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The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to attend a Justice Advocacy Workshop taught by experts from TX Impact, an Austin-based interfaith justice advocacy organization. The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston is a Houston affiliate of Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a sister organization of TX Impact. The Justice Advocacy Workshop is FREE and will take place at Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., as well as online (simultaneously), via web meeting.
Learn how to effectively raise your voice for the voiceless! This training will also cover plans & preparation for advocacy during Faith Climate Action Week in April (April 14 – April 22). The training will be recorded, so if you can’t make it, you can still get a copy of the training recording to review later. Metro bus lines 41 & 27 stop near the church.
For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.
Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to join them for a Creation Hymn Fest, a musical celebration of renewal during the season of Easter (and Earth month). The church will celebrate and give thanks for God’s good creation in hymns and songs from various lands and traditions and hear anew the call to care for the creation. Attendees will sing well known and loved hymns as well as be introduced to some new musical friends! Light refreshments served afterward.
Christ the King is located at 2353 Rice Blvd. in Houston. Metro bus lines 41 and 27 stop nearby. Bike parking is available in the church lot on Rice Blvd.
Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
ADVOCATE:Â Tell the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to retain the 2017-2022Â Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and minimize the expansion of leases.
WHEN: Comments due by March 9, 2018
WHY: In April 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that directed the Department of the Interior to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. In response, the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management prepared the DPP for the 2019-2024 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. It maximizes the potential expansion by making more than 98 percent of the outer continental shelf resources available for lease. The DPP and the scope of its Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are currently open for public comment.  A virtual public meeting is available at boem.gov.
As people of faith, we believe the ocean and all life in it are part of God’s sacred creation. We are called to be stewards of creation. We also are called to care for the well-being of our brothers and sisters who rely on the ocean and its coastal areas for their livelihood. The short-term gain of expanded drilling is not worth the long-term, irreparable harm to the environment, marine animals, coastal economies, and people. The BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010 is a reminder of this risk. Our planet is in a period of global warming that threatens the same coastal communities. Now is not the time for expanding oil and gas extraction, which emits greenhouse gases into our atmosphere and increases global warming. Â
HOW: Submit comments on the DPP and EIS to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=BOEM-2017-0074-0001
- In comments on the DPP, tell the BOEM to retain the 2017-2022 lease program and minimize the expansion of leases. Include a statement about why this action is important to you.
- In comments on the Progammatic EIS, tell the BOEM to address the cumulative adverse effects of offshore drilling, and its spills and releases, on marine life, coastal communities, and the climate. Add any specific environmental or socio-economic concerns about off-shore drilling that you would like to be addressed in the EIS.
Then, join Interfaith Power & Light’s campaign to rescind the DPP: salsa4.salsalabs.com.
For more information, contact katrina@texasinterfaith.org.
On April 6, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. the Creation Care team of Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., invites area families to enjoy a free screening of FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Before the screening, there will be live animals for the kids to meet. Popcorn and lemonade will be provided. Please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions. For more information, visit the Creation Care team’s Facebook page.
Image courtesy 20th Century Fox
Join the Buffalo Bayou Partnership for a self-guided tour of six sites along Buffalo Bayou featuring installations by students from the University of Houston Graphic Design and Creative Writing Programs. These interactive installations express ideas about the bayou’s relation to the East End and Fifth Ward communities.
This free, afternoon event features:
- Site-specific, text-based installations at six locations along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector
- Large-scale typographic/text-based messages/stories that activate and animate created by students
- Interpretations of the history, economy, resilience, culture and community values of the East Sector neighborhoods as they relate to the bayou and green spaces
- Self-guided tours of the installations and share ideas and opinions related to Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s future plans along the Bayou’s East SectorÂ
- Participatory activities ranging from nature walks to boat tours and live entertainment and food trucks will be located at the North York Boat Launch site
Enjoy entertainment and food trucks at the North York Boat Launch. Participate in activities at each site and share your ideas related to Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s future plans along the bayou’s East Sector.
Encounter:Â Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou:
- Allen’s Landing – 1005 Commerce St. 77002
- Gravel Silos – 507 N. Nagle St. 77003
- Japhet Creek – 4600 Clinton Dr. (at Emile St.) 77020
- BBP Field Office – 723 N. Drennan St. 77003
- Yolanda Black Navarro Buffalo Bend Nature Park – 2300 S. Sgt. Macario Garcia Dr. 77011
- North York Boat Launch – 808 N. York St. 77003
 For more information, visit buffalobayou.org.
- On April 8, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., the Interfaith Environ
mental Network of Houston invites you to learn how you and/or your house of worship can go solar for less by leveraging Solarize Houston, a program of the Houston Renewable Energy Group, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting renewable energy solutions and businesses. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy), a very attractive financing option for houses of worship and other commercial properties, will also be covered. You may attend this event in person or online via web meeting. Please register for this event at eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.
Faith Climate Action Week will take place during Earth Week, April 14- 22, 2018.
Celebrations,sermons, service projects, events, and nature walks will be held, all week, around the theme “Charged with Faith: Leading the way to a clean energy future”. Sign up now and be the first to receive information on how to participate!
We will be focusing on ways we can green our facilities and homes, take action locally, and advocate nationally for positive steps towards a sustainable, 100% renewable us energy future.Join for a whole week of Creation celebration and carbon-cutting activities. Sign up to receive information and activities around this exciting event.
On May 10, 2018, Houston Audubon will host a presentation by artist Doug Hiser entitled “Bird Artistry in the Wild” at the United Way, 50 Waugh Drive. Hiser will discuss his artistic process during safaris in Africa, Australia, South America, Nepal, and the Galapagos Islands. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshment social begins at 7 p.m., and the presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit houstonaudubon.org.
The amount of resources borrowed from our Earth to create the buildings in which we spend 93% of our lives is staggering. If we look at just the residential building industry, we see that we are building homes with a life span of 40-100 years, with the interior materials having an even shorter lifespan. Through this discussion,Caroline Kostak, secretary of the Texas Gulf Coast Region chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, will look at how we can meet the need to shelter and provide work space for a growing population while also being respectful of the resources given to us on Earth.  We will explore different strategies that can lead to efficient resource management and produce beautiful, healthy, and efficient buildings that celebrate the gifts and abundance of the Earth while also protecting them. Caroline draws from her experience as a NASA Flight Controller, constructing one of the highest performance structures ever built – the International Space Station – and many conversations with space travelers who have seen first-hand the fragility and beauty of our Earth from a distinct vantage point. Her work with space construction has led directly to her working in construction on Earth, as this broadened perspective helped her see the importance of being a good steward of the precious Earth we’ve been asked to care for. After Caroline’s talk, there will be time for Q&A.  Please register for this talk, and you will receive an invitation to the web meeting. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church invites you to attend an Adult Forum that addresses scripture and science. Lisa Brenskelle & Elmer Ledesma, leaders of the Creation Care Team at Christ the King, will consider: Is there conflict or connection between scripture & science? If there is a connection, what connection exists? If a connection exists, then scientific understanding matters for people of faith – but, how can they distinguish good science from “fake news� Join the Church for this insightful Adult Forum!
Metro buses 41 and 27 stop nearby the Church.