Scientists tell us that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. That may seem like a very high hurdle. But, it translates to only a 5%/year reduction. Participants in this course will leave with a plan for at least their first 5% reduction, and knowledge of how to find the other 40%. Many participants have found easy, cost-effective reductions of more than 20%. The course was developed in response to the Walk on Earth Gently multifaith statement presented at the COP23 UN Climate Change Conference. Walk on Earth Gently invites you into a journey of Living the Change that the world needs. The journey is inspired by religious teachings to turn away from consumerism & to seek balanced relationships with all people and the planet we share as our common home. This 12-week program focuses on making personal lifestyle changes in three areas: transportation, energy, and food. The facilitator will tailor the course as needed for participants. Join us in accepting the Walk on Earth Gently invitation and committing to a sustainable lifestyle, via a weekly online discussion group. Can’t make it every week? Join us as you are able. A detailed schedule is given below. All participants will receive a copy of Living the Change materials. Are you ready to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle? Then join us on this journey to Living the Change by registering on www.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Feb. 22: Introduction & Transport, week 1

Mar. 1, Mar. 9 & Mar. 22: Transport, weeks 2, 3 & 4

Mar. 29, Apr. 5, Apr. 12 & Apr. 19: Energy, weeks 1, 2, 3, & 4

Apr. 26, May 3 & May 10: Food, weeks 1, 2 & 3

May 17: Food, week 4 & closing

Free to attend, donations appreciated. Work on your bird watching skills while helping the Arboretum monitor bird populations on a fun, relaxed morning walk. Join the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center on the second Saturday of each month at the front door of the building for a two-hour bird walk led by Kelsey Low and Theo Ostler, a resident bird enthusiast. We welcome all levels of bird watching skill and all ages (as long as you’re quiet) – but no dogs, please! If you have binoculars of your own, please bring them. We do have some binoculars available to borrow. For more events with the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, visit their Events Calendar!

Scientists tell us that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. That may seem like a very high hurdle. But, it translates to only a 5%/year reduction. Participants in this course will leave with a plan for at least their first 5% reduction, and knowledge of how to find the other 40%. Many participants have found easy, cost-effective reductions of more than 20%. The course was developed in response to the Walk on Earth Gently multifaith statement presented at the COP23 UN Climate Change Conference. Walk on Earth Gently invites you into a journey of Living the Change that the world needs. The journey is inspired by religious teachings to turn away from consumerism & to seek balanced relationships with all people and the planet we share as our common home. This 12-week program focuses on making personal lifestyle changes in three areas: transportation, energy, and food. The facilitator will tailor the course as needed for participants. Join us in accepting the Walk on Earth Gently invitation and committing to a sustainable lifestyle, via a weekly online discussion group. Can’t make it every week? Join us as you are able. A detailed schedule is given below. All participants will receive a copy of Living the Change materials. Are you ready to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle? Then join us on this journey to Living the Change by registering on www.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Feb. 22: Introduction & Transport, week 1

Mar. 1, Mar. 9 & Mar. 22: Transport, weeks 2, 3 & 4

Mar. 29, Apr. 5, Apr. 12 & Apr. 19: Energy, weeks 1, 2, 3, & 4

Apr. 26, May 3 & May 10: Food, weeks 1, 2 & 3

May 17: Food, week 4 & closing

Scientists tell us that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. That may seem like a very high hurdle. But, it translates to only a 5%/year reduction. Participants in this course will leave with a plan for at least their first 5% reduction, and knowledge of how to find the other 40%. Many participants have found easy, cost-effective reductions of more than 20%. The course was developed in response to the Walk on Earth Gently multifaith statement presented at the COP23 UN Climate Change Conference. Walk on Earth Gently invites you into a journey of Living the Change that the world needs. The journey is inspired by religious teachings to turn away from consumerism & to seek balanced relationships with all people and the planet we share as our common home. This 12-week program focuses on making personal lifestyle changes in three areas: transportation, energy, and food. The facilitator will tailor the course as needed for participants. Join us in accepting the Walk on Earth Gently invitation and committing to a sustainable lifestyle, via a weekly online discussion group. Can’t make it every week? Join us as you are able. A detailed schedule is given below. All participants will receive a copy of Living the Change materials. Are you ready to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle? Then join us on this journey to Living the Change by registering on www.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Feb. 22: Introduction & Transport, week 1

Mar. 1, Mar. 9 & Mar. 22: Transport, weeks 2, 3 & 4

Mar. 29, Apr. 5, Apr. 12 & Apr. 19: Energy, weeks 1, 2, 3, & 4

Apr. 26, May 3 & May 10: Food, weeks 1, 2 & 3

May 17: Food, week 4 & closing

You are invited to join an online discussion series built around 15-minute videos featuring interviews with US faith leaders, representatives of climate-impacted communities from the global South, and presentations by UN officials and other experts. The videos walk viewers through four key climate policy issues that intersect with universal faith concerns for vulnerable and marginalized people. The series focuses on how climate change is impacting the core ministries of faith communities around the world, how those impacts will increase in the future, and why these impacts create an imperative for people of faith to advocate for strong US climate action.  A discussion guide is included that asks participants to think deeply about how their own local faith community’s direct service programs intersect with climate impacts, and how knowledge and experiences gained through these programs might help to inform climate policy. The study’s Action Center provides practical, step-by-step instructions for advocacy activities, as well as recommended policy asks for local, state, and national leaders.  Join us! Please register on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-path-of-hope-a-study-on-climate-action-for-faith-communities-tickets-273103288287. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com for more information.

Join other Christians to celebrate Earth Day by participating in a streamed pre-recorded creation-focused worship service. Listen to the wisdom, song, and stories from our fellow Creatures, human and non-human. The Rev. Dr. Carmelo Santos will share the message of the day. This 45-minute worship service is in English with full Spanish translation, and does not include communion. Observe Earth Day by praising the Creator and giving thanks for God’s good creation in worship on April 22! Register to participate at www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creation-focused-worship-for-earth-day-tickets-301138712997?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Meet count leader Jason Bonilla in the parking lot of Woodland Park. Please note that the park does not have a maintained trail system. As such, there is a lot of poison ivy that is somewhat unavoidable when walking the park and looking for birds. Additionally, there are terrain changes and unstable areas. Participants should wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. They usually meet on the fourth Saturday of the month.

Calling people of all faiths or no faith at all in Houston to care for our shared environment in observance of Earth Day/Month!  We will engage in hands-on environmental stewardship at the Willow Waterhole Conservation Reserve. This event will offer activities for all ages and skill. Meet at the Swartz Gazebo in the park to sign in. Metro bus line 7 stops nearby, and line 49 is not far.  Tools/supplies will be provided. This event is organized by Christ the King Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston, in partnership with the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy.  The conservancy requires signing of a waiver to participate. Please register for planning purposes on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-2022-interfaith-environmental-stewardship-event-tickets-273115956177.  Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com for more information.

In a generation, much of the U.S. will resemble the lower Galveston Bay Watershed, a 10-county region surrounding Houston which Bayou City Waterkeeper (BCWK) serves. Home to the most diverse population, and also one of the most ecologically diverse major urban areas, our waterways — consisting of 2,500 miles of bayous, as well as creeks, coastlines, and the ocean — support immense biodiversity. Our region has lived through unprecedented storm surges and widespread flooding from hurricanes and heavy rain storms over the last two decades. Amplifying the worst effects of these storms are the region’s long-time underinvestment in forward-thinking flood prevention, lax attitudes towards land use regulation, and historic redlining practices which have driven over-development of ecologically sensitive wetland areas and the outer-lying parts of our city. Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud, Executive Director of BCWK, will explore the critical role that collective visioning, ecological imagination and storytelling play in connecting to and advocating for our region’s waterways and our community. Beyond the built environment, how can we use imagination as a tool to explore new ways to restore prairies and wetlands, which hold rainfall and prevent flooding? How can we use imagination as a tool for new approaches towards water infrastructure that center ecological impacts and environmental justice. Established in 2001, Bayou City Waterkeeper is a Houston-based organization working at the confluence of conservation and environmental justice toward cleaner water, wetlands and healthy ecosystems, and just, resilient communities. Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided.  Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-visioning-for-our-regions-water-tickets-288968451417. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

Scientists tell us that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. That may seem like a very high hurdle. But, it translates to only a 5%/year reduction. Participants in this course will leave with a plan for at least their first 5% reduction, and knowledge of how to find the other 40%. Many participants have found easy, cost-effective reductions of more than 20%. The course was developed in response to the Walk on Earth Gently multifaith statement presented at the COP23 UN Climate Change Conference. Walk on Earth Gently invites you into a journey of Living the Change that the world needs. The journey is inspired by religious teachings to turn away from consumerism & to seek balanced relationships with all people and the planet we share as our common home. This 12-week program focuses on making personal lifestyle changes in three areas: transportation, energy, and food. The facilitator will tailor the course as needed for participants. Join us in accepting the Walk on Earth Gently invitation and committing to a sustainable lifestyle, via a weekly online discussion group. Can’t make it every week? Join us as you are able. A detailed schedule is given below. All participants will receive a copy of Living the Change materials. Are you ready to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle? Then join us on this journey to Living the Change by registering on www.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Feb. 22: Introduction & Transport, week 1

Mar. 1, Mar. 9 & Mar. 22: Transport, weeks 2, 3 & 4

Mar. 29, Apr. 5, Apr. 12 & Apr. 19: Energy, weeks 1, 2, 3, & 4

Apr. 26, May 3 & May 10: Food, weeks 1, 2 & 3

May 17: Food, week 4 & closing