Across the country, United Churches are doing their part to address the climate crisis by getting their houses in order and reducing their own carbon emissions. Through a partnership with Faith & the Common Good, the United Church of Canada is offering grants and support for churches to measure their energy use and reduce their climate pollution, in ways that save money and strengthen congregational renewal. The initiative, called Faithful Footprints is about living climate commitments, for future generations, and for all of creation. To inspire your congregation to get involved, we have stories lined up from three participating congregations from across the country. Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, in Winnipeg, Manitoba is the first. 

As well, stay tuned for a full feature of Faithful Footprints in the February 2020 edition of the United Church of Canada’s Mandate Magazine.

Check out more inspiring stories from United Churches across Canada at Faithful Footprints Inspiration Stories.

Across the country, United Churches are doing their part to address the climate crisis by getting their houses in order and reducing their own carbon emissions. Through a partnership with Faith & the Common Good, the United Church of Canada is offering grants and support for churches to measure their energy use and reduce their climate pollution, in ways that save money and strengthen congregational renewal. The initiative, called Faithful Footprints is about living climate commitments, for future generations, and for all of creation. To inspire your congregation to get involved, we have stories lined up from three participating congregations from across the country. Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, in Winnipeg, Manitoba is the first. 

As well, stay tuned for a full feature of Faithful Footprints in the February 2020 edition of the United Church of Canada’s Mandate Magazine.

Check out more inspiring stories from United Churches across Canada at Faithful Footprints Inspiration Stories.

The following piece is written by Sandi Howell, [email protected]

I couldn’t believe I was crouching on a green patch, trying to see close up the activities that were happening at ground level. How had the events of the day found me on my knees?

My day had started simply enough, packing flyers in a satchel and coordinating a route in the southwest end of the city for outreach and visiting with faith communities. This was one aspect of the program I appreciated, meeting with gardeners and seeing their labours of love, finding out how they were incorporating aspects of sustainability and supporting the local ecology in their own properties. It was inspiring to see what different approaches faith communities took to outdoor greening and how their sacred spaces linked with the landscapes of their neighbourhoods and supported the communities surrounding their property.

Across the country, United Churches are doing their part to address the climate crisis by getting their houses in order and reducing their own carbon emissions. Through a partnership with Faith & the Common Good, the United Church of Canada is offering grants and support for churches to measure their energy use and reduce their climate pollution, in ways that save money and strengthen congregational renewal. The initiative, called Faithful Footprints is about living climate commitments, for future generations, and for all of creation. To inspire your congregation to get involved, we have stories lined up from three participating congregations from across the country. Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, in Winnipeg, Manitoba is the first. 

As well, stay tuned for a full feature of Faithful Footprints in the February 2020 edition of the United Church of Canada’s Mandate Magazine.

Check out more inspiring stories from United Churches across Canada at Faithful Footprints Inspiration Stories.

ClimateWise Business Network is excited to be in Year 3 of a partnership with Faith & the Common Good to deliver the energy benchmarking program to the York Region community. I wanted to share our journey to date.

 “We have caused a climate emergency”

This year has seen a growing number of climate emergency declarations including from 11,000 scientists, Canada, Toronto, and Pope Francis. In June and during the Season of Creation Pope Francis emphasized the need for urgent transformative action and  stated: “We have caused a climate emergency that gravely threatens nature and life itself, including our own.”

The reasons why Pope Francis declared a climate emergency include scientific warnings, the cry of the poor who face the greatest impacts of climate change while contributing the least as well as concern for future generations. In a June address, Pope Francis twice emphasized, “Our children and grandchildren should not have to pay the cost of our generation’s irresponsibility.

This past fall, during the Season of Creation, Holy Name started a Climate Action Group, where parishioners are able to discuss individual and collective action we can take to protect and care for the environment.

One of the first initiatives that came out of these conversations was the "Green Christmas" poster.

Recapping GCCM Canada Virtual Launch “#LiveLaudatoSi Canada” Learning Webinar, October 2, 2019

“Hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor,” Pope Francis, Laudato Si’

At Faith & the Common Good, we are thrilled to extend a Catholic-specific opportunity for creation care through a new partnership with the Global Catholic Climate Movement Canada (GCCM Canada). As Pope Francis teaches in Laudato Si’, unprecedented ecological devaluing, pollution, and waste are endangering the flourishing of future generations. Moreover, the cost is being disproportionately born by vulnerable communities around the world. Catholics have been called upon by our last three popes and the Canadian bishops to respond to these social and ecological, moral and spiritual crises. We must  care for our common home in order to heal our relationships with our human family, the rest of creation, and God. GCCM Canada offers support for paths of dialogue and action to activate such multidimensional healing.