A Rocha Canada

We are so excited to have climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe as keynote speaker for our online event "Streams of Hope: A Rocha Canada's 20th Anniversary" on November 6! Katharine is a unique and powerful voice on stewarding the earth from a place of hope and knowledge. As A Rocha Canada celebrates the past 20 years and looks to the future, Dr. Hayhoe shares her story, guidance towards action, and a message of hope. Don't miss it, and register for this free event! https:/.../fb.me/e/6TGeJPabp Watch Katharine in action in a recent appearance with Jimmy Kimmel (... and try not to fall down the rabbit hole of her numerous amazing talks and videos): https://youtu.be/LVjmGVufADk #arochacanada20

The second season of the Field Notes podcast by A Rocha is in full flight! Last month, Peter Harris and Byrony Loveless spoke with Enric Sala, National Geographic's Explorer-in-Residence, to talk about the transformative power of nature. Get your biweekly dose of conservation conversations and listen in by visiting the link below.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada has completed a comprehensive assessment of the conservation needs and opportunities in southern Canada. The first of its kind, the Conservation Assessment for Southern Canada (CASC) includes an analysis of many factors, including endangered species and habitats, land use and wildlife corridors. The Boreal Ecology Centre, Cedar Haven Eco-Centre and Brooksdale Environmental Centre all reside in crisis or priority ecoregions, affirming the need for our conservation work, and your partnership, to continue! https://arcg.is/90m5n1

Have you ever been somewhere that made you feel closer to God? Perhaps when you sit on the edge of a particular lake or river, or when you walk through a cemetery? This experience of heightened awareness of God is parallel to a concept that is at the heart of Celtic Christian spirituality called thin places. Read all of Justin's thoughts on this below: https://arocha.ca/lifting-the-veil-between-heaven-and-eart/

It's time! Sign ups for our Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program have officially opened for the 2021 season! Choosing to be a member of our CSA at the Brooksdale Environmental Centre means you will be joining in on local, seasonal eating from June to October! Learn more about our Sustainable Agriculture program and sign up at arocha.ca/csa

"We are inextricably part of and interdependent on the rest of creation. Thus, environmental issues are also people problems, both in that they impact people and in that we are often part of the cause and/or solution." Ben Lowe, Chairperson of A Rocha USA and International Trustee of A Rocha, explains that what we choose to center our lives on determines how we relate to creation. He also gives great suggestions on practical steps Christians can take towards caring for creation! https://www.christianitytoday.com//climate-care-as-neighbo

Ready to foster your heart for creation in just 5 steps? Try out this workshop activity from Cindy Verbeek, our Northern BC Coordinator, and let us know how it goes. We hope this helps you on your journey to care for creation! Map your neighbourhood Brainstorm the issues... Who are the creation keepers? What can you do to join in? Pick one thing and do it For more details on how to actually do this, check out our blog post: https://arocha.ca/map-your-neighbourhood/

There's judging a book by its cover, and then there's judging a carrot by its blemishes! Let's #StopFoodLossWaste!

Composting isn't typically imagined in a winter setting, but it's actually a great place to reflect on your faith! "For Christians, winter composting offers more than just higher output and more benefits for our gardens in the spring. The act of frozen composting is also an opportunity to reflect on our faith. Winter composting does not involve much activity; instead, it is all about waiting. In this way, composting in colder temperatures is like one long Easter Saturday." Learn more about the connection between compost and Easter here: https://arocha.ca/winter-composting-and-waiting-for-easter/

Matt Humphrey, our Director of Theological Education, recently featured in the National Observer speaking about climate change, environmental stewardship, and the wonder of the world. Take a look!

Happy New Year from A Rocha! 2020 has made us all a little crazy but we are excited to have a fresh start to 2021!

We've done it! Our series on getting to know our local watersheds is now complete for your enjoyment! We linked our past blogs from BC and Manitoba so you can see the diversity across Canada for yourself. Take the challenge and see how much you know about your local watershed by answering the questions that we listed. This is a great opportunity to know your place in a new way through a walk through the neighbourhood or your search engine of choice. https://arocha.ca/an-ontario-watershed-moment/

Sometimes (especially on Facebook), memories get brought up of something that happened 2, 5, or even 10 years ago! Come to our YouTube page and you'll find videos of important people, events, and even research we've done in our watersheds from as far back as 12 years ago! We will continue to upload content to our YouTube channel so subscribe there! Sometimes, you may even find a gem like ducklings arriving at the Brooksdale Environmental Centre. Enjoy!... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCNcQq4fW_s See more

What do Pope Francis, Mary Oliver, and Zoe Matties, our Manitoba Program Manager have in common? Pay attention to our new blog post and you may find out

We hosted an A Rocha Talks event last week called Earthkeeping in the City. Whether you just missed it or want to hear it again, we've got you covered with this recording! If you're wondering what creation care looks like within cities or what the future of cities could look like, this is for you! We've also written up a helpful Q&A about the concept of "ecological conversion," "clean" energy, and an EV-filled future. ... https://arocha.ca/earthkeeping-in-the-city-from-backyard-c/

Bannerghatta National Park is home to an amazing diversity of wildlife. However, because it is situated next to Bangalore, a metropolis of 8 million people, the... park is under immense human pressure from increasing agriculture, urbanization, grazing and illegal logging. A Rocha India is working hard, alongside other partners, to protect the park's forest cover. In June 2019, the computer company Dell brought over 360 employees to A Rocha India's Kasserguppe Field Centre and into Bannerghatta to plant trees, with the help of Reaching Hands and the Karnataka Forest Department. This video documents the progress that the saplings, which include 17 different species, have made.

This beautiful picture can bring on different reactions, just like it did for Jeffrey Kiefer, who took this photo. In the beauty of this photo, of God's creation, we find hope and inspiration! We are participating in this redemptive work by seeking the transformation of people and place. What's your hope for the future? #TheWorldWeWant

We have a new episode of our Intro to Birding series out now! Forests are one of the most peaceful places on earth and are also bursting with life and activity. What makes forests unique? What birds might we find there? Jeremy and Claire answer some of these questions as well as highlight some crucial conservation practices to protect forest birds.

As a part of its Climate Change course, A Rocha USA through its Love Your Place program hosted a webinar called Climate Conversations with Dr. Katherine Hayhoe! Listen in for her wisdom on "Is climate changing? Are humans responsible? Why does it matter? What can I do?" If you want to know how to have conversations about climate change, this is for you! https://www.loveyourplace.org/what-is-god-s-creation-tellin

We *can* change climate change together. So, let’s get to work! 44 speakers, 5 musicians and 5 artists from 20 countries are coming together for Countdown a... free, global live streaming event on YouTube! And we want YOU to join them! They’ll be sharing real, actionable ways we can ALL take climate action for a better, fairer, cleaner for everyone! Set an event reminder so you won’t miss a moment: https://tedtalks.social/3jz1hMf See more

On Tuesday, our CEO, Luke Wilson, spoke with Julia Bowering from Canadian Baptist Ministries about A Rocha and what we are all about. The topics ranged from explaining what's happening globally with A Rocha to creation care tips for organizations and households. There was even mention of something called the "A Rocha Worldwide Covenant." Check it all out below!

You may not know but our Internship Coordinator, Whitney Buckner, is a published author! "Taste & See" embodies the hope, love and care that is all a part of our mission! Take a look at the photos and see if you can spot some of our hardworking A Rocha staff and volunteers

In March, Dave Bookless, Director of Theology for A Rocha International, wrote a blog entitled "What virus are you spreading?" Seven months on, the world contin...ues to struggle against COVID-19. However, we continue to trust God is with us in the midst of this crisis. Read his blog here: https://blog.arocha.org/en/what-virus-are-you-spreading/

You may have heard "Eat your vegetables. They're good for you!" growing up. Did you know it's also good for the planet? Integrating a more plant-based diet can have great effects on creation: "By 2050, dietary changes could free up several million square kilometres of land, and reduce global CO2 emissions by up to eight billion tonnes per year, relative to business as usual." The above quote comes from a Nature summary on an IPCC report published in August 2019 on clima...te change and land: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02409-7 To see the full report, check it out here: https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/ #WorldVegetarianDay was just last week so it's not too late to challenge yourself/encourage one another to try #MeatlessMonday or even go vegetarian for the whole month! P.S. Thank you parents for encouraging us to eat our vegetables.

Today is World Habitat Day! Our work in creation care does not exist in a bubble and neither do the actions you take! Part of caring for creation is to care for habitats. This is why our vision is to transform people AND places (arocha.ca/who-we-are-a-rocha-canada/). Check out this UN-HABITAT video to learn more about #WorldHabitatDay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaOwDhXXO7o

A Rocha Kenya has been monitoring the mangrove kingfishers and red-capped robin chats that appear in Watamu, a small coastal town north of Mombasa in Kenya. The...se two species appear in May and leave again in October, but no-one has any idea where they come from. This year, A Rocha Kenya’s science team has been equipping both species with geolocators to uncover their migration patterns. Having already equipped 10 mangrove kingfishers, the challenge was then to catch some red-capped robin chats before they left for their breeding grounds. Last week, as a reward for all their hard work, the team caught two red-capped robin chats. Both birds were re-traps one was originally ringed in May 2018, and the other in May 2016. This is fantastic news for the team, because it means that these two birds are very likely to return again next year hopefully still wearing their tiny backpacks! The challenge for the team next year will be to catch them again, in order to remove the geolocator, and unpack the secret of where they’ve been in between... Read more on this project: https://www.arocha.or.ke//uncovering-the-unknown-migratio/ #ringing #birds #nature

Our Director of Theological Education, Matt Humphrey, appeared on the Regent College Podcast to talk about his history with A Rocha and shed some light on a couple topics. If any of the following intrigues you, lend an ear! Why do we use the word creation and not environment? (11:49) What does wonder have to do with Environmental Education? (13:40) Are you connected to your career or your place? (19:40)... Cultivating love for your place (23:50) What are the one or two things you have to do for creation? (29:43) Carbon emissions and COVID (42:45) https://soundcloud.com/regentpodcast/117-with-matt-humphrey

The Season of Creation may be coming to a close but it's going with a bang! A webinar is being hosted on Thursday October 1 at 10:00am PDT. They will be discussing "A Just Transition for North America" Find out more below!

If you've seen Extinction: The Facts, you may be wondering: How can we have hope in the face of all the facts? In a recent blog post, Dave Bookless responds: "What has given me hope as I’ve known the facts and seen the devastating losses around the world is, quite simply, being part of A Rocha. For 37 years, A Rocha has worked with local communities to study and preserve habitats and species... Most importantly, we know that our work is not in vain because of God’s commitment to his world, and that by prayer God’s Spirit can change human hearts." Check the rest of the post out below

Happy Fall everyone! A friendly reminder: leave the leaves, our friends need these! Important pollinators use leaves to hibernate over the winter so it's much b...etter to leave the leaves and clean up in the spring once the bugs have come back out! If you need to clean up your lawn, put the leaves on your garden or planter beds. Art by @thefarwoods . . . #creation #creationcare #godscreation #arochamanitoba #arochacanada #arocha #sustainability #pollinators #fallishere #environmentaleducation #conservation See more

Today is #ZeroEmissionsDay, a global 24 hour moratorium on the use of fossil fuels. How do you participate? Challenge yourself to stick to these guidelines: 1 Don't use or burn oil or gas or coal. 2 Minimize (or eliminate) your use of electricity generated by fossil fuels. 3 All essential and emergency services operate normally.... 4 Do your best, have fun, enjoy the day! Fun fact! This was started in Nova Scotia in 2008 to "[Give] our planet one day off a year" Check out #zeday at their website: http://zeroemissionsday.org/ Calculate your carbon footprint using our Climate Stewards Calculator: https://arocha.ca/climate-stewards-calculator/

Thanks to all the volunteers who pitch in to help steward creation, whether on-site or off! It's wonderful to see our community coming together to lend a hand.