Green Cities – Earth Day 2014
Click headline for full article.
<!–
h3 {line-height: 22px;}
–>
Green Cities is the theme for Earth Day – April 22, 2014! Global Ministries along with international partners support a number of exciting initiatives that support our shared home. Take a moment to learn about these projects and find out where you can make an impact today.
Post-Disaster Rehabilitation Project, Philippines
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines is looking to rebuild their congregations and homes with sustainability in mind. Currently there are 57 churches in the process of rebuilding that are in need of solar generators. This gift not only reduces the UCCP’s reliance on fossil fuels, but provides the light needed to worship and host community activities. The UCCP has identified 300 families needing smaller solar generators for use in their homes.
Shalom Center & Campground, Chile
At the Shalom Center, programs are centered on healing one’s relationship with God creation, community, and self. Programs are designed to give children, teenagers, and adults a sense of self-worth, develop conflict resolution skills, impart the relevance of environmental stewardship, and create self-management skills.
Keep Hope Alive! Olive Tree Planting Campaign, East Jerusalem & Palestine
The Keep Hope Alive! Olive Tree Planting Campaign is an effort led by the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine to replant 50,000 uprooted olive trees. Replanting olive trees restores lost income to villagers living under occupation and encourages Palestinians to “keep hope alive” and to work constructively toward peace-building.
Multi-storied Tree Farm Project, Zhoukou, China
The Multi-storied Tree Farm Project educates seminary students and villagers in multi-storied forestry and raises funds for desperately needed pastoral training in an area of rural China with a high rate of HIV/AIDS infection and a rapidly expanding Christian population. The congregations in this region have been working to restore bio-diversity to a region that has not yet recovered from the environmental devastation of the Cultural Revolution.
Fruit Tree Planting and Environmental Education Project, Christian Mission Church of Nicaragua
The Fruit Tree Planting project of the Christian Mission Church of Nicaragua teaches environmental stewardship, promotes reforestation, and improves food security for church and community members by providing seeds to small farmers and families to grow orange and mango trees as a source of income.
Environmental Projects of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and Alliance for Religion and Conservation, Ghana
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana began a cooperative project in 2006 with the Alliance of Religions and Conservation to highlight land degradation and the encroachment of the Sahara in the northern regions. Climate variability has worsened these conditions, which contributes to seasonal migration, food insecurity, and widespread poverty. Representatives of diverse religious groups learn methods of tree planting and growing on dry lands and nursery development and management skills. The Forestry Department in Tamale, Northern Ghana supports religious organizations in planting seedlings during the main rainy season. The project has a goal of 30,000 trees this year.