Completed Energy Audit: A presentation

October 10th,2009

This Saturday (after a delicious breakfast), Melrose United Church along with GSS Hamilton invited faith group leaders to attend a presentation highlighting the results of the building's complete energy audit.

Participants learned about the auditing process, the cost and the benefits of having an energy audit for their own faith homes.

The audit was conducted by Green Venture with a partial grant from Faith and the Common Good.
About 25 people attended the event.

Emmanuel United BBQ

Saturday September 26th;
More faith communities should hold these kinds of events! Emmanuel United Church held a barbecue yesterday afternoon which despite the rain, was well attended. It was an opportunity for the faith group to show case resources and groups doing 'good work' in the community. I was there representing Environment Hamilton and of course Greening Sacred Spaces. Energy saving kits were given out as well as 'Eat local' maps and 'Passport to Hamilton' maps.

Indians add green touch to religious festivals

Date: 07-Sep-09
Country: INDIA
Author: REUTERS

Few events can rival the ancient rituals and riotous color of India's religious festivals. This year, the months-long
celebration season is also becoming eco-friendly. Alarmed by the high levels of pollution caused by firecrackers, toxic
paints and idols made of non-recyclable material, schools, environmentalists and some states are encouraging "greener"
celebrations.

In Mumbai, where the 10-day festival for the elephant-headed Ganesha (the Hindu deity of prosperity) is underway with
giant, colored idols and noisy street parties, radio and TV stations are airing environmental messages and school
children are learning to make eco-friendly idols.

The statues, made of brightly painted plaster of Paris, are usually immersed in the sea or a lake after a lively
procession that can sometimes take half a day to navigate the choked streets, and which ultimately leaves dismembered
idols strewn along the shore.

But a growing number of Indians are opting for smaller clay idols which they immerse in water at home.

"An idol that doesn't dissolve in the sea is just a tragic end for something you have worshipped for so many days," said
Abhijit Karandikar, a creative director at an advertising agency. "More people are realizing they can be more
eco-friendly in our festivals. It's something that's in our control."

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Can This!

September 14th 2009

St Augustine's Parish Centre, Dundas

Greening Sacred Spaces and The Hamilton Fruit Tree Project (projects of Environment Hamilton), along with Dundas Ontario in Transition (DO-iT) teamed up yesterday afternoon to offer a canning workshop. We learned how to preserve fresh pears. The kitchen was bristling with energy and much knowledge: we soon discovered that there are many ways to can!

We enjoyed ourselves immensely (all 19 of us) and look forward to the next workshop (St Paul's Anglican Church in Westdale).

Convincing The Custodian

Convincing the custodian to 'go green' is a problem for many faith groups with environmental teams.
How do you get the janitor to use natural products when he has been using bleach for 25 years?
What is the way to convince the care taker that her work load will be all that lighter if she got on board with recycling?
This was one of the themes that came up at a meeting with the leadership of 8 faith communities in Hamilton this pass month.
Another all time issue is that preaching to the converted aside, how do we encourage members of our faith groups to get with the picture and get green?

You can look forward to a workshop that will be examining these concerns and giving you ideas and ways to tackle them.
In November (the date is still to be decided upon) we will be holding a workshop at Stanley St Baptist Church in Hamilton.
This is of course an interfaith event and all are welcome so please check in again for an update.

Summer Camp Kids Learn about Energy Conservation

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

On Tuesday, August 18th, Environment Hamilton went to visit with the St. Augustine's youth camp in Dundas.
Student interns Jordan Bowman and Alessandra Gage led an interactive presentation about saving energy and helping the environment, in addition to running some activities and a seed planting session where children were able to plant local vegetables and herbs at the Church. Campers learned about how to save energy in their everyday lives and why it's important to eat locally grown produce. After the presentation and activities, everyone left with Passport to Hamilton maps, Fox 40 whistles, and energy saving night lights.

Celebration of Local Foods

www.dundasstarnews.com/news/article/185057


Eating locally produced food is an act of stewardship. That's the message attendees heard (and ate) at Greening Sacred Spaces Hamilton's 'Celebration of local food' brunch that took place at St James Anglican church last weekend.

A project of Environment Hamilton and Faith &the Common Good, the event was a reminder of the call to protect and honour the Earth and the bounty which it produces-a call that resounds across all faiths and religions world wide. The relationship between food and the sacred is recognized in many philosophies.
"Currently, our eating practices cause environmental degradation, destroy habit and livelihood and cause untold suffering to animals. Water, air and land are polluted because of the way we do business as usual," said Rebecca Birtch one of the key organizers of the event.

Today, in a time where the decisions we make about how we relate to and treat the Earth and the life on it will impact directly and inexorably the future well being of our planet, eating locally produced food is a significant step in the right direction.

Over pancakes, sausages, muffins and blueberries participants were made aware of the hunger that resides in the very heart of our community and the measures that are being taken by some local groups to help alleviate a worsening situation.

Bill Wilcox of West Highland Baptist Church demonstrated that growing a beautiful vegetable garden on church grounds and giving the produce to the hungry is a good use of space and he challenged others to do the same.
Karen Burson spoke eloquently about the need for healthy food for children to grow properly; Environment Hamilton's eat local project is involved with building effective and equitable food systems through institutional purchasing.

Tapestry Bistro's Sam Robertson impressed upon listeners Hamilton's amazing amount of resources already in place for procuring locally grown food.

"We must get to a level of green house gases that provides safety for our planet," spokesman Don Mclean of Environment Hamilton reiterated, wrapping up the event.

Mclean's invitation for participants to join the world-wide 'Day of climate action' on October 24th (an event that is part of the 350.org campaign to get levels of carbon in the atmosphere down to a safe level of 350 parts per millions) was also a call to action to all attendees.

For more information about the 350.org campaign and Hamilton's involvement please call Environment Hamilton at 905 549 0900.