tagged w/ Ecumenical
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(Marquette, Michigan) - The new non-profit Earth Healing Initiative, based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is honoring faith-based and Native American environmental projects across the Great Lakes.
The interfaith Earth Healing Initiative (EHI) is currently collaborating with the USEPA to promote the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge iacross eight states including providing faith community volunteers and spreading the word in churches and temples.
The EHI is one of several faith-based environment projects created by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan.
Rev. Jon Magnuson said it's important for people of faith to protect the environment because the Christian church is at a “tipping point” in its relationship with itself and the Earth.
Quoting nineteenth century theologian Walter Rauschenbusch, Magnuson said “if a man or woman wants to be a Christian - she or he - must stand over and against things as they are and condemn them in the name of a higher conception of life revealed by Jesus.”
“I believe the environmental crisis that we are now involved in is a great tipping point in the church’s own evolution of its self-understanding,” Magnuson.
Roman Catholic theologian Thomas Berry “talks about three rivers converging at this time in human history,” said Magnuson, Cedar Tree Institute/Earth Healing Initiative founder.
“The first river is an avalanche and explosion of scientific knowledge that is pointing to the interconnectedness of everything,” Magnuson said. “The greatest polluter of Lake Superior (is) a major factory in China."
“We have atmospheric loading here where contaminants are carried over by wind currents and then deposited in rainfall,” said Magnuson. “The second stream is the health crisis that is facing us - the CDC (reports) 80 percent of all cancers are environmentally triggered."
“The third river Thomas Berry calls ‘Indigenous wisdom” - wisdom from the native communities around the world that is resurging,” Magnuson said. “For instance, their protection and use of plants both in Latin and South America as well in parts of north America - the protection of sacred sites."
“We realize now these are connected to protection of plants, animals and an ecosystem that holds great medicinal qualities for communities and individuals,” Magnuson explained.
“So these rivers are coming together,” said Magnuson. “It is an historic time - it is a tipping moment, a tipping point - the church needs to be here."
Magnuson recognized the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin that has three projects connected to the Earth Day Challenge and thanked the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and other tribes that participated in Cedar Tree Institute events like the four-year restoration of Upper Peninsula wild rice beds by at-risk teens and tribal elders called the Manoomin Project.
The KBIC participated in the three Earth Keeper Clean Sweeps that saw the public turn in over 370 tons of hazardous waste, pharmaceuticals and electronics across northern Michigan. The annual Earth Day (2005-2007) collections were part of the interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative.
“The Native American community has been a partner with us from the very beginning on everyone of our projects,” Magnuson said. “They sent volunteers (and) provided several trucks to be able to haul polluted materials and hazardous waste.
“So we are thankful to many of the tribes here in northern Michigan for being partners and we look forward to working with tribes in the Earth healing Initiative,” Magnuson said.
The Cedar Tree Institute co-founded the Earth Keepers who work closely with ten faith traditions on environment projects that include college students, at-risk teens, American Indian tribes and others.
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The CTI Earth healing Initiative is developing the same relationship with these faith communities in northern Michigan and others across the Great lakes.
The faith communities: Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist
(Marquette, Michigan) - The new non-profit Earth Healing Initiative, based in... more
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Youth and adults at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin plan three events as part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
(Keshena, Wisconsin) - As the students of all ages plan a major hands-on clean up of a tribal community and the recycling of electronics and proper disposal of unwanted medications to honor Earth Day 2008, adult members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin in Keshena, WI have already turned in several thousand pounds of electronic waste as part of a national Earth Day Project.
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is collecting e-Waste all month including during the tribe's regular curbside bulk items Spring Cleaning collection on April 21-24 (Monday thru Thursday).
"We are getting lots of electronics right now," said Diana Wolf, the MITW Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator.
The projects are part of the eight-state Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge sponsored by the USEPA. The events are being promoted by the interfaith Earth Healing Initiative that teams numerous faith communities and American Indian tribes with local challenge organizers to be volunteers and participants in the projects spread across the Great Lakes basin.
During the first week of April, the tribe’s drop-off sites collected several thousand pounds of electronics including 919 pounds of "low-grade circuit boards" removed from TV sets, stereos, high quality computers, cassette players and other electronics.
Wolf estimated that about two tons (4,000 pounds) of electronics will be turned in by the end of the month.
“We will do whatever it takes to do cradle to grave recycling,” Wolf said. "We are not making a profit off of it but it is the right thing to do."
On April 25 students at the Menominee Tribal School (k-8) will be cleaning the area around the school of litter and recyclables and other downtown areas of Neopit. The tribe's 234,000-acre reservation includes the communities of Keshena, Zoar and South Branch.
"The students will be picking up litter and recyclables - and anything that's on the roads or sidewalks or the yards," Wolf said, adding the students will be planting 50 saplings.
"We are inviting the parents to bring a potluck and there will likely be wild rice and other Native American dishes," Wolf said.
The lunch will include a drama performance and include Native Music involving the "Wind Eagle Drum" or the "high school drum" consisting of students who are learning the music of the Menominee tribe's history.
"Our school is very much a cultural-motivated school," Wolf said. "The school teaches about the Menominee culture and language. The students learn about our Menominee history and our language amongst the non-native teaching."
"My children speak fluent Menominee because they have been in the school for three years," Wolf said.
Menominee tribal college students are doing their part to protect the planet with e-Waste and pharmaceutical collections.
The College of Menominee Nation (State Hwy. 47/55) in Keshena, is accepting e-waste and unwanted medicines on April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon and accepting e-Waste from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the commons building.
The college’s Implementing Sustainable Development class is hosting the collection with help from the tribe's solid waste coordinator.
The e-Waste collection will accept electronics including old/broken computers, cell phones and batteries.
The pharmaceutical collection is accepting old and unwanted medications that must be in their original bottle or container.
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org/keshena.html
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org
http://www.menominee-nsn.gov
http://www.menominee.edu
http://www.menominee-nsn.gov/earthWeekFlyer.pdfYouth and adults at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin plan three events as part... more
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The 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit will be held in Marquette, MI on April 22-23 at Northern Michigan University.
The summit is a "call to action" on Indigenous environmental issues in the Great Lakes area, on Turtle Island and around the world.
It is sponsored by the Center for Native American Studies, the Environmental Science Program and the Office of International Programs.
An Aboriginal Australian delegation from the Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project are the keynote presenters and will provide musical entertainment.
http://www.tkrp.com.au
Presentations include ideas on how to address Indigenous environmental concerns.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard, founder of the Turtle Island Project, has two presentations at the NMU 2008 Indigenous Earth Day.The 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit will be held in Marquette, MI on April 22-23 at... more
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Greater Cleveland area - Cuyahoga County - participates in EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
Thousands of residents in Greater Cleveland, Ohio are recycling unwanted computer electronics during the annual "Recycle Your Computer Month."
In the past 8 years, the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District has sponsored many collections that garnered over 1,900 tons of computer equipment.
"This is the 9th year that we have provided free computer recycling to Cuyahoga County residents," said Cristie A. Snyder, District Program Officer.
"In 2000, we started collecting computers with a one-day Round-Up twice a year," said Snyder, adding a couple years ago the opening of a local recycling facility allowed the District to switch "to a month-long promotion that allowed our municipalities to run their events as needed."
The e-Waste computer collections are sponsored by the District in collaboration with local city service departments.
Residents in 59 municipalities can drop-off their old and broken unused computer equipment at over 45 participating city service departments during the month of April, Snyder said.
All equipment collected will be taken to RET3 job corp, a non-profit computer recycling and refurbishing company based in Cleveland. Computer donations are tax-deductible.
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Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District:
http://www.cuyahogaswd.org
Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District
http://www.cuyahogaswd.org/residents/comprec.asp
Cleveland Interfaith Earth Healing Links:
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org/cleveland.html
Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative homepage:
http://www.earthhealinginitiative.org
EPA GLNPO Official challenge link:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/events.html
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EPA Press Release on challenge:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/D48F2AD96EC624E38525740B003AEE57
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EPA “Flow of the River” Blog for Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge:
http://flowoftheriver.epa.gov/greatlakeschallenge/frequent-questions.html
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Earth 911:
http://earth911.org/blog/2008
Greater Cleveland area - Cuyahoga County - participates in EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth... more
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An Introduction: The interfaith Earth Healing Initiative and Earth Day 2008
Numerous faith communities, American Indian tribes and many others being encouraged to volunteer or participate in a large eight-state Earth Day 2008 project with events across the Great Lakes Basin through mid-May.
The new Earth Healing Initiative (EHI) is organizing faith communities. The EHI is one of numerous environment and Native American projects founded by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan.
Collection sites will accept old/broken computers, cell phones, TVs and other electronics to be recycled, and old/unwanted medicines to be properly disposed during the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
The EPA is awarding grants to some of the collection sites where residents can drop off e-waste and old/unwanted pharmaceuticals.
The Michigan Earth Keeper Initiative, co-founded by the Cedar Tree Institute, have alliances with ten faith traditions across the Upper Peninsula, and the EHI is coordinating the same relationships with religious communities across the Great Lakes and beyond.
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Earth Healing official website::
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
EPA GLNPO Official challenge link:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/events.html
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EPA Press Release on challenge:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/D48F2AD96EC624E38525740B003AEE57
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The co-founder of the Michigan Earth Keepers, ELCA Lutheran Rev. Jon Magnuson created the Earth Healing Initiative in March 2008 to spread the word about interfaith and Native American environment projects.
The EHI is offering free media assistance to environment projects including press releases, press contacts, internet and high definition digital videos, podcasts and vast internet postings.
For more details call Greg at 906-401-0109.
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An Introduction: The interfaith Earth Healing Initiative and Earth Day 2008... more
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Numerous faith communities, American Indians tribes and many others being recruited to volunteer or participate in large eight-state Earth Day 2008 events across the Great Lakes Basin.
Collections sites will accept old/broken computers, cell phones, TVs and other electronics to be recycled, and old/unwanted medicines to be properly disposed during the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge
The EPA is awarding grants to some of the collection sites where residents can drop off e-waste and old/unwanted pharmaceuticals. The new Earth Healing Initiative will be organizing faith communities
For more details read the article or check out these links: Or call Greg at 906-401-0109.
Earth Healing official website::
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
EPA Press Release on challenge:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/D48F2AD96EC624E38525740B003AEE57
EPA GLNPO Official challenge link:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/index.html
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/events.htmlNumerous faith communities, American Indians tribes and many others being recruited to... more
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The founders of the Turtle Island Project believe residents of Earth are facing a Kyros moment because of the abuse of the environment.
Kairos is Greek for seizing the moment.
The Turtle Island Project promotes respect for the planet, nature, wildlife and fellow humans.
Turtle Island Project founders say we can learn a lot from Earth-based cultures like the Celts and Native Americans.
Dr. Cairns said a former of chanting called jubilation (that he demonstrates in this video) helps him focus on the problems he wants to tackle - plus demonstrates the interconnection between humans and the Earth.
TIP volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports
TIP website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Turtle Island TV (blipTV)
http://turtleislandtv.blip.tv/
Turtle Island TV (youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
Turtle Island (myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/TurtleIslandProject
Turtle Island Project websites/Blogs:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
http://turtleislandproject.wordpress.com/
email:
TurtleIslandProject@charter.net
White Buffalo Calf Woman Society:
http://www.wbcws.org
Solastalgia is a term by Glenn Albrecht to describe profound sadness over the effects of the long-term drought in Australia
Glenn Albrecht, environmental philosopher, University of Newcastle:
http://healthearth.blogspot.com/
http://healthearth.blogspot.com/2007/03/solastalgia-new-concept-in-human.html
http://home.iprimus.com.au/tammie1/Publications%20-%20Journal%20Articles.htm
http://www.newcastle.edu.au/news/2006/09/newsyndrome.html
Solastalgia:
http://vector1media.com/spatialsustain/?p=255
http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt/archives/2005/12/solastalgia.html
http://watershed.typepad.com/watershed/drought/index.html
http://www.greendaily.com/2008/01/07/word-of-the-day-solastalgia
http://fermiparadox.wordpress.com/2008/01/05/solastalgia-or-thre-sadness-of-climate-change/
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Huston Smith: Scholar, writer and a Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus Syracuse University
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/video/Kenan/Smith/index.html
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Species Extinction/Endangered Species
http://www.ecosyn.us/ecocity/Challenges/index.html:
http://eelink.net/EndSpp
http://www.animalinfo.org/rarest.htm
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/
http://www.teamhumanity.com/News-Environment08012004.htm
http://www.planetguide.net/book/chapter_5/extinction.html
http://www.sciencenewsden.com/2007/riskofextinctionacceleratedduetointeractinghumanthreats.shtml
http://www.grconnect.com/murals/html/n2252462.html
Voluntary Human Extinction Movement - Plus Graphic by Nina Paley:
http://www.vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20030721/carbon.html
http://www.zeroextinction.org/charts.htm
http://www.nhbs.com/averting_extinction_tefno_63272.html
Robert Camacho:
http://www.robertcamacho.com/paintingpic4.htm
http://www.archbold-station.org/fai/species4.html
Eco Kids
http://www.ecokidsonline.com
Kyros (Greek) unique moment in time, gives people a platform to serve God.
Kairos (Kyros), a fullness of time, an appointed time purposed by our creator.
Kyros (KIR os): The Greek word for power that is legitimate, but limited and compassionate
Kairos’ is Greek for ‘occasion’ or ‘timing.’ Kairos is the art of seizing the moment.
Kairos, or kairotic time, refers to God's eternal time.
Kairos is the ancient Greek term that can roughly be interpreted as a rhetorical combination of understood context and proper timing.
Kairos: ancient Greek word meaning right or opportune moment
http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/layers/start.html
http://www.kairospower.org/whowe.asp
http://www.kyros.org/NEWKyros_AboutUs_TheMeaningOfKyros.htm
http://www.kairostherapy.com/why_kairos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos
http://www.kyros.org/NEWKyros_AboutUs_TheMeaningOfKyros.htm
Jubilation:
http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/2.3/ihaveaquestion.html
http://blip.tv/file/480070The founders of the Turtle Island Project believe residents of Earth are facing a... more
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Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American Indian names on Minnesota rivers and other locations across the country, and learning respect for the environment from Earth-based cultures were among the topics discussed at a Native American Roundtable held in northern Michigan.
TIP volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports on the roundtable.
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Inaugural Grand Island Conference in northern Michigan addressed racism, poverty, teen suicide, derogatory location names, and other issues; Centering prayer, Celtic spiritual issues discussed during Turtle Island Project conference
(Munising, Michigan) - Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American Indian names on Minnesota rivers and other locations across the country, and learning respect for the environment from Earth-based cultures were among the topics discussed at a Native American Roundtable held Sept 13-15, 2007 in northern Michigan.
Sponsored by the Turtle Island Project, a non-profit based in the Upper Peninsula, the conference was held at the Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising.
The reasons for a shocking increase in teen suicides at American Indian reservations was discussed including the 600 attempts and 15 deaths over the past two years at the Lakota Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The discussion included whether media coverage of the suicides would be different if the victims were white teenagers.
The TIP will bring more details on this effort in the near future, however the Rosebud official said the U.S. government has been ignoring requests for addition counselors and the four current counselors badly need help because each has over 100 teen cases.
The TIP believes this is another example of low-income Native Americans being overlook, yet the situation would make national headlines if the deaths were affluent white teens.
"I think one of the main reasons for suicide is loss of identity and hope and with that comes deep despair," said Pat Cornish-Hall, a Munising resident who is just discovering her mother's Native American heritage. I do believe that poverty certainly has an effect on suicide.
Counselor Joni Peffers of Gwinn said the media should report on the trends of teen suicides in their area but not give the individual details of each attempt or death.
"Each suicide should not be publicized for many reasons," said Peffers, owner of Celtic Cove Counseling at K.I. Sawyer.
TIP co-founder Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard said wars across the globe have been started in the name of religion - but that is not the case with Native Americans who fought over the theft of land or hunting rights, never over differences in religious belief.
"Native Americans never started a war over religious ideology," said Rev. Hubbard, TIP director and pastor of Eden on the Bay Lutheran church.
The perversion of the original Native American name of Minnesota's Rum River and similar derogatory names was placed on the agenda at the request of Thomas Dahlheimer, director of the Rum River Name Change Organization Inc. in Wahkon, Minnesota.
Minnesota State Rep. Mike Joros, D-Duluth, recently introduced a bill that would change 14 derogatory geographic place names that are offensive to American Indians.
The Rum River in Minnesota was named by whites referring to alcohol "spirits" instead of the original American Indian name that meant "Great Spirit."
"Two of these derogatory names were changed from the sacred Ojibwe name for their Great Spirit (Manido) to Devil, as was the custom throughout our nation," said Dahlheimer. "Racial hatred was why many geographic site names were changed from Native peoples' names for the Great Spirit to Devil."
Hubbard said one of the goals of the TIP is to "give Native Americans a venue in which their voices can be heard and listened to."
Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American... more
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Centering prayer is a way to prepare your mind - to assist your body - in accomplishing goals - like fighting structural evil such as some corporations who care only about profit and not nature.
The goals of the non-profit Turtle island Project (TIP) include promoting respect for the environment and for Indigenous peoples - like the Celts, Native Americans and other Earth-based cultures.
Rev. Dr. George Cairns of Chesterton, Indiana explains what he learned from the founder of centering prayer - Father Thomas Keating.
A research professor of theology at the Chicago Theological Seminary, Dr. Cairns made his comments at the TIP first regional conference along the shores of Lake Superior in northern Michigan.
Dr. Cairns, who is the TIP co-founder and board president, is returning to Michigan's pristine Upper Peninsula on Fri., Nov. 9, 2007 to hold a free ecumenical retreat for clergy and others interested in interfaith prayer and creating social change.
Everyone is welcome at:
"Quest for Harmony: The Contemplation of Nature in the Christian Tradition promotes interfaith prayer and will examine Christian Celtic traditions" that will be held at Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising.
To read more about the Turtle Island Project, or about Rev. Cairns new Sacred Places website visit these links:
TIP website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
TIP Sacred Places website - Upload your own Sacred Place:
http://www.NorthAmericaSacredPlaces.org
Other TIP sites:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
http://turtleislandproject.wordpress.com/Centering prayer is a way to prepare your mind - to assist your body - in... more
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