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Creation Care: Blog & Resources

02/13/26 – Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light: MassIPL Denounces EPA Rollback of the Endangerment Finding

Plastics: The Mounting Threat to Public Health
January 28 Webinar, 4 pm

Microplastics pose an increasing threat to our health. They last forever and are everywhere – in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and the products we use. Scientists have linked the particles to serious health problems, including cancer, heart disease, asthma, and disruption of the endocrine and reproductive systems.

Learn with Dr. Philip Landrigan, MD, a pediatrician and epidemiologist and nationally recognized environmental health expert. He directs the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College and the Global Observatory on Planetary Health. Dr. Landrigan has collaborated with other scientists to study the health impacts of plastics throughout their life cycles. He will share the study’s results and give his recommendations for taking bold steps now to reduce plastics and mitigate their health impacts.

Register for Webinar Here

Posted by Medfield Environmental Action (MEA) 1/25/26 Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Needham and the Green Needham Collaborative.

Make a Plan to Go Green!
January 28th 2026, 7:00-8:00 pm webinar
To meet Massachusetts goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, 2040 and 2050, we need to replace our fossil-fuel appliances, including heating/cooling systems, with electric ones as they wear out. When an appliance dies, it is almost always at a time when we need to act immediately. A good plan ensures that we replace appliances before they die, thus avoiding costly last-minute decisions, and at worst, installing another fossil-fuel model.

“Love Your Neighbor, Love Your World”: Annual Convening with Pennsylvania IPL and MassIPL
Sunday, January 25, 2026, from 2-4 pm | 7 pm evening workshops from Jan. 25-29, 2026 | Online

MassIPL is proud to join our friends at Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light as a co-sponsor of their annual convening, “Love Your Neighbor, Love Your World”, taking place online January 25–29, 2026.

The event opens with a fireside chat with renowned civil rights leader and author Valarie Kaur, followed by a week of evening workshops on tree planting, gardening, organizing skills, and the writings of bell hooks.

Register for free using the promo code MASSIPL. All donations will support our climate work here in Massachusetts. Register here.

01/14/26 MassIPL Newsletter: Links for January to Pray, Act, and Mobilize

https://www.massipl.org/

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1/11/26 RecycleSmartMA: Saving a Lifetime of Waste
See YouTube video link. Deconstructiing, Reusing, Repurposiing, Recycling

12/10/25 – Your Green Holiday Checklist | Green America

12/5/25 – Recycle Smart MA Recycle-Palooza Live on YouTube + Big Recycling News!

Paper cups are now officially recyclable in Massachusetts! 🥳 This includes paper coffee cups, Dixie cups, and the paper cups used for fountain drinks. We hope you will help us spread the word by sharing this news with friends and family.

12/3/25 – Sustainable Medfield. Sustainability Handbook, 16 pp. pdf: Final Sustainability Handbook Dec. 1.pdf

11/3/25 – Climate Changemakers/The Climate Reality Project:

COP is the global climate conference. The next one, COP 30 in Brazil, runs November 10–21

COP 101: An Introduction to International Climate Negotiations | The Climate Reality Project

11/21/25 – Sustainable Wellesley: How To Buy, Store, Consume and Dispose of Food To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
With 30-40% of all food produced globally getting wasted, this is a timely topic heading into the holidays.

how TO buy, store, consume & dispose of food To reducE greenhouse gas emissions – SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY

FYI the Town of Wellesley Recycling & Distribution Facility (RDF) Superintendent is James Manzolini, of Sherborn.

Nov. 12 – Recycle Smart Mass Newsletter: Last Call! Register for the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle-Palooza Road Trip!

October 22, 2025 World Resources Institute: State of Climate Action 2025 | World Resources Institute

MassRecycle News, Thu., Oct. 2

Battery EPR Fact Sheet Raw File.pptx

Contact your local City or Town Officials and get them to support this effort to recycle all lithium batteries.

MassRecycle ACTION ALERT!
Support Letters for Battery Stewardship Needed

We are requesting municipalities to submit a letter of support to the House Ways and Means Committee for the battery stewardship bill, H.968.
Here are some resources to help you compose your message to the House.

Our template letter is a great place to start.
Battery stewardship fact sheet
Top 10 Reasons to Support Battery Stewardship.

Please note that support letters submitted by November 19th will carry the most weight with state representatives. When emailing a support letter to state legislators, please cc: masspsc@massrecycle.org.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
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Anabaptist World: Creation Justice Ministries: (www.creationjustice.org)
Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World
(with multi-denominational Resource Downloads)

Hi friends,

Last week was very hot in Massachusetts, but fortunately for us, the heat dome only stayed in place for few days, giving us the opportunity to cool down a bit this weekend.

Want to learn more about the extreme weather we are seeing? Here are some heat/ weather related talks for you to watch/rewatch:

– Living on Borrowed Time:
Author Jeff Goodell and Dr. Mike Flannigan discuss the effects of the heat on the health of people and the impact of wild fires.

– Analyzing Clouds and Climate Change:
In this Science For the Public’s show, Daniel Cziczo. Professor and Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University, explains how the planet overheat impacts clouds formation and behavior.

– Designing Climate Resilience:
In this talk from 2018, the Boston Society of Architects explores district-wide approaches to climate adaptation that are relevant throughout the Greater Boston area where sea levels rise and flooding increases due to climate change that are forcing us to think, design and plan better.

6/17/24 EDF – Videos
The climate power of soil (edf.org)

Sustainable Wellesley, Oct. 7, 2025:
Ah…Quieter Landscaping || Skip Some Take Out Plastic || Get Free Fall Seeds || Save Time by Leaving The Leaves
1. Fall Seed Collection and Winter Sow Workshop – SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY
2. Ah… Hear That. Its So Quiet! – SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY
3. BYO. Skip The Stuff – SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY
4. Leave the Leaves – SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY

9/25/24 Earth Justice
What Project 2025 Would Do to the Environment – and How We Will Respond – Earthjustice

9/24/24 Earth 911
Podcast: Raising Healthy Kids | Dog-Friendly Fitness | Special Climate Week Event | National Public Lands Day | Reduce Laundry Microplastic Pollution

9/22/24 Earth 911
Laundry Detergent: Powder, Pour, Or Pods? | 7 Food Ingredients Kids Should Avoid | Plant-Based Le ather Update | Best Of Podcast: Cotopaxi’s Annie Agle | Earth911 Inspiration: Consumer s Have Power

blackearthcompost.com

9.17.24 Earth 911
Podcast: Nadina Galle On The Nature Of Our Cities | Ecosystem Services | What’s Greener, Delivery Or The Store? | Carbon-Cutting Tech | Fast Fashion, It Ain’t Cheap

9.13.24 Earth 911
Toddler Pillow Choices | Reduce Food Waste | Hot To Recycle Shredded Paper | Best of Podcast: Wall Street Green Digital | Fast Fashion Isn’t Cheap

9/10/24 – Earth 911
Podcast: Cemvita’s CO2 Innovation | Recycle Nespresso Pods | Broken Is The New New | Recycle Paint Right | Fight Fleas Naturally

9/6/24
Recycle Or Dispose Of Herbicides | Meat Labeling Win & Miss | Natural Carpet Cleaning | Best of Podcast: Geothermal Heat Pumps | Good News From Jane Goodall

8/30/24 Earth 911
Range Anxiety Addressed | Recycling Mystery: Brick | Reuse & Recycle Frozen Juice Packaging | Best Of Podcast: Saving Krill In The Southern Ocean | A Complex Being

8/26/24 Earth 911
Podcast: Room & Board’s Sustainable Furniture | Green School Year Swaps | Landmarks At Risk | Guilt-Free Pet Toys | Leave Nature In Nature

8/22/24 Columbia Climate School

Earth Series Webinar
Monday, September 30, 2024 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Virtual Event

Please join us for the Climate School’s virtual Earth Series event, featuring Jess Fanzo and Michael Puma on the topic of food systems and climate change. Register here.

Columbia Climate School
Supporter Newsletter | August 2024

Extreme Heat Workshop Results
www.columbiaspectator.com/news

8/21/24 – Recycle Smart MA
Closing the Loop

8/20/24 – Podcast: USEFULL Brings Reuse To Cafeterias | 7 Labor Day Tips | How To Home Energy Audit | Plan Your Low-Water Garden | Food Waste Impact

8/18/24 – Envionmental Defense Fund
TED talk: Solving the methane problem

8/18/24
Recycling Mystery Three Ring Binders

Earth911.com

Earth Justice – earthjustice.org/

July 9, 2025

Recycle Smart MA
Appliance Recycling; NOT Disposal: What in the World Is a White Good?

July 8, 2025

Join Plastic Free July with a month’s worth of suggestions and actions you can take: Lots of links. Click on a calendar date.

Participate in Plastic Free July! – Green Needham

10 Things You Can Do to Fight Climate Change
September Blog Article(s)

Page on COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties, the United Nations effort to address Climate Change, which has just concluded.

Visit the COP28 Resources page

10/28/22
10/25/22
10/21/22
10/18/22
10/14/22
10/11/22
10/7/22
10/4/22

9/30/22
9/26/22
9/23/22
9/20/22

9/13/22

9/7/22

This feature length documentary takes audiences on a cinematic journey around the world, telling the story of our planet through shocking testimonials, poignant accounts from indigenous people most affected by our ever-changing planet, globally renowned figures and leading scientists.

Confronting and entertaining, this documentary makes audiences question their everyday choices. Featuring a wealth of world-renowned contributors, including Sir Richard Branson and Tony Robbins, it has a message of hope that will empower audiences.

9/2/22

7/29/22

7/17/2022

7/16/22

7/13/22

7/8/2022

7/6/22

7/5/22

04/29/22

Hear about Pilgrim Church’s Solar Energy Project from Peter Liffiton, Project Chair, in this video recording of Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light webinar recording:

4/28/22

04/08/22

04/07/22

MassIPL Houses of Worship Solar Forum video (1:19:00) – April 7, 2022
Pilgrim Church is one of three presenters; Peter Liffiton tells about the progress underway at (27:45)

04/06/22
Films

MASSPIRG May 3, 2022
For the first time ever, microplastics have been found in the lungs of living people. Humans are exposed to plastics in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink, so much so that we consume up to a credit card’s worth of plastic each week. Evidence is mounting that plastics impact our health, and we need to take action before it’s too late. Donate today.

Microplastics are everywhere on our planet — from the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of our deepest ocean. Given the scope of the contamination, human exposure to microplastics was bound to be inevitable. But the question now is: How will this impact our health?

Here are a few things we know right now:

In March, scientists discovered microplastics in human blood, which demonstrates that these tiny particles can travel around the body and get caught in vital organs.
People have been known to develop disease after being exposed to high levels of microplastics.
There is concern among the medical community, as microplastics have been shown to damage human cells in the laboratory.
There’s no time to waste when it comes to tackling our plastic waste crisis — and one of the most immediate things we can do is ban the single-use plastics that we just don’t need.
Of all microplastic samples taken from human lungs, the two most prominent kinds of plastics found were those used to make the single-use plastic bottles and plastic packaging we see all around us every day.

Nothing we use for a few minutes should persist in the environment for hundreds of years — especially when it makes its way into our bodies and threatens our health.

1. Damian Carrington, “Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for first time,” The Guardian, April 6, 2022.
2. Reuters Staff, “You may be eating a credit card’s worth of plastic each week,” Reuters, June 11, 2019.
3.- 7 Damian Carrington, “Microplastics found deep in lungs of living people for first time,” The Guardian, April 6, 2022.
8. “Beyond Plastic,” U.S. PIRG, last accessed April 13, 2022. More facts.

Electric Cars Coming Soon (Webinar September 28, 2022)
  • Webinar recording
  • State Incentives
  • Federal tax credit on our incentives page
  • Blog about Inflation Reduction Act and the federal tax credit, plus webinar recording on the same topic.
  • More information on VinFast battery subscription service. Customers will pay a monthly subscription fee where VinFast bears the responsibility for battery repairs, maintenance, and replacement costs to provide a worry-free experience for the life of the vehicle.
  • To stay involved, check out our Get Involved page to learn how to become an EV Ambassador, sign-up for our newsletter, and become part of the Drive Green Community on Facebook.

This Massachusetts Bottle Bill has been hotly debated from the beginning, and continues to be a source of contention. MassRecycle has a new section of our website: Helping You Understand the Massachusetts Bottle Bill. This resource provides a backstory of how the Bottle Bill came to be in Massachusetts, what was different about recycling then, how the landfill capacity crisis got us to start diverting solid waste, and presents some of the arguments for and against the currently proposed legislation. We hope that you will take the time to look further into this important issue.

Two bills are currently under review by the Massachusetts Legislature to expand the scope of the Massachusetts Bottle Bill. The Bottle Bill was enacted in 1982 and placed a $0.05 deposit on glass, metal, or plastic containers holding carbonated soft drinks, mineral water, beer, or other malt beverages. Bill S.2149/H.3289 An Act to expand the bottle bill, and Bill S.2159/H.3345 An Act relative to the proper disposal of miniatures. S.2149/H.3289 propose to increase the bottle deposit from $0.05 to $0.10, and expand the types of containers included. Bill S.2159/H.3345 seeks to assign deposits to miniatures or “nips”.

The two proposed bills are linked below. Be informed.

H.3345
H.3289

MassRecycle Bottle Bill Page

3/11/22

Levels of Recognition

“The Green Congregation Challenge has four levels of recognition, designed to help your church grow step-by-step in your environmental awareness and action. Each level has five categories: Educate; Organize; Reduce, Reuse, Rethink; Connect; and Advocate. Engaging actions from each category will help you integrate creation care throughout the life of your church!”

Level One – Southern New England Conference of the UCC (sneucc.org)
Level Two – Southern New England Conference of the UCC (sneucc.org)
Level Three – Southern New England Conference of the UCC (sneucc.org)
Level Four – Southern New England Conference of the UCC (sneucc.org)

SNEUCC Local Green Congregations
Congregational Church Needham Level 1 2012
Congregational Church Weston Level 1 2012
Church of the Covenant Boston Level 1 2013
Wellesley Congregational Level 1 2013
First Congregational Holliston Level 1 2014
Plymouth Church Framingham Level 1 2020
Edwards Church Framingham Level 2 2018
Grace Congregational Framingham Level 3 2015
Elliot Church Newton Level 3 2016
First Congregational Natick Level 3 2019
Old South Church Boston Level 4 2022

Creation Care Voter Pledge

Links to Local Communities:
Ashland Sustainability Ashland Sustainability | Facebook
Sustainable Living Dover Sustainable living Dover | Facebook
City of Framingham Sustainability | City of Framingham, MA Official Website (framinghamma.gov)
Town of Holliston Sustainability | Town of Holliston MA
Sustainable Medfield Sustainable Medfield
Medway Energy and Sustainability Committee Energy and Sustainability Committee | Town of Medway MA
Town of Millis Energy Committee Town of Millis, MA Energy Committee | Facebook
Sustainable Natick Sustainable Natick | Facebook
Sustainability | Natick, MA – Official Website (natickma.gov)
Needham Green Needham
First Parish Needham Unitarian Universalist – Our Green Building (uuneedham.org)
Sustainable Sherborn https://www.sustainablesherborn.org/
Sustainable Wellesley SUSTAINABLE WELLESLEY – Home
https://www.sustainablewellesley.org
Other Links
Jewish Climate Action Network Home-Jewish Climate Action Network-MA
350Mass For a Better Future Project  Home – 350 Massachusetts (betterfutureproject.org)
350MA Upper Charles Climate Action Node | Facebook
Citizens Climate Lobby – Climate Solutions Caucus Citizens’ Climate Lobby | Solutions to Climate Change (citizensclimatelobby.org)
Boston Metro West Citizens Climate Lobby – Boston Metro West | Facebook
Cool Congregations Cool Congregations
Green Energy Consumers Alliance Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Green Energy Consumers Alliance Get advice on heat pumps
Green Energy Consumers Alliance To sign up for our heat pump referral list and other services from Abode:
Heat pumps with Abode (greenenergyconsumers.org)
For more information about heat pumps and other home
electrification(from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center):		 Join the Clean Energy Transformation
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (masscec.com)
To lower the operating cost of electric heating, consider solar panels for your home or community solar and/or municipal aggregation: Your solar options | Green Energy Consumers Alliance and/or Green Municipal Aggregation | Green Energy Consumers Alliance
Inflation Reduction Act How much money will you get with the Inflation Reduction Act? — Rewiring America
Interfaith Power and Light Interfaith Power and Light | Faith in action for a safe climate
Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light (massipl.org)
Massachusetts Sierra Club  Massachusetts Chapter | Sierra Club
Zero Carbon Home – David Green, Dover Net-Zero Carbon (greenzerocarbonhome.com)

  1. Act On Mass, 35 Kenwood St., Dorchester Center, MA Act On Mass
  2. Amazon Frontlines, 429 Bush St. Suite 300 , S.F. CA Amazon Frontlines – Defending indigenous rights to land, life and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest.
  3. Amazon Watch, Oakland, CA; Washington, D.C. Amazon Watch | Protecting the rainforest and our climate in solidarity with Indigenous peoples
  4. Center For Biological Diversity, Tucson, AZ Center for Biological Diversity
  5. Charles River Watershed Association, Boston, MA Charles River Watershed Association – Home (crwa.org)
  6. Clean Water Action, Washington, D.C. Clean Water Action | Action for Clean Water Since 1972
  7. Clean Water Action, Boston, MA Massachusetts | Clean Water Action
  8. Climate Reality Project
  9. Climate Science Awareness and Solutions, NY, NY Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions (columbia.edu)
  10. Earth Justice-Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer Earthjustice: Environmental Law: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer | Earthjustice San Francisco, CA
  11. Environmental Action, Boston, MA Environmental Action (environmental-action.org)
  12. Environment America, Inc. Home – Environment America
  13. Environment Massachusetts, Boston Home – Environment Massachusetts (environmentamerica.org)
  14. Environmental League of Massachusetts The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM)
  15. Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth • Homepage (foe.org)
  16. Global WarmingSolutions Global Warming Solutions (globalwarmingproblemsolvers.com)
  17. Green America Green Living Magazine Welcome to Green America | www.greenamerica.org
  18. Green Energy Consumers Alliance Green Energy Consumers Alliance
  19. Green Peace, USA Greenpeace USA: For People and Planet
  20. League of Conservation Voters League of Conservation Voters – Our Earth Is Worth Fighting For (lcv.org)
  21. Mass PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Home – MASSPIRG
  22. Mass Climate Action Network Massachusetts Climate Action Network (massclimateaction.org)
  23. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) NRDC
  24. The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy: A World Where People & Nature Thrive
  25. North American Megadam Resistance Alliance
  26. No Fracked Gas in Mass – Berkshire Environmental Action Team (thebeatnews.org)
  27. No Fracked Gas in Mass | www.nofrackedgasinmass.com – @NFGiM (wordpress.com)
  28. Home – Oceana – Protecting the World’s Oceans
  29. Vegan News, Plant Based Living, Food, Health & more | Plant Based News
  30. Rainforest Action Network – Fighting for People and Planet (ran.org)
  31. Stand.earth – For a stable climate and healthy forests. Join us and take action.
2024 IP&L Common Ground Resource Links
(Includes multiple videos including 2023’s Kiss The Ground):
Recycling
Earth911.com – More Ideas – Less Waste Earth911 – More Ideas, Less Waste
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful Keep Massachusetts Beautiful | clean, green & litter-free
Sherborn Recycling Recycling Committee | Sherborn MA
Sherborn Recycling Guide (pdf)
Recycling in Massachusetts Recycling in Massachusetts | Can I Recycle This| Recycle Smart MA
Recycling Research & Guides Recycling Center Search & Recycling Guides – Earth911
UTEC Mattress utec-mattress.org
Podcasts
Farm and Open Space Preservation
American Farmland Trust Farmland.org
The Trustees of Reservations – People, Places, Perpetuity thetrustees.org
Sudbury Valley Trustees svtweb.org
Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation: @SavingPlaces savingplaces.org
Historic New England historicnewengland.org

Note: if anyone would like to suggest an important resource link to share, please submit it to me. I would like to make this an interactive site