Latest News

01/02/2008 -  January EarthSpirit Team Meeting: Wednesday, January 2nd [ More >> ]

01/02/2008 -  EarthSpirit "Global Climate Change" Lecture, January 23rd, at the San Diego Natural History Museum. [ More >> ]

11/06/2007 -  Latest Earthy Encouragement and articles from the EarthSpirit team in the church newsletters, The Window or First Words. [ More >> ]

11/06/2007 -  Action Alert - The EarthSpirit Team expects that a resolution in support of a citywide Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention ordinance will be introduced to San Diego City Council in January. [ More >> ]

Environmental Group Seeks Full Protection for Polar Bear

Court Challenge Filed to Overturn Bush Administration “Special Rule” That Undercuts Protection for Polar Bear
SAN FRANCISCO (May 20, 2008) – The Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council have initiated legal action challenging the Bush administration’s attempt to reduce protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. In court papers the groups sought to overturn a “special rule” issued by the Department of the Interior at the same time the polar bear was listed as a “threatened” species. The rule reduces the full protections the polar bear would otherwise receive under the Endangered Species Act. The groups filed the legal papers late Friday, May 16. For more information, go to the Natural Resources Defense Council, http://www.nrdc.org

Al Gore Receives Nobel Peace Prize !

Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and lay the foundations for counteracting it.

He responded saying "I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This award is even more meaningful because I have the honor of sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change--the world's pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis--a group whose members have worked tirelessly and selflessly for many years. We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level."

About EarthSpirit

The Mission of the EarthSpirit Team is to develop environmental awareness and model personal and institutional stewardship of the natural world. [ More >> ]

Enviro Tips

Have you had your FREE Residential Water Survey? The Residential Water Survey Program is a FREE service offered through the City of San Diego Water Department to help you save water inside and outside your home, and lower your water bill. By using water wisely, you not only help preserve our natural resources, but also save money. This city-wide program is available to our single-family and small multi-family customers. During the water survey appointment you will learn how to use water more efficiently. A typical participating household can reduce their average daily water consumption by 13% or more.

During your water survey appointment, you will receive some of the following:

• Low-flow showerheads if needed
• Faucet aerators if needed
• Drip gauge to measure faucet leaks
• 5-minute shower timer
• Sponge
• Water and energy saving literature
• Xeriscape information, including a list of low-water use plants
• Hose end nozzle, if needed
• California native plant seeds
• Plumbing handbook

For information and appointments call: 619-570 -1999. Please have your account number available.

Recycle E-Waste! BE GREEN! : An electronics recycling event will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Balboa Tennis Club (2221 Morley Field Dr.) Please bring for recycling any old Computers, Monitors, Laptops, TV’s, Printers, Cell Phones, FAX machines, VCR and DVD players, Stereos, Cameras, Scanners, etc. Free and easy drop-off. Proceeds Benefit Chaz Griffin Recovery. Please do not bring any appliances or batteries. They will not be accepted for recycling.

Check out vintage clothes: Second-hand clothes are more environmentally friendly than new clothes. When you buy something passed down from someone else you avoid consuming new resources and the energy used in producing and shipping new clothes, avoiding the carbon emissions that would have been produced. If you don't like to shop in second-hand stores, invite your friends over for a clothes swap, asking each person to bring a few items to trade.  Have some fun and finish the party with a new wardrobe!

Make a date to ride the trolley : Call up a friend or ask a partner to try out the trolley or bus system in San Diego, making a date out of testing an earth friendly transportation source. Visit a museum in Balboa Park, visit a new part of downtown, or ride to the next sports event you attend. Check out the San Diego Metropolitan System's website for how to use system. [ More >> ]

Earthly Encouragements

Hang up a clothsline! The environmental quality of your wardrobe is ultimately determined by the way you wash it. A recent study by Cambridge University's Institute of Manufacturing found that 60% of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent in washing and drying it. Over its lifetime, a T shirt can send up to 9 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.

The solution is not to avoid doing laundry, tempting as that may be. Rather, wash your clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot, and save up to wash a few big loads rather than several smaller ones. When the clothes are clean, dry them the natural way, by hanging them on a line instead of loading them in a dryer.  Altogether you can reduce the C02 created by your laundry up to 90%.