Talking about combining faith, environment, and passion --- John Shuck, pastor at First Presbyterian Elizabethton, has a new radio show on our local NPR station WETS 89.5.  Religion for Life airs Thursday nights @ 8pm and Sunday afternoons @ 2pm. 

John has been interviewing all kinds of fascinating and inspiring individuals,…

Would you please take just a few moments to call Gov. Haslam, thanking him for supporting an end to mountaintop removal, and also urging him to help pass the Scenic Vistas Protection Act? (See urgent request below.) I've done it and it took less than 1.5 minutes. Please help.

Message received on Jan. 26th:

Dear Carol,  

Last week I told you about the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act, and now I am writing to ask you to take a very important action…

I received a forward today about potential support for non-profits, etc. to help offset costs of solar installation:

Non-profits, municipalities and government buildings rarely get incentives for solar since they don’t pay taxes, but here is a real opportunity. I’m trying to inform as many people as I can since there is a deadline of Mar. 30 and folks may need help with some of the application wrt typical cost of systems, suitable candidates for roof or ground-mount…

      This is a call to action. I received the following information in my e-mail yesterday, and received permission to re-post part of it here. We must show solidarity and a true sense of dedication and purpose in order to stop mountaintop removal mining (MTR) in TN. Therefore, I'm personally asking each of you to call Governor Haslam, and your TN legislators, as well, asking…

A paper copy providing contact information for our TN legislators was made available at the showing of The Last Mountain at the Bonnie Kate Theatre on Jan 2nd. I scanned my copy and am attaching the info for your use and ease in sharing.

I've given out some iron-on transfers but neglected to share the instructions. So this post is just a way to provide the download information. (You could also consult the websites for the makers of iron-on transfers, if you'd like more specific details.)  Iron-on%20instr.doc

c

The Tennessean offered an article this week on the 40 Days of Prayer sponsored by LEAF. 

I read that over 2,000 people subscribed to the daily emails.  Forty Christian communities across the state volunteered to submit a prayer.  GINI's prayer…

     I'm not in the habit of soliciting. But for those who like to give other kinds of gifts as tributes and/or who may be in a position to make a donation to a not-for-profit group, I hope that Green Interfaith is seen as a worthy recipient. I've received about 6 other pleas for support this morning, so I decided to join the fray.

     I'm proud of what we've been able to do so far, and believe we are making good strides toward connecting with other people and faith groups who are…

http://open.salon.com/blog/spiritmansf/2011/12/26/dear_china_please_stop_trying_to_kill_me

Dave Ramsey (Unicoi, TN) is a nominee for a Budweiser conservationist award, which he promises to apply toward preserving Rocky Fork. Please vote for Dave.

Disclaimers:  1)  If you vote online, you'll need to input a birthdate, and an e-mail address. Frown.  2) I apologize if it offends anyone that this…

If you haven't seen it yet, there's an article in the Elizabethton Star about Jennie Young's efforts to coordinate action to protect the Tennessee mountains we love. I completely agree that this is a moral issue and one which we cannot afford to surrender to the powerful (and moneyed) interests that influence our…

Green Interfaith Network has been awarded a $750 grant from the Episcopal Church Province IV Environmental Ministry to kickstart a regional Faith Community Green Audit program!

St. John's Episcopal, Johnson City, will be the pilot church.  GINI, St. John's leadership, and St. John's Earth Guild ministry applied together for the grant.

When our very own Carol Landis was active with Ohio…

I used to love that part of Paul Harvey's radio show! Since my other blog about the McKibben event was already too long, I decided to wait and post my reaction/reflection about it later. Those of you who know me realize that I find it difficult to mince words. I'm pretty straightforward, and actually prefer it if other people return the favor. So here's the "rest of the story" that was prompted by listening to Bill McKibben over at UNC-A last week:

My bottom line:  I'm appalled that…

LEAF is a distinctly Christian group, working for the protection of Tennessee mountains.  But people of all faiths can join in this focused effort to pray and raise awareness about the need to prevent mountain-top removal mining.

LEAF, the Lindquist Environmental Appalachian Fellowship, invites all Tennessee Christians and Christian churches to join us in 40…

It's a few days later, and I'm still motivated to write something (hopefully persuasive) to help people get a glimpse of the message about climate change that Bill McKibben came to Asheville this week to deliver. I took notes; it's the student in me. I love to learn, but I have also learned that I can't trust my recall as much as I'd like. So here goes. These are not "news flashes" but they are important points..."power points" in my humble opinion. I will add a second blog about my…

    Recent events have focused my attention again on the daily choices we make that have profound effects on our overall sustainability. It's the "little things" in life, the daily choices, that add up and can become a "movement" (like Green Interfaith).

    Tuesday evening, about twenty of us who are interested in diet choices enjoyed a very nice potluck dinner at Munsey Memorial, followed by a presentation by Jon Camp, from…

 While this invitation was sent to our Christian members and friends, we also extend this invitation to other faith groups who share an interest in protecting the mountains of Tennessee. We need to be persistent and continue to raise awareness of the threats to our beautiful landscape, and to the health and wellbeing of the people who live there. We must unite and actively support legislation to block/ban mountaintop removal mining in this state. I believe this must be our highest priority…

I sort of understand an eye for an eye mentality. I sort of understand why some feel the need to invoke revenge. I can't imagine what it must be like to face the man responsible for the disappearance or possibly the torture and death of friends and family members. But at moments like this I understand why I could never be a soldier or a policeman. I can still find compassion for the perpetrator. Perhaps just enough compassion to keep me from becoming him. I think people like this should be…

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) co-sponsored a webinar on 9/27 about fracking (high-pressure hydraulic fracturing to get natural gas from deep rock layers). The Powerpoint is available as a download (3rd headline below the description of the organization). While the info presented by OEFFA is understandably focused on Ohio interests, it is also useful for those of us in TN who are interested in Earth stewardship,…

Received a request from LEAF:



Dear Friends of LEAF:



For the past five years, those of us who work with LEAF have been privileged to witness the astonishing growth in the number of Christians across Tennessee who've opened their hearts to the Biblical call to care for God's creation.  We have worshiped with them, provided free creation care materials for them, and been humbled by their hunger to hear the scriptural basis…