Gratitude for Arbor Day

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Blessings this week.
This week is Earth Week. We did not want to short change our gratitude for trees with Arbor Day April 24, so we will celebrate trees this week.
Ordination of Trees is a small movement within some monasteries of monks who live in areas where forests are threatened. Monks are sacred and to be honored and not killed. Monks began ordaining trees in Thailand and Cambodia as a way to protect them and honor their life.
Trees are vital to clean air. We are conscious of so many suffering from the virus who are not able to breathe and climate change and air. Without trees we would not have clean air. Let us thank and honor trees this week alone, in our family, household and with children.
Earth Embodied Prayer and Action in Nature:
1. Take a walk in your neighborhood or yard and find a tree to thank.
2. If the tree is in your yard bring a piece of cloth that you can tie around the tree (loosely so it does not strangle). If y ou are walking in your neighborhood hug the tree in ordination with your arms.
3. Pray a prayer of gratitude and protection for the tree and for workers on the front line who are tenacious, rooted and self giving like trees.
4. If you have the desire and means plant a tree, or offer to plant a tree in Africa through Interfaith Power and Light’s Carbon Covenant.
5. NM IPL is part of an Interfaith Tree Planting project with the Sikh, Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths to plant a total of 1,000 trees. Individual trees you plant can be counted. If you have planted trees in your yard or at you r house of worship send information of how many trees, and where to carlos@nm-ipl.org so we can keep count. Collective tree planting will take place in the fall.
For the Love of Trees
“When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.”
Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Loving Creator,
Out of chaos seed, root and branches evolved.
Trees stand in the center of life.
Tree arms embrace heaven
Tree roots infuse earth
Trees bless us with oxygen
Trees teach us tenacity and patience.
As trees protect and nurture
May our caregivers and protectors receive sustenance they need to stand strong
to nurture life.
Oh tree thank you for your life.
Thank you for photosynthesis
the breath of life
Thank you for being part of Our Sacred Earth Community with us.
Amen, Blessed Be.

Virtual Earth Week Events in New Mexico and Around the Country

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Online Multi-faith Earth Day Service

Sunday, April 19, 12:00 Noon-1:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT)

Washington National Cathedral and Interfaith Power & Light co-host an online service focused on our shared call to climate action. Join us in prayer and song in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Stay tuned for instructions on dialing in.

Visit NMIPL Facebook Event for more information and updates

Love Made Visible: Engaging Sacred Activism

IPL Annual Week of Faith and Climate Action
Month of April with April 17-26 focus.
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This week, more than 1,500 congregations and hundreds of thousands of people of faith and conscience around the country join virtually together to preach, teach, pray, and act to protect Earth and all who share Our Common Home. We hold all who are suffering from the virus pandemic as we reflect and act this Earth Week.
The national IPL theme this years is Love Made Visible: Engaging in Sacred Activism. Learn how to participate here. Use resources for your remote worship services, take part in IPL’s online Love Made Visible Climate March, view a free film, plant trees in the global south, pledge to vote, and join the daily video prayers for the earth on Interfaith Power & Light’s Facebook page led by faith leaders from several traditions.
Join with the thousands of people on Earth Day at Noon local time who will be praying the beautiful interfaith prayer, “We Hold The Earth”. Sign up to pray, download the prayers, and see the schedule of daily prayer video releases on Facebook here.
Join with the thousands of people on Earth Day at Noon local time who will be praying the beautiful interfaith prayer, “We Hold The Earth”. Sign up to pray, download the prayers, and see the schedule of daily prayer video releases on Facebook here.

A Centro-Laudato Si, Poetry reading with reflections by Mona Lydon-Rochelle

Monday, April 20, 4 pm

Virtual via Zoom. Registration Required. Send name and e-mail address to joan@nm-ipl.org

Mona Lydon-Rochelle will share her long poem with reflections and an opportunity for thoughts as a way to celebrate Earth Week and Pope Francis inspirational and instructional document, Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home, which celebrates its 5th anniversary in May. Poem will be sent to those registered after the event. All are welcome.

IPL Earth Day Prayer across the country

April 22, 2020, noon
Sign up to join nationwide

NMIPL Special Interfaith Prayer

To be posted online on April 22, 2020

Watch a video with reflections from leaders representing various faith traditions in New Mexico
Theme: Wisdom from Sister Water

 

Earth Mother Speaks: A Call for Change We Can’t Ignore

April 22 5:30-7:00 p.m.

This Earth Day we are amplifying the voice of our Earth Mother and the voices from the frontlines as we explore the relationship between resistance, resilience, and revolution in the age of COVID-19 & the climate crisis.  Check on Facebook Event for Zoom Registration information.

Hosted by Earth Care, New Energy Economy, XR Climate Action – Santa Fe,  Santa Fe DSA,  WildEarth Guardians, Tewa Women United, 350 New Mexico and Fight For Our Lives

Faith Call to Climate Justice (FCCJ)

April 22-24

A three-day virtual gathering brought together by an interfaith coalition organizing for climate justice! It is an opportunity for people of all faiths to join together in worship and celebration. We will share songs and sermons and teachings and prayers to raise awareness for climate justice.  Join with other people of faith as we call for climate justice and the healing of this world.

Earth Day Live: Strike, divest, and vote for our future.

April 22-24
The fights against the coronavirus and the climate crisis go hand-in-hand, and as we work to flatten the curve of this pandemic, we must strive toward the longer term goal of building a society rooted in sustainability and justice.
RSVP to join national livestream

Catholic-Buddhist Dialogue: Solidarity and Engagement on Climate Change

An Earth Day Webinar: Thursday, April 23, 8:00-9:30 AM MDT (9:00-10:30 AM CDT)

You are invited to join us for a special Earth Day webinar on Thursday, April 23, exploring how Catholic and Buddhist traditions:

1) Confront the climate crisis, and also what aspects of Catholic and Buddhist traditions contribute to factors that imperil life on the planet.

2) How these traditions might enable us to realize our highest human potential: the deep expression of compassion and love for each other, especially the most vulnerable among us — both human and non-human —bearing the brunt of the suffering.

REGISTER HERE

Speakers:

  • Dekila Chungyalpa: Director – Loka Initiative, University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Kathleen Deignan CND: Professor of Religious Studies, Iona College
  • Leo Lefebure: Professor of Theology, Georgetown University
  • David Loy: Professor, Writer, and Zen teacher

Moderator:

  • Joshua Basofin, Director of Climate Program at Parliament of World Religions

This Catholic-Buddhist dialogue is sponsored by Parliament of World Religions, Catholic Climate Covenant, Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO), Earth Day Network, and Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (SBCS).

nterfaith Power & Light, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, California Interfaith Power & Light, SC Interfaith Power & Light, Wisconsin Interfaith Power & Light (WIPL) Nashville Chapter – TN Interfaith Power & Light, Faith in Place and Virginia Interfaith Power & Light

Intersection of Climate Change & Coronavirus NM Town Hall

Wed. April 22, 7-8 pm

Albuquerque Climate Coalition presents a live Webinar with a panel of speakers that includes
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller
Ahtza Dawn Chavez – NAVA Education Project
Nathalie Eddy – Earthworks
Rebecca Sobel – Wild Earth Guardians
Mark LeClaire –  farmer
Dr. Anne Epstein
Allegra Love – Santa Fe Dreamers Project
Linda Starr – Great Old Broads for Wilderness
YUCCA (Youth United for Climate Crisis Action)
FFOL (Fight for Our Lives) & Mutual Aid ABQ
Mario Atencio, Navajo Community Leader/Dine Care
Joan Brown, NM IPL, Prayer
What will the pandemic can teach us about the societal shifts needed to prepare for the Climate Crisis, locally and globally?  A conversation will follow to hear from the public on their views of the intersection as well as a Questions & Answers.

 

“Imagine! God’s Earth and People Restored”

April 24, 2020, 12 noon MT
Zoom virtual gathering by Franciscan Action Network, registration required.
Typically, the Franciscan family gathers each year for the Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference in DC. Since this is not a typical year we will be gathering by Zoom–with special guest speaker Sr. Joan Brown, OSF of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. You must register to be on the call. Capacity is already half full–so be sure to register today. The deadline to register is Monday, April 20th.

 

Communities of Faith, Science-based Policies and COVID

April 24, 3 pm MT
Featuring Dr Adrienne Hollis of Union of Concerned Scientist
and The Rev Scott Onque, Director of Policy at Faith in Place
What role do communities of faith take in advocating for science-based policies considering COVID.

Oppose Bailouts for Fossil Fuel Polluters

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PLEASE TAKE ACTION #PeopleNotPollutors  #NoBigOilBailout

We have joined with other concerned organizations to promote action to stop the pollutor bailout.

While all of us have been working to flatten the curve and support those on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis, the fossil fuel industry has been working feverishly to profit off the pandemic.

They’ve lobbied the EPA to drop all pollution controls. Pushed forward pipelines like Keystone XL. Tried to get out of providing healthcare for sick workers.

Now, fossil fuel companies are lobbying to get a huge chunk of the bailout funds that are meant to go to small businesses across the United States. Send a message to your Member of Congress today demanding that they oppose all efforts to bail out the fossil fuel industry. This is a critical moment for us to push back on this Big Oil Bailout.

Industry friendly politicians are already lobbying Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to open up the $500 billion Trump Slush Fund to coal, oil and gas companies. They’re also trying to pass a bill that would use $3 billion that could go to COVID-19 relief to purchase oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, even though we’re already facing an oversupply.

These politicians aren’t trying to help workers in the fossil fuel industry. If they were, they’d be supporting universal healthcare, direct relief to working families, and job retraining programs. No, this is all about lining the pockets of their wealthy corporate donors.

Ask your Representative to sign onto letters and pieces of legislation opposing the Big Oil Bailout. Tell them to focus any future legislation on stopping the coronavirus pandemic, helping ordinary people and protecting our environment — not on bailing out Big Oil.

With over 16 million people out of work, now isn’t the time to be giving handouts to fossil fuel billionaires. If we can generate a large enough public outcry, it will ensure that big polluters aren’t allowed to profit off this pandemic. 

Together, we can ensure that we have a just and sustainable recovery to COVID-19. A recovery that helps strengthen our communities and protects our climate. A recovery that works for people, not polluters. TAKE ACTION

If you can, Tweet a message to our NM members of Congress telling them to prioritize communities most impacted, NOT BIG OIL executives.
Sen Martin Heinrich @MartinHeinrich
Sen Tom Udall @SenatorTomUdall
Rep Debra Haaland @RepDebHaaland
Rep Xochitl Torres Small @RepTorresSmall
Rep Ben Ray Luján @repbenraylujan
Twitter handles for all members of Congress:

Suggested Tweets:

Don’t let the #coronavirus bailout turn into a handout for Big Oil. Money needs to go directly to workers, not the CEOs. #PeopleNotPollutors #NoBigOilBailout

Bailout people, not pollutors! Prioritize communities most impacted, not Big Oil executives. #PeopleNotPollutors #NoBigOilBailout