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MCCN VISION |
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Advocates
for creation care are prominent within each church-wide organization.
The Mennonite Church’s commitment to creation care builds a sense
of trust in all members. Care is given in energy and resources
consumed in all aspects of church-wide meetings. Mennonite Disaster Service Eyes Oil Spill with Hurricanes in Mind As hurricane season approaches, administrators at Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) are keeping a watchful eye on the Gulf Coast oil spill. They are concerned that powerful storms will push oil inland into new areas. “We’re treading new water here too; this is not the typical disaster we respond to,” remarked Brian Pipkin, communications coordinator at MDS. While the agency plans to stay focused on what it does best—building and repairing houses—its staff is also aware that the oil spill in the Gulf could affect their work in unforeseen ways. So far, MDS has sent two investigative teams to the Gulf Coast to listen to what previous clients in the area have to say. What they’ve heard most often is a request for prayer, which they have passed on to the Mennonite Church at large. Read more U.S. Mennos to Meet in LEED® Convention Center When Mennonite Church USA members gather in Pittsburgh, PA, for their biennial convention July 4 - 9, 2011, they will meet in the world's first convention center to achieve a LEED® gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center was built on an urban brownfield. Ninety-five percent of demolition wastes were recycled; water conservation, natural lighting and use of local materials all help reduce the building's environmental impact. Daily operations also emphasize green practices. The Center uses vegetables and herbs from a rooftop garden and purchases food from local suppliers. Office staff use wooden pens with refillable soy ink. Staff are trained to reward guests "caught" doing something green, like placing recyclables in the correct bin. These good deeds may earn attenders a green lapel pin made from a recycled bottlecap. read more Mennonite Mutual Aid Dialogs with BP Over Oil Spill Investment managers at Mennonite Mutual Aid's Praxis Funds have long considered BP one of the most responsible of the oil companies and have invested in the firm. Now, following the April 2010 Gulf oil spill, that assessment is up for dialog and review. Three weeks after the explosion that sank BP’s contracted drilling rig, MMA Praxis Mutual Fund’s full investment team met by phone with the Head of Social Policy and Sustainability in BP’s London office to receive an update on the company’s efforts in the Gulf and to express MMA Praxis’ concerns about what led to and will follow this disaster. read more Mennonite Central Committee Tracks Carbon, Cuts Travel A May 17, 2010 article in the Canadian Mennonite entitled "How Green is My MCC?" reviews Mennonite Central Committee's goal to cut its carbon footprint 20% in the next ten years. Methods toward achieving this goal include reducing face-to-face meetings with online communications, renovating offices and continuing to track yearly carbon output. But some question whether the goal is ambitious enough and whether the actions are too little, too late. read more Relief Sale Board Addresses Waste "The ecological footprint of relief sales is not insignificant," concedes the cover article of the March 2010 Sounding Board, a newsletter of the North American Mennonite Relief Sale Board. The amount of landfill waste generated is an obvious issue; transportation to the sale also contributes CO2 to the atmosphere. The article provides a list of tips planning committees can work on to make their sales greener. read more Landis Homes Featured at Water Efficiency Workshop Landis Homes, a ministry of Lancaster Mennonite Conference, is one of the first LEED- certified retirement communities in Pennsylania. Stormwater management using rain gardens and a restored stream and flood plain are one of the community's distinctives. Linford Good, vice president of planning and marketing, recently described these features at a water efficiency workshop in Lititz, PA, May 13, 2010. read more More stories about Mennonite agencies caring for creation. SEND US YOUR STORIES Mennonite Creation Care Network seeks examples from Mennonite agencies that are practicing environmental stewardship. Send stories of creation care actions your agency is practicing to lukeag@goshen.edu or jenniferhs@goshen.edu. FEATURED RESOURCES Check out MCCN's Green Guidelines for Conference Planners. Also visit our web-searchable Creation Care Resource Library. Search for resources especially for church agencies, as well as search under a variety of topics. "We
acknowledge that God as Creator is owner of all things." Mennonite Creation Care Network Privacy PolicyxxxxxxxxxCopyright 2008 by MCCN
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