CIPL's NEW Solar Financing Guide!

Without further delay, we are proud to present our new Solar Financing Guide for Congregations!


Thanks to all our members who contributed and please feel free (as always) to call in with questions.


Please download it
HERE.

CIPL Covenant Now Available in Spanish

Hi All-
You can now find our CIPL Covenant online in Spanish! Click HERE to download and print the covenant. Please call our office with any questions you may have: 510-444-4078 x319, or email Jessica.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Tuolumne County: Climate Discussion

Video: Dr. Sleeth's Berkeley Stop on CIPL Tour

Click on the above video to see evangelical environmentalist Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth give his CIPL sponsored talk to the Graduate Theological Union's Beatitudes Society.

Earth Day events at St. Stephen’s Church in Orinda

On April 22, 2007, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Orinda, California honored our blessed “island home” with a beautiful Creation-centered worship service. The liturgy was based on the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer, and Father Lawrence Hunter delivered an inspiring sermon. As he explained,

“The care of creation, the quest for sustainability, the push for renewal, is not just an economic
or political issue. We can argue about economics or politics. The care of creation is, at its core,
a theological issue. About this there can be little debate. We Christians assert that God
is the agent of creation, that all of creation “belongs” to God, and that we are created and called to be stewards of creation. It goes to the heart of our theology that we are to take care of that which God has entrusted to us.”

His complete sermon can be found at: http://www.ststephensorinda.org/Sermons/April222007.htm

The service set the stage for a variety of activities in which both youth and adults participated. During the coffee hour following the service, the Caring for Creation committee organized a number of educational exhibits and provided information and resource guides designed to inform parishioners about how they can better “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.”
Numerous cleaning and other home products that are made from recycled, organic or biodegradable materials were on display.
Practical tips about composting and organic gardening were also provided. In a very creative initiative, St. Stephen’s is working with a local bank to develop low-cost­ means for financing home solar power systems, and bank representatives were on hand to discuss this exciting program.

Children celebrated the occasion by planting seeds in nifty biodegradable peat pots, releasing hundreds of ladybugs, and entering into Care for the Earth contracts.

St. Stephens is taking tangible steps to address the impact of our daily activities on our beloved Earth home.
Beginning on Earth Day,
· Church members have already purchased nearly 200 St. Stephen’s cloth grocery bags made from Ecospun, a fabric composed entirely of recycled soda bottles. Use of these cloth bags could save up to 175,000 paper or plastic grocery bags. Proceeds from these sales will benefit California Interfaith Power and Light;
· Several dozen families have already taken the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge, whereby they have agreed to begin replacing home light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones. We are on our way to reach our goal of 200 homes; at the present pace, St. Stephen’s parishioners would save more than 60,000 kWh of energy, thousands of dollars in energy
costs, and prevent nearly 100,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions; and
· More than 100 “personal cloths” were distributed (with the Caring for Creation logo) and are now being used by people in lieu of paper towels.

For more information about the efforts of St. Stephen’s Earth Day and related activities, please contact Barbara Bisel (925- 377-5953, or BSmithBisel@cs.com) or me, Richard Severy (925-283-2950, or severyfamily@comast.net)

News from Unity in Marin's Sustainability Team

Unity In Marin presents a series about our spiritual connection with the earth and each other and how we can work together toward sustainability – balancing the environment, the economy and social justice. We are living in a cultural dream that says we are separate from the earth and each other, that the earth’s bounty is here for us to use without consequence. We must wake up to the truth that everything is connected and that what we do to the earth and each other, we do to ourselves.


Sunday, May 6, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Workshop, Children and Nature: Awakening a Sense of Wonder
This workshop is for parents, grandparents and just anyone who loves children. Following a film narrated by Dr. Jane Goodall, guest speaker David Haskell, Director of Garden of Eatin’, will speak about “Raising Healthy Children, Naturally.” Bring a favorite food for a potluck at 10:30 or just come for the 11:00 program. Daycare provided. $5-10 suggested donation.

Sunday Service, May 20, 9:30 & 11:15 am
Awakening the Dreamer
Guest speaker Bruce Thompson will talk about awakening from the trance of the modern world, which is a root cause of our environmental and social justice crisis and is the most important work of our time. Staying awake through this shift in consciousness is our ultimate challenge. Bruce will show us how, with open hearts and minds, we can take positive actions that sustain the earth community and satisfy our spiritual longings.

Sunday, May 20, 1:30 -5:30 pm
Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium
This half-day program developed by the Pachamama Alliance considers humanity’s options for the future of our world, and the links between environmental sustainability, social fairness, and spiritual awareness. With a combination of speakers and beautifully presented videos, this program invites our wisdom and commitment to become freshly engaged with these concerns. Please register in advance. Call Tamra Peters at (415) 457-7656. Suggested donation for the event is $15.00. Make checks payable to Unity In Marin and mail to 166 Greenwood Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901. An organic box lunch from Good Earth can be ordered by no later than Wednesday, May 16 for an additional $15.

Sunday Service, May 27, 9:30 & 11:15 am
The Poetic Cosmos
Forming a sustainable worldview will require immense human creativity, grounded in the core creative force of the cosmos. This service will celebrate that creativity through poetry, music and art. Guest speaker Drew Dellinger, a spoken word poet, teacher and activist, will join with Unity musicians to awaken our hearts and call forth the creativity needed in each of us to fashion a new vision of caring for all creation and all people. Artwork from the “Artfully Reclaimed” show at the Novato Arts Center Gallery will be on display in the sanctuary.

Monday, June 4, 7:15– 9:15 pm
Workshop, Living Sustainably: What You & Your Family Can Do
Given the spiritual calling to take responsibility for our planet, what can we do in our homes, schools, workplaces, communities and daily lives to make the “dream” of living sustainably begin to come true? A panel will offer practical suggestions about green building, organic foods, zero waste, cutting energy, green transportation, conserving water, and community involvement. Break-out groups with panelists will follow. Panelists: John Shurtz, Green Builders of Marin; David Haskell, Zero Waste and Garden of Eatin’; John Schlag, Sustainable Marin; Wendi Kallins, Marin Safe Routes to School; Kiki La Porta, Sustainable Marin; Ed Mainland, Sustainable Novato. Suggested donation: $10.