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ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE WEB SITES

A site describing hybrid electric vehicles, their development, current status, and future plans.
 
A U.S. Department of Energy site providing specific energy savings data from hybrid automobiles.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/ResourceCenterToolsCalculators.html
Greenhouse gas emissions calculators are available online from the US EPA. These interactive calculators help estimate the greenhouse gas emissions of human activities and identify and compare emissions reduction options. The site also provides gas mileage (MPG), greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution ratings, and safety information for new and used cars and trucks.

http://www.climatestar.org
This site from the Earth Communications Office and The Union of Concerned Scientists offers valuable information on global warming, climate choices, and tools for calculating your environmental footprint. The SafeClimate carbon footprint calculator allows you to determine carbon dioxide emissions from major sources: home energy consumption and transportation by car and plane.

Computer Use

A site comparing cathode ray tube (CRT) to flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors usage.
 
Guidelines on how to lower electricity consumption of computers.
 
Guidelines for energy saving on computer equipment.
 
A site comparing cathode ray tube (CRT) to flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors usage.
 
A site detailing the energy savings from using LCDs as opposed to CRTs for computer use.

Congregational Helps

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_congregations
Download the no-cost ENERGY STAR for Congregations Guide: "Putting Energy into Stewardship" to learn ways that your congregation can achieve energy efficiency. Become an ENERGY STAR partner for free technical support, information, awards eligibility, e-mail updates, and your free hard copy of "Putting Energy into Stewardship" for your congregation. Learn about new building design, access technical resources, and find expert help. 

http://www.earthministry.org/Congregations/greening_resources.htm#Links%20to%20Greening%20Dimensions%20of%20Congregational%20Life
A comprehensive resource on greening congregations with great background information, step-by-step guides, and links to many practical helps.

Energy Audit Tools

A web-based energy audit tool.

Environmental Organizations

http://www.ourplanet.com
"Our Planet" is the United Nations Environment Program's flagship magazine for environmentally sustainable development. Published quarterly, each issue concentrates on one specific theme, tying into international conferences, meetings, events, and otherwise dealing with issues of our time. Available on-line and in hard copy in English, French and Spanish.

http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower
The Green Power Network (GPN) provides news and information on green power markets and related activities. The site is operated and maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy. Frequently updated, the site contains information on and links to green power providers and their product offerings, utility green pricing programs, and net metering and other policies that affect green power markets. The GPN also includes a reference library of relevant papers, articles and reports.

http://www.wri.org/ 
The World Resources Institute is an environmental research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the planet and improve people's lives. This site is a wealth of current information including global topics, EarthTrends- The Environmental Information Portal, a newsroom, publications and multimedia, and ways to take action.

Empowerment Institute (EI) is an international consulting, training and project management company. It specializes in behavior change program design, organizational capacity building and implementation of large scale community and organizational transformation projects. The site has many resources directed at solving environmental issues.
 
biodiversityproject.org
The Biodiversity Project's Mission is to add strength and value to the environmental movement's public outreach on biodiversity. Working with partners in advocacy, education, science, communications, grantmaking and other fields. Our Vision is to build a public majority that cares about the variety of life on earth and the living interconnections that make life possible, and to empower and motivate people to take action to protect and conserve this biodiversity, both at home and in a global context.

orionsociety.org
The Orion society is an award winning publisher, and environmental education organization, and a communication support network for grassroots environmental and community organization across North America. It is a nonprofit membership organization with 8000 members, individual and organizational, representing all fifty states and thirty-one foreign counties.

The website for the Energy Savings Trust whose goal is to achieve the sustainable and efficient use of energy. The site has many practical helps for energy efficiency in homes and business.

Green Products

www.responsibleshopper.org
This sites provides people with instant access to research and statistics on over 400 corporations with regard to their practices, products, and policies on various environmental and social issues. Sponsored by Coop America, the site offers an email feature, allowing you to communicate immediately and directly with companies whose social and environmental problems are highlighted on the site.

Green Seal's mission is to achieve a more sustainable world by promoting environmentally responsible production, purchasing, and products. The site deals with greening government programs, certifying and recommending products, and providing publication references.
 
This site helps you to find green products, to build green, and analyze your energy use.
 
ESP Energy has innovative products to help reduce energy consumption.
 
http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/rraltern.pdf 
Alternative products for household cleaning and pest control.
 
Energy Star lists their endorsed products and where to get them as well as providing useful tips for home and business energy efficiency.

Key Charters, Statements, Summits

http://www.earthcharter.org
This Earth Charter site involves a joint initiative of a lot of groups interested in developing a framework statement on humankind's relationship with the earth. The Charter, which had origins linked to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been distributed widely for sign-on and endorsement, and has served as an excellent tool for focusing attention on specific activities. The site contains diverse information directed at the local community/congregational level, as well as educational programs.

http://www.iisd.ca/wssd/portal.html
This site contains information on the World Summit on Sustainable Development that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August/September 2002. The "WSSD Outcome Documents" section on the home page contains the two key documents that were finalized at the Summit: Plan of Implementation (4 pages); and Political Declaration (54 pages).
 

Religious/Theological

www.webofcreation.org
The Web of Creation is an interdenominational/interfaith organization working to provide on-line environmental resources for faith-based communities, based on the belief that religion is a crucial factor in issues of ecology and justice. Check out their special sites dealing with worship, religious education, congregational lifestyle, personal lifestyle, and public ministry & advocacy.

http://www.crle.org
Center for Respect of Life and Environment "The Center was founded in 1986 to foster an ethic of compassion toward all sentient beings and respect for the integrity of nature. With a particular focus on higher educations and religious institutions, the Center promotes a humane and sustainable future for all members of the earth community."

www.earthministry.org  
Earth Ministry is a tax-exempt, non-profit Christian, environment, ecumenical ministry incorporated in the State of Washington. Its mission is to engage individuals and congregations in knowing God more fully through deepening relationships with all of God’s creation. Its belief is that through this experience our personal lives and our culture will be transformed. These transformations include simplified living, environmental stewardship, justice for all creation, and a worldview, which sees creation as a revelation of God. Together these lead to a rediscovery of the vitality of the Christian faith. This site contains a tremendous variety of resource material for use in sermons, Sunday school classes, youth camps, special activities in church and the community, etc.

http://www.stewards.net/About.htm
Interfaith Council for Environmental Stewardship (Serving Humanity and Ecology Through Faith and Reason). Highlights the Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship from Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. The site has an extensive theological, scientific and economic resource link page.

http://www.cep.unt.edu/ecotheo.html
A bibliography of the theology behind much of Christianity's response to environmental concerns. Compiled by John B. Cobb, Jr., this bibliography of English-language material is based largely on selections from half a dozen other bibliographies supplemented by some independent research. It is fairly thorough up to 1992, progressively less so thereafter. Individual essays are not separately listed if they are in books, magazines, or special issues of journals that are listed as sections at the end of the bibliography.

http://www.NRPE.org
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment is a formal alliance of major faith groups and denominations across the spectrum of Jewish and Christian communities and organizations in the U.S. It includes the National Council of Churches of Christ network, as well as Jewish, Catholic and Evangelical networks. Go to the National Council of Churches of Christ site, for example, and you will find a wealth of information pertinent to local congregations, sermon themes, environmental issues, etc.

http://environment.harvard.edu/religion
The Harvard Forum on Religion and Ecology provides a systematic effort to explore environmental questions from the perspective of ten of the world's most pervasive religious traditions. This multi-disciplinary research between religion, science, economics, ethics, education, and public policy scholars, is helping us to understand some of the most complicated social and environmental problems of our time.

http://www.amacad.org/publications/fall2001/fall2001.aspx
Daedalus, a journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, published a special issue in 2001 on Religion and Ecology. It brings together diverse perspectives from the world's religious traditions regarding attitudes toward nature with reflections from the field of science, public policy, and ethics. The 17 scholars whose articles appear in this volume identify symbolic, scriptural, and ethical dimensions within particular religions in their relation with the natural world. They examine these dimensions both historically and in response to contemporary environmental problems.

 

CONGREGATIONAL PRINTED RESOURCES

Building a Firm Foundation: "Green" Building Toolkit.  A practical resource guide to building with energy efficient technologies and sustainable building techniques.

Greening Congregations Handbook. Complied and edited by Tanya Marcovna Barnett. Earth Ministry, 6512 23rd Ave. NW. St. 317, Seattle, SA 98117. 206-632-2426. May be ordered from website: http://www.earthministry.org/Congregations/handbook.htm. One of the most comprehensive, practical resources for congregations including stories, ideas, and resources for cultivating creation awareness and care in your congregation. It addresses community, knowledge, activity, and strategy pathways for cultivating awareness and care. The handbook takes the congregation through mission statement, worship, education, institutional life, community outreach, and ecumenical/interfaith dimensions of greening congregations. Also a number of readings are included highlighting why people of faith care for creation. The Appendix includes worship, bioregion, denominational, music, and congregational self-exploration resources.

On Your Way to Good Environmental and Economic Stewardship, Energy Star Guide for Congregations. Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE), University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50614. 800-288-1346. This resource provides a simple checklist for energy savings plus suggestions for calculating the actual saving.

Energy Conservation Reference and Management Guide.  Produced by the State of Michigan Energy Resources Division, Sept. 1996 by Jerry N. Nash 517-334-7236 This manual is produced as an energy conservation reference and management guide for churches. It is an attempt to bring together, in a usable format, in a usable format, some of the wealth of practical suggestions and experience to be found in the energy field.  It consists of six sections, each addressing a different aspect of a total energy conservation program. This is a manual and not a book to be read from cover to cover.  Each section contains practical information and suggested procedures and forms designed to be used in implementing a specific part of an energy conservation program. There are sample forms included in this manual, which are designed to be removed, copied and use to implement and monitor your program.

Faith-Based Environmental Justice Resources for Youth and Children.  Complied and edited by Tina B. Krause,  March 1997. Additional copies are available for $2.50 from: Environmental Justice Resources National Council of the Churches, P.O. Box 968 Elkhart, Indiana 46515. 800-762-0968 or 219-264-3102.  This contains lists of resources under the following topics; faith-based environmental educational resources, age-level curricula with environmental themes, selected inspirational books, selected resources for educators, audiovisual resources, organizations and denominations, publishers, and distributors.

Environmental Justice Resources, National Council of Churches of Christ,  May 1999. This resource is available at no cost from NCCC, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, Indiana 46515-0968. 800-762-0968 or fax 219-262-0966.  A four-page resource that contains a brief bibliography and description of publications for children, congregations, environmental issues and an order form.

Albert Fritsch, S.J., Eco-Church, An Action Manual (San Jose, California: Resource Publications, Inc., 1992).

Frederick W. Krueger, The Lord’s House (Wynnewood, Pennsylvania:  Green Cross-Macalester Park, 1995).

 

MAGAZINES AND NEWSLETTERS

Creation Care is published quarterly by the Evangelical Environmental Network.  EEN is one of the ministries of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.  It is affiliated with such ministries as Habitat for Humanity, WorldVision, International Bible Society, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The magazine strives to help readers care for creation in a way that is faithful to Jesus Christ, biblical revelation, and scientific analysis.  Subscription information: $30 donation U.S. mail to EEN, 10 E. Lancaster Ave., Wynnewood, Pa. 19096-3495. 1-800-650-6600.

 

THEOLOGICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robert D. Bullard, Confronting Environmental Racism (Boston, Massachusetts:  South End Press, 1993).

Calvin B. DeWitt, Earth-Wise (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  CRC Publications, 1994).

Michael Dowd, Earthspirit (Mystic, Connecticut:  Twenty-Third Publications, 1991).

Albert J. Fritsch, S.J., Renew the Face of the Earth (Chicago, IL:  Loyola University Press, 1987).

L. Robert Keck, Ph.D., Sacred Eyes (Boulder, Colorado:  Synergy Associates, Inc., 1992).

Jay B. McDaniel, With Roots and Wings (Maryknoll, New York:  Orbis Books, 1995).

Jurgen Moltmann, God in Creation (San Francisco, California:  Harper SanFrancisco, 1991).

Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth Community Earth Ethics (Maryknoll, New York:  Orbis Books, 1997).

Loren Wilkinson, Earth Keeping in the ‘90s (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980).

 

CHILDREN’S BIBLIOGRAPHY

Christie L. Jenkins, Ph.D., Love Our Neighbor, The Earth (San Jose, California:  Resource Publications, Inc., 1991).

Christie L. Jenkins, Ph.D., Your Will Be Done On Earth (San Jose, California:  Resource Publications, Inc., 1993). 

Kristen Kemper, Caring For God’s World (Prescott, Arizona:  Educational Ministries, Inc., 1991).

Jenepher Lingelbach, Hands-On Nature (Woodstock, Vermont:  Vermont Institute of Natural Science, 1986).

Isia Osuchowska, The Gift (Boston, Massachusetts:  Wisdom Publications, 1996).

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, A Prayer for the Earth, (Woodstock, Vermont:  Jewish Lights Publishing, 1996).

Chief Seattle, Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, (New York, New York:  Dial Books, 1991).

 

VIDEOS

The Greening of the Faith – Why the Environment is a Christian Concern, Program One: Theology & Spirituality, Program Two: Ethics, 27 & 30 minutes respectfully. Program one explores biblical foundations for ecology, creation spiritually in Christian tradition, nature as sacramental and the reconnection of faith and science. Program two contains topics on environment and justice, the extension of ethical obligation beyond the human species and focuses on the unique role the Church can play in the formation of attitudes and the enabling of change. Cathedral Films and Video P.O. Box 4029, Westlake Village, CA. 91359

Affluenza and Escape From Affluenza. The first video is 57 minutes in length and is a fascinating look at one of the greatest social maladies of our time: over consumption and materialism. Hosted by national public radio’s Scott Simon. Affluenza explores both the comical and sobering aspects of our consumerism and its enormous impact on our families, communities and the environment. Escape From Affluenza, is hosted by former Los Angles newspaper reporter Wanda Urbanka. This video uses thought-provoking vignettes and humor to show people how they can reduce their consumption and simplify their lives. Copies of both videos and be obtained from KCTS Videos, $24.95 plus shipping by calling 1-800-937-5387 or online at channel9store.com.