The Great Serpent Mound. Adams County, Ohio
Environmental Sustainability
Recent General Convention Resolutions on Creation Care and Environmental Sustainability
2018-A011
2018-C021
2018-A011
Affirm Commitment to Address Environmental Racism
Concurred as Substituted
Final text:
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention affirm the need for governments, private industry and all people to act to protect the health of all persons from unsafe and unhealthy exposures to air and water pollution, toxic substances, or radiation in their food, water supply, living quarters, and work places; and be it further
Resolved, That the Church recommit to the excellent work done by previous General Conventions of The Episcopal Church, specifically resolutions 2000-D005, 2012-B023, 2012-C079, and 2015-C013 and that General Convention affirm that no community, especially poor communities, those who live closest to the land in subsistence cultures, and members of marginalized ethnic groups, should bear a disproportionate risk of environmental pollution or degradation; and advocate for and support policies that protect these populations and the sanctity of communities and the livelihood of future generations from the disparate impact of climate change and environmental degradation; and be it further
Resolved, That General Convention direct the formation of a Task Force, not to exceed twelve people, including attorneys, health professionals, environmental professionals, and bishops and other clergy to study and report specific recommendations for appropriate changes in federal, state, or local law so that effective judicial remedies, based on a showing of disproportionate health or environmental impact on those living closest to the land in subsistence cultures, ethnic minorities or poor communities, can be obtained to address unwise governmental decisions with respect to land use, industrial, energy and transportation development, and application of environmental standards; and be it further
Resolved, That the Task Force will report to Executive Council by the end of 2019; and be it further
Resolved, That Program, Budget and Finance consider a budget allocation of $30,000 for the work of the Task Force for the Triennium.
Citation:
General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of…The Episcopal Church, Austin, 2018 (New York: General Convention, 2018), pp. 372-373.
2018-C021
Call for Shareholder Advocacy for Environmental Impact
Concurred as Amended
Final Text:
Resolved, That the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church call upon the Executive Council Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CCSR), in conjunction with the Church Pension Fund, to identify 10 companies within our portfolio that significantly impact the environment, and initiate shareholder engagement to advocate for the inclusion of an expert in sustainability on their boards; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention make this a priority for the triennium as the Stewardship of Creation pillar of the Jesus Movement by authorizing an expense of $15,000 to be treated as investment management expenses.
Citation:
General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of…The Episcopal Church, Austin, 2018 (New York: General Convention, 2018), p. 1092.
Resources
The Episcopal Church has developed the Episcopal Covenant to Care of Creation. The Covenant focuses on specific action steps for Loving Formation, Liberating Advocacy, and Life-Giving Conservation. Many other resources are also available on The Episcopal Church website
Christian Formation Resources
Operation Creation VBS was created by Interfaith Power and Light. Along with the Genesis creation accounts, the curriculum draws on a variety of creation stories (i.e., Native American, other faith traditions, children’s literature) when speaking of the earth’s beginnings. This is done in order to raise awareness that many different cultures have thought about how the earth began. While it is not possible to make people care about the earth, it is possible to help them understand what we are doing to the earth and what we can do differently and better. This curriculum attempts to do this by connecting with the individual and meeting him or her in a familiar place.
https://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/operation_creation.pdf
Sharing and Protecting God’s Creation is a three-week Environmental Curriculum for Sunday Schools using the Workshop Rotation Learning Model. Goals are: 1) To contribute to the children’s awareness of how all of creation is linked together, how humans depend on each other, how other life depends on humans, 2) To give children the Biblical underpinnings for their increasing awareness of the need to protect the environment, and 3) To drive home the message that God needs us to set things right. God cannot do it without us.
https://westonucc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/curriculum.pdf
Wild Wonder VBS was created for elementary-age children by A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization that works to help Christians better understand our role in God’s creation and our responsibilities to help it flourish.
Episcopal Church news on environmental sustainability
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Episcopal Church condemns oil and gas lease sale in Arctic refuge
on January 12, 2021
[Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations] The Episcopal Church opposes the oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Oil
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Maori Anglicans tell of turning grief to joy during ‘planetary crisis’ webinar
on December 1, 2020
[Episcopal News Service] Themes of Indigenous values, environmental stewardship and Christian theology coalesced into one clear message during the “Prophetic Indigenous Voices on the Planetary Crisis” webinar on Nov. 30:
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Episcopalians in Honduras face daunting task of rebuilding after unprecedented back-to-back hurricanes
on November 25, 2020
[Episcopal News Service] Before November, Honduras was already one of the most troubled areas served by The Episcopal Church, beset by poverty, violence, political corruption and COVID-19. On top of
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Anglican and Lutheran leaders in Canada call for government intervention on Indigenous fishing rights
on October 28, 2020
[Anglican Church of Canada] The following letter was sent by the leaders of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
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Central Gulf Coast communities, churches assess damage from Hurricane Sally
on September 18, 2020
[Episcopal News Service] The latest hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast during this record-setting hurricane season has left churches and residents again assessing the damage, this time in communities served
If you are aware of other helpful resources, please share them with the Diocesan Formation team at formation@diosohio.org.