15 Apr IEN releases groundbreaking document, Earth Day

First-of-its-kind tool being released on Earth Day has already prevented over one million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Religion.  Climate action.  Can they go together?  In Austin, the answer is YES. Via the combined efforts of the Interfaith Environmental Network of Austin (IEN) and Climate Buddies, local congregations are taking action to reduce CO₂ emissions and the threat those emissions pose to humanity.

The result? "Becoming Carbon Positive: A Manual for Places of Worship." Fourteen months in the making, “Becoming Carbon Positive” is a community-drafted "how to" manual, designed to help people of faith achieve meaningful, measurable, and team-based climate action.

The manual was developed with participation from five local congregations: All Saints Episcopal; Austin Zen Center; Central Presbyterian; First Unitarian Universalist; and Saint David’s Episcopal. By using the manual, the combined participation from these five congregations led to the reduction of over 1,000,000 lbs of CO₂ in 2012! 

The manual provides evidence of diverse spiritual and religious basis for environmental stewardship and a section on basic climate science, and then delves deeply into resources for developing groups and group leadership. Below are copies of the manual's cover, table of contents, and foreword by Reverence Tom VandeStadt, co-chair of the Interfaith Environmental Network and pastor of the Congregational Church of Austin, UCC. 

From the Foreword, 

"We
are not separate from our planetary home, Earth. We breathe Earth's air into our lungs, our muscles feed off its oxygen in the blood that flows through our veins, and all that passes through us comes from sunlight, soil, and water.
We are of the Earth. Its beauty and complexity reveal deeper truths about us, as well as mysteries that inspire words like sacred and holy, and that leave us in awe. May we awaken to the ways we harm that which sustains us, and choose the journey to "heal the damage done."
May our grandchildren and children look back upon us with love and gratitude for the choice we have made. May this manual guide us as we journey together." — Rev. Tom VandeStadt

"Becoming Carbon Positive: A Manual for Places of Worship" will be released this Saturday, noon to 12:30 at Austin's Earth Day (Stage II, "Workshops & Presentations," more info here). The launch event will be a celebration of local grassroots leadership with inspiring words from Zach Baumer (manager, City of Austin Climate Protection Program), Rev. Bo Townsend (pastor, St. Christopher Episcopal), Joep Meijer (founder/co-chair, Climate Buddies), and Tom Spencer (exec. dir. Interfaith Action of Central Texas), plus special music composed for the event by Marilyn Rucker (Therapy Sisters). 

In 2013, IEN and Climate Buddies will support local houses of worship adopting the “Becoming Carbon Positive" manual and continue refining the manual for second edition publication in 2014. 

Becoming Carbon Positive will be available for purchase in print and as a download from the Internet. The IEN's outstanding Energy Action Team members, co-authors of the manual, will be on hand to help explain the manual and provide support for future use. 

Learn more about the launch of "Becoming Carbon Positive" here
Contact an IEN Energy Action Team member here: ien.energyactionteam "at" gmail "dot" com
Download "Becoming Carbon Positive" here 

Learn more about the Interfaith Environmental Network of Austin (IEN): InterfaithEnvironment.org
Learn more about Climate Buddies: ClimateBuddies.org
Learn more about the IEN Energy Action Team: InterfaithEnvironment.org/events/Energy-Action-Team