Web of Creation

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January 2008

January 1
Maitreya Bodhisattva (Buddhist)
Mary Mother of God (Catholic)

January 4
Maidyarem Gahambar (Zoroastrian)

January 5
New Community Project Learning Tour
David Radcliff 888-800-2985
ncp@newcommunityproject.org
The New Community Project is a faith-based nonprofit organization based in Elgin, IL but with a national network and international partnerships. NCP focuses on peace through justice, care for creation and experiential learning. Among its other programs in 2008, the New Community Project is offering six Learning Tours. The trips welcome all ages to experience troubled areas of our world and build relationships with our neighbors and with God's creation. Nepal (The Jan. 5-15 tour will focus on poverty, women's empowerment, and the Himalayan ecosystem. For more information, see http://newcommunityproject.org/tours.shtml or contact David Radcliff.) For information about other NCP tours, see our May, June, July, and August calendars.

January 6
Epiphany (Catholic, Protestant)
Christmas (Orthodox)

January 8
Baptism of the Lord (Anglican)

January 9
Ra's al-Sanat al-Hijriyah: New Year (Muslim)

January 12
Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop in Seattle
Saturday, January 12; Seattle Pacific University, Upper Gwinn Room
Learn about the four environmental priorities chosen by the Priorities for a
Healthy Washington of which Earth Ministry is a member. Participants will hear from legislators, environmental policy experts, members of the media and others regarding the community's Priorities for a Healthy Washington. For information about the priorities and the event, please see:
http://www.environmentalpriorities.org/.

January 18
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins (Anglican, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox)

January 19
Gathering Hope: An Interfaith Service for Climate Justice
First Unitarian Church, 7:00-8:30 pm
SW 12th and Main, Portland, Oregon
Prelude to Focus the Nation on January 31, 2008
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's Oregon Interfaith Power and Light, in partnership with First Unitarian's Community for Earth, American Jewish Committee, local congregations and groups, is organizing an interfaith worship service to provide an empowering, contemplative worship experience that invites reflection on our relationship with the earth and our role in global warming solutions. Special speakers include Bill Barnes, University of Portland Professor and Greenhouse Network Board Member, and Sister Pat Nagle, World Council of Churches Delegate to the UN Climate Conference. Reception with cider and cookies to follow. For more information on how the faith community is getting involved visit www.emoregon.org/events. Call 503-221-1054 ext. 214.

January 21
Tu B'Shevat: Arbor Day (Jewish)

Earth Ministry & EarthCorps MLK Day Restoration Event
Monday, January 21, 9:30am-3:30pm; Cheasty Green Space, Beacon Hill, Seattle WA
Take action for environmental justice! Earth Ministry and EarthCorps are
partnering for a day of service to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Join the entire Earth Ministry staff and many others for
restoration and forest maintenance work in Cheasty Greenspace near Beacon Hill. Following the restoration project, volunteers are invited to attend an indoor service appreciation reception and commemoration of Dr. King's life and work at the nearby Jefferson Community Center. There will be community organizations tabling during and after the reception, so plan to stick around and browse the tables to learn more about local service
opportunities! Call the Earth Ministry office at (206) 632-2426 or e-mail
<mailto:emoffice@earthministry.org> emoffice@earthministry.org to sign up
for the event. We hope to see you on Monday, January 21!

January 23
Environmental Lobby Day
Wednesday, January 23, 9:00 am; United Churches, 110-11th Ave E Olympia WA
Join the state's leading environmental groups and hundreds of citizen
lobbyists to push for the passage of the Priorities for a Healthy Washington
legislative package: Washington Climate Action, Local Solutions to Global
Warming, Evergreen Cities, and Local Farms/Healthy Kids. To register,
contact rattemann@pugetsound.org or (206) 382-7007 or visit
www.pugetsound.org/index/lobbyday. Cost is $15.

January 29
'Ashurah (Muslim)
Swami Vivekananda Jayanti (Hindu)

Faith Advocacy Day
Tuesday, January 29, 8:30 am-3:00 pm; Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1601 North St. SE, Olympia WA
Join people of all faiths and their friends who will be speaking up on a
range of social justice issues from homelessness and housing, to tax
fairness and living wage, to healthcare, hunger, and the environment. A $15
registration fee includes advocacy toolkit and lunch. Contact David Coombs
(advocacyday@gmail.com) at the Lutheran Public Policy Office for more
information or call (206) 464-4133. RSVP by January 7.

January 30
Jashan-e Sadeh (Zoroastrian)

Focus the Nation – The 2% Solution.
Mark your calendars! On the evening of January 30, Focus the Nation will kick-off the biggest national teach-in in history with "The 2% Solution," an innovative, interactive web-cast broadcast live on Earth Day Network TV. Co-produced with the National Wildlife Federation, and featuring Stanford climate scientist Stephen Schneider, sustainable business consultant Hunter Lovins, and other guests, the focus will be on global warming solutions. Uniquely, audiences across the country—in college and high school auditoriums, in church, mosque and synagogue meeting rooms, and at living room house parties—will have the opportunity to debate the issues among themselves, and then weigh in with interactive voting. The Focus the Nation Web site # will soon have detailed instructions for viewing the webcast.

January 31
Focus the Nation Teach-In
University of Portland
Chiles Center, 5:00-9:00 pm
Focus the Nation, which was started in Portland by Lewis and Clark professor, Eban Goodstein and his Greenhouse Network, is an educational initiative focusing the nation on global warming solutions. Focus the Nation is expected to be the largest teach-in in our nation's history with over 10,000 sites participating. For more information about the teach-in and the January 30th webcast, "The 2% Solution", visit: www.emoregon.org/events and/or call 503-221-1054 ext. 214.

Deadline for submission of abstracts
International Symposium on Environment and Religion
Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
May 15-16, 2008
The theological faculty of Istanbul University invites papers for a two-day conference on eco-theology and environmental ethics. The conference venue is located in Istanbul, a meeting place of cultures, civilizations, and religions. This symposium will bring together leading scholars from around the world from various religious and cultural backgrounds. Proposed topics include:
- the environmental crisis and religious responses
- theology and ecology
- environmental ethics
- environmental peace
- environmental education
- nature, creation, and the cosmos in religious texts
- environmental law (law of water, law of land, etc)
- environmental psychology
- ecology and spirituality
Abstracts should be approximately 200 words and must be accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae. All materials are to be submitted via email to: sempozyumilahiyat@istanbul.edu.tr. For further information contact Ahmet Hamdi Furat, the conference organizer: ahmet_hamdifurat@yahoo.com.