EarthCare Online Update - January/February 2006

EarthCare Online Update JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

"Caring for God's Creation" www.earthcareonline.org

"The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof..." (Psalm 24:1, KJV)

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When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

EarthCare will be celebrating its 10th birthday during our spring conference on March 25th. Our speaker is Dr. David C. Mahan, Director of Registrar, Recruitment and Great Lakes Programs of the Au Sable Institute. As soon as the location for the conference is finalized, we will post more information to EarthCare's website and will send a news bulletin to EarthCare's email subscribers. If you are not a subscriber and would like to be added to our mailing list, please send an email to .

JANUARY 28 SATURDAY
Lula Lake Land Trust Open Gate Day - Lookout Mountain
Saturday, January 28, 2006. 9am - 5pm.
Lookout Mountain, TN.
Lula Lake Land Trust will be open for hiking, biking, and picnicking. Pets are welcome on a leash.
More information: Call (423) 821-2424; directions; website: lulalake.org.

FEBRUARY 4 SATURDAY
Sandhill Crane/Cherokee Heritage Day - Birchwood, TN
Saturday, February 4, 2006. 10am - 3pm.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga.
Shuttle buses will take you to nearby Blythe Ferry Wildlife Management Area, a starting point for the Trail of Tears, to view hundreds of impressive 3-to-4 foot-tall sandhill cranes that stop over in the refuge on their migration route.
Cost: Free for members and non-members.
Registration and more information: tnaqua.org. (423) 267-FISH (3474).

FEBRUARY 11 SATURDAY
Family Winter Hike - Chattanooga
Saturday, February 11, 2006. 10am - 3pm.
Hosted by the Tennessee Aquarium and Outdoor Chattanooga.
Hike on the Cumberland Trail to see what animals live in your backyard during the cold winter months and learn what they do to survive.
Cost: Adults and ages 8 and older. Adult: $12-member, $24-non-member. Child: $8-member, $16-non-member.
Registration and more information: tnaqua.org. (423) 267-FISH (3474).

FEBRUARY 11 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Chattanooga
2nd Saturday of each month. 8am - noon.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 3925 North Hawthorne St., Chattanooga.
Information: Chattanooga Public Works (423) 698-9531.

EarthCare Monthly Planning Meeting
2nd Tuesday of each month. 6:30pm.
Chattanooga State (follow the signs or contact us for info.).
Information .

Cummings Bottom Walk - Chattanooga
Saturday, February 18, 2006. 10am.
Reflection Riding, Chattanooga.
Admission: Free.

february 18 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Dalton, GA
3rd Saturday of each month. 7am - 2pm.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Old Dixie Landfill, Dalton.
Information: Dalton City Landfill (706) 277-3389.

MARCH 10-13 friday thru monday
2006 Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice - Washington, DC
Friday, March 10 through Monday, March, 13, 2006.
In this conference Earthkeepers from communities of faith will meet for a time of advocacy. On Saturday participants may explore particular tracks in-depth, one option being "eco-justice."
Information: advocacydays.org.

MARCH 11 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Chattanooga
2nd Saturday of each month. 8am - noon.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 3925 North Hawthorne St., Chattanooga.
Information: Chattanooga Public Works (423) 698-9531.

EarthCare Monthly Planning Meeting
2nd Tuesday of each month. 6:30pm.
Chattanooga State (follow the signs or contact us for info.).
Information: .

Arboretum Walk - Chattanooga
Saturday, March 18, 2006. 10am.
Reflection Riding, Chattanooga.
Learn the basics of identifying trees in winter by bark and shape.
Admission: Free.

MARCH 18 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Dalton, GA
3rd Saturday of each month. 7am - 2pm.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Old Dixie Landfill, Dalton.
Information: Dalton City Landfill (706) 277-3389.

march 18 Saturday
Conference on Ethics, Values, and the Environment - Cambridge, MA
Saturday, March 18, 2006.
Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School.
Information: (617) 495-4495; CSWR's site.

MARCH 25 SATURDAY
Wildlife Photo Opportunity - Chattanooga
Saturday, March 25, 2006. 10am - noon.
Chattanooga Nature Center, Chattanooga.
Cost: Chattanooga Nature Center members $35. Non-members $45. Preregistration is required.
Information: chattanature.org. (423) 821-1160.

Reflection Riding Spring Wildflower Festival and Native Plant Sale - Chattanooga
Friday and Saturday, April 7 & 8, 2006: 9am - 5pm.
Sunday, April 9: 1pm - 5pm. Reflection Riding, Chattanooga.
The sale will feature sale of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, guided wildflower walks, and talks on a variety of gardening topics.
Admission: Free.

April 23 SUNDAY
Dalton Ecumenical Earth Day Celebration
Sunday, April 23, 2006. 12:30 - 3:30pm.
Christ the King Lutheran Church, Dalton, GA.
Information: (706) 278-3979, driving directions.

See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
    I am making a way in the desert
    and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honor me,
    the jackals and the owls,
    because I provide water in the desert
    and streams in the wasteland,
    to give drink to my people, my chosen,

We can conserve natural resources when we take a few steps to reduce the amount of advertising mail that arrives in our mailboxes. Eliminating unwanted mail also frees more of our personal time, which can be used for more enjoyable activities. To reduce advertising mail:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

ü Register with the OptOutPrescreen.com 1-888-567-8688 to remove your name from lists supplied by the consumer credit companies Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion. These lists are used for by mortgage, credit card, and insurance companies.

ü Contact companies that send you advertising mail and ask them to remove your name.

ü Contact companies with which you do business, and ask them not to rent or share your name. This includes credit card companies and non-profits.

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Dalton, Georgia, gathered after worship for the congregation’s annual Thanksgiving fellowship dinner. After dinner, instead of lingering over coffee and pie, between fifteen and twenty members of the church slipped into orange vests and latex gloves and went outside to pick up litter on Thornton Avenue, the busy street that runs in front of the church. Before long they had collected several large bags of trash, which they left on the curb in front of the church for Dalton Public Works crews to collect on Monday.

Members of Christ the King have been cleaning up Thornton Avenue ever since the congregation signed up for the local “Adopt-A-Highway” program early in 2005. The adult Sunday School class was studying Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, and began discussing ways that the church could expand its mission to the local community. Class members decided to adopt a mile of the street in front of the church as the congregation’s gift to the local community, and as a way of showing care for God’s creation. Once the project was announced to the rest of the congregation, the whole church enthusiastically embraced the idea. One member of the class, Cindy Latour, contacted the city of Dalton to find out how to sign up for the Adopt-A-Highway program.

The congregation has conducted its quarterly clean-ups on Sundays after church, and each clean-up event has drawn around twenty participants. Since average worship attendance at Christ the King is between 50 and 60 each Sunday, the clean-up crews represent a large portion of the church membership. Church members of all ages have participated, including some entire families.

Cindy Latour says, “The first time we cleaned up, I couldn’t believe how many people went! Everybody really seems to enjoy it. It gives us a sense that we’re doing something to serve our community, and it also creates immediate gratification; we can drive away from church and see how neat the roadside looks and say, ‘We just cleaned this.’” Other benefits of the project include the fellowship the participants share as they walk the roadside together, and the publicity the church garners from the street signs that announce “Adopt-A-Highway Litter Control by Christ the King Lutheran Church.”

If your congregation or organization would like to adopt a highway, contact your local public works department, local beautification committee, or state department of transportation. Adopt-A-Highway organizations typically provide training and all necessary materials, including vests, safety gloves, and trash bags.
Most states also offer information on an Adopt-A-Highway web page: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee.

Do you wonder if the plants growing in your neighborhood are native or are invasive plants? Check out the Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council's website for information on invasive and native plants and links to photographs and other helpful information on the web. Some helpful publications include:

Native Plant Sale April 7-9 in Chattanooga
Reflection Riding will hold its 2006 Spring Wildflower Festival & Native Plant Sale on April 7, 8, and 9 at Reflection Riding. The event will feature the sale of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers – all propagated in the Reflection Riding greenhouse – as well as guided wildflower walks, talks on a variety of gardening topics, and exhibitors from other nonprofit organizations. Hours will be 9am to 5pm on Friday and Saturday and 1pm to 5pm on Sunday. Free admission.

The Chattanooga Nature Center is now offering a "Family Naturalist" program for families. This program includes outdoor activities to help families learn about nature while enjoying family time together. Members pay $20 for the entire family to go on three self-guided hikes to explore nature using the Family Naturalist Journal. Upon completion of all three components, the family will receive an official certificate. For more information, visit the Chattanooga Nature Center's website.

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26, NKJV)

EarthCare Online Update is a free email newsletter published by EarthCare, Inc. Published approximately six times a year, the newsletter focuses on Christians' call to care for the earth, news of EarthCare activities, and resources to assist with daily aspects of creation care.

Please note that the views expressed in resources listed in the Update are not necessarily those of EarthCare. In the Update we attempt to include a variety of books, websites, etc. in order to facilitate readers' education and exploration of ideas regarding the care of God's creation. It is our hope and prayer that before embracing new beliefs or practices, readers will examine them in context of the teachings of the Bible and God's personal call in their lives.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to EarthCare Online Update, or change your email address, please email us at . Occasionally, compelling news items may warrant an additional Bulletin between publication of issues of the Online Update. Subscribers typically receive no more than one Bulletin per month. Current and back issues of the Online Update and News Bulletins are available on EarthCare's website www.earthcareonline.org. The Online Update is sent only to those who have registered for our email list. We do not rent, loan, or sell our list to anyone.

EarthCare, Inc. is a non-profit Christian organization that exists to promote creation stewardship within the Christian community. For more information about EarthCare, caring for God's creation, and links to other creation care resources, please see our website www.earthcareonline.org.

"EarthCare Stewards" are what we call the generous individuals and churches who contribute to the ministries of EarthCare. We invite you to become an EarthCare Steward and join with us in supporting creation care in the Christian community. The ministries of EarthCare are funded entirely by gifts from folks like you who want to make a difference. Most gifts we receive are small, but because we're all volunteers any amount that you give will have a big impact! Your gift will go directly to support EarthCare ministries (projects, conferences, website, email list, mailing services, and other EarthCare activities). All gifts are tax deductible.

You may contribute by mailing a check or money order to the address below. Thank you!

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