ST. MATTHEW'S LENTEN CARBON FAST

To observe Lent 2009, we invited members of the congregation of Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church, Fairbanks, Alaska, to consider a "Fast from Carbon." Twenty households chose to participate with the result that over 50,000 pounds of carbon emissions were saved or pledged during the six weeks of Lent. Because Lent in Fairbanks is usually cold and snowy, despite the growing length of days, it is sometimes difficult to think of ways to save on carbon emissions as a Lenten observance – so we consider this year's outcome as a success.

We began to plan for observing a "Green Lent" early in January when Mary Walker of AKIPL sent us the program developed by North Carolina IPL, "Caring for Creation." We adapted the North Carolina program so that it would be more in tune with what we envisioned for Saint Matthew's: which was to be a "do-it-yourself" format in which we provided six weeks of materials to participants which they would study and implement at their own pace. Participants got most of the materials on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. We handed out folders which held seven pages of information about global climate change, its impacts on the earth and on Alaska, and a statement from a faith community about our obligations as Christians to be involved in this issue. Each page was designed to be a weekly guide to thought, prayer and action concerning global climate change for the participants. In addition, the folders included a Glossary of terms relating to global climate change and some "pledge cards" which we will describe shortly. Several of the participating households had already taken a course, "Low Carbon Diet" which we offered last year at Saint Matthew's. As a consequence, we wanted to permit folks to set their own pace and go through the program in the order they chose, rather that offering it as an adult Christian Education class.

At the end of January, 2009, we had met with the Health Ministry of Saint Matthew's to ask if the "Carbon Fast" could be offered under their aegis, and received their support. We began publicizing the program in the weekly bulletins and with announcements during services, alerting parishioners of the opportunity to participate. Being part of the Health Ministry also gave us several other people to help with advertising and with handling materials. We designed and put up a poster in the Parish Hall to track our progress, and reminded folks to check it out each week as we posted results weekly. The poster was a bare tree on Ash Wednesday, with empty branches, but even by the first Sunday in Lent there were leaves, a bird's nest (with eggs!) and a flower to record our first week's savings. Each item (leaf, flower, butterfly, bird's nest, eggs, bird) represented a number of pounds of carbon saved and pledged. As Lent went on, the tree took on an increasingly fantastical appearance. We also posted the pounds saved with the poster and on Easter Sunday we added a "Thank You" with all the names of participants.

We posted progress by checking the pledges which were turned in each week by participants. The pledge cards suggested specific actions people could take to reduce carbon emissions (change to CFLs, plant trees, drive less, reduce-recycle-reuse, use less hot water, eat locally, become involved in policy-making, etc.) and informed participants of the value of such actions for the environment. On the back of each card we included an appropriate scripture quotation to remind everyone that we are called to be about the Lord's business as stewards of His Creation. Eventually, we named our program "C₃ – Christians Caring for Creation." Pledge cards were distributed throughout Lent, because we encountered problems printing them out, but in another year, we would have them ready to go out at the beginning of Lent. We set up a basket that looked like a nest, lined with paper grass, for the cards to be turned in. The Health Ministry helped us to monitor the "nest." Their help proved to be invaluable during the confusion and activity of Holy Week, when everything in the Parish Hall had to be put away to accommodate the Easter services, when overflow attendees are seated in the Parish Hall and watch the services on a big screen television.

Oliver & Andrea Backlund

(Alaska IPL members EXTRAORDINAIRE)