EARTHKEEPING NEWS
A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY

Volume Eleven, Number Three
March/April 2002

CALL TO ACTION

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY — PROTECT OUR HOME

The 2002 program of the Earth Day Network has a number of initiatives in which we can all participate, from the global to the local level, from overt action to meditation. Six programs are suggested: World Summit, Community Assessment, Ecological Footprint, Car Free Day, Tree Planting and Moments of Peace.

Each of us can take action in one or all of the six program areas:

  1. Ask the Administration to send a representative to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. In September 2002, tens of thousands of participants will come together at the World Summit to consider how to move the world to a sustainable path. Although this event is of critical importance to the future of our planet, only a handful of leaders have committed to attend. (see www.earthsummit2002.org)
  2. Assess your community's environmental health. Help your community identify key environmental issues that affect your health and places where you live, work and play.
  3. Measure your ecological footprint. Each of us makes an impact on the planet which is determined by our daily choices. Average Americans use 12 global hectares (30 acres) per person to support their lifestyle.
  4. Participate in Car-Free Day. Car-Free Days inspire people to take a look at their daily transportation habits and to consider more Earth-friendly ways to get where they need to go. Car-free days are a pattern break. They do not aim to take all cars off the streets as a long-term solution; instead, they encourage people to think about the impact of their transport choices, and how cleaner, more effective forms of transportation can enhance our quality of life.
  5. Plant and care for trees. Protect the Earth, by giving it Global ReLeaf! All over the world, people will plant trees as part of Earth Day 2002 celebrations. Plant trees in support of our priceless forests and the diverse life forms they support.
  6. Take a moment for peace. For Earth Day 2002, people around the world are joining together in a call for peace. Now more than ever, we need to come together as a global community to protect our common home. Environmental degradation is a direct cause of poverty, political instability, and conflict. Thus our call for a healthy environment goes hand in hand with a call for a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.

To learn more about any of these actions, go to www.earthday.org/goals/.

From Earth Day Network, www.earthday.org

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