Ecumenical Carbon Fast Comes to Wayland

Giving up carbon for Lent isn’t something that many Christians first think of when considering what vice to give up, but one local church is urging its members to do just that in a bid to protect the environment.

in Wayland is taking part in the Ecumenical Carbon Fast, a project put together by the United Church of Christ that is also open to churches of any denomination that wish to participate. Nearly 5,000 people throughout New England are taking part in the Carbon Fast, which encourages people to think about how their daily activities affect the environment by engaging in activities such as unplugging electrical devices and participating in community gardens.

“It’s not a movement for mass marches and we’re not asking people to do radical things like turn off their heat or not drive a car,” said Matt Chafe, warden at Church of the Holy Spirit. “Our church is trying to help develop spiritual practices as part of who we are in our everyday faith.”

The Carbon Fast is part of an increasing trend in religious environmentalism, which has been growing steadily since the mid-1990s. Several faith communities see the pollution committed by vehicles and power plants as the destruction of a gift from God. In addition, because climate change will most greatly affect underdeveloped nations that are already vulnerable, some religious leaders consider helping to reduce these emissions as part of their duty.

Chafe said that since faith movements were partly responsible for the abolition of slavery and, in more recent times, the alteration of marriage laws, he hopes the church can help create a more environmentally conscious generation.

“In our youth group, we were discussing certain stories going back to Genesis and not looking at it necessarily as fact, but as a metaphor for shaping the world,” said Chafe. “Earth is God's creation, so we have a responsibility and a role to help protect the environment as human beings.”

Participants who sign up for the event at www.macucc.org will receive daily e-mails that suggest activities to help reduce carbon emission. The most recent e-mail asks people to consider removing one light bulb from their home during Lent. If done over the course of a calendar year, 55 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions would be saved.

In addition to the Carbon Fast, after Sunday services at Church of the Holy Spirit there will also be a book study on Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai's novel, “Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World.” The book largely focuses on the Green Belt Movement in Kenya during the 1970s, which helped turn the tide of environmental degradation.

“We're just hoping to raise awareness of lifestyle issues that come about through our everyday practices,” Chafe said. “We've never done something like this before, so we're really excited about it and hope that there's a lot of community support for it.”

For more information about the Ecumenical Carbon Fast and book study at
Church of the Holy Spirit, visit www.chswayland.org.