Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 20: What you can do today This is a hard one:  Keep your highway driving speed between 55 and 60 mph today.  For most vehicles, 55 mph is the most fuel efficient highway speed and will save you up to 20-30% in fuel costs compared to driving at 75 mph. Automobile emissions are one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases.  Don't idle your car at traffic lights and drive-up windows.  If you have to stop for more than 10 seconds, you will save gas and reduce greenhouse emissions by turning off your engine.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 19: What you can do today Environmental justice has been a concern of people of faith since at least 1987, when the United Church of Christ's Commission for Racial Justice published a study, Toxic Waste and Race, and coined the term "environmental racism". Read more about environmental justice.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 18: What you can do today War is harmful, costly and opposed to life in so many ways that its obviousness as a threat to a sustainable eco-system makes it at once redundant to state and easy to overlook. Today - be an advocate for peace - by any life-affirming means which feels right to you.  To learn more about the specific harm to the eco-system caused by war, read something by Michael Klare:http://www.tomdispatch.com/authors/michaelklare/

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 17: What you can do today One month from today begins Mission 4/1 Earth - a shared resurrection witness for Planet Earth during 50 great days of greening up, powering down, and shouting out. http://www.ucc.org/earth/  Initiated by the United Church of Christ, this campaign is open to all Christians.  Spread the word and make plans to engage the three goals: 1,000,000 hours devoted to Earth care; 100,000 trees planted worldwide; 100,000 advocacy letters written to elected officials and the media.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 16: What you can do today More than likely, you know someone who is already affected by fracking. Spend 30 minutes learning about fracking:  http://thinkprogress.org/tag/fracking/.  Have a look at Yoko Ono's poster: Imagine there's no fracking . Learn how fracking releases methane, a greenhouse gas between 72-105 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.  Watch the movie Gasland: http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 15: What you can do today Keeping carbon in the ground - not just a personal fast from carbon but ending society's dependency on coal, oil and gas - "Is not this the fast that I choose...?" (Isaiah 58:6).  Since August 2012, a movement to divest from fossil fuel companies has taken off among colleges and universities and in December 2012, the Mass. Conference of the United Church of Christ voted to bring a divestment resolution to the UCC's national gathering.  macucc.org/divest   How can you support this? How can you prompt similar action in your faith community?

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 14: What you can do today Consider what you can do to stop the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline from being completed. (Click here to learn more: http://thinkprogress.org/tag/keystone-xl/)Thousands of people in Washington DC, Oklahoma, Texas and Canada have committed civil disobedience to increase public awareness.  Secretary of State John Kerry is on the record with his opposition.  President Obama spoke powerfully in his Second Inaugural Address.  Take 30 minutes today to learn; if you already know enough, take a few minutes to act.  http://www.tarsandsblockade.org/