tagged w/ Unitarian Universalist
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Seems to me like a lot of tension in the world goes back to differences in religious beliefs. So why not look at a congregation of Unitarian Universalists (UUs), who believe that "you don't need to think alike to love alike" - as one of their founders, Transsylvanian Ferenc David, once said. The video from 2010 shows two big events of the West Seattle UUs, one being their last Sunday service in a space that they rented from the Masons, the other being the first Sunday service in a home they bought with their own money and made usable thru their own work. OK, it still looks like a church video, but maybe you can sense a bit of open-mindedness and respect for every human being, that you don't find always and necessarily associated with other religions.Seems to me like a lot of tension in the world goes back to differences in religious... more
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(Marquette, MI) - Dozens of youngsters from across Michigan created recycled holiday cards and homemade tea bags for gifts this weekend during the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper's Eco-Christmas Workshop at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.
The Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team hosted the workshop from 1-4 p.m. across from the children's library attracting several mothers from the Lower Peninsula and a teacher from Paradise in the eastern Upper Peninsula who plans to bring the idea into her classroom.
While finding ways to entertain and educate her children while her husband checked out job offers in Marquette, Tara Strong of downstate Grand Blanc brought her young daughter and baby son to the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum and then the Peter White children's library.
“My husband is here interviewing for a residency position for after med school,” said Strong. “We just found out about the project from the librarian.”
“I love it. I love the recycling idea. We're also on a very limited budget and so I really like the idea of recycling and hand making things. I think it's great.”
Strong said she and her daughter “are having great fun.”
“I've been making crafts,” said four-year-old Anja Strong. “I made a tea bag and I have a honey bear stick”
Joined by her brother and a friend, 18-year-old NMU EK Student Team member Ellen Lindblom said the end of the semester meant lots of scrap paper lying around the university.
“School just ended and people have lost of papers left over” that was cut into tiny pieces by NMU EK team members, said Lindblom, an NMU freshman “You put it in the blender with a little bit of water and you blend it until it looks a little bit chunky like this.”
“You put it in a screen flatten it out - pat the water out,” said Lindblom, while using a towel and iron to dry and flatten the multicolored wet paper as 21 year-old NMU EK Student Team Director Ben Scheelk of downstate Charlevoix used a small hair dryer to speed up the process.
“We took a towel and pressed the water out to speed up the drying process a little bit,” she said. “Then flattened it out a little harder with an iron. I think it looks nice.”
His hand atop the lid on a blender that whirred with red, blue, purple and white bits of paper, Mike Robinson, a 21-year-old NMU senior geography major, from downstate Grosse Pointe, said the project is a “good holiday craft.”
“We are taking some scrap paper from various places and construction paper and making it into some pulp in a blender with some water,” said Robinson, a member of the NMU EK Student team.
Pressing the bits of soggy paper into a screen with borders, 16-year-old Negaunee High School junior Phil Lindblom said “this is what they call extreme pulp.”
“I am taking this wet paper and putting it on these screens and pushing water out of it,” said Lindbloom, whose sister is a member of the NMU EarthKeepers. “I am making new paper which is pretty exciting.”
Escanaba native Carole Beck, who teaches in third through fifth grade at the White Fish Township Community School in Paradise, said she'll take the NMU EarthKeeper's idea into her classrooms and maybe make Valentines Day cards.
“We're trying to figure out how we could create the screen there that would be the only thing that we would need extra,” Beck said. “We should be able to do that.”
The students put out bowls with spearmint, raspberry leaves, juniper berries and rose hips that the youngsters used to “make a green tea - a detoxifying beautiful beverage,” said 21-year-old NMU EK Student Team Event Coordinator Amanda Emerson of Cary, Ill. “We also have honey sticks to go along with the tea.”
The herbs were donated by Catholic EarthKeeper Kyra Fillmore and the Marquette Food Co-op.
“You just wrap those up herbs in an eco-friendly coffee filter and tie it with a string in a nice little bow and there you go,” said Emerson, an NMU Senior Majoring in International Studies (emphasis on Latin America) and Earth Science (emphasis on rocks and minerals). “There's your gift - a homemade card and homemade tea bags.”
Protecting the earth and teaching the young to respect the planet are major goals of the EarthKeepers, said 21-year-old NMU EarthKeeper Leandra Dziesinski of Alpena, MI.
“It's very important to care care of your things and the earth is absolutely our thing - it's where we're at - so we have to take care of it we only have one earth, said Dziesinski, an NMU senior graduating in May with a bachelor's degree in marketing. I think if we have a happy, safe and a clean place to live that just makes our population that much more happy.”
In September, the NMU EarthKeepers cleaned up hundreds of pounds of litter at the Upper Dead River Falls, a popular student hangout, Scheelk said.
The NMU EK Student Team is the youth wing of the Upper Peninsula EarthKeepers, an interfaith environment group involving over 150 churches and temples across northern Michigan.
The EarthKeeper Initiative is co-sponsored by the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute, the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and 10 faith communities: Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) and Zen Buddhist.
For more information on the Michigan EarthKeepers email or call the following contacts:
Ben Scheelk, Director of NMU EK Student Team
bscheelk@nmu.edu
231-675-0121
Rev. Jon Magnuson, Co-Founder of EarthKeeper Initiative
magnusonx2@charter.net
906-228-5494
Greg Peterson, news reporter and volunteer media advisor for the EarthKeepers and other projects
earthkeeper@charter.net
906-401-0109
U.P. EarthKeeper Team:
http://www.upearthkeepers.org
Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.org
Nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership in Marquette, MI
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org(Marquette, MI) - Dozens of youngsters from across Michigan created recycled holiday... more
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(Marquette, Michigan) - A student environment group from Northern Michigan University honored “Make A Difference Day” by picking up hundreds of pounds of litter and garbage at a favorite youth party spot around the Upper Dead River Falls in Marquette, Michigan.
The rubbish collected by the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team on Saturday (October 24, 2009) included rusty box springs, a smashed vehicle windshield and a plethora of beer bottles and cans. Some of the beverage containers were very old because they had the old pull-top design.
The Upper Dead River Falls is a rugged area with sandy hills, steep trails, rocky cliffs, a lengthy series of waterfalls and the obvious remnants of many campfires.
“I just found a used diaper, a lot of glass, broken bottles, cans and cigarette wrappers,” said Ben Scheelk, 21, of Charlevoix, MI, director of the NMU EK Student Team.
“What really disappoints me is all the big things we are finding like bed springs and other rusty old metal things,” Scheelk said.
While looking at the rushing water, NMU EK Student Team Event Coordinator Amanda Emerson said "water is an important entity of the world and even though we have so much of it around here we have to cherish it that much more."
"We been out here so many times there is no one out here ever picking it up their trash,” said Emerson, 21, of Cary, Ill. (NW Chicago).
NMU Senior Chelsey Cebulsky said she was proud to participate in “Make A Difference Day” and “picking up this trash is a good thing to do for the environment.”
“I have been out here many times for the party scene but I was always the one carrying around a plastic bag telling everyone to put their cans in it - sadly not very many people listened,” said Chelsey Cebulsky, 22, a physical geography major from of Adrian, MI. "Get a trash bag and get rid of trash yourself."
NMU junior Ben Youren used gloves to carefully separated hundreds of pieces of shattered glass from the muddy soil on a hillside along the river.
“It looks like it is part of a windshield,” said Youren, 26, an English major. “I am trying to dig the glass out of here.”
The NMU environment group is the student wing of the interfaith Upper Peninsula EarthKeeper Team that holds annual Earth Day environment projects across northern Michigan including planting over 12,000 trees this past spring.
Prior to the collection, the group sat in a circle at the NMU University Center and got a lesson in the importance of clean water from the co-founder of the Upper Peninsula EarthKeeper Initiative.
“Almost 80 percent of the world is water and our bodies are 80 percent water, said Rev. Jon Magnuson, co-founder of the EarthKeeper Initiative and campus pastor for NMU Lutheran Campus Ministry. “There is a delicate balance when it comes to pH or the amount of acid in water and if that balance gets thrown off we can die.”
Magnuson said people who grow up in northern Michigan sometimes “take it for granted because we have so much water.”
“If you go to other places in the world you will see people who have to travel miles to get fresh water,” Magnuson said. “Their whole life is centered around accessing good water.”
The students clean up project may of had a preventative effect.
While the students were cleaning up the area, a pickup truck pulled up with a load of tires in the back. After talking briefly to the students, the two men in the truck pulled away.
“It looks like we prevented them from dumping a whole load of tires along side of the river,” Scheelk said.
Background on EarthKeeper Initiative:
The EarthKeepers are an interfaith environment group involving over 150 northern Michigan churches/temples.
The EarthKeepers are co-sponsored by the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute, the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and 10 faith communities: Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Quakers, Zen Buddhist.(Marquette, Michigan) - A student environment group from Northern Michigan University... more
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president of the uua rev.peter morales and other religous leader are lobbying to support immigration reformpresident of the uua rev.peter morales and other religous leader are lobbying to... more
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When South Carolina's DMV began producing license plates with a cross and the words "I believe," UU Minister Rev. Dr. Neal Jones (of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Columbia), was one of the leading protesters. The DMV was sued and now cannot use any government funding to produce the plates, they are instead being made through a private group.
The Reverend has no objection to new plans to produce the specialty license plate, which would look exactly like the one ruled unconstitutional, because it’s being done by a private group. “And that way, the government is not giving its seal of endorsement to any religion, which is the way it should be. As a minister and as a religious person, I don’t want the government meddling in my religion,“ he says.
Rev. Jones also stated, “It’s funny, some people think that those of us who brought the lawsuit are somehow anti-Christian or anti-religious. We’re all ministers, so that’s obviously not the case. We all stand for the Constitution because we stand for separation of church and state. And we have learned through history the hard way that, when you mix politics and religion, both democratic government and religion suffer.“When South Carolina's DMV began producing license plates with a cross and the... more
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San Marcos — San Marcos Unitarian Universalists will celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the UCM Wesley Center, 604 N Guadalupe Street in San Marcos.
The UU's will celebrate memories of those who have gone and the continuity of life. Members will contribute flowers —especially marigolds —fruits, sweets, and other decorations for the altar. Some will contribute their voices by reading selections during the service.
Afterwards, members will enjoy a meal together in the UCM. The UU's began celebrating this Mexican tradition several years ago, and members say it has become one of the most popular and moving services.
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What a beautiful way to celebrate a great holiday. I'm not surprised Texas is one of the first places to adopt this, but I think I will suggest this to my own NYC congregation.San Marcos — San Marcos Unitarian Universalists will celebrate El Dia de los... more
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The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) has declared Climate Change one of this year's pressing issues! Their newly-formed Climate Change Initiative is charged with finding ways to preserve the Earth and to examine the global inequities caused by climate disruption. They have formed a Task Force website at http://www.digitaluniverse.net/uuuno/ where you can follow current events related to climate change, discuss plans with other members, and join events to help the cause.
One event currently being promoted is the Intergenerational Spring Seminar in April 2010. Still in the planning stages, this event will bring together UUs from all over North America. At the New York City United Nations Office, participants will gain an understanding of why climate change is happening, the global dangers it poses, how this relates to the Unitarian Universalist faith, and what actions should be taken in the face of this change. There will be speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including scientists, social advocates, activist leaders, and ministers. At the end of the three-day conference, participants will work together to draft a statement to the Secretary General of the United Nations. This statement will determine the future mission of the UU-UNO Climate Change Task Force.
The office is still recruiting a variety of volunteers to help plan the Spring Seminar. Volunteers will gain great experience in leadership and event planning and can participate in the Seminar free of charge. It is possible to volunteer from anywhere in the US, since the work can be done over the phone and internet. The office currently needs volunteers familiar with web programming and audio/video broadcast to help set up a live feed of the Seminar which will be put on the web for all to see. This is the first year the web will be used to widen the audience of the Seminar, so even if you can't attend in person, you will still be able to view the event and discuss it with other UUs in real-time on the UU-UNO website!
There are other kinds of volunteers needed as well; including Food Organizers, Youth Leaders, and more. You can read more about the Seminar and how to become a volunteer on the event page linked to at the top of this article.
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written by Jessica Ansel, Spring Seminar Planning Co-ChairThe Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) has declared Climate Change... more
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rev.forrest church the oldest son of idahos most storied political families and one of the great leaders of the religous left has passed away at the age of 61 to cancerrev.forrest church the oldest son of idahos most storied political families and one of... more
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Sinkford makes a really good point over marriage equality
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I am a Unitarian Universalist and I want to world to know how awesome an 'open-source' religion can be.
Members of Unitarian Universalist churches are unveiling a campaign against hate crimes at their General Assembly this week (June 24-29), calling on their congregations and those of other faiths to advocate for equality and to curb violence.
The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) will include the grassroots campaign against social injustice in their schedule of votes and worship services at their Salt Lake City convention.
"Rather than hunkering down in the face of violence, (the Unitarians) have proclaimed a gospel of love and hope," said the Rev. William Sinkford, the outgoing UUA president, in an interview.
The campaign holds particular meaning for the liberal-leaning denomination. Last summer, a gunman killed two people and wounded seven inside a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Knoxville, Tenn. The gunman, David Adkisson, later told authorities he was angered by the church's acceptance of homosexuality and other liberal causes.I am a Unitarian Universalist and I want to world to know how awesome an... more
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Watch the documentary about concerts at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia by Ricky Leighton, Anisha Payne, Mike Niemeyer and Kelly Lynn Bruce. The video features music by Samara Lubelski & Band, the Soft People, Hollows, Braindead, War Hungry and Modern Life is War.Watch the documentary about concerts at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia by... more
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This is the sixth of seven EarthKeeper columns being printed in northern Michigan newspapers about the planting of 12,000 trees across the Upper Peninsula.
The column was written by Catholic EarthKeeper member Kyra Fillmore, who fills numerous vital roles in all EarthKeeper Projects.
During the first two week of May 2009, over 12,000 trees were planted across the U.P. thanks to thousands of northern Michigan residents from over 100 churches and temples.
Officially called the EarthKeeper "communications coordinator for faith communities," Kyra Fillmore organized the distribution of the 12,000 trees to the 100 churches and temples. This was not an easy task.
With three young children vying for her attention, Kyra stayed calm as her phone rang off the hook each day for weeks. Kyra's children helped plant some of the trees and she made sure they were always first.
Her husband, Tim, was supportive and kept his cool even though their home must not have had a quiet moment for several weeks. Krya will tell you her faith gave her the strength to take care of a family and a huge project.
The project ran smoothly because of Kyra's ability to juggle 12,004 things at one time.
Thank you Kyra!This is the sixth of seven EarthKeeper columns being printed in northern Michigan... more
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This is the fifth of seven EarthKeeper columns being printed in northern Michigan newspapers about the planting of 12,000 trees across the Upper Peninsula.
This link is to the Mining Journal, the daily paper in Marquette, MI.
The trees were planted during the first two weeks of May 2009
The author is Rev. Jon Magnuson, EarthKeeper Initiative co-founder, campus pastor for Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northern Michigan University and the executive director of the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI.
The EarthKeeper columns and news stories appeared in numerous U.P. newspapers including the Marquette Mining Journal, the Escanaba Daily Press, the Iron Mountain Daily News, the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette, the St. Ignace News, the Marquette Monthly and the Ironwood Daily Globe.This is the fifth of seven EarthKeeper columns being printed in northern Michigan... more
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Presbyterian EarthKeeper Jill Martin of Ford River Township in Delta County writes the fourth of seven columns about the environment and the interfaith Upper Peninsula (U.P.) EarthKeeper Tree Project that planted 12,000 trees across the Upper Peninsula in early May 2009.
The EarthKeeper columns and news stories appeared in numerous U.P. newspapers including the Marquette Mining Journal, the Escanaba Daily Press, the Iron Mountain Daily News, the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette, the St. Ignace News, the Marquette Monthly and the Ironwood Daily Globe.
Jill Martin is a Presbyterian EarthKeeper team member, an environmental scientist with Wilcox Professional Services in Escanaba and a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Escanaba.Presbyterian EarthKeeper Jill Martin of Ford River Township in Delta County writes the... more
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Marquette, Michigan – During the first two weeks of May 2009, over 12,000 trees have been planted the interfaith Upper Peninsula EarthKeeper Team across a 400 miles area of northern Michigan and in Minocqua, Wisconsin thanks to volunteers at over 100 churches and temples.
The trees were planted near homes, camps, churchyards, schools, parks and many other places by thousands of volunteers from ten faith traditions.
Children of all ages helped make the project a success and underscored why its important to protect the environment - it's their future at stake.
The EarthKeepers handed out over 12,000 red pine and white spruce seedlings at over 100 churches and temples across northern Michigan.
This video details some of the planting, distribution and preparation for the 209 EarthKeeper Tree Project that started on Earth Day 2009 with the planting of a three-foot white spruce at Presque Isle Park along Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan. Bishops and other EarthKeeper faith leaders blessed the tree as it was planted on a wooded hillside one day after a snowstorm.
In previous projects, the EarthKeeper Initiative has removed nearly 400 tons of hazardous waste from the environment - most of which was recycled - and involves the congregations of over 150 churches/temples from ten faith traditions in 50 communities, American Indian tribes, college students and other youth.
The EarthKeepers were founded in 1994 by Rev. Jon Magnuson, executive director of the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette and Carl Lindquist, executive director of the Superior Watershed Partnership.
In 2004, the bishops and other faith leaders signed the original EarthKeeper Covenant - pledging to actively protect the environment and reach out to Native Americans. The religious communities include Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Zen Buddhist and the Quakers.
The group teams with Native American tribes including the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). Another major partner is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that sent representatives to the collections
From 2005-2007, the group of adults and youth held an annual EarthKeeper Clean Sweep each Earth Day during which over 20,000 northern Michigan residents turned in household hazardous waste at 20 free collections sites across a 400-mile area involving all corners of the pristine Upper Peninsula.
With a message of encouragement from their faith leaders, enthusiastic congregations turned out during three-hour collections:
In 2005, over 45 tons of pesticides, herbicides, lead-based paint, batteries and many other hazardous substances from northern Michigan homes was turned in by residents during the first clean sweep. Partners included landfills and local governments.
In 2006, over 320 tons of electronic waste was collected including computers, keyboards, hard drives, other computer related components, televisions and cell phones. Nine semi-trucks transported the vast majority of the electronics to a recycler in the Lower Peninsula.
In 2007, over one ton of pharmaceuticals was turned in including more than $500,000 in dangerous narcotics. Pharmacists and law enforcement agencies were among the clean sweep partners and staffed each of the collection sites as required by federal law. The drugs were properly disposed in high-tech EPA-approved incinerators.
In 2006, the faith leaders and the head of the KBIC tribe gathered for a news conference with college students to announce the creation of the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper Student team. It was the first time these bishops and other faith leaders had been in the same room and many met for the first time.
http://www.upearthkeepers.org
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.orgMarquette, Michigan – During the first two weeks of May 2009, over 12,000 trees... more
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It's Underway Update: Upper Peninsula rainbow marks kickoff of northern Michigan interfaith EarthKeeper Tree Project
It's Happening! And it's colorful!
(Upper Peninsula of Michigan) - Across northern Michigan, volunteers on Thursday began bagging 12,000 trees that will be planted in all corners of the Upper Peninsula this weekend by 100 churches and temples from ten faith traditions.
In Sagola, Michigan, a rainbow appeared over the Grace Presbyterian Church as about 30 EarthKeeper volunteers spent three hours bagging 1,500 seedlings.
The trees were blessed by Rev. David Anderson and then prepared to be delivered or picked up by seven other churches including Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian and a non-EarthKeeper but welcomed congregation - the Mission Covenant Church in Foster City.
Volunteers in Sagola included Marie Anderson, Sue Piasini, Gabriella Schultz, age 3; Chrissy Pringle, Brooke Hesse, Yvonne Schultz, Mary Schuteman, Jeff and Shelia Mott and their children Celia and Medoria Mott; Kassandra Donaldson, Mary Brault, Mara Smith, age 11 and Cameron Schultz, age 6.
Volunteers from the Presbyterian and United Methodist churches in Delta County separated and bagged 1,000 trees on Thursday (April 30) at the Central United Methodist Church in Escanaba. Bagging was also underway in Marquette and numerous other locations.
Among those bagging trees were First Presbyterian Church members Kathy Christiansen and Jill Martin, plus Central United Methodist Church members Lois Nordin, Rocky Blixt, Bron Harmon, Cat Lindberg and Pat Rogers; all are Escanaba area residents.
Most of the 12,000 12 to 16 inch White Spruce and Red Pine seedlings in the EarthKeeper Tree Project will be planted on Sunday (May 3)
The EarthKeeper co-founders are Carl Lindquist, executive director of the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership, and Rev. Jon Magnuson of Marquette, the campus pastor for Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northern Michigan University and executive director of the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette.
The Earth Keeper Implementation Team co-chairs are Gail Griffith, who is a member of Marquette Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest of Lake Superior Zendo, a Marquette Zen Buddhist Temple.
The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Zen Buddist, Quakers) with over 150 participating churches/temples, the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP), the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI), and the NMU EK Student Team.
The trees were purchased or donated by the U.P. EarthKeeper team, SWP, Holli Forest Products, the Forestland Group, Plum Creek Timber Company and Meister's Greenhouses.
Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in Ironwood, Michigan.
Experts say 12,000 mature trees absorb 3 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually and produce enough oxygen to support 24,000 humans.
This is the fifth year that the U.P. EarthKeepers have launched an Earth Day environment project.
From 2005-2007, over 15,000 U.P. residents turned in more than 360 tons of household hazardous waste at a dozen collection sites across the U.P. Most of the items were recycled and the remainder was properly disposed under federal guidelines including electronic waste (e-waste) like computers, monitors and printers plus cell phones, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, oil-based paint and vehicle batteries.
Last year the EarthKeepers provided a household energy conservation checklist that resulted in over 3 million pounds of carbon being.
For details on the tree distribution call Catholic EarthKeeper Kyra Fillmore, the project faith community communications coordinator, 906-228-2388.
For tree planting information contact the SWP at 906-228-6095It's Underway Update: Upper Peninsula rainbow marks kickoff of northern Michigan... more
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Bishops and other faith leaders dicuss faith and protecting the environment during Earth day 2009 blessing and planting of the first of 12,000 trees.
Across northern Michigan this weekend, over 12,000 trees will be planted at thousands of locations in three hours by 100 churches and temples.
Trees for two locations have been delayed and will be planted on Sunday, May 10, 2009.
Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in Ironwood, Michigan.
It's the interfaith Upper Peninusla EarthKeeper Tree Project.
Projects involves ten religions (faith traditions), college students, Native Americans and two nonprofits.
It's the fifth annual Earth Keeper project for Earth Day including the 2006 recycling of 320 tons of computers, hard drives, related eqipment and cell phones - and the 2007 collection of over one ton of pills and other pharmaceuticals.
Faith community congregations turned out by the tens of thousands to participate in all the EarthKeeper projects across a 400-mile area of remote northern Michigan.Bishops and other faith leaders dicuss faith and protecting the environment during... more
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First EarthKeeper High Def. Video
Marquette, MI - The Northern Michigan EarthKeepers will plant 12,000 trees in three hours this Sunday, May 3rd at thousands of locations across Michigan's Upper Peninsula including 100 churches and temples.
The trees will be distributed Saturday morning.
Bishops and leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith communities planted the first of 12,000 trees during an Earth Day 2009 ceremony on the shores of Lake Superior.
Standing on a hillside surrounded by huge pine trees two bishops and several other faith leaders blessed a three-foot native species white spruce tree and took turns putting shovels full of dirt into the hole.
Anticipating the cold April weather, organizers earlier decided to plant the rest of the trees on Sunday, May 3 when the weather is more appropriate for planting the 12,000 12-to-16-inch seedlings at numerous locations across northern Michigan including 100 churches and temples.
The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Zen Buddist, Quakers) with over 150 participating churches/temples, nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP), nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI), and the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team.
The concept of "EarthKeeping goes beyond the Upper Peninsula" because throughout the Great Lakes states "we're having a ripple effect" as people and groups "are replicating the work that the EarthKeepers have done here," said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director. "They’re patterning their events after some of the successful programs we have had here."
Michigan faith leaders favor protecting the environment.
"This is very much a marvelous moment in the life of our work together as faith communities," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, CTI executive director and EarthKeeper Initiative co-founder. "This is another step in our interfaith work. We have found an expression of our faith in very, very hands-on work like this the EarthKeeping Tree Project."
All humans "are called to be steward's of God's creation and no matter what faith tradition we come from that responsibility lies with us human creatures," said Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette Bishop Alexander Sample.
"Those of us endowed with intelligence and with the ability to choose good and avoid evil," said Bishop Sample, who oversees 94 U.P. parishes and missions with 61,000 members.
Bishop Sample said the book of Revelations "speaks of the life-giving power of water and how the tree draws its life from the water." Bishop Sample said he grew up in the desert southwest and "didn't see a lot of water" or the "beauty of the forests and trees."
Sample said "I truly thought I had entered paradise" when his family moved to the Upper Peninsula at the age of 17.
"This whole movement has focused on how the faith communities can work together to preserve this great gift that we have here in the Upper Peninsula, this great watershed and it's wonderful combination of lakes and streams, and forests everywhere," said Northern Great Lakes Synod Lutheran Bishop Thomas Skrenes.
"Trees cover the earth and trees are part of healing the earth," said Skrenes, the head of 94 U.P. Lutheran congregations with 40,000 members
The Earth Keeper's ten faith communities have "various ways of doing things and looking at life" but "come together for this important task," said United Methodist Church (UMC) Marquette District Superintendent Grant Lobb.
"We are glad to be part of EarthKeepers," said Lobb, whose district has 8,372 parishioners and 60 northern Michigan congregations.
Full story:
http://www.upearthkeepers.org
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.orgFirst EarthKeeper High Def. Video
Marquette, MI - The Northern Michigan... more
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Marquette, MI - The bishops/leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith communities planted the first of 12,000 trees during an Earth Day ceremony on the shores of Lake Superior.
The Earth Day 2009 blessing of the trees ceremony was held on Presque Isle in Marquette.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette Bishop Alexander Sample said all humans "are called to be steward's of God's creation and no matter what faith tradition we come from that responsibility lies with us."
The EarthKeeper movement is "focused on how the faith communities can work together to preserve this great gift that we have here in the Upper Peninsula” and its lakes, streams and forests, said Northern Great Lakes Synod Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes.
UMC Marquette District Supt. Grant R. Lobb said "planting a tree is a gift for the next generation and beyond that."
The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions ( Jewish, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church (UMC), Unitarian Universalist (UU), Baha'i, Zen Buddist, Quakers) with over 150 participating churches/temples, the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP), the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI), and the NMU EK Student Team.
Throughout the Great Lakes states, people and groups "are replicating the work that the EarthKeepers have done here," said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director.
"This is very much a marvelous moment in the life of our work together as faith communities," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, CTI executive director and EarthKeepers co-founder.
The next day April 23, several faith leaders spoke about the project and protecting the environment to students at Northern Michigan University in the final of numerous "Sacred Planet" events on campus sponsored by the NMU EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team.
On May 3, the 12,000 12-to-16-inch White Spruce and Red pine seedlings will be planted in all corners of the U.P. including at 100 churches and temples.
The trees were purchased or donated by the U.P. EarthKeeper team, SWP, Holli Forest Products, the Forestland Group, Plum Creek Timber Company and Meister's Greenhouses, said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director.
From 2005-2007, over 15,000 U.P. residents turned in more than 360 tons of household hazardous waste at U.P. collection sites.
Some of the items were properly disposed but most was recycled including computers, cell phones, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, oil-based paint and vehicle batteries.
Last year the EarthKeepers provided a household energy conservation checklist that resulted in over 3 million pounds of carbon being reduced.
"The trees, in effect, will be planting us, said Reverend Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest for the Marquette Zen Buddhist Temple Lake Superior Zendo and EarthKeeper Implementation Team co-chair.
Baha'is believe that "nature is to be respected and protected as a divine trust for which we all answerable," said Dr. Rodney H. Clarken, chair of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Marquette.
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan employees reflected on what the project would've meant to late Bishop James Kelsey, the first signer of the interfaith EarthKeeper Covenant, killed in a June 2007 traffic accident.
"He'd try to find a place for a tree in his own yard" plus at the Page Center and office, said Jane Cisluycis, EDNM Operations Coordinator.
Kelsey would be "pleased that the EarthKeepers are getting stronger and more people are getting involved," said Kathy Lenten, EDNM Ministry Support Team.
UU member Nancy Irish said "the image of people of all ages and faiths across the Upper Peninsula planting 12,000 trees in their respective sacred spaces is a most beautiful and fitting one."
Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in Ironwood, Michigan.Marquette, MI - The bishops/leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith... more
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