Green Celebrations: Eco Fair offers ideas for more sustainable religious holidays

By Ambury Stuart

In the previous edition of the FCG e-letter, Ron Ewart of the Toronto United Church Council (TUCC) described the Green Awakening Network (GAN), a new initiative of the United Church created in the summer of 2008. The article described the initial steps in the development of the Network including the successful, all-day Forum that GAN hosted jointly with Faith & the Common Good, on March 7, 2008. The Forum attracted over 150 people from many faith traditions for a series of presentations and workshops on ecological activities designed for faith communities. The event introduced the GAN program to congregational representatives from the United Church and many other faith groups as well.

As GAN moves into its second year of operations, its Steering Committee is encouraging the development of ‘clusters’ of congregations that will work together to advance the objectives of the Network. In the development of these clusters it is hoped that congregations beyond the United Church of Canada will become involved, and together these congregational teams will develop outreach programs that will extend beyond churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, and into the wider community.

The next interdenominational outreach project of GAN will be an Eco Fair sponsored by the South Eglinton Neighbourhood of Congregations (SENC), an association of five churches representing four denominations in the Yonge-Eglinton area of north Toronto: two United Church, one Presbyterian, one Anglican and one Christian Reform. The Eco Fair, taking place on Sunday November 22, 2009, will be based on the theme of “Green Celebrations”.

It seems high time to confront the challenges raised by our various holiday seasons. Taking Christmas as a good example, the celebration of new light and life was, long ago, hijacked by commercial hype and excessive consumption. And for this coming 2009 holiday season especially, our economic and political leaders are watching anxiously to see if the consumer will spend enough to lift our economy out of recession. Soon the pressures will mount on everyone to celebrate this season with even more reckless abandon than ever.

But let us consider now, before the consumer madness begins in a month or two, if Saint Nick can come to town this year without the parade of overflowing garbage cans that seem to follow inevitably in his wake. Can the northern half of the planet begin its return journey to sunshine once again without the traditional belch of celebratory greenhouse gases that won’t be disappearing in January along with the lights and tinsel? Can “reduce, reuse, recycle” be the new gift we give to one another and to the planet this year?

GAN believes that there are countless ways that both religious and secular people can celebrate our holidays more responsibly and have just as rich an experience. Ecologically responsible vendors would like to increase their sales to folks who support what they are trying to do. Organizations and activists of every faith and no religious faith have wisdom to offer those who are interested in hearing it. Finally, both churched and unchurched people yearn to do something positive, to make a difference as we all grapple with the challenge of the ecological and climate crises. What we really need are meeting places where we can come together and discover one another. That is the catalyst that we hope to provide at the Green Celebrations Eco Fair.

On November 22, the churches of the South Eglinton Community of Congregations (SENC), under the support of GAN, the Toronto United Church Council, the Live Green program of the City of Toronto and FCG will present their Green Celebrations Eco Fair at Glebe Road United Church, 20 Glebe Road E. Four congregations from three different denominations will come together for worship at 10:30 a.m. to explore how our faith can inform and sustain our ecological commitments. Following the service, at noon, the rest of the Eco Fair will commence with food, presentations, short films and ecologically sensitive vendors with great ideas for holiday seasons.

Mark the date on your calendar now and plan to travel by transit, bicycle or foot (ok, we also have a parking lot). The church is a stone’s throw from Yonge Street, mid-way between the Davisville and Eglinton subway stops. Admission is free and limited child- care provided. Information will be posted on the GAN website www.tucc.ca/churchdevelopment/green-awakening-network.html as it becomes available.

Ambury Stuart is the Minister of Glebe Road United Church, an eco-theologian and he sits on the GAN Steering Committee.