Workshop: Starting and Sustaining Green Ministries

Indianapolis Green Congregations and our partners at Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light invite you to start the New Year with renewed energy with our workshop: Starting and Sustaining a Green Ministry

7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17
St. Luke United Methodist Church
100 W. 86th Street, Indianapolis

Visit the event page to learn more and register.

There will be something for everyone!

If you have been thinking about starting a green ministry in your congregation come and hear how to get started.  If you have a green ministry established and need new strategies and problem-solving ideas to reinvigorate yourself and your colleagues, come hear from others who have faced the same dilemmas.

Free copy of "Seven Simple Steps to Green Your Church" by Rebekah Simon-Peter for each attendee.

Other Upcoming Events:

February 21, 2012 – Business meeting at St. Luke’s UMC (7-8:30 pm)

March 20, 2011 – Workshop: Energy Efficiency in Church Buildings at Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis (7-8:30 pm)

April 17, 2012 – Business meeting at St. Luke’s UMC (7-8:30 pm)

May 15, 2012 – Workshop: Green Funerals hosted by Epworth United Methodist Church (7-8:30 pm)

June 19, 2012 – Program Planning for 2012-2013, St. Luke’s UMC (7-8:30 pm

November 15, 2011 – Workshop: Public Transit Forum at Englewood Christian Church (7-8:30 pm)

Speakers:

Kim Irwin, Indiana Citizens’ Alliance for Transit (ICAT)
Ehren Bingaman, Central Indiana Regional Transit Authority (CIRTA)

Download Presentation

Why Transit?

• Jobs – 60% of transit trips in Indiana are work related
• Saves gas money
• Makes commute time more productive
• Improves air quality
• Reduces risk of accidents
• Promotes improved health outcomes
• Backbone of sustainable communities

Transportation issues are NOT Roads vs. Transit. We need both, and need funding for both.

IndyGo is not poorly run, and in fact, they do superbly at "doing more with less," BUT they are severely under-funded.

NEXT STEPS in the Transit Plan:
Now (2011): Building a coalition
Jan. 2012: State Legislature will have an opportunity to approve a local funding source, referenda process and governing structure.
May 2012 (at earliest): County officials decide whether to put referendum on local ballots
Future (Nov. 2012 at earliest): Residents vote YES or NO

What Indy Green Congregations can do:

1) Have our congregations or relevant groups that we work with pass a resolution in support of legislation that would enable referenda addressing local transit funding. See sample resolution here:  http://cirta.us/UserFiles/File/ROS_TransitFunding_Blank.doc

2) Sign the petition in favor of dedicated funding for transit, and get signatures from others in our congregations:   http://cirta.us/Petition-SupportTransitFunding.aspx?PageId=52

3) Continue to spread the word about transit issues.

ICAT website:  http://indianacat.org/

CIRTA website:   http://cirta.us/

Thanks to NUVO for its coverage of this event.

November 10, 2011 -- Spirit and Place Event: Growing Foods for Growing Bodies, Christian Theological Seminary

People concerned about the impact of industrial agriculture on our bodies and our environment gathered at Christian Theological Seminary for a panel discussion and networking event. Panelists included Dr. Carol Johnston of CTS, Dr. Stephen Jay of Indiana University School of Public Health, Todd Jameson of Balanced Harvest Farm and Falon French of Hoosier Environmental Council. The panel was moderated by Jodi Perras of Improving Kids' Environment and Indianapolis Green Congregations.

We discussed the impact that industrial farms and processed food have on our health, including the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and growing rates of obesity, diabetes and learning disabilities. Sustainable agriculture raises food that is healthier for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals and supports and enhances communities.

Thanks to Slow Food Indy and Hoosier Environmental Council for providing healthy snacks for this event.

Sept. 29, 2011 – Workshop: Native Landscaping and Bird Habitats for Congregations, Schools and other Organizations, Geist Christian Church North/Fishers Campus

Thanks to Geist Christian Church, Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf, INPAWS, and Amos W. Butler Audubon Society for co-presenting our Sept. 29 workshop on native landscaping and bird habitats. 

At right is Barth Hendrickson of BDMD in the Geist Christian rain garden. Below that is a beautiful sunset that accompanied our tour. More
prairie images are in the
presentations below. Photos courtesy of Amy Barnes.

Presentations (pdf format):

- Geist Prairie Walk & Sustainable Landscape - Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf (3.3 MB)

- Habitats & Bird-Friendly Practices - Amos W. Butler Audubon Society (1.4 MB)

Green Congregations is a growing movement among faith communities of many denominations to recognize the importance of environmental stewardship in all aspects of life--at home, at church and at work.  IKE is working with Indianapolis-area congregations to help them understand the importance of this effort and to provide practical tools to help them on their journey.  On this page, we provide some resources and links that we hope will be helpful.

Event Launches State-wide
Creation Care Organization

In stunning robes, turban, and a yarmulke, senior clergy from eighteen Hoosier faith traditions processed into the sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Indianapolis to convey in many voices a single message: as stewards of God’s creation, it is our sacred obligation to care for this fragile Earth, which is under siege.  Some two hundred Hoosiers of faith from twenty-nine cities across Indiana responded in unison, “All creation is a song of praise to God.”

Thus was launched Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light.  Its mission? “To bring Hoosiers of faith together as stewards of creation in order to promote energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and related sustainable practices.”

For more information, see www.hoosieripl.org or contact Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light board member Rev. Lyle McKee at lmckee@stlconline.org.

WALBICUS to Worship

Indianapolis-area congregations participated in the second WALBICUS weekend on Oct. 29-31, 2010.

What is WALBICUS? It means WALking, BIking, Carpooling or taking the bUS instead of driving alone in a car. 

Congratulations to Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis for achieving the highest percentage of people taking alternative transportation to church. They won a bike rack donated by Health by Design, a coalition working to bring together advocates of community design, transportation and health to support healthy and active living.

The event was sponsored by Indianapolis Green Congregations, an interfaith network that supports the formation of Earth-care ministries in Central Indiana faith communities.

2010 Energy Efficiency Workshop

On Oct. 19, 2010, representatives from several congregations in the greater Indianapolis area gathered for A Conversation on Energy Conservation. The workshop was hosted by Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis. Presentations from the workshop are available below in pdf format.

Overview of Energy Efficiency - Ray Wilson, UUI

Energy Savings: More Green for the Earth and Your Pocket - Jelling Lai and John Milligan

Take the Indianapolis Green Congregations challenge and strive to reduce your congregation's energy use by 30 percent.

Indianapolis Green Congregations can offer some technical assistance to small and medium-sized congregations looking for energy savings. This may include a walk-through by trained energy auditors and written recommendations for energy savings.

Contacts for more information:

Ray Wilson

rwwilson@iquest.net
www.rwwilson.com
317 872-6770

Jelling Lai
Environmental Scientist
Mundell & Associates
(616)881‐9902
jellinglai@gmail.com

John Milligan, President
Goals2Green, LLC
Certified HERS rater #7710
(317)731‐2002
John@goals2green.com

 

2009 Green Congregations Workshop 

 

2007 Green Sanctuary Workshop

Epworth United Methodist Church Presentation

St. Luke United Methodist Church Presentation

First Congregational UCC Presentation