Marquette, Michigan - The Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge has entered its biggest week with help from interfaith groups and American Indians in reaching the goal of one million pounds of electronics and one million pills.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the challenge to Great Lakes basin residents participating in over 100 projects in literally hundreds of communities that are collecting pharmaceuticals, electronics and household poisons. The EPA awarded grants to some of the projects.
Interfaith groups are volunteering in the challenge and participating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania with assistance from an EPA grant that helped start the new non-profit Earth Healing Initiative (EHI).
Trust between religions and participating in interfaith environment projects are vital to protect the future of the earth, said a Lutheran bishop, who has participated in numerous Earth Day recycling projects.
"We are in an environmental crisis in many ways," said Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "The Great Lakes watershed is really a kind of a mother to all of us here in the populated areas of the upper Midwest."
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and "a coalition and partnership of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together and sharing their projects and resources to heal, protect and defend the environment," said founder Rev. Jon Magnuson of Marquette, Michigan.
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (MITW) is holding a curbside pickup of electronics for members during Earth Week, April 21-24. Over 1,000 pounds of electronics have been turned in at the MITW transfer station since April 1 and the total weigh of circuit boards to be recycled is expected to reach several tons by the end of the month. The College of Menominee Nation is hosting pharmaceutical and electronics collections on April 22.
On Friday, April 25, students at the tribal K-8 school are picking up litter and cleaning up the a reservation community. The students and their parents recently created "Garbage Monsters" out of bottles, paper and other items found in their trash, said Diana Wolf, MITW Solid Waste/Recycling Coordinator. After naming their monsters, the students gave a presentation on other uses for the garbage they used to make the creatures.
Interfaith and Native American participation in environment projects like the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge will help ensure a better future for all humans, said Skrenes, adding "sometimes its relationships and trusting each other that really count in environmental work."
Skrenes said "the church is called to bring people together to be part of the healing."
"This interfaith earth healing effort is really a great gift that has been given to all of us," Skrenes said.
The interfaith EHI is one of numerous environment and Native American projects founded by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan including the Earth Keepers who removed more than 370 tons of e-waste, pharmaceuticals and household hazardous waste during three Earth Day clean sweeps.
The northern Michigan Earth Keepers belong to ten faith traditions with 150 churches and temples including Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Bahá'í, Jewish, Zen Buddhist and the Quakers. The EHI is working with the same faith traditions.
Bishop Skrenes is among the faith leaders who signed Earth Keeper Covenant pledging to actively participate in environment projects, build bridges with other faiths, and reach out to Native American communities.
EPA:
Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/earthday2008/events.html
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Earth Healing Initiative:
http://www.EarthHealingInitiative.org
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Interfaith graphics by Justice St. Rain (Bah'i Community) of Interfaith Resources - Special Ideas website:
http://www.interfaithresources.com
http://www.interfaithresources.com/subcategories.php?dir=leftMenuSub&temp...
http://www.interfaithresources.com/products.php?id=2469
1-800-326-1197
"Bah'u'llh, the One who founded the Faithclaims to fulfill the prophecies concerning the Promised One of all religions. His life and teachings are worthy of further study to determine the goodness of His fruit, and the validity of His claim."
Quote from "Finding Common Ground"
By Justice St. Rain
Bloomington, IN: Published by Special Ideas, 1997 p. 11
Interfaith graphics located with help from Bahai Media and Public Information specialist Ellen Price
wk: 847-733-3559
http://www.bahai.us
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