And the Lord God took them in and put them into the garden, to work it and to take care of it.
Genesis 2:15
Montclair Presbyterian Church is fully committed to solving the climate crisis, and we welcome you to join us in this critical work. If you’re interested in taking part, please contact the MPC main office so that our Earth Care committee may reach out to you.
The threat, and what MPC is doing about it:
As a species, humans are damaging and despoiling our global garden. Scientists have sounded the alarm: we have less than 7 years left to cut global greenhouse emissions in half to avoid catastrophic climate disruption—a tremendous task requiring all our effort.
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS CAN’T WAIT—AND MPC IS TAKING ACTION!
NEW! CHECK OUT MPC’S NEW CLIMATE-FRIENDLY FOOD RECOMMENDATIONS!
MPC’S Climate-Friendly Food Recommendations were formally adopted by the MPC Sesssion in June 2023, and are consistent with a low-carbon-emissions diet. They now apply to all MPC events organized by our church committees!
Give the gift of climate care! Now available for purchase: MPC’s expanded and revised climate-friendly cookbook makes a delicious and important addition to your own kitchen and also a wonderful gift! Click here for ordering info.
On April 25, 2021 the MPC congregation endorsed a Climate Call to Action.
View MPC’S Climate Call to Action here (PDF)
View a helpful Graphic Summary of the Climate Call to Action here (PDF)
In endorsing this Climate Call, we commit to acting upon its recommendations in our personal lives and as a church community.
Here are eight key steps you can take to help transform the world to zero-emissions:
- Click here to be a CLIMATE ADVOCATE for democracy, voting rights, climate justice, and bold climate policies and leaders. This step is essential to create change on the massive scale needed in this critical decade. If you do only one of these eight steps, make it this one!
- Calculate your carbon footprint to find opportunities to become more energy efficient and cut your CO2 emissions.
- Choose 100% renewable electricity from your utility (it’s quick!), and/or install solar panels on your home if feasible, taking into account available tax-credits and incentives for all income levels.
- Replace your gas car with an electric car if possible. EVs are actually cheaper to own and operate than conventional gas cars! Tax-credits and rebates are now available.
- Fly less and try to fly only when truly necessary. Air travel is the likely the most carbon intensive activity that most of us ever engage in.
- Cut red meat and dairy consumption; move toward a more plant-based diet and waste less food.
- Switch your checking/savings accounts to fossil-free banks. (Nearly all major banks finance fossil fuel and deforestation projects. Find out about your bank here.) Divest your invested assets from fossil fuels and extractive industries so you don’t fund the climate crisis.
- Electrify your home appliances as soon as you can. A key to phasing out fossil fuels is to run buildings off electricity produced from carbon-free sources. Electric heat pumps can heat and cool our homes, heat our water, and dry our clothes more efficiently than gas. Electric induction stoves are much more efficient–and perform better!–than gas. The newly adopted Inflation Reduction Act has exciting new incentives to make the switch!
MPC’s youth group, youth alumni, and Earth Care Committee produced a series of short videos to help educate ourselves about this urgent crisis, our role in it, and what we can do about it.
Watch our very first video from the 3/7/21 service and watch them all at this link!
To learn more about the causes, effects and solutions to climate change, check out the Adult Education Climate Classes held at MPC in early 2021. This link will take you to recordings of the classes, plus lots of additional resources.
Not sure where to begin?
We’re happy to discuss the many ways you can take action with us now. To get started, please contact the MPC main office so that our Earth Care committee may reach out to you.