CLIMATE CONSCIOUSNESS

at DEARBORN FIRST UMC

CLIMATE CONSCIOUSNESS
Fall Spruce-Up Day

Saturday, September 14, 9 a.m. - noon
Dearborn First UMC • 22124 Garrison

Continuing on our goal to transform the church grounds into more sustainable surroundings (less water, less maintenance, more native plantings).

Come help prepare the church grounds for winter-
Clean up, Spruce up, Weed out!!

Service project Day for Youth/Kids
Gathering & Fellowship while raking/digging/weeding for Adults

Consider joining us to work, chat and enjoy each other’s company.
If you are able to garden - or not - come and join in!

Bring shovels, landscape recycle bags, hard rakes, work gloves, watering cans,
hand trowels or whatever you enjoy using.
If you’re not able to work, bring water or easy-to-eat snacks for the team, if you’d like.

Come help improve our corner of the world -
Hope to see ya there!

For more information, contact Doug Marks: climate@DearbornFirstUMC.org

Photo of church garden with a Certified Wildlife Habitat Sign

In 2022, Dearborn First Climate Consciousness Team received official certification recognizing our property as a wildlife habitat, committed to sustainably providing essential elements to support wildlife such as birds, pollinators, butterflies, and other animals.

ROUGE RESCUE
Earth Day CleanUp

Dearborn First UMC volunteers helped move nearly 1,200 pounds of trash and debris!

On Earth Day 2023, DFUMC Climate Consciousness Team joined up with Friends of the Rouge to clean up areas of Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park and Dearborn Street area in Detroit. Volunteer magnet fishers pulled steel from the river while our volunteers picked up trash, broken glass, tires and other litter in an effort to keep our community clean and safe.

It was a great day of creation care!

TO PARTICIPATE IN DFUMC CREATION CARE PROJECTS,
Contact Doug Marks, Climate Consciousness Team Chairperson: Climate@DearbornFirstUMC.org

READING CORNER:

Could a Climate-Friendly Yard Actually Be Better for
Curb Appeal?

Making changes to take your yard from high-maintenance (and resource-draining) to eco-friendly can save you time and money—and even give you a new level of curb appeal. Read more.

By Kristine Gill | Published on June 1, 2022. | Better Homes & Gardens

Are you/we ready…

to educate ourselves and become engaged with each other and local organizations to become better stewards of our earth?

TAKE THE ONLINE SURVEY: Share your thoughts on climate care and how you’d like to get involved.

DOWNLOAD THE INFORMATION PACKET: Containing much of the information found on this web page, as well as the online survey and next steps / upcoming events.

DOWNLOAD PACKET

*(State Dept./L. Rawls), from the website:* https://share.america.gov/our-ocean-should-be-trash-free/

THINK GLOBAL…

***Climate Change Myths*:***

It’s true that there have been periods of global warming and cooling—also related to spikes and lulls in greenhouse gases—during the Earth’s long history. But those historic increases in CO2 should be a warning to us: They led to serious environmental disruptions, including mass extinctions. Today, humans are emitting greenhouse gases at a far higher rate than any prevous increase in history. (Before you collapse into a puddle of despair, however, find out about our work to promote natural climate solutions, like community forestry and regenerative agriculture.)
Wrong. There is nearly 100 percent agreement among scientists. Moreover, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that global warming is accelerating, and will reach 1.C above pre-Industrial lev-els around 2030—a full decade earlier than previously forecast.
Wrong again. Because human-caused climate change is happening so rapidly, species simply don’t have time to adapt. Frogs tell the story best: With their semi-permeable skin, unprotected eggs, and reliance on external temperatures to regulate their own, they are often among the first species to die off when ecosystems tip out of balance—and they’re dying off in droves. The Rainforest Alliance chose a frog as its mascot more than 30 years ago precisely because it’s a bio-indicator: A healthy frog population signals a healthy ecosystem, which is what we’ve been working to promote—along with thriving communities—since 1987.
It’s hard to even know where to begin to address this statement, especially when you think about the human cost of a warming planet. The evidence points to a clear link between climate change and a surge in modern slav-ery: When crop failures, drought, floods, or fires wipe out livelihoods and homes, people migrate in the hopes of improving their lot—but can find themselves vulnerable to human trafficking and forced labor and other human rights abuses. And the overall economic cost is staggering: The global economy could lose $23 trillion to climate change by 2050.
It’s true that we don’t have a moment to waste, but it’s not too late. If governments, business, and individuals begin taking drastic action now, we can keep warming within the 1.5C target set by the Paris Agreement. What can you do to make sure that happens? A lot. Here are actions you can take—both to make your daily life more sustainable and to push governments and companies to act—to secure a better future.

…ACT LOCAL

What local resources are available?

There are a number of local organizations that consult, educate, and provide opportunities for individuals to become active in their communities as stewards of our environment and our earth:

The Detroit River Coalition, Friends of the Rouge, Great Lakes Now, Belle Isle Conservancy are just a few.