Interfaith Earth Network Conference

We want you to become aware of a marvelous opportunity to raise awareness in your congregation and neighborhood about an important ecology issue... and to join a world-wide effort focused on climate change.

October 24, 2009 is International Day of Climate Action.

Around the globe, congregations are finding ways to get the word out about our need to lower our global carbon parts per million (ppm) count. This reduction is necessary to insure human survival on our planet - to maintain a habitat where people can continue to live and thrive here along with the plants and animals that are a critical part of the interdependent web of all life. Our current carbon count is approximately 387 ppm, and we need to get it to 350, in order to function at a healthy level. This campaign to get involved and educate others is in preparation for the next round of global climate talks, which will be taking place this December in Copenhagen.

We are challenging the Milwaukee area congregations to help us meet a local goal of 350 congregations participating in some action for "350 Faith" on or before October 24.

The very next day, at the Urban Ecology Center, we will report how many congregations took what action. That reporting will be part of our conference called, "Faith Encounters the Energy Crisis: Transitioning to Reduced Energy Consumption." For more information on the conference, visit www.interfaithearthnetwork.org or contact Lisa at 414-545-6006 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Will your congregation commit to some type of action on or before October 24, 2009?

Here are some ideas:

1. If you have bells, ring them 350 times as people gather for a prayer service highlighting our need to protect the planet followed by a workshop on strategies for families and households to reduce our carbon level.

2. During a worship service, hold 350 seconds of silent prayer for our planet, followed by a workshop on strategies for families and households to reduce our carbon level.

3. Dedicate a leadership meeting to generate ideas for how your congregation can reduce its carbon footprint; choose the top ideas and design action plans for implementation. End the meeting with 350 seconds of silent prayer, or 350 seconds of "listening to nature" if you can open windows and hear the sounds of birds or crickets outside. Make the plans public to your congregation and neighborhood.

4. If you have a children's program, hold a meeting for the parents that includes information about how to reduce carbon levels; ask the parents to write down their commitments for their families. Ring a bell 350 times as the parents come forward and drop their written commitments and plans in a basket. Post the results (ideas, not names) in your congregation's newsletter or bulletin.

For more information, visit www.350.org.

We are in the process of identifying people willing to help you plan a workshop for your congregation. Contact Lisa ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to report your congregation, your idea(s), and date(s) of implementation.

Visit www.interfaithearthnetwork.org to see that developing list; we will continue to post names and emails as they become available to us.

The Child Nutrition Act - a major piece of federal legislation which determines school food policy and resources - will begin reauthorization in 2009.

This law, revisited every 5 years, determines what our schools are able to purchase, prepare, and serve for school meals. For many children, these meals are their most dependable source of nourishment which makes it imperative that we ensure real food is served that is healthy and sustaining. In these tenuous times of economic instability and increasing health disparities, the substance of those meals becomes even more precious for the health and well-being of our young people.

School programs that embrace the freshest, highest-quality food available also deliver a valuable educational opportunity for hands-on learning leading to lifelong healthy eating habits. This is a win-win for our students, educators, farmers, families and for the environment.

The 2004 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act made forward strides in requiring all school districts to adopt wellness policies. The 2009 reauthorization now offers the opportunity to strengthen this requirement by offering resources for implementation of the policies and increasing the funding available for fresh, healthy school food.

We need to let our legislators know that real food in schools is a down payment on the health of our children. School cafeterias which purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables could provide fresh, tasty and nutritionally dense food while supporting the local economy. We hope to see fresh, healthy whole food in every school lunchroom and an integrated curriculum including school gardens on every campus.

This Child Nutrition Act reauthorization offers a tremendous opportunity to create a future for school food in which fresh, healthy meals are the norm and all children have access to the type of comprehensive nutrition education that creates healthy habits for a lifetime.
Please join us in taking action for a healthy reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

1. See more information and Sign the Time for Lunch petition at: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

2. Contact: Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, Rep. James Sensenbrenner or Rep. Gwen Moore.

3. Organize an "Eat-In" as a neighborhood picnic, pot luck, back-to-school event for families, or a family reunion to send a message that we want better food for our school children.

Contact Martha Davis Kipcak This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it in order to report your action and accurate numbers of your participants to our representatives.

For more information, contact Kathy Papineau, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Martha Davis Kipcak, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .