Hope for Creation’s gatherings continue to create a sense of community and foster collaboration and education. We encourage people to join us in whatever capacity they are able!
Recent initiatives include:
- A successful fall Harvest of Unity event, featuring Rachel Chadderdon Bair, director of the KVCC ValleyHUB food innovation center (October 2024)
- Participation in KUDOS (Kalamazoo United Day of Service), an effort to help our Northside neighbors winterize their homes (October 2024)
- Advocacy for the City of Kalamazoo's adoption of a plan to switch to utility scale renewable energy (September 2024)
- Our 10th anniversary event on May 13, 2024, featuring speaker Debra Rienstra, author of the book Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth (April 2024)
- A "Reflection on Refugia" discussion, based on the Debra Rienstra book, on (June 2024)
- Other book discussions, including Nature's Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy
- Reading and discussing books related to Climate Justice, including Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad and The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas
- Initiating an EPS Foam recycling program with the City of Kalamazoo
- Advocating for Climate Emergency declarations by city and county commissions
- Continuing to offer support and guidance to congregational green teams
Because of all these efforts, environmental community organizations and city leaders have come to recognize Hope for Creation as an important faith-community voice on climate change.
Please check out our upcoming initiatives!