Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth: Celtic Christianity

Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth

Celtic Christianity

Christianity first came to Ireland mostly likely in the second century through trade with Roman Britain, but there are stories of earlier contacts and influences.  However, due to relative isolation and the strength of the Celtic culture, Irish Christianity (Irish Catholicism) had features distinct from Roman Catholicism including such mystical elements as the paradoxical tension between the nearness and farness of God, the fleeting vanity of the world, and the wonder of all creation.  For them, especially apparent in the lives of the monks, was the appreciation of wildlife, trees, plants, the weather, the sea, and the sky as sacramental manifestations of God’s creativity.  Carried over from the earlier Celtic/Druid traditions, they believed that spirits of ancestors and other spiritual entities could be found in “thin spaces” or “thin times” where the space or transition between this world and other realities was very narrow, boundary points between the material world and the other world. Celtic Christians had a sense of living on the margins, on the edge, and seeking places of resurrection, doorways to heaven in this world.

We might learn from Celtic Christians the passionate presence of God in all of life:  eating, working, loving, playing, and tending the natural environment.  Irish saints befriended and protected wild animals, loving and celebrating nature.  Perhaps we can learn from them the passion to restore creation and counter the pathways of greed, intolerance, and violence.  (References:  Woods, The Spirituality of the Celtic Saints; Joyce, Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, A Vision of Hope; Herm, The Celts.)

Sustainable Living Updates - Green Chalice Notes

Saving Energy – Saving Money … across the Community

Energy efficiency improvements are very important for schools, businesses, and churches as well as individual households.  Did you know that Mizzou is a national leader in using renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions?    Over one-third the energy MU uses annually comes from renewable energy – biomass, wind and solar.  MU ranks #4 (behind Walmart, Apple and the US Department of Energy) in on-site generation of green electricity in EPA’s Green Power Partnership using an energy technology called biomass combined heat and power. MU has adopted a new LED lighting standard in new and renovated facilities, and recently replaced lighting in two parking garages with LED lighting, which is saving over 60% in electricity costs for those garages.  See the bulletin board for additional information on several ways the University of Missouri has implemented energy saving practices and programs.  Since 2008, MU has reduced its carbon footprint by over 51%--a tremendous improvement—more than halfway to achieving their climate neutrality goal by 2050.  Begin to think about ways that Olivet might better conserve energy and participate in renewable energy.  (MU statistics, courtesy ESSAG-Energy Strategies Student Advisory Group)

Last month’s tips on saving household energy are worth repeating.  A very simple way to make an immediate impact is to switch your lighting to LED bulbs.

v  Review information about energy saving programs posted in Fellowship Hall.

v  Talk with friends and family who have made use of these programs, such as Chester Edwards, Marjorie Audsley, Chris Kunz, and Dennis Bettenhausen.  (Note:  the city offers low-interest loans to help customers make improvements.)

v  Contact your utility service providers to learn more and make a plan:

o   City of Columbia:  call 874-7325 or visit:  https://www.como.gov/WaterandLight/

o   Boone Electric Co-operative:  call 449-4181 or visit: http://www.booneelectric.coop/

o   Ameren Missouri - https://www.ameren.com/missouri

v  Make an investment in a brighter, cleaner, healthier future for the next generation and for Planet Earth - our Common Home.  Using current technology, we can realize significant savings.

Upcoming Olivet events - put these dates on your calendar now.

Our Sustainable Living theme this year is ‘Water – Essential for Life - Ways We Can Conserve, Protect, Share and Appreciate this Gift. 

·         Sunday, March 5, 12:45 p.m., Lunch & Learn – “What Makes for a Quality Watershed? – Part I” Meet in the Multipurpose Room following the Week of Compassion lunch for an interesting discussion with Olivet’s own Bob Broz, Extension Water Quality Specialist, and others about the challenges, rewards and practical steps we can take to work together for clean streams and healthy watersheds.

·         Sunday, April 9 - Seeds ‘n Sprouts –this annual event for transplanting and taking home flower and veggie seedlings is scheduled later this year – reducing the time needed to keep your seedlings indoors.

·         Saturday, April 22 – “What Makes for a Quality Watershed? – Part II” - Field Trip to City of Columbia’s water treatment facility and wetlands at McBaine on the Missouri River.

·         Sunday, May 7 - Annual Youth & Property Work Day – fill the planters and pots in the Music & Education patio area with flower and veggie seedlings; weed and mulch trees and flower beds.

Beat the ‘Winter Blahs’ - Visit Runge Nature Center, Jefferson City to see their new forest area exhibit, “The Forest Revealed’ … as you walk the path, hunt for mushrooms, peer into the forest layers, smell a sassafras tree, call a squirrel and see how many animals use the forest community.  Kids can climb into a tree house and explore life in and around the tree.  Enjoy this exhibit indoors; then get outside and enjoy the real thing.

Runge offers a variety of programs for all ages including regularly scheduled midweek and Saturday hikes at conservation areas throughout mid-Missouri.  To learn more, call 573-526-5544 or visit http://mdc.mo.gov/regions/central/runge-nature-center Sign up to receive Habitat Happenings, their bi-monthly newsletter via email or print copy.

Building Hours:  Tuesday-Saturday:  8 AM-5 PM; Thursday:  8 AM-8 PM. 

                         Closed Sunday, Monday and all State Holidays.

Trail Hours:  Open daily 6 AM-9 PM

Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth Resolve to Save Energy, Save Money, and Research Renewable Energy Options

Did you know that both Boone Electric Cooperative and the City of Columbia’s Water & Light Department offer a variety of energy saving programs that include rebates for energy efficient appliances and energy efficiency upgrades?  Both offer the Home Performance with Energy Star Program, which provides rebates for energy saving improvements to your home such as adding insulation, reducing duct leakage, reducing air leakage, replacing windows and doors, and installing high efficiency air conditioners and heat pumps.  According to Boone Electric, the average energy savings for many of their costumers is about 20%, but one homeowner in their service area realized a savings of 46%, primarily by dramatically increasing the amount of attic insulation, insulating air ducts and reducing air leakage throughout the home.  That is a tremendous savings – saving dollars and reducing wasted energy.  Imagine the positive impact on our planet by reducing the need for energy production by 20%-30% simply by reducing energy waste.  As Boone Electric and its power supplier, Associated Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI) state, “The greenest energy is the energy never consumed.”

Renewable energy options – wind and solar – are also available.  Why use renewables?  Simply put, energy generated from the sun or the wind does not deplete these resources.  Plus these energy sources do not add increasing amounts of CO₂ to the atmosphere.

The City of Columbia’s energy portfolio includes about 8% to 10% renewable energy and the City Council recently voted to purchase more wind power from their supplier.  AECI, the power supplier for Missouri’s REA Co-ops now produces about 20% of its power from renewable sources – wind energy, 12%, and hydropower, 8%.  Since 2003, Boone Electric customers have been able to sign up to have at least a portion of their energy supplied by wind power.  Wind energy is offered in 100 kWh blocks at an additional charge of $2.00/block/month.  There is no minimum or maximum number of blocks to purchase, but customers must make a 12-month commitment to participate in the program. 

A few months ago Boone Electric put their 400-panel Community Solar Project into operation.  Customers can now sign up to purchase output from one or more panels at a cost of about $3.50/month/panel.  Sunlight is free, but this small additional cost (about the cost of a fancy cup of coffee) added to the regular electric bill is required to help pay the cost of construction and maintenance of the ‘solar farm’.  Boone Electric’s Board of Directors has offered to build another 400-panel ‘solar farm’ if customers ‘purchase’ all the current panels; currently 176 panels are spoken for.  No time commitment is required.

Installing an individual renewable energy system is also an option.  Well over 40 Boone REA customers have installed such systems – primarily solar, a few, wind energy.  Visit with Dennis Bettenhausen who installed a 16.9 KW PV (solar) system last fall and learn more about a homeowner project right here in Olivet’s neighborhood.  This system produced 21,856 kWh in its first full year of production.  If this amount of electricity had been produced at a coal-fired plant, it would have resulted in the production of 45,242 pounds of CO₂. (See the US Energy Information Administration for conversion factors – www.eia.gov/tools/ )

è Resolve to check out what’s right for you:

1)                  Review information posted on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall

2)                  Contact your utility service provider to learn more – they are very helpful:

·            City of Columbia:  call 874-7325 or visit:  https://www.como.gov/WaterandLight/

·            Boone Electric Co-operative:  call 449-4181 and ask for Member Services or visit:           http://www.booneelectric.coop/

3)                  Make an investment in a brighter, cleaner, healthier future for the next generation and for        Planet Earth – our Common Home

è Resolve to think about ways that Olivet might better conserve energy resources and participate in renewable energy.

Sustainable Living Steering Committee, Marilyn Bettenhausen, Chair

Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth: Environmentally Friendly Christmas

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”

Christmas greetings from afar!  I hope you all are having a wonderful fall time and that the transition into winter isn’t too harsh.  For this month we decided to give you all a brief listing of ways in which to make your Christmas more “green” both in helping save this wonderful earth we call home as well as perhaps saving you some green in your pocket book.  I challenge you to just adopt one new environmentally friendly practice this holiday season, gift the earth for all it has provided you!

v  Natural decorations and scents: instead of spending money on candles and sprays to make your house smell like Christmas try using natural decoration and scents like pine cones, simmer oranges on the stove, or bake!

v  Reusable and not disposable: at your holiday party break out the dishes and cloth napkins, or ask people to bring their own, think about how many plastic cups you use at all your holiday parties! 

v  Holiday cards: Redesign cards to make new cards, gift tags, glue onto plain gift bags, and more!

v  Wrap: instead of buying expensive wrapping paper use newspapers, junk mail, magazines, reusable shopping bags, or even old fabric (outgrown clothes) to wrap presents.  Children love getting creative and challenge them to see who can be the most creative- break out the paint and markers!

v  Gifts: Make a list and check it twice, combine shopping trips or combine purchases online, re-gift (don’t we all have a pile of things we don’t EVER use!), gifts don’t have to be store bought- some of the most meaningful gifts are homemade, visit the local vintage or thrift stores, consider gifts like mentioned in last month’s OCN article

v  Trees: consider buying a real tree that you can plant outside when you’re done, recycle your live tree by donating it to the Department of Conservation (free curbside pickup), or if you buying an artificial tree or lights make sure they are Energy Star Certified

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

~Native American Proverb

I hope this may help inspire you to make one change as this Christmas season approaches.  I hope to see many of you around Christmas as I will be back for a couple of weeks! Kaitlyn

October and November Sustainability Challenge Winners

So I assume you all didn’t get outside to enjoy the fall colors (or did but forgot to send me photos). L So I decided to just upload a few of my favorite photos from this fall from up north here in Indiana and Wisconsin so enjoy! 

Kaitlyn 

Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth: Environmentally Friendly Christmas

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family

all wrapped up in each other.”

Christmas greetings from afar!  I hope you all are having a wonderful fall time and that the transition into winter isn’t too harsh.  For this month we decided to give you all a brief list of ways to make your Christmas more “green” both in helping save this wonderful earth we call home, as well as perhaps saving you some ‘‘green” in your pocket book.

I challenge you to just adopt one new environmentally friendly practice this holiday season.  Gift the earth for all it has provided you!

v  Natural decorations and scents: instead of spending money on candles and sprays to make your house smell like Christmas, try using natural decoration and scents … use pine cones, simmer oranges on the stove, or bake…cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves signal Christmas for many of us.

v  Reusable and not disposable: at your holiday party break out the dishes and cloth napkins, or ask people to bring their own. Think about how many plastic cups you use at all your holiday parties! 

v  Holiday cards: Redesign cards to make new cards, gift tags, glue onto plain gift bags, and more!

v  Wrapping paper:  instead of buying expensive wrapping paper use newspapers (the Sunday comics pages are great), junk mail, magazines, reusable shopping bags, or even old fabric (outgrown clothes) to wrap presents.  Children love getting creative. Challenge them to see who can be the most creative - break out the paint and markers!

v  Gifts: Make a list and check it twice, combine shopping trips or combine purchases online, re-gift (don’t we all have a pile of things we don’t EVER use!).  Gifts don’t have to be store bought - some of the most meaningful gifts are homemade or handcrafted.  Visit local vintage or thrift stores, consider alternative gifts like those mentioned in the November OCN article.

v  Trees: consider buying a real tree that you can plant outside when the holidays are over, recycle your live tree by donating it to the Department of Conservation (free curbside pickup), or if you buy an artificial tree or lights, make sure they are Energy Star Certified.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

~Native American Proverb

I hope this may help inspire you to make one change as this Christmas season approaches. And, I hope to see many of you around Christmas, as I will be back for a couple of weeks!  Kaitlyn

Embracing the Good News for Planet Earth: November

“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

Most of us have heard this famous proverb.  For those committed to finding pathways that promote more just economic systems that are sustainable, its simple wisdom is easily recognizable.  It speaks to the idea of alleviating poverty by facilitating self-sufficiency.

Supporting Fair Trade practices throughout the world is an excellent way to accomplish just that; alleviate poverty by facilitating self-sufficiency.  It truly is a “hand up, not a hand out.”  Not to be confused with “free trade,” fair trade is a system of economic exchange that allows people living in poverty, primarily in the developing world, to receive a living wage for their labor, and to build strong, thriving businesses that alleviate distress in their local communities.  What’s more, the standards they set often promote safe, healthy working conditions, protect the environment through ecologically sound methods, enable transparency, and empower communities in ways that can permanently break the cycle of generational poverty.  Fairly Traded goods typically reach our markets through ethical companies that exist almost entirely for the purpose of promoting and encouraging these practices.  Often these companies make an initial investment in factories and farms that provide safe working environments, and then ship their produce and finished goods to be sold in the developed world at a fair price comparable to those manufactured domestically.  The profits they receive are then reinvested into the communities that produced them so that workers are ethically compensated, and business owners are adequately supported.  These communities are subsequently transformed by the labor of those who worked to make a better way of life for themselves.  “Learning to fish,” in other words, they feed themselves for a lifetime.

I share this with you because, as you know, Olivet has supported Fair Trade practices for many years in various forms.  I have, likewise, made Fair Trade a major focal point of my own ministry over the past decade.  On Sunday, November 20^th, OCC’s Outreach Committee will again sponsor our annual Fair Trade Fair in an effort to not only give our faith community the opportunity to shop ethically and compassionately this Christmas season, but to also educate us still further about the important benefits of buying Fair Trade items.  As the holidays approach, I encourage you to consider reserving a portion of your Christmas spending for purchasing Fairly Traded goods.  You will have the opportunity to do so, not only at Olivet, but throughout our community and on-line.  With a little intentionality, you can turn your holiday cash into a just way of life for many living in poverty throughout the world.  You can shop ethically and compassionately in ways that give people hope.  My prayer is that we all find such ways to make the Christmas season a time when our hopeful expectations for a better, more loving world become tangible realities.  After all, that’s what Christmas is really all about.    

Blessings of Peace,

wes     

Alternative Holiday Gifts

“This certifies you to 1 story read aloud (your choice)”

“This certifies you to 1 hour of indoor play (your choice)”

“This certifies you to 1 general clean-up of room”

I recently came across a little booklet of ‘gift certificates’ handmade by my daughter when she was very young.  They were stapled between two pieces of red construction paper – the cover read “Merry Christmas LAURA!” 

Together we enjoyed using those certificates and she learned at an early age that gifts aren’t limited to ‘stuff’ – gifts of time, skills and service are very important too.

As you begin to make plans to honor family and friends during the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, consider a variety of alternative gifts:

Gifts of time, skills or service …

Time … make special time for a relative or friend…have lunch together, visit a park, museum, art gallery, go to a concert or sports event, work on a project together

Skills … gift of lessons – art, cooking, music, needlework, woodworking, sports or camping program fees

Service … work on a community project with friends; help someone with yard work or household projects

Make donations in honor of friends & family to organizations which are meaningful to them.

Heifer International and Church World Service offer online gift catalogs which provide good ways to involve children in gift giving.  As part of your Christmas gift to grandchildren or other little ones, allow them a certain amount of funds and let them choose which animals of other tools to provide for a family in need.

Heifer Project International … www.heifer.org

“Heifer Sampler”…. Flock of chicks, $20; Gift of honeybees, $30, Trio of rabbits, $60

Church World Service Best Gift Catalog …. www.cwsbestgift.org

“CWS Sampler” … Blanket, $10; Seeds & Tools, $25; 1 meter of a Shallow Borehole Well, $30

Fair Trade items – shop the Fair Trade Bazaar that will be sponsored by our Outreach committee on Sunday, November 20 with gift items from Community United Methodist Church’s Fair Trade store: jewelry, scarves, ornaments & other seasonal decorations, coffee, chocolate & more.

 

Handcrafted gifts – jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, baked goods, needlecraft items, wood crafted items, art work, pottery and more…whether handcrafted by you or another artisan

Enjoy giving alternative gifts for any occasion.

…Sustainable Living Steering Committee