Lately I have not been able to keep up with the amazing rate of reports we are getting about faith communities joining in to take action for 350 across the globe. Here are just a few of the exciting reports to share (adding to the many other stories, like the Dalai Lama’s endorsement of 350 ppm that you can find if you scroll down on the 350 faith page: www.350.org/people/faith):
First, the World Council of Churches (WCC) just recently adopted the 350 ppm target in their messages to world leaders for action on climate change! This is huge! That’s 560 million Christians across 349 churches, denominations, and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories now on board with 350. And like us, they are not just settling to adopt the message and let it be. They are planning to have churches all across the globe ring their church bells 350 times on 13 December, the middle Sunday during the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen. So any churches planning to ring your bells on the 24th of October, here is another chance to join in sounding the global call once again.
At a more local level (and switching religions) this photo on the left is of a tree planting action in Nepal led by Swami Kamal Nayanraj Shirji, a religious leader in the village of Sakhu where the action took place, along with Youth Engagement in Sustainability (YES).
And elsewhere in that part of the world, the latest faith action idea starting to spread amongst Hindu communities for 24 October is to perform a puja called Agnihotra (or Agnihotri), a ritual healing of the atmosphere — with either 350 people or 350 kinds of offerings. How perfect is that?!
Among Jewish communities it just so happens that 24 October will be the weekend when many synagogues will be reading the story of Noah from the Torah — with ample connections and ideas to share to our struggle with climate change today. The photo on the right at Temple Judah in Cedar Rapids making their preparations for the day of action.
In Srinagar, Kashmir, in India — it’s the Kashmir Sufism Society that is helping lead the charge to form a 350 out of shikaras (the local boats) on Dal Lake. And all across the world more and more communities of faith are contacting us to let us know about their plans.
Here is one more photo to share from our friends at Oregon Interfaith Power & Light, making their own preparations for the 24th.
