Contact the Earth Care Team by emailing santafeearthcareteam@gmail.
The Presbytery’s Earth Care Team has become very concerned about the signs of a crumbling world environment. We see average global temperatures rising, extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, heat waves, forest fires increasing, and water availability decreasing in many areas. These are frightening and the recent U.N. report on climate change leaves no room for doubt that the human race has and is making a major contribution to these effects on our globe.
To make members of our Presbytery aware of all of this and how lifestyles can change to minimize our impacts, the Earth Care Team has planned three special Zoom programs for this coming fall. Each program will include time for question/comment with the presenter. And we hope you’ll note the dates on your calendars now.
First: On Wednesday, September 22, at 7:00pm Marlin Johnson, retired from the US Forest Service, will focus on the actions we each can take as individuals to reduce carbon emissions as well as minimize our individual impacts on God’s creation in other ways. What may seem modest contributions, can have a much greater impact when taken together.
In addition to his career background in caring to forests, Marlin is widely read on many subjects relating to environmental degradation of our planet. Examples include the U.N. report on climate change and many other topics such as the impacts of fertilizers on water quality, living with reduced water availability as climate changes and soil erosion, and related productivity losses.
Second: On Wednesday, October 20 at 7:00pm, Rev. Martha Sadongei, Pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma (my father’s tribe) and reared in the Tohono O’odham values (my mother’s tribe). Martha will speak on EarthCare concerns from a Native American perspective. Among the questions to be addressed: What were the lessons your culture taught you about caring for the earth? What were the lessons the church taught you as you grew up? And…What are the lessons about earthcare you are teaching in your ministry today?
Third: On Wednesday, November 17 at 7:00pm: Our program will be led a member of the New Mexico Native American community and focus on the key EarthCare issues to the Native American community. Details to follow.
