Restoring Eden

Restoring Eden is a Christian grassroots environmental ministry that works with people to be a voice for the environment and all those who depend on it.

Logo of Restoring Eden
Motto Love, serve, and protect God's creation
Established 2001
Founder and Exec. Dir. Peter Illyn
Homepage www.restoringeden.org

About

Restoring Eden advocates for natural habitats, wild species and indigenous subsistence cultures through raising public awareness and meeting with elected officials for legislation that is healthy for the environment. Restoring Eden is a rapidly growing network of Christians working to become a grassroots movement within the church. They empower Christians to engage in faithful stewardship of the natural world as a biblical, moral, and wise value. Restoring Eden's work can be separated into three categories: nature appreciation, environmental stewardship, and public advocacy.[1]

  • Nature Appreciation- the idea is that through being in nature and loving nature, people will learn to care for it, so this category focuses on basically appreciating nature.
  • Environmental Stewardship- Restoring Eden acts as a resource for households, churches, businesses, and schools, sharing what steps they can take to more lovingly steward creation. They also facilitate practical service projects that directly benefit the creation and the indigenous peoples that rely on healthy natural resources.
  • Public Advocacy- Restoring Eden focuses on advocating for marginalised groups. Whether it is the inhabitants of small island nations that are disappearing due to climate change, the people of Appalachia being impacted by mountaintop removal, the unborn children impacted by pollution from coal plants, or critical ecosystems, Restoring Eden works to serve as an added voice for them in our modern political arena.

History

Restoring Eden was founded by Peter Illyn in 2001. For nine years the Restoring Eden consisted of mainly Peter, who traveled to churches and indigenous cultures, spreading the message of environmental stewardship. This Christian ministry is funded through grants and donors.

Events and activities

Midwest Christian Rock Festivals: Restoring Eden held a booth to raise awareness and collect public comments about coal ash regulations at Cornerstone (IL), Lifest (WI), and Sonshine (MN) in June and July 2010.

In the Wake of Giants & Mountaintop Removal Tour: Summer 2010, Restoring Eden sponsored an exciting Midwest tour to address the devastating practice of mountaintop removal coal mining in central Appalachia. In addition to learning more about the issue itself and ways to get involved, Restoring partnered with the Pittsburgh-based instrumental rock band "In the Wake of Giants."

Climate, Coal, and Your Soul: In March and April 2010, Restoring Eden organized a series of educational events exploring the issues of climate change, coal, and power production and use from a Christian perspective. Restoring Eden traveled to Wheaton College, Augsburg College, Concordia College,[2] and Bethel University for a night led by our staff and local experts.

5th Annual End Mountaintop Removal Week: In early March 2010, Restoring Eden brought a dozen young Christian activists to DC to attend the 5th annual End Mountaintop Removal Week in Washington.

Senate District Meetings - Speaking Truth to Power: Restoring Eden reached out to Christian groups around the country in Spring 2010 to meet with their Senators in their home states. There were a number of these meetings raising the voices of not just college student, but a wide range of Christians.

Bellybutton Christianity - Reconnecting Christian faith to the care of God's creation: Peter Illyn, Restoring Eden's executive director and Tweedy Malagian, a member of the Tavalu clan of the Dove tribe from Papua New Guinea, explored the importance of tribal Christian theology in helping the church rediscover a richer, relational sense of caring for God's creation at the Creation Care Organization's Jubilee conference on February 20, 2010.

Restoring Eden at the Clean Energy Economy Forum: Restoring Eden staff, Alexis Illyn, along with two student representatives were part of an historic youth forum at the White House: the Clean Energy Economy Forum. Over 100 youth leaders gathered, most under the age of 30, from nonprofit, faith, business, and community groups across the country.

'JUSTpower' - Speaking Truth to Power: In October and November 2009, Restoring Eden brought over 70 Christian students to Washington DC to make sure lawmakers don't only hear "business as usual," but the voices of Christians standing up for the protection of God's creation and all of His people.

Ankle Deep in Reality - Restoring Eden Speaking Tours: Restoring Eden teamed up with Sara Kaweesa, a leader of A Rocha Uganda, and Rev. Tafue Lusama, a minister from the South Pacific island of Tuvalu to bring the message that climate change is a reality today. These speaking tours brought first-hand accounts of the real and current impacts of climate change upon the land, families, churches, and the vulnerable communities of Africa and the South Pacific.

Appalachian Witness Tours: In Fall 2009, Restoring Eden, in partnership with Creation Care Organization, hosted one-of-a-kind tours into the heart of Appalachia to learn about mountaintop removal.

Campaigns and issues

PAST

  • Climate Change: Restoring Eden partnered with the Evangelical Environmental Network on the Evangelical Climate Initiative, a declaration by the next generation of Christ followers telling elected and faith leaders that climate change is a moral and biblical crisis that demands action.
  • Endangered Species Protection
  • Say “no” to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge[3]

CURRENT

  • Papua New Guinea Campaign: Restoring Eden, working with the indigenous people has hosted workshops at seminaries and bible colleges to raise awareness as the indigenous people struggle to protect their land.
  • JustPower Campaign: The three goals of this campaign are to stop mountaintop removal mining and other destructive coal mining, replace dependency on dirty coal with clean and renewable energy, and reduce the human causes of greenhouse gas pollution and the impact of climate change upon the poor and the earth.
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References
  1. "FORE: Religion-Christianity-EP-Restoring Eden". Fore.research.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  2. "Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. - Fall 2012 Seminars". Cord.edu. 2012-10-29. Archived from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  3. "Peter Illyn, Restoring Eden". Grist. 2003-03-10. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
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