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More than 100 good neighbors attended a Cool Town
Meeting on Sunday, Nov. 4, at the home of another good neighbor, First
Presbyterian Church. Along with Saturday’s rally outside the federal
building, the meeting was Springfield’s response to the national
“Step It Up 2007: National Day of Climate Action” effort. In
addition to the church, several local environmental groups sponsored the
event. These good neighbors expressed various needs: Some
came to learn ways to reduce carbon emissions; some shared what they have
learned and done to make a difference in cutting back on carbon dioxide.
Many people wanted to know that someone’s taking responsibility for
these serious concerns and how to influence decision-makers who have the
power to do what’s right. A few may have come for cookies and
fair-trade coffee.
Good neighbors all, people you’d like to have
living next door, who pay attention to ways they can help others around
them live a little better, a little healthier — like the neighbor who
brings a meal when you’re ill or the one who shovels snow from your
sidewalk when he’s outside shoveling his. Good neighbors who
recognize that, no matter where we live in the world, we all share the same
air. Good neighbors are what it will take to turn around
the rapidly increasing change in our climate. As University of Illinois at
Springfield professor
Jim Bonacum stated at the meeting, the presumption was that everyone there
was convinced by the evidence of increased global climate change described
by the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
and other environmentalists. Whether our neighbors are individuals,
families, institutions, communities, states, government bodies or
countries, schools, churches, businesses, or the media, we all have a stake
in the future. There couldn’t be a clearer example of how the love
for our children influences the lives of children everywhere for
generations beyond us. Here are some steps you can take to conserve energy: • Flip the switch and contact Congress to slow
global climate change. For more information, go to www.sierraclub.org. • Unplug yourself and save significantly on your
electric bill by unplugging appliances when they’re not in use. • Grow your own and obtain free samples of seeds
for next year’s growing season by contacting Contact Lindsay Record
at 217-498-9707 or go to lindsay@illinoisstewardshipalliance.org. • Measure your carbon footprint at
www.carbonfootprint.com. • Inflate your tires properly to maximize
carbon-emission savings. • Shower with a bucket and save what accumulates
to water plants or fill a container with the cool water that you run while
waiting for warm water. • Compost creatively and get ideas by contacting
Bill Becker at cropdoctor@sbcglobal.net. • Shorten showers by taking the
under-five-minute-shower challenge or by turning off the faucet as you soap
up. • Eat raw — it’s healthier for you
and saves energy. For more information, go to www.living-foods.com. • Join Co-op America and receive a copy of the
National Green Pages. For more information on eco-friendly products and
services, go to www.coopamerica.org. Here are some local organizations that can help you
become a better neighbor: • Community Energy Systems, dedicated to moving
the state of Illinois out of the carbon economy. Contact Doug Nicodemus at
217-620-7031 or go to www.censys.org. • Cool Cities, encouraging Springfield to
develop a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. For information, go to
www.coolcities.us. • The Illinois Stewardship Alliance, supporting
local foods and a healthier food system. Contact Lindsay Record at
217-498-9707 or go to lindsay@illinoisstewardshipalliance.org. • Jubilee Farm, helping people nurture spiritual
growth in harmony with nature. Go to
www.springfieldop.org/benincasa_ministries_at_jubilee_farm.aspx for
information. • The Sangamon Valley Group of the Sierra Club
holds public meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month, its Energy and
Climate Change Committee meets monthly and sends out two monthly e-mail
updates about local action on global-warming and energy issues. Contact
Will Reynolds at willinois@gmail.com. • Within a spirituality of environmental justice
and care for creation framework, the St. Joseph Parish Environmental
Justice Committee has prepared and presented a green parish plan to the
parish council. The plan and future efforts can be found on the Pax Christi
Springfield Web site. Contact Diane Lopez Hughes at 217-544-3997 or go to
www.paxchristispringfield.org. • Sustainable Springfield Inc., an
information-sharing network, promotes activities of all the environmental
organizations in the area, as well as sustainability resources, and hosts a
calendar, a links page on its Web site, and monthly educational programs.
Contact Jim Johnston at jimjohnston@insightbb.com or go to
www.sustainablespringfield.org. • Students Allied for a Greener Earth, a
University of Illinois at Springfield student organization dedicated to
bringing environmental awareness and Earth stewardship to the university
and local community, seeks to promote sustainability, green living, and
positive environmental change locally and globally. Contact Tih-Fen Ting at
tting@uis.edu.
Diane Lopez Hughes is a local environmental activist.
For more on local global climate change initiative, call her at
217-544-3997.
This article appears in Nov 15-21, 2007.
