Earth is in our hands

Promoting the seventh Principle of Unitarian Universalism:
to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Our mission is to educate ourselves and others about environmental issues; advocate public policies to protect the global environment; act locally in our homes, church and city; and connect spiritually with the web of all existence. We work towards that mission by organizing educational, community-building action and service projects. Emerson was certified as a Green Sanctuary Congregation by the UUA in 2003. Check the weekly e-blast for meetings or contact us at ministryforearth@emersonhouston.org.

Celebrate the Spring Equinox

Join us for a Spring Equinox Celebration on Tuesday evening, March 19. We will observe the sunset at the Rice University’s James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace | Moody Center for The Arts (rice.edu). To carpool, meet at Emerson at 6:30 pm, to arrive at the Skyspace around 7:00. Sunset is at 7:33 pm. Questions – contact host Dori Wolfe (dori.wolfe@gmail.com). (There will not be a service at Emerson this year.)

Check the Rice University website for parking information and directions to the Skyspace.

Earth Month EcoChallenge 2024 is Conservation
April 1 – 30, online

You’re invited to participate in the online Earth Month Ecochallenge to conserve every ecosystem, care for every creature by taking on a challenge in: community, freshwater & oceans, land & forests, climate & air or biodiversity & wildlife.  You can learn about these topics, take action in your personal life, advocate or create a new environmental justice/stewardship habit over the course of the month of the challenge!!  Join the interfaith team  at https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/! 

Join the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston team: https://earthmonth.ecochallenge.org/participants/join?referral_code=dfa66750-eb88-4390-a005-8bcda174807d&team_id=interfaith-environmental-network-of-houston

Pocket Prairies for Faith Communities
Emerson’s “Walden Prairie” 
Sunday, March 3, 3 PM, online

What is a pocket prairie and why would you want one at your faith community? If your faith community is maintaining lawn that it does not use, join us online to learn about pocket prairies, their benefits, and how to create one. A hands-on workshop for those faith communities interested in creating pocket prairies at their houses of worship will follow in May, with a pocket prairie planting planned for Fall 2024. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.  Please register on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pocket-prairies-for-faith-communities-tickets-805289260857

Faiths for Climate Justice Mobilization 
May 3 -12, 2024

GreenFaith is coordinating a global, grassroots action

The next 20 months leading up to COP30 are a decisive opportunity to turn the tide on the climate crisis. The challenges we face are daunting:

  • The past year saw the highest temperatures recorded in years, and a corresponding spike in devastating deadly climate impacts and loss of livelihoods and life for millions of people.
  • Water sources are drying up, temperatures are rising, soil is growing infertile.
  • These factors are intensifying armed conflicts, political instability, and hunger.

The world is at a climate crossroads. We need real action. That is why GreenFaith is coordinating the global, grassroots Faiths for Climate Justice mobilization, May 3-12, 2024.   

 

 

From Dependence to Abundance: Reimagining Farmland Access
Sunday, March 24, 6 PM, online

Plant It Forward, a non-profit farm support organization dedicated to creating economic opportunity for New Americans through urban and small-scale agriculture, has supported the startup and growth of over 20 small farms, including two community farms and over a dozen urban farms. In this talk, Rachel Lockhart Folkerts, Interim President of Plant It Forward, explores innovative new approaches to the land access challenges faced by farmers as they endeavor to feed our communities, reimagine our greenspaces, and restore community connections. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions about this event. Register for this event on www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-dependence-to-abundance-reimaging-farmland-access-tickets-818384910297

Shop Green

 

IShopEco.com lists businesses, both local and online, that promote sustainability.  The site has an emphasis on resale shops, but is not limited to these.  Check it out!

Certifications

Green Sanctuary Certification (2003)

Emerson was certified as a Green Sanctuary in 2003, recognizing our work to expand eco-awareness to religious education, service, worship and sustainability of our church’s physical facilities.

LEED Certification of Delaney Hall (2006)

When Emerson began planning for Delaney Hall, the Green Sanctuary committee issued a “Lean and Green Challenge” to the architects: go as “green” as possible without adding cost to the building budget! The architects did such a good job that they themselves proposed the building for LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The architects provided extensive documentation on demolition, material selection and handling, and construction procedures. Delaney Hall is the first church building in the U.S. to be LEED certified (29 points) and the third building (of any kind) in Houston to achieve this certification. The building features sustainable design and construction methods, energy conservation, use of recycled materials, and pollution prevention techniques (air, water, light). The grounds were landscaped with native or highly adapted plants that do not need irrigation. Church policies call for integrated pest management,  avoiding pesticides, use of recycled and/or reusable products for meals and parties.

Spring Equinox, March 19

Join us for a Spring Equinox Celebration on Tuesday, March 19. We will observe the sunset at the Rice University’s James Turrell Twilight Epiphany Skyspace | Moody Center for The Arts (rice.edu). The Sunset light sequence begins about 10 minutes before sunset. Each sequence lasts approximately 40 minutes.

To carpool, meet at Emerson at 6:30 pm, to arrive at the Skyspace around 7:00. Sunset is at 7:33 pm. Questions – contact host Dori Wolfe (dori.wolfe@gmail.com).

The Skyspace is free and open to the public. In return, we ask that visitors do not bring food or beverages into the space and refrain from the use of cameras and/or cell phones during the light performances,

For Location, Parking, Timing, Seating, see https://moody.rice.edu/james-turrell-twilight-epiphany-skyspace

Heat in Houston: Justice Implications, Solutions, & How People of Faith Can Engage

Heat is the greatest weather-related disaster in the U.S., killing more people than any other kind of natural disaster. And, Texas is one of three states with the highest heat-related deaths. Houston’s urban heat issues are already serious and are forecasted to get much worse with the Climate Crisis. Urban heat negatively affects human and biodiversity health throughout the region, exacts a financial toll, leads to higher ozone levels, and reduces quality of life. Heat mapping in Houston has shown that high heat is more concentrated in underinvested communities and/or Communities of Color, thereby widening historic inequalities. Fortunately, there are solutions that can be brought to bear to reduce urban heat. Join Jaime Gonzalez of The Nature Conservancy, who led heat mapping efforts in Houston, for a discussion on the findings, their justice implications, solutions, and how houses of worship/people of faith can engage. *Emerson’s Ministry for Earth is represented on the planning committee by Ann May.

*

“The world is never going to be, in human time, more intact than it is at this moment. Therefore it falls to those of us alive now to watch and record its flora, its fauna, its rains, its snow, its ice, its peoples. To document the buzzing, glorious, cruel, mysterious planet we were born onto, before in our carelessness we leave it far less sweet.”   Bill McKibben

A Climate Action Plan for Emerson?

Developing a Climate Action Plan allows us to develop strategies that will not only help minimize our carbon footprint but can help save money and improve the functionality of our buildings and grounds. Learn about Houston’s wide-ranging plan here http://greenhoustontx.gov/climateactionplan/

Because we care about our planet, we witnessed our hope for the success of COP26, the international conference on climate change, in November 2021.

Environmental Justice Efforts along the Border

Texas UU Justice Ministry (TXUUJM), along with the UU Service Committee (UUSC) and UU Ministry For Earth (UUMFE), is forging a new relationship with the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas. The Esto’k Gna have been leading environmental justice efforts along the so called Mexican-American border: protecting indigenous sacred sites, resisting construction of LNG (fracked gas) terminals and accompanying pipelines, and educating people about the environmental devastation the Border Wall will cause.

Make your Opinions Known

Call your state senator and representative urging them to support Texas environmental and economic policies. To find out who represents you, see https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home Find out more about specific actions at Citizens’ Climate Lobby

In Jan. 2020, the Emerson congregation voted to endorse the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 763). Emerson supports the “fee and dividend” legislation to drive down America’s carbon pollution and provides monthly dividends to households. Learn More: Frequently Asked Questions(1 page handout) and Slides from Educational sessions.

Join CreateClimateJustice.net, the online community organizing hub for climate justice activism among Unitarian Universalists.

Eating for a Healthy Planet; Your Food Choices Matter

Consider why the food we eat matters not just for our health, but for the health of all people and the planet.

We encourage members to support urban farmers, such as Plant-it-Forward Farms, by signing up for community supported agriculture (CSA) shares and by purchasing at local Farmers Markets.

Partner Organizations

  • Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston (IENOH)an affiliate of Texas Interfaith Power and Light & Texas Impact. The purpose of IENOH is to empower the faith community in Houston to advocate and act collectively as stewards of the environment.
  • Citizen’s Environmental Coalition (CEC) – The CEC is an alliance of over 130 diverse nonprofit, governmental, professional, conservation, advocacy, and educational organizations to foster education, dialogue, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Houston/Gulf Coast region. The weekly Houston Environmental News Update publicizes opportunities to become involved, take action, and make a difference.
  • Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston (IENOH) – an affiliate of Texas Interfaith Power and Light & Texas Impact. The purpose of IENOH is to empower the faith community in Houston to advocate and act collectively as stewards of the environment.
  • Renewable Congregations Campaign – Emerson challenges other congregations to shift to 100% renewable energy. In Jan. 2020, the Emerson congregation endorsed the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (HR 763). Emerson supports the “fee and dividend” legislation to drive down America’s carbon pollution. Importantly, it provides monthly dividends to households.
  • Texas Impact, an Austin-based interfaith justice advocacy organization, is the Texas chapter of Interfaith Power and Light, with both educational 501(d)3 and advocacy 501(c)4 activities.

  • t.e.j.a.s. is a front-line community organization that works in the Manchester area of Houston, near the ship channel. Story about Bryan, one of the founders, at https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Environmental-justice-documentary-puts-spotlight-15126835.php#