Get Updates
Join our email list to receive news on urgent actions & ongoing work. Current Issue June 09...
July Calendar PDF
PWRDF Story
Family Activity
Ages 3-6
Ages 6-10
Ages 10-15
Children's Book
More Info
Order a Calendar
Send Us Your Story
July Ecology
Ecology is the July Focus of the PWRDF Family Calendar -- you can explore this important concern with your family at any time of the year.
We can start right at home to make the world a better place - for people and the planet -- in fact we need to act at home.
Our dependence on oil is at the heart of many of the most important problems of our day -- the quality of the air that we breathe, the damage to the environment and the reason for many wars and conflict around the world.
As Christians we have a lot to offer the question of how to take better care of the world based on what we know about God who created it all and charged us to care for it all as stewards.
WHAT ARE FOSSIL FUELS?
Fossil fuels are derived from the remains (fossils) of plants and animals that over millions of years have been compressed into hydrocarbons — dense concentrations of hydrogen and carbon buried deep beneath the earth’s surface and oceans. The three main fossil fuels are crude oil, natural gas, and coal. More from KAIROS....
Family Activity: Measure Your Family Footprint
Footprint quiz on KAIROS Re-energize site
As a family take one or both of the footprint tests to measure your ecological footprint. The idea behind these calculators is that all of our decisions and patterns of behaviour add up to a "footprint," which is a way of measuring people’s demands on nature. The more we consume, the bigger our footprint. Indeed, our footprint is global. Much of our food, our goods, our fuel, and our resources come from somewhere else. Plus, our waste, particularly our greenhouse gas emissions, can have an effect on people everywhere.
The Zerofootprint Kid's Calculator accounts for: the things we buy and discard, the way we get around, the way we live and the places we live. The per capita values for Canada – that is, the total amount the country emits, including industry, divided by the number of Canadians -- suggests that we are among the most wasteful people on Earth.
PWRDF is a member of KAIROS - a place where many churches come together to make a positive difference in the world. Re-energize: Time for a Carbon Sabbath is this year's program for people to discover how to change ourselves and our communities and to come together to help change the world.
The Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates the area of land and ocean required to support your consumption of food, goods, services, housing, and energy and assimilate your wastes. Your footprint is broken down into four consumption categories: carbon (home energy use and transportation), food, housing, and goods and services. Your footprint is also broken down into four ecosystem types or biomes: cropland, pastureland, forestland, and marine fisheries.
The whole point of measuring your footprint is to begin to take steps to reduce it -- so be sure to make at least one decision about what you can tackle as a family. Remember the campaign is intended to 're-energize' -- not overwhelm us completely. So choose something you can do and encourage each other to keep going. Have everyone in the family make a trace of their own foot and write their commitment on it -- perhaps the size of commitment should match the size of foot! Maybe there's a place in the house where you can post up a pathway and keep track of all the changes you make as you go. When you have made some changes, find a eco-friendly family way to celebrate.
There are ideas for action in the Parents/Teacher's section of the zerofootprint Calculator.
Big Mama Makes the World
by Phyllis Root
ISBN-10: 1844284697
This sassy creation myth is a gentle spin on the first chapter of Genesis where Big Mama with a baby on her hip gets down to the business of creating the world. This playful story, with colorful pictures and lyrical easy narrative is for the whole family to enjoy.
Activity for ages 3-6: Miniature Garden
Materials:
A tray
Some earth or sand
Jar lid
Collection of little stones, twigs, leaves, petals and small flowers, marbles, etc.
A few grass, or watercress seeds would be nice.
Directions
1. Spread earth or sand over a tray. This makes the basis of your garden, which together you can landscape as you like. You can build slopes. Pave paths or walls.
2. Add a pond with your jar lid and float petals in it.
3. If you add seed be sure to keep it damp.
4. Read a creation story with your child and talk about the earth as God's garden. PWRDF is one way we help to take care of this precious gift.
Adapted from: The Under-Fives Activity Book, by Stella Maidment London:Red Fox,1992 ISBN 0 09 986530 0
This Is My Planet: The Kids' Guide to Global Warming by Jan Thornhill
Ages 9-12 Thornhill gives young readers the tools they need to live their own lives more ecologically — and ultimately, to improve the life of the planet. The book takes a comprehensive look at climate change, with an in-depth look at human societies and three specific environments — polar, ocean, and land. Although she doesn't shy away from the truth, Thornhill offers hope, showing where action can make a difference and providing evidence of the Earth’s amazing resilience and adaptability. Available from Parent Books.
Activity for ages 6-10: Moss Graffiti
Tag an empty spot with a "green" Christian message -- a really green message that is written in moss. What about something like "God said it was good"?
Moss Graffiti Recipe
12 oz buttermilk
several clumps of garden moss
plastic container with lid
blender
paintbrush
This recipe makes enough for several small pieces or one large piece of graffiti.
1. Gather several clumps of moss and crumble them into a blender. Moss can usually be found in moist shady places.
2. Add the buttermilk and blend just long enough to create a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour into the plastic container.
3. Find a suitable damp and shady wall where you can create you message with your moss milkshake. Ensure you have permission to use the space if you need it. Paint your design onto the wall. If you keep it moist over a few weeks it will improve the chances of it growing. Soon the bits of moss should begin to root and your design will flourish before it eventually fills in the whole area.
This idea is taken from: "The Guerilla Art Kit" by Keri Smith, p.91.
SWEET DEAL!
Share your family story with PWRDF and we send you a fair trade chocolate bar. More....
Activity for ages 10-15: Off the Grid
More Ideas and Information
j
