyond: Called To Care

A Faith & Environment Network event to raise awareness about climate change and the need to care for creation in our community, Saturday, March 26, 2011,4:30 pm, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (127 East 12^th Avenue, Spokane’s South Hill).  Please help spread the word to family, friends, and at your church!

This year’s annual event in Spokane will feature:

• Artists and naturalists discussing environmental mindfulness including: Lynn Schott, poet and environmental activist from Kettle Falls, WA;  Scott Kolbo, Associate Professor of Art, Whitworth University; and Dan Matiatos, biologist and Refuge Manager, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
• A presentation on the Dark-Sky movement which seeks to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting,
• A time of music, readings, and meditations, and
• Turning off of lights in the Cathedral at 8:30 pm in observation of Earth Hour and in solidarity with Spokane and international neighbors.

A light supper will be provided.  A donation of $15 is suggested for the event, but all are welcome regardless of donation.

Earth Hour is an event when individuals, businesses, and cities turn their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.  At Earth Hour 2010 a record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action.  It included the Earth Hour event offered in Spokane by the Faith and Environment Network.

The Faith and Environment Network engages people of faith and their congregations in caring for creation.  For further information please contact Evita Krislock (220-6532) or Thomas Soeldner (607-7115).

Earth Hour and Beyond: Called To Care

A Faith & Environment Network event to raise awareness about climate change and the need to care for creation in our community, Saturday, March 26, 2011,4:30 pm, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (127 East 12^th Avenue, Spokane’s South Hill).  Please help spread the word to family, friends, and at your church!

This year’s annual event in Spokane will feature:

• Artists and naturalists discussing environmental mindfulness including: Lynn Schott, poet and environmental activist from Kettle Falls, WA;  Scott Kolbo, Associate Professor of Art, Whitworth University; and Dan Matiatos, biologist and Refuge Manager, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
• A presentation on the Dark-Sky movement which seeks to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting,
• A time of music, readings, and meditations, and
• Turning off of lights in the Cathedral at 8:30 pm in observation of Earth Hour and in solidarity with Spokane and international neighbors.

A light supper will be provided.  A donation of $15 is suggested for the event, but all are welcome regardless of donation.

Earth Hour is an event when individuals, businesses, and cities turn their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.  At Earth Hour 2010 a record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action.  It included the Earth Hour event offered in Spokane by the Faith and Environment Network.

The Faith and Environment Network engages people of faith and their congregations in caring for creation.  For further information please contact Evita Krislock (220-6532) or Thomas Soeldner (607-7115).

If you’re going to give up something for Lent . . .

Originally posted on Earth Ministry’s blog—click here to read the full post!

By: Rev. Tim Phillips

Giving up something is a traditional practice during Lent. Some people give up chocolate or alcohol or meat. The idea is that to abstain from something will make us more aware of the pattern of our lives and the life we owe to God. It identifies us with the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness before he began his ministry or the forty years the children of Israel wandered in the desert before they entered the Promised Land. Periodic fasting from meals, various foods, or particular actions is part of most religious traditions.

This year, if you are going to give up something for Lent, why not give up something that would make a positive impact on the Earth?   Read more here.

A Faith & Environment Network event to raise awareness about climate change and the need to care for creation in our community

When & Where: Saturday, March 26, 2011,4:30 pm,

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (127 East 12^th Ave) 

This year’s annual event in Spokane will feature:

• artists and naturalists discussing environmental mindfulness,
• a presentation on the Dark-Sky movement which seeks to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting,
• a time of music, readings, and meditations, and
• turning off of lights in the Cathedral at 8:30 pm in observation of Earth Hour and in solidarity with Spokane and international neighbors.

 A light supper will be provided.  A donation of $15 is suggested for the event, but all are welcome regardless of donation.

Earth Hour is an event when individuals, businesses, and cities turn their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.  At Earth Hour 2010 a record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action.  It included the Earth Hour event offered in Spokane by the Faith and Environment Network.

The Faith and Environment Network engages people of faith and their congregations in caring for creation.  For further information please contact Evita Krislock (220-6532) or Thomas Soeldner (607-7115).

By Evita Krislock, Faith and Environment Network President

Yes there is a lot going on…what a gift to us and also an opportunity to hone our discerning skills.

What do we commit to, where will our focus be, how can we get this all done and be sane at the end of the day? These are just a few questions we ask ourselves and try to find the answers to, especially true in this season of anticipation and celebration of that which is holy. The true gift is when it all comes together, when that which we need, those events and activities which fulfill our passion and commitments incorporate our values and beliefs – it makes the discernment process rewarding while feeding us.

As you know we have a passion and commitment to caring for Creation. We thank all of you who were able to support us in our recent Dreaming of a Green Christmas and pie sale. We sold forty pies and hope that everyone enjoyed their pies and had a safe warm Thanksgiving. A special thanks to all those that donated or contributed to our ingredients for the dinner and the pies including Spokane Seed and Cliffside Orchard.

As we look ahead into the new year we would ask you to consider adding The Faith and Environment Network to your donation list. This money will be used to support our administrate costs, phone, flyers, postage, educational materials and a part time event, volunteer coordinator. Your gift of 25, 50 or one hundred dollars would also help offset the costs incurred  from our Called to Care Conference in March, Earth Day and our other informational events.

As the end of the year approaches we can look back and realize that we have indeed moved forward, continuing to network faith communities, inform others about simple steps they can take toward living more sustainably as well as celebrating Creation and our role in ensuring that its care for generations to come. Just look at a few of our recent events…

Called to Care Conference

Celebration of Earth Hour  (Ecumenical worship service)

Earth Day booth

Legislative Environmental Lobby Day

Faith, Coal and Climate workshop

Garden Party, tour of All Saints Community Garden and presentation by Marc Gauthier about tragedy in Gulf Oil Spill

Meetings with Senator Lisa Brown and Rep. Timm Ormsby

Facilitated an Advent Retreat for St. Al’s Creation Care team

There is a lot going on, plenty of opportunities to grow and move forward and we a so thankful that you are a part of this journey with us!

Every year our friends from Earth Ministry help organize an Environmental Lobby Day to give us a chance to tell our elected officials what is important to us as people of faith who care for Creation.   It is an amazing experience to be able to speak your mind to our state’s decision makers.   We often feel powerless to change the system but by joining with others to make our voice heard you can renew your focus and help bring about real, effective change.

Evita Krislock, the President of The Faith and Environment Network, has attended the Environmental Lobby Day for several years and has this to say:

“The value of having Eastsiders on the legislative workshop day is an important part of broadening all of our perspectives and become educated about the top environmental priorities. It gives voice to our concerns. The Environmental Lobby Day is an incredible time to meet with our state representatives and address the top priorities, to teach and network, it is priceless as we look at grassroots efforts that address concerns of Creation. Working together we do make a difference – being unafraid to address our concerns is an important factor in this as well. We need to tell our story!”

Mark your calendars for this years Lobby Day on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 8:30am-6pm in Olympia, WA. Check out our Events page for more information. If you are interested in attending please send us an e-mail and we would be happy to carpool with you and help set up accommodations.

Also, don’t forget this Friday December, 10th is Eat Local Day.  If you can, spend $10 on local food at the Main Market, Fresh Abundance or any of our local producers and help support the community.  A little bit goes a long way when we all work together.

By Evita Krislock

My husband called Friday to see if there was a charity to designate our annual United Way gift. As he knows I am involved in a variety of organizations and causes.

Did you know that you can designate your United Way donation to a specific organization? There are many good causes throughout the area. There is also considerable need. When he asked me, my quick response was YES!

The Faith and Environment Network would certainly benefit from regular donations – heck it will help pay for our cell phone and administrative costs. While we are a small entity, with a small overhead, we continue to offer programs and opportunities to learn and affect a change toward Caring for Creation, working within communities of Faith. Wow! Small but mighty, just imagine what we will be able to achieve if we had an employee to help coordinate some of our projects and efforts. Currently we depend solely on volunteers to pull together all that we do. In Caring for Creation we also recognize the need to care for ourselves and are seeking to find further support in an effort to do just that.

So yes dear, it would be great if you would designate your gift to United Way to the

Faith and Environment Network

1428 W Broadway Ave

Spokane WA 99201

We hope to see you at our Dreaming of a Green Christmas at St. John’s Cathedral this Thursday November 18 – 5:30. Join us for hearty soups, fresh breads and homemade, organic pies. Order your holiday pies and then sit back for great entertainment and ideas to help make your holidays environmentally friendly and less stressful.