Earthkeeping Summit--March 31, 2012

Join us!

What are the challenges we face when responding to global climate change? How can we be better stewards of the earth? How can we ensure a healthy, just environment for all?

Inspiring speakers and engaging workshops will offer the opportunity to focus on these questions and explore the connection between faith and the environment, and equip ourselves for successful environmental stewardship work in our own communities.

 

We are sorry, the on-line registration for the Earthkeeping Summit is now closed.Register Now! 

Speakers include:

Dr. Jason Box is a climatologist and researcher with the OSU Geography Department. Dr. Box has been on 19 expeditions to Greenland since 1994, studying the impact of climate on glaciers, and was a contributing author to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. He recently joined other scientists and religious leaders in protesting the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. He will provide up to date scientific information about global climate change.

  Nancy Sleeth, Program Director of Blessed Earth, speaker and author will share her compelling story about how she and her husband heeded the call of environmental stewardship and details about how congregations nationwide are engaging in creation care. 

 

William Spratley, Executive Director, Green Energy Ohio, brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the utility and energy sector, having served as Ohio's first consumer's counsel and as a national utility consultant. His exceptional knowledge of the successes and challenges for implementing green energy in Ohio will provide a compelling vision for us.

  

 

Dr. Greg Hitzhusen, M.Div., is a Lecturer in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at the Ohio State University. His work and research centers on the intersection of faith and the environment and on developing partnerships between scientific and faith communities.

Afternoon workshops will provide information, resources, and tools to put your faith into action!

A  two and half hour symposium entitled "Awakening the Dreamer; Changing the Dream" will be offered. Created as a result of a collaboration between indigenous peoples of the Ecudorean rainforest and North Americans, this interactive, multimedia experience will provide participants with ways to respond to our current situation with informed and optimistic action.

Facilitators:

Peggy Wible is a Human Resources professional by trade and a community volunteer who feels a deep calling to do this work for the benefit of our planet and our children. Rose Konrath was introduced to the Symposium in Columbus in 2008. Subsequently, Rose completed facilitator training and has worked to bring the powerful, collaborative message of the Symposium to others.

OR participants can choose two 1.15 hour workshops including:

"Rediscovering Sabbatical Living" (Nancy Sleeth) will provide participants ways to lead a simpler, more sustainable life and, through a film series entitled "Rest", help to re-discover the Sabbatical way of life.

Facilitator:

Nancy Sleeth is the Program Director of Blessed Earth, a faith-based nonprofit focusing on environmental stewardship. After a spiritual and environmental conversion experience, she and her family radically altered their ecological footprint, reducing their electricity use to one-tenth and their fossil fuel use to one-third the national average. Along with her husband, Matthew, Nancy now travels throughout the U.S. speaking and writing about faith and the environment. She is the author of "Go Green, Save Green: A simple guide to saving time, money, and God's green earth" which was the first-ever practical guide to going green from a faith perspective. Her new book, Almost Amish, will be released this Spring.

Towards a 21st-Century Spirituality (Sister Paula Gonzalez) will consider our ecological footprint and discuss ways to make a difference. Eco-Worship resources will be shared.

Facilitator:

Sister Paula Gonzalez, Ph.D., has worked for more than three decades to promote sustainable living. Sister Paula was a biology professor for 21 years and entered the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati in 1954. She co-founded, with Keith Mills, Ohio Interfaith Power & Light in 2007, and also founded EarthConnection, an environmental learning center. Green Energy Ohio awarded Sister Paula their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Justice & Advocacy (Bob Downs, Rev. Frank Edmands) will address the environmental issues of clean air, coal production, and natural gas fracking through a panel presentation and discussion.

Facilitators:

Robert Downs is a retired Colonel from the United States Air Force. He spent 30 years in the Air Force as an engineer, physicist and program manager. Bob is an active member of the Environmental Justice Ministry of the Greater Dayton Christian Connection and chairs the Creation Care Task Force of the West Ohio Conference, United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Frank Edmands has served primarily in parish ministry in upstate NY, PA, and Ohio for the past twenty-one years and presently serves as a Vicar of Trinity Episcopal Church in London Ohio. His background includes a MA in Biology and a career as an Environmental Scientist for the Port of Los Angeles. He is a Fellow of GreenFaith and a Presenter of The Climate Project.

Panelists:

Sandy Buchanan is the executive director of Ohio Citizen Action, the state's largest environmental organization, founded in 1975. Buchanan began work with the organization in 1977 as a student intern before becoming executive director in 1993. Ohio Citizen Action is known for its innovative "good neighbor campaigns" which use the power of community organizing to convince corporations to reduce pollution far beyond what the laws may require. Buchanan has served on the boards of Environmental Working Group, the State Environmental Response Commission and Neighborhood Family Practice. She has testified before the U.S. Senate and made many media appearances, including Bill Moyers' Trade Secrets, and NOW with Bill Moyers.

Tracy Sabetta is the co-founder of Initiative Consulting (IC), a campaign consulting and public affairs firm in Columbus. Tracy conducts lobbying and media relations work for nonprofit organizations that focus primarily on environmental and health care issues. She currently serves as the state lead for the Clean Air Act Defense Campaign in Ohio and represents the National Wildlife Federation. Prior to starting IC, Tracy was the Vice President of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society, Ohio Division.

Teresa Mills has worked as a grassroots leader for over twenty years, assisting communities in finding their voice, analyzing data and developing strategic plans. She began by shutting down the Columbus incinerator, that was polluting her neighborhood. Teresa founded Buckeye Environmental Network, a statewide grassroots-focused group. Today she works with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice to stop schools from being built near toxic land or facilities and other environmental health threats to children. She is founding member of the NoFrack Ohio movement.

House of Worship Energy Audits (Craig Foster; Brian Abels) will provide, in the first session, low cost do-it-yourself projects you can do to reduce energy consumption and, in the second session, tools to conduct energy audits and take advantage of programs to help offset costs.

Facilitators:

Craig Foster previously worked at Honda of America Manufacturing as a Senior Staff Engineer. His work there included coordinating environmental compliance and energy saving and reduction activities. His consulting work focuses on energy and waste management. He is presently the energy consultant with Ohio Interfaith Power and Light.

Brian Abels has a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and performs energy audits for governmental agencies, K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, and commercial and industrial facilities.

In the Green Teams, Local Foods (Keith Mills, Job Ebenezer) workshop two "Cool Congregations" will share their successes in engaging their congregations in energy and environmental concerns. Local food production will also be discussed and practical ideas will be shared.

Facilitators:

Keith Mills has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing facilities engineering, quality assurance, and lighting. He is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, Entrepreneurs for Sustainability and Green Energy Ohio. In 2007, stemming from a concern about energy use and its moral implications, he co-founded, with Sister Paula Gonzalez, Ohio Interfaith Power & Light.

Job Ebenezer is President of Technology for the Poor which designs, invents, and promotes simple technologies for the poor throughout the world. These technologies include pedal power using a bicycle, uran agriculture using containers and low cost building technologies. He has travelled to India and Africa to promote these technologies.

"Cool Congregations" Presenters:

From St. Monica-St. Geoerge Newman Center Parish in Cincinnati, Ohio, Nell and Steve Wulff are the chairpersons of the St. Francis Pledge Team and from 2009-2011 they were the chairpersons of the Peace, Justice, Care for Creation Team.

Jeanne Haseley is a member of the Social Concerns committee of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Athens.

 

Bookstore and Vendors

You'll have the opportunity to browse and purchase books at a bookstore offered by SteeplePeople.  A variety of vendors will also be present to offer practical tools, information, and resources to help you and your congregation explore energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable living.

 

More Information

The Earthkeeping Summit is a collaboration between many partners, working together to address environmental concerns by providing information and resources at the Earthkeeping Summit.

• Ohio Interfaith Power & Light
• The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources
• The Ohio State University Climate Change Outreach Team-OSU Extension
• The Ohio State University Energy Services and Sustainability (Zero Waste Event)
• Green Energy Ohio