At King's Chapel we recognize that the climate crisis is not only an environmental, health, and social justice matter but also a spiritual one.
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Latest...
A recording and community blog entry including action items are now available concerning our Monday, May 19 Zoom talk on clean energy equity. The speakers were Gregory King and Elena Weissmann. Gregory is a Boston environmental justice advocate, educator, and clean energy entrepreneur. Elena Weissmann is northeast regional director for Vote Solar and advocates for environmental justice and clean energy. Our next Environmental Conversation on June 16 at 5pm will be led by Bill Wilson, a member of King's Chapel and co-founder of Birds and Beans coffee. The title of the talk is Birds, Forests, Family Farms and the Earth we all share. Bill will discuss the magnitude of the environmental crisis on bird species and how our small everyday choices can have a large impact on the future of birds and our planet in general. Register for Zoom link here. |
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Every day is Earth Day...
King’s Chapel joins with millions of people in 193 countries across the globe to change human behavior and increase awareness and environmental literacy so we can better face the serious environmental issues facing our world.
In the news:
The local Beacon Hill Times featured the King's Chapel Environmental Action Initiative and their past Earth Day events. You can read the article here.
The local Beacon Hill Times featured the King's Chapel Environmental Action Initiative and their past Earth Day events. You can read the article here.
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Environmental Conversations
The Environment Committee invites all parishioners and friends to join us in conversation. We host guest speakers, arrange for movie showings, hold book discussions, and host social events. See more information below on this page. Join the Email List
Stay connected and get updates on all Environment Committee activities by joining the email list where we regularly share our concerns and information about actions you can take. All are welcome to join the mailing list. There is no commitment to further action or activity, and you can opt out any time. Contact Kent Wittenburg ([email protected]) to join the mailing list. 11th Hour Bell Bell Ringing
King's Chapel joins a diverse set of faith communities around the world by calling attention to the climate emergency. Inspired by the worldwide movement 11 Hour Calling, the action of ringing church bells signals the need for climate awareness and worldwide climate action. Contact Sylvia Soderberg ([email protected] or at 617-710-6320) for more info. |
11th Hour Bell Ringers with the King's Chapel Revere and Son Bell
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Environment Committee in the Parish Community Blog
Check out the Environmental Action Initiative in the King's Chapel Parish community blog. Here you will get information about upcoming events, tips on living a greener life, and more! |
Events
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For advanced notice of upcoming events in our Conversations series, join our mailing list by contacting [email protected].
Previous
EAI Conversation series: Clean Energy Equity. On Monday, May 19, we were treated to talks on clean energy equity by Gregory King, TSK Energy Solutions, and Elena Weissman, VoteSolar. These speakers, who are remarkable champions of environmental justice in Massachusetts, discussed the history and the scope of environmental justice issues and zeroed in on clean energy inequality, what they are doing about it, and how we can help.
<read more> EAI Conversation series: Tree Equity in Boston. On Earth Day 2025, David Meshoulam of Speak for the Trees spoke on Zoom to the issue of tree equity in Boston. He discussed the value of trees to communities and the connections between historic red-lining in the city and today's tree canopy distribution. His organization has done wonderful work engaging teens and other groups in the city to address tree inequities. They support tree plantings, tree maintenance, and education about the health and spiritual benefits of trees. See a recording of the talk here.
EAI Conversation Series: Environmental Justice with John Walkey and GreenRoots. On February 17, 2025, John Walkey, an advocate for environmental justice in the immigrant communities of Chelsea and East Boston, discussed the history of environmental justice in Boston generally and some of the projects that GreenRoots has led to address issues in Chelsea and East Boston. He is leading efforts in energy democracy with the goal of enabling democratic structures that promote equity, access, and sustainability while minimizing environmental harm and health effects. One of those projects is developing microgrids for Chelsea and Chinatown.
Documentary Screening. The Environment Committee screened the documentary "Common Ground" on November 17, 2024 at the Parish House at 64 Beacon St. The film offers hope for restoring planetary balance through regenerative agriculture. We have explored this theme at King's Chapel in the past with talks by Bill Wilson as well as the founders of the Real Organic movement, available further down on this page.
2023-2024 Environment Conversation Series on Spirituality and the Environmental Crisis. In the fall of 2023 through the spring of 2024 we held a Zoom-based discussion series on spirituality and the environmental crisis. We read excerpts from authors and spiritual leaders from multiple faith traditions in order to grapple with how spirituality, faith, and church can offer guidance in these times. For example, theologian Sallie McFague offered us a Christian conception of God not as overseer but as embodied in all living and non-living parts of the universe. Harming the planet is then a sin against God. Buddhist spiritual leader and father of mindfulness Tich Naht Hanh offered a conception of interbeing. We humans must stop thinking of ourselves as separate from the rest of the world. We inter-are with fellow humans, animals, plants, and ancestors. Ministers past and present joined our discussions, which were very lively and meaningful.
EAI Conversation Series: “Finance and Climate Change--Part 2, Divestment versus Engagement: a discussion of the great debate on how we create social or environmental change through stock ownership” with Scott Budde | Tuesday, November 15, 2022 5:00 pm via Zoom.
Scott Budde led a discussion of how investments are connected to climate change through direct and indirect ownership of fossil fuel and related companies. He covered the two major strategies for creating environmental change through stock investing: divesting versus corporate engagement, recommending a particularly valuable resource (ceres.org) for influencing change as a stockholder. He also mentioned some options for where you can invest to positively impact the environment. There was a lively discussion and Q & A. Scott Budde is President and CEO of the Maine Harvest Federal Credit Union-–the first deposit-taking institution to focus on building a local sustainable food system—and has done extensive work on responsible investing. He is the author of the book Compelling Returns: A Practical Guide to Socially Responsible Investing and a member of King’s Chapel. EAI Conversation Series: "Opportunity for NE: Confronting the Climate Crisis" with Brad Campbell | Tuesday Oct 18, 2022 5 PM | Live and on Zoom
On October 18, the Environmental Action Initiative along with John Natoli, member of King's Chapel Vestry, hosted a talk by Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) President Brad Campbell at the King's Chapel Parish House at 64 Beacon St., Boston, at 5:00pm. CLF confronts the climate crisis from every angle –from the way we power and heat our homes to how we package and dispose of products, from the way we construct buildings to how we transport people and goods, from the way we design our streets to where we get our food. Humanity has never faced a crisis like this one. But we have the power to slow climate change and adapt to its impacts. A former White House senior appointee during the Clinton administration, Brad Campbell was the Regional Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region and served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. During his time at CLF, Brad has overseen numerous successes in the courtroom and in state houses throughout New England. EAI Conversation Series: "Finance and the Environment: Part 1, Banking" with Scott Budde | Tuesday September 20, 2022 5 PM | Zoom
Do you know that your own bank may be using your money to fuel the climate crisis? The King’s Chapel Environmental Action Initiative’s Conversation Series began its 2022-23 season on September 20 at 5:00 (via Zoom) with Scott Budde. His talk on “Banking, Investing and the Environment” covered how banks and investment firms finance carbon-intensive industries extracting oil, gas and coal. The talk also included looking at various strategies – and their effectiveness – for changing the behavior of these financial institutions and lowering the world’s carbon footprint. Scott Budde is President and CEO of the Maine Harvest Federal Credit Union--the first deposit-taking institution to focus on building a local sustainable food system--and has done extensive work on responsible investing. He is the author of the book Compelling Returns: A Practical Guide to Socially Responsible Investing and a member of King’s Chapel. EAI Conversations Series | June 21, 2022
The Real Organic Project with Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, co-directors Hosted by Julie Hyde and Bill Wilson, both involved in regenerative farming themselves, two co-directors and co-founders of the Real Organic Project explain how the label "organic" was hijacked by the USDA for use by industrial food operators and the history of their work in starting a "real organic" certification process. Did you know that hydroponically grown vegetables that are not certifiable as organic in the EU can be "organic" as far as the USDA is concerned? Learn about the Real Organic perspective on the evolution of food production and retail in the US and the importance of transparency in the marketplace. Learn ways to seek real organic food for the health of your families and your environment. EAI Conversations Series | April 19, 2022
Indoor Pollution from Gas Cooking with Andee Krasner, MPH Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility Andee Krasner gave a presentation on Electrification for Healthier Homes and Communities, in which she discussed the health effects of indoor pollution from cooking with methane gas. Did you know that pollution from methane gas stoves is the number one cause of asthma in Massachusetts children? That indoor nitrogen dioxide emissions from methane gas stoves often exceeds the limits of outdoor pollution standards? Learn about the issues with gas cooking and the alternative of electric induction cooking. Witness a live demo by Cynthia Perkins of an induction cooktop. EAI Conversations Series | March 15, 2022
From Gas to the Geogrid with Audrey Schulman and Alyssa Rayman-Read of Heet.org (with surprise visit by Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok) Gas isn’t the only way to deliver heat. The persuasive arguments for geothermal districts, championed by HEET, bolster the idea that utilities can come up with something safer and cleaner than heating by gas. The GeoGrid, networked ground source heat pumps, are being installed by Massachusetts gas utilities as a method of providing non-emitting heating and cooling. HEET is a local nonprofit climate-solutions incubator that has brought the GeoGrid concept to the Commonwealth and is pushing it forward. EAI Conversations Series | February 15, 2022
Greening Your Electricity with Sophie Cash, Tom Macdonald, and Loie Hayes, Boston Climate Action Network Municipal aggregation of electricity sources can make it possible for residents and businesses to choose renewable energy at a rate that may be cheaper that the standard rate offered by your electricity provider. These speakers from Boston Climate Action Network explained how the program works and its significance for bringing down greenhouse gases, also cautioning that the same law that made this possible has also been abused by predatory services, particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Get informed and act. For Boston, it's a no brainer! See the speaker slides and our February Action Checklist for info. EAI Conversations Series | January 18, 2022
Addressing Energy Injustices in Massachusetts with Sarah Dooling, Executive Director of Massachusetts Climate Action Network Dr. Sarah Dooling presented the work of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network in addressing energy injustices in MA. Her talk focused on the gas and oil powered peaker plant recently approved by the state for construction in an environmental justice community in Peabody. She outlined how approval of this power plant flies in the face of the climate bill passed last year, and how MCAN has mobilized a community of statewide advocates to support the local Peabody group who are opposing the plant. Environmental Action Initiative 2021 Fall Series: Energy Transition Part 3- Time For action, with members of King's Chapel Environmental Action Initiative.
KC members Dorie Seavey, Betsy Peterson, and Kent Wittenburg presented material on The Future of Heat Act, the initiatives of Mothers Out Front, and the Stop the Peabody Peaker Plant movement, respectively. We concluded with an action checklist for all three initiatives that we hope King's Chapel members and friends will utilize for advocating for clean and safe energy in Massachusetts that will get us to the climate roadmap goals. Cynthia Perkins also led a discussion of what some King's Chapel members are doing in their own lives and homes to meet the challenges. Read our checklist here and join us in taking real action steps. There's no time to waste. |
[Pardon the technical glitches. This was our first time recording a live stream in this setting.]
Click here or on image above to view recording of talk.
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Environmental Action Initiative 2021 Fall Series: Energy Transition Part 2 - The MA Natural Gas System at the Crossroads, with King's Chapel Member and Treasurer Dorie Seavey
King's Chapel Member and Treasurer Dorie Seavey discussed on October 19 the problems of the current Massachusetts natural gas system infrastructure policy. You can read her recently-released report here and the Boston Globe's front page coverage on the topic here. |
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Environmental Action Initiative 2021 Fall Series: Energy Transition Part 1 - The Future of "Natural" Gas?
EAI kicked off its fall programming on the afternoon of September 21 with the first of three meetings on the ongoing energy transition, focusing on fossil, i.e., “natural,” gas. Betsy Peterson gave the main presentation, in which she summarized the problems with using natural gas as an energy and heat source and related her advocacy work with Mothers out Front. |
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EAI Speaker Series: Virtual Seminar on "Beacon Hill Gas Lamps, Gas Leaks, and More"
Beacon Hill's gas lamps are charming-but also have their problems. This very local situation led to King's Chapel members to further study of natural gas, which somehow hasn't caught the public's attention as much as other fossil fuels. Watch the recording of this fascinating seminar that took place on May 25, 2021. EAI Speaker Series: “Regenerative Agriculture + Good Coffee = Abundant Bird Life.”
Long-time King's Chapel member Bill Wilson tells his story of how a coffee business helped preserve over four thousand acres of tropical forest habitat and supports over 2.5 thousand family farms and their workers in Central and South America while protecting over 150 species of migratory and indigenous birds. Regenerative agriculture can help save our planet. Watch the recording. |
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“From a small seed, the King's Chapel Environmental Initiative has grown into a community determined to make a difference for our planet and all life. Enlivened by the Spirit of Life and Love that encompasses us all, they act, vote, lobby, create art, write poetry, change their own patterns, and
plant more seeds within others. May that Spirit of Life and Love continue to bless them and all of you to whom they gift this beautiful art show. May these glimpses of creation lift you to wonder,
so that together we live within this Sacred world, awestruck.”
~ The Rev. Joy Fallon,
Senior Minister, King's Chapel
plant more seeds within others. May that Spirit of Life and Love continue to bless them and all of you to whom they gift this beautiful art show. May these glimpses of creation lift you to wonder,
so that together we live within this Sacred world, awestruck.”
~ The Rev. Joy Fallon,
Senior Minister, King's Chapel