EarthCare Online Update - May/June 2006

EarthCare Online Update MAY/JUNE 2006

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

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

On June 3, EarthCare's Jerry Faulkner will speak at an ecumenical dinner to celebrate our place on the planet

For Kids
The Chattanooga Nature Center offers a variety of summer programs for children

For EarthCare Online Update subscription information, please click here.

Yet, he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.

On June 3, EarthCare's Jerry Faulkner will speak at an ecumenical dinner to celebrate our place on the planet

You are cordially invited to the Rachel Carson Memorial Dinner coming up June 3 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Jerry Faulkner will be our speaker and his topic will be Silent Spring (Reprise). Jerry is a professor and head of the Natural Sciences Dept. at Chattanooga State and serves on EarthCare’s board. We invite all Earthcare members to come and support Jerry and interfaith connections for stewardship in the greater Chattanooga community. The event is sponsored by the Unitarian-Universalist Green Sanctuary Initiative and is open to all.

Reservations and Cost:
The church will provide a vegetarian dinner, some musical entertainment plus Jerry's address all for $12/person and $6 for children 10 and under. To reserve your place, please send your check to the UU Church at 3224 Navajo Drive, Chattanooga, 37411. They must have payment first for an accurate count since this is a catered dinner.

For more information:
Contact the church at 624-2985.

june 1-4 thursday thru sunday
Eco-Justice for All: God's People, God's Planet
NCC Biennial Conference - New Orleans, LA
Thursday-Sunday, June 1-4, 2006.
Loyola University, New Orleans.
Sponsored by the National Council of Churches' Eco-Justice Working Group.
Information: eccecojustice.org

june 3 saturday
Rachel Carson Memorial Dinner - Chattanooga
Saturday, June 3, 2006, 6:30pm
An evening to celebrate our place on the planet.
Speaker: Jerry Faulkner, Natural Sciences Dept. Head and Professor, Chattanooga State Technical Community College / EarthCare Board member.
Topic: Silent Spring (Reprise)
Sponsor and Location: The Unitarian Universalist Church of Chattanooga, 3224 Navajo Drive, Chattanooga, TN 37411.
Reservation: Reservation required for the vegetarian catered meal. Send a check to the church to reserve your place.
Cost: $12 adults. $6 children 10 and under.
Information: (423) 624-2985.

june 3 SATURDAY
Lula Lake Land Trust Open Gate Day - Lookout Mountain
Saturday, June 3, 2006. 9am - 5pm.
Lookout Mountain, TN.
Lula Lake Land Trust will be open for hiking, biking, and picnicking. Pets are welcome on a leash.
Information: Call (423) 821-2424; directions; website: lulalake.org.

JUNE 10 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.

june 11-12 saturday - sunday
Food Bank Garden Tour - Chattanooga
Saturday, June 11, 2006. 10am-6pm / Sunday, June 12, 2006. 1-6pm.
Crabtree Farms, 1000 E. 30th St., Chattanooga.
Information: crabtreefarms.org.

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

JUNE 17 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Dalton, GA
3rd Saturday of each month. 7am - 2pm.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Old Dixie Landfill, Dalton.
Information: (706) 277-2545.

june 23 friday
EarthCraft House Training on the Road - Chattanooga
Sponsored by Southface of Atlanta, GA.
Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, 1301 Market Street, Suite 100.
Information: southface.org

june 23-25 friday thru sunday
Natural Building Workshop - Whitwell, TN
Friday-Sunday, June 23-25, 2006.
Sequatchie Valley Institute, Whitwell.
More information: svionline.org or (423) 949-5922.

june 24 SATURDAY
Lula Lake Land Trust Open Gate Day - Lookout Mountain
Saturday, June 24, 2006. 9am - 5pm.
Lookout Mountain, TN.
Lula Lake Land Trust will be open for hiking, biking, and picnicking. Pets are welcome on a leash.
Information: Call (423) 821-2424; directions; website: lulalake.org.

june 30 friday
Movie: An Inconvenient Truth - Various Cities
Friday, June 30, 2006. Bijou Theatre, Chattanooga.
This movie is a portrait of former Vice President Al Gore and his work to combat global warming.
Information: For other theaters and dates, visit climatecrisis.net

JULY 2006 TUESDAY - SATURDAY
Crabtree Farms' Pick Your Own Blackberries - Chattanooga
Pick berries Tuesday-Saturday 9am-1pm. Call for harvest availability.
Crabtree Farms, 1000 E. 30th St., Chattanooga.
More information: crabtreefarms.org. (423) 493-9155.

JULY 8 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: Jerry Faulkner .

JULY 15 Saturday
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Dalton, GA
3rd Saturday of each month. 7am - 2pm.
Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Old Dixie Landfill, Dalton.
Information: (706) 277-2545.

JULY 18-22 TUESDAY - SATURDAY
Native Plants in the Landscape Conference - Cullowhee, NC
Tuesday-Saturday, July 18-22, 2006.
Host: Western Carolina University.
More information: edoutreach.wcu.edu.

Embedding Christian Values in Science and Technology:
61st Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation - Grand Rapids, MI
Friday-Monday, July 28-31, 2006. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.
"The American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) is a fellowship of men and women in science and disciplines that relate to science who share a common fidelity to the Word of God and a commitment to integrity in the practice of science."
Information: www.asa3.org.

In October 2005, the Environmental Working Group launched a new website that gives safety information for personal care products. This site offers the Skin Deep Database through which consumers may search for information about a particular brand or a category of products. The database lists product ingredients, the possible effects of those ingredients, and a safety rating for each product.

Since there is currently no industry-wide safety standard for personal care products or ingredients, this database can be a useful tool for making healthier and more environmentally-friendly purchase decisions.

Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living, by Annie Berthold-Bond (Three Rivers Press, 1991).

Check at your local library for other books about natural personal care. Books containing natural recipes may be listed under any of the following subject headings:

Beauty, Personal
Gardening - Therapeutic use
Herbal cosmetics
Skin care and hygiene
Toilet preparations

EarthCare has recently added new Christian creation care links to the EarthCare Links page. Visit the updated page to discover the creative things your denomination and others are doing to care for the world that God created.

On May 25, 2006 Melinda Schmidt host of Moody Radio's talk show Midday Connection interviewed Tri Robinson, pastor of the Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, Idaho. Robinson, along with Jason Chatraw, is the author of Saving God's Green Earth: Rediscovering the Church's Responsibility to Environmental Stewardship (Ampelon Publishing, 2006).

In the interview and in his book, Tri Robinson addresses the need for Christians to actively care for God's creation. He points out that in earlier days of the church, many Christians celebrated the beauty of God's creation and felt the responsibility to care for it. However in recent decades, much of the Christian church has drifted away from that focus, and a lot of the work of creation care has been left to those outside the church.

Using Scripture, Robinson makes a case for Christians to actively engage in environmental stewardship in their personal and community lives. He inspires us to be obedient to God and describes ways in which individuals and church communities can have more positive impact on the world.

To listen to the Midday Connection interview with Tri Robinson, visit the 05/25/06 archives page of the Midday Connection website.

The Chattanooga Nature Center offers a variety of summer programs for children

This summer the Chattanooga Nature Center is sponsoring several fun events for children and families. Most events require pre-registration. For registration and cost information, visit the Nature Center's site.

Mommy and Me Camps give adults the opportunity to explore and enjoy the great outdoors with their little ones in a camp-like setting. Each session will focus on a particular theme that will guide the activities and adventures. Dates: June 2, July 7, and August 4.

Learn about bats. Families may meet at the CNC for an informational chat about bats and then caravan by car to Nickajack Cave, home to more than 60,000 endangered gray bats. Dates: June 16, July 21, and August 25.

Learn about butterflies and dragonflies. Join the staff of CNC in a stroll through the Nature Center and Reflection Riding. Date: August 5.

Have fun at the annual summer mudfest. Children may dress down, splash in the mud pit and celebrate the joys of just getting dirty. Date: August 12.

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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