This spring, Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, AR hosted a state-wide Earth Care Gathering in partnership with Arkansas Interfaith Power & Light. A key focus was on drawing down one’s carbon footprint and making an active difference in the world.
Scharmel Roussel, an Environmental Stewardship leader at SPC, explained, “We learned that food waste, refrigeration, and educating girls are huge issues. Something as simple as red algae as a food source for cows could be a solution. When it comes to methane emissions, the top three are 1) China, 2) USA, 3) cows! We were all inspired to eat local, eat less beef, and pay more attention to the efficiency of our air conditioners and refrigerators. We were successful in modeling a zero-waste event.”
The event hosted multiple break-out sessions, a “TAKE ACTION” table, and a keynote address by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson.
After the event, conference attendees planned to do the Arkansas Drawdown Team for EcoChallenge–a 21-day online engagement program focused on carbon reduction offered in partnership by Northwest Earth Institute and Project Drawdown. The Challenge takes place April 4-25 and follows actions highlighted in Drawdown, a book based on meticulous research that maps, measures, models, and describes solutions to conservation/sustainability issues.
