EARTH WEEK
C O N N E C T. R E S T O R E. A C T.
April 22-24
April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed to the global community an unshakeable truth
that advocates for the environment and creation have always known:
everything is connected.
Now, more than ever, our faith calls us to hear the cry of the earth and of our neighbors who are most vulnerable, especially in times of calamity, and to take immediate action to “flatten the carbon curve.”
April 22-24
Globally, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gases than all the world’s transportation systems combined. Join us as we reduce our ‘foodprints’ and return to fasting from meat as a spiritual practice of emptying that will ground us as we enter into digital advocacy on Friday.
April 22-24
Sign up to receive occasional text messages from 4/22-4/24 with opportunities for shared prayers around meal times and reminders to savor small moments with creation.
A DAY OF
Integral ecology reminds us that everything is connected. Today we unite to explore how we can continue to work for ecological justice even during a time of social distancing.
4 PM ET | 1 PM PT
Join a digital conversation about youth climate activism, empowerment, and accompaniment. ISN will be joined by Michael Downs, director of justice and kinship at Bishop O’Dowd High School.
9 PM ET | 6 PM PT
Join us, with your beverage of choice in hand, for a digital conversation about Radical Hope with Molly Burhans, founder of GoodLands, a non-profit digital mapping firm that focuses on using Catholic resources, especially land, to do good for people and the environment. To join the conversation, visit igsol.net/sot.
Connect with global voices on climate change through Easter with an Amazonian Face, a resource created by the Inter-Religious Working Group on Extractive Industries. Read reflections on resurrection from participants of the Amazon Synod from around the world.
A DAY OF
Our relationship with creation can be healing, and during this time heightened global uncertainty, we invite you to take time to reconnect with nature as you are able today.
As much as possible, step away from the screens today and use it as an opportunity to go outward to be in nature (if you are able) or inward to read about and contemplate the gifts of creation. Use our digital fast reflection guide for ideas on how to connect with nature today. Download the image on the right and post it to your social media profiles with the suggested caption:
In honor of #EarthWeek, I’m fasting from screens today and reconnecting with nature. Join me in the Ignatian Carbon Challenge digital fast: igsol.net/fast #iggycarbon
Get your hands in the dirt today and begin a Climate Victory Garden. Started during WWI and WWII, people started small gardens in their homes which eventually produced about 40% of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the United States. Even if you have limited access to outdoor space or seeds, use tips from the Lenten Food Waste Fast to start growing something today as an act of restoration with nature.
A DAY OF
Bill McKibben, climate scientist and founder of 350.org, argues that the solution to climate depression is found in action. As Christians we are called to be contemplatives in action, and today we use the energy from our prayer and fasting to address climate change through political and financial action. Pick one or two of the suggested actions to do today.
Ask Congress to support legislation that upholds environmental air pollution standards and that preserves bedrock environmental protections. Take Action
Send a message to your bank asking them to divest from fossil fuels. Learn more at stopthemoneypipeline.com and get a script to call your financial institution today.
We have the right and responsibility to engage in the political process and vote for representatives and policies that support care for creation. If you are eligible, make sure that you are registered to vote in the upcoming general election in November. Register to vote at vote.gov.
Use time during social distancing to learn concrete skills that will help you better organize around climate issues in the future. These free 350.org trainings include: How to Win Social Movements, Having Climate Change Conversations, special courses on fracking and divestment, and more. View trainings.
Our friends at Interfaith Power and Light are offering free streaming of The Human Element, an arresting new documentary from the producers of Chasing Ice. Meet the everyday Americans on the front lines of climate change as the film guides us to reevaluate our relationship with the natural world. Education for Justice has developed a free discussion guide for the film. Gather your community for a digital reflection on the movie. Please note Spanish subtitles are also available.