Life is sunny this time of year if you live far above the Arctic Circle. Our June Faith Expedition group discovered that the "midnight sun" is true to its name, and illuminated the landscape of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge throughout the night. Indeed it was a challenge to go to sleep—not so much because of the light keeping one awake, but because the endless sunshine presented a very real temptation to just plain ignore the clock!

Our delegation did find some clouds on the horizon, however. We were hosted by the Gwich'in community of Arctic Village, where people are predominately Episcopalian. They are also deeply concerned about the continuing viability of their way of life. Certainly there are cultural incursions by the outside world—nearly every home has a television, and it takes a community-wide ban to keep alcohol at bay. But it is the caribou that concern them most.

The caribou in question would be the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The heard of 130,000 makes its summer home on the coastal plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. There they give birth to their young, find plenty of nutritious vegetation and enjoy the winds that help keep the mosquitoes at bay. The flat plain also gives a measure of safety from predators.

But there's a new predator attempting to take up residence on the plain, and in particular the narrow coastal area between the sea and the Brooks Range where the caribou summer. Some members of Congress, including the Alaska delegation, have their sights set on ANWR as a potential source of petroleum. This, even though the amount of oil speculated to be under the earth there would amount to about a six months' supply for the US (an amount that can be gained by a modest increase in vehicle mileage requirements). There is a feeling that no place should be off limits in sating our thirst for oil and in finding additional domestic supplies so as to reduce energy dependence on foreign sources (although the majority of Alaskan oil has been sold on the international market).

The Gwich'in fear that the introduction of oil drilling will disturb the Porcupine Herd, thousands of whom migrate in the fall and spring through Arctic Village and other native communities, providing food and clothing and the core of their way of life. This is a way of life that according to the Gwich'in goes back to the beginning of time.

The Gwich'in began mobilizing to meet this new threat in 1988. The Brethren are newcomers to the effort, but the June delegation was a promising beginning. The people of Arctic Village and others with whom we met while in Alaska were deeply appreciative that we came all that way to learn about their struggles and to offer our support.

See page three (or the ANWR section of the Brethren Witness website) for ways you can become involved in this crucial concern.

David Radcliff

Miller begins work
Carol Lena Miller has begun her work with the Brethren Witness office as program assistant in the area of caring for creation. Based at her home in Roanoke, VA, Carol Lena is available for speaking and workshop leader for congregations, youth groups or other interested folks.

See an introductory letter from Carol Lena at the Care for Creation page of the Brethren Witness website. Contact her at: 3311 Hillcrest Ave., NW, Roanoke, VA 24012; (540) 366-6389; or cldrmiller@msn.com.

One-sided Approach
Two new care for creation resources from the Brethren Witness office are printed on 100 percent one-side-clean paper.

The first resource is called—appropriately—Paper-Weight: Lightening our impact on the world's forests. The piece gives information on US per capita paper use (760 pounds per year!) and the environmental gains of using paper with high recycled content. There are also many ideas for conserving paper in the home, church and office.

A second info piece is titled Reckless Driving: Cars, bikes, and global warming. Here one finds info on US automobile usage (for instance, we now each make 4.5 car trips per day–up from 3.0 in 1990), the environmental price of our addiction to cars, and the gains of biking or walking (less CO2, enhanced personal health, more proximity to nature, fewer squirrels and other critters killed, etc.). This flyer complements our revised Turn Down the Heat action program (see below).

What's More...
And don't forget about these already-available care-for-creation resources!

The To-Do List is a post-it note with a purpose–to remind us how to reduce CO2 emissions in the course of our daily routines.

The Be(a)tles Guide to Caring for God's Earth is filled with information related to living responsibly with God's good creation. The four-page resource is arranged under headings derived from the titles of songs by, you guessed it, the Fab Four (Paperback Writer, Baby You Can Drive My Car, etc.)

One Earth, One Challenge is a shiny black and white poster featuring our planet and some catchy text reminding us of the challenges facing us in caring for the earth. Great for the youth room or the church bulletin board.

Check out the Care for Creation section of the Brethren Witness website.

Turn Down the Heat
Newly revised materials are available for the Turn Down the Heat project, an opportunity for Brethren congregations to do their part to reduce global warming. The program works like this: on a given Sunday, everyone in a congregation who can do so finds another way besides driving a car to come to worship. They choose to walk, bike, share a ride, or take public transportation where this is available. Once at church, the total miles not driven that day are added up and the amount of CO2 kept out of the atmosphere is tallied.

The action kit for the Turn Down the Heat campaign includes: a promotional skit; an educational bulletin insert on reducing CO2 emissions; the One Earth, One Challenge poster; To Do List post-it notes; Our Fair Share: Reckless Driving flyers; and a chart to list the CO2 savings on Turn Down the Heat Sunday. This would be an excellent activity for a youth group to organize.

New Study Resource
A new 4-session curriculum explores the human and Divine relationships to the beautiful world around us. Author Carol Lena Miller invites participants to take a look at America's ecological footprint on the earth, and the impact of ecological injustice across the world on the human condition. What are the consequences to us, to our spiritual wellness, to our global neighbors, and to our world if we continue along the current path of consumption and greed? Explore what a more sustainable, love-centered lifestyle might look like, and discuss steps to get started along a new path of peace.

Available from the Brethren Witness office.

Arctic Action
The Gwich'in people of northeast Alaska need our support in their campaign to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling! Contact the Brethren Witness office for an advocacy packet which includes a colorful sign, background on the issue, letter-writing instructions, and ideas for how we can reduce our dependence on petroleum. (The materials will be ready by the end of July.)

For a personal account of the recent Faith Expedition to ANWR, contact the Brethren Witness Office for a list of participants in the delegation.

Arctic Faith Expedition 2003
The community of Arctic Village has invited a second Faith Expedition to visit their village in June 2003. The trip will have several main purposes: to learn to know more about Gwich'in culture, to learn about threats to the Gwich'in way of life, to assist in the renovation of church facilities at the community church, and to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Approximate cost for the trip will be $800, plus round trip air fare to Fairbanks, Alaska. Tentative dates are May 30-June 10. Trip leader will be David Radcliff.

Guatemala-bound
A Brethren Faith Expedition led by Tom Benevento and on-site BVSer Todd Bauer recently returned from a 10-day visit to Guatemala. The trip highlighted social justice issues and environmental concerns, and included visits to projects supported by the Global Food Crisis Fund and the If a Tree Falls... program (see below).

A similar trip has been planned for summer 2003. Contact the Brethren Witness office for more information.

If a Tree Falls...
The If a Tree Falls... ministry of the General Board is a special effort to protect and restore forests in Central America. The current focus of the fund is a reforestation project in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The fund provides $5,000-$7000 annually to support the planting of 25,000 seedlings on deforested Guatemalan hillsides. Each $1 contributed to the fund plants 10 forest trees or one fruit tree.

A project packet is available for use in promoting If a Tree Falls... in a Sunday School class or Vacation Bible School. Contact the Brethren Witness office at 800-323-8039, ext. 228.

Creation Stewardship Advocates needed
The Brethren Witness office is recruiting a Creation Stewardship Advocate in each district. This person (or team) is asked to be a resource to the district by making periodic submissions to the district newsletter; organizing a booth for district conference; and in general encouraging congregations and members to take care for God's creation seriously.

The Brethren Witness office provides resources to the representatives, and assists in their attending biannual environmental conferences organized by the National Council of Churches.

So far, the following districts have appointed CSA's: Atlantic Southeast, Michigan, Northern Ohio, Southern Ohio, Pacific Southwest, Southeastern and Virlina.

Contact the Carol Lena Miller if you or someone you know may be interested in this opportunity (contact info on previous page).

How many Brethren does it take...
Last fall Buildings and Grounds staff installed 91 compact florescent lightbulbs at the General Offices in Elgin. The combined energy savings amounts to 12,094 watts each time the lights are turned on. Along with a cost savings of around $10 per day, over 150 fewer pounds of CO2 will be generated every day due to this switch. "This was such a simple way to model good stewardship," said David Ingold, Buildings and Grounds manager. "How could we not have done it?"

Youth groups are encouraged to promote the Compact Florescent Lightbulb project as a way to achieve similar savings in their congregations. For a startup packet, contact Brethren Press at 800 441-3712 or brethrenpress_gb@brethren.org.

Last night was sleep out night at Inspiration Hills. All 40 of this week's junior campers and most of the staff spent the night outside in the crater. They slept in their sleeping bags underneath the stars, listening to the night sounds around them. That's definitely one way to get connected to nature

Throughout my four seasons here as program director I've met and talked with many people who come to this camp. They come for church retreats and family reunions. Younger ones come out with their youth groups or with their 5th and 6th grade classes to "do" outdoor ed. Some say they feel alive when they're here. For many this is a place where they love to come because they can see God at work here. They come to learn, to "get away from it all," to "get in touch with nature." It's not hard for me to relate to these people, but I have to admit that staying connected is sometimes difficult for me. Not that there isn't enough beauty around me to enjoy or that I don't get excited about the warmth of summer, things budding and blossoming and the activity of critters all around me. Thanks to our nature director I've been learning a lot and I've really improved my observation skills. I just spotted a well-hidden robin's nest the other day and I'm happy to say that I'm now able to identify several plants as I hike on the trails. In spite of all this I sometimes feel that I'm not really connected.

Before I came to live at Inspiration Hills I had the opportunity to experience several different places. Living in large cities, one in Europe and one in the States, helped me to grasp some concepts that might have been more difficult for me in a rural or suburban setting. Living in the city I learned that the people all around me, whether friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers or those I dislike, are related to me. Though I learned how my actions and choices impacted the lives of others in various ways, with people all around me it became easy to take many of them for granted, to keep a safe distance, to stay disconnected.

So now here I am back in a glorious rural setting. Nature is all around me. During the summer, campers and staff keep this place alive with activity, but I remember well the winter months when I longed for people to connect with. I missed the very people that I might have passed by on a crowded city street. I guess what I'm learning in this place is the importance of staying connected, the importance of caring for and relating to people, to God, to the world around me while I am in their presence, while they seem far away. Sleeping out next to a fire during camp is one way to appreciate and feel connected with nature, but keeping the best interest of the environment and others in mind when you seem far from them is the way to stay connected.

—Dot Ramser
Program Director, Inspiration Hills