Happy New Year!

      This year, Greening Sacred Spaces/Environment Hamilton is planning all sorts of learning opportunities for people of faith to green their sacred spaces, their communities and live in more sustainable lifestyles.
Our resources are constantly being updated, and new partnerships are in the developing stages. For example, in the area of food, we are working towards helping make fresh food available to all people through the Good Food Box. The GFB is a non-profit fresh fruit and vegetable distribution program. It makes healthy fresh food affordable and accessible to everyone. For only $15 you receive a box of fresh quality produce worth $25 or more. The food is bought at wholesale prices, often from local farmers.The Hamilton Good Food Box Network delivers directly to various locations all over Hamilton. You could be a drop-off/pick up spot.
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   Have you considered growing a vegetable garden at your place of worship? Many faith groups have and we can learn from them. In Hamilton, Bill Wilcox of the Hamilton Victory Gardens is doing wonders to help fight poverty. Bill spent many summers helping to organize and manage the West Highland Baptist Church’s “Victory Garden” – a ministry wherein fresh produce is grown and harvested by a group of volunteers, and then donated to the numerous food banks and soup kitchens in the Hamilton area.
Bill and his team have already created two new Victory Garden sites around Hamilton and has much to share with us on how to get started at your place of worship.
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    In other GSS news, we are ever eager to see your places of worship conserve energy. That's why we will continue to guide and provide resources and contacts for your convenience. Renewable energy such as solar panels for those lucky faith groups facing south is another 'greening' possibility through the FIT program and through creating a co-operative. See the HHEAT project at Environment Hamilton to see how you can get involved.

   Lastly, and maybe most importantly there's youth. If we are serious about greening our lives, we have to include young people in decision making and the work we do. That's why, this year it's the youth we want to focus on. Does your faith group have a youth group already? Are you a youth reading this? Are you interesting in engaging youth to environmental action? Contact Beatrice at

 

bekoko@faith-commongood.net
905 549 0900