Today is Earth Day, and this year NASA’s social media project is #NoPlaceLikeHome – encouraging people to post photos and Vine/Instragram videos of their favorite places on earth. (They’ve also created a Facebook page, a Google+ group and a Flickr group.)
Huffington Post has published 11 prayers for creation, from a range of faith traditions including Judaism and Native American spirituality. Included, this Hindu prayer:
May the waters flow peacefully; may the herbs and plants grow peacefully; may all the divine powers bring unto us peace. May the rain come down in the proper time, may the earth yield plenty of corn, may the country be free from war. The supreme Lord is peace.
Pope Francis delivered a brief message in honor of Earth Day, excerpted:
I urge you all to see the world with the eyes of God the Creator… Man’s relationship with nature should not be guided by greed, we must not manipulate or exploit it but treasure the divine harmony between creatures and the creation…
The Episcopal Church concludes its 30 Days of Action (begun on Ash Wednesday) with a call for images:
On the final day of the 30 Days of Action, we invite you to post a photo of yourself, your congregation, or your family engaged in creation care.
Over the 30 Days we have invited you to Pray, Learn, Advocate, Act, Proclaim, Eat, and Play, and we have had great response. Join the celebration and action by sharing your photo of planting a tree, picking up trash, tending your garden, praying for the God’s creation, proclaiming the care of the earth, playing in creation, or eating the bounty of the earth on The Episcopal Church’s Facebook page.
We hope that you will share a photo of your action because that’s a critical step in our efforts to care for God’s creation–taking individual action then encouraging and supporting others in this ministry. When you share your photo, tweet at @iamepiscopalian and use the hashtags #Episcopal #30Days.
Each day’s call is linked from this page.
And the Episcopal Public Policy Network has issued a public policy alert, asking Episcopalians to, “In honor of Earth Day, urge your state-level policymakers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
How are you, your parish, your diocese commemorating Earth Day?
Posted by Cara Ellen Modisett
Photo credit: “Dolphins on the Pacific Ocean” by The New Mikemoral – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons