Creation Care Champions: 8 May 2025

[Susan Meier (she/her)]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

Hear from two Maryland environmentalists with far-reaching impact at our next meeting!

 

See attached flyer and please share it with others . . . 

• Thursday, May 8th, 6:30 PM
• Speakers: Mike Tidwell & Drew Hudson
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

Blessings,

~ Susan Meier on behalf of Charlie Bailey, Larry Ryan, Mydea Reeves-Karpeh & Pastor Carla Christopher

[Susan Meier (she/her)]

I should have stated that we will not meet the first Thursday this month. We've switched our meeting night to May 8th and shifted our start time to 6:30 PM to accommodate our two speakers.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on May 8th at 6:30 PM!

 

Blessings,  

~ Susan

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[Lee Hudson]

Presenter One for may 8-

--

[Lee Hudson]

https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/mike-tidwell-climate-change-takoma-park-KD7WNP4VKRHZ3ETKFWL5AAWQEM/?schk=&rchk=YES&utm_source=The+Baltimore+Banner&utm_campaign=199dfb8e4c-NL_ALRT_MR_20250501_1330&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fed75856d2-199dfb8e4c-617824325&mc_cid=199dfb8e4c&mc_eid=83f5a466c8

[Susan Meier (she/her)]

Reminder about our two guests on Thursday, May 8th  . . . hope you can come (see Zoom link below)!

 

~ Susan

[Susan Meier (she/her)]

Final reminder . . . 

~ Susan

[Susan Meier (she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

Hope to see you at our next meeting, as follows:

• Thursday, June 5th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  • Synod Assembly tabling
  • Questionnaire (QR code thanks to Joshua Long)
  • "Energy Efficiency" Grants
  • Other topics, as desired
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

Blessings,

~ Susan Meier on behalf of Charlie Bailey, Larry Ryan & Mydea Reeves-Karpeh

P.S. 6:30 is the same time as the May gathering, and a new time for this group. I hope it works for folks!

[Susan Meier (she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

Hoping all is well with you and your loved ones!

 

I apologize for not thinking about this sooner but I'm hoping everyone is OK with moving our July meeting to the 3rd Thursday, meaning July 17th at 6:30 PM? (I'll be in Michigan tomorrow evening with Sid's family, and would appreciate the switch.)

• Topics for discussion
  • Roundtable: What's Everyone Been Up To?
  • Lutherans Restoring Creation (LRC)'s campaign for attendees at the Church-wide Assembly in August
  • "Energy Efficiency" Grants
  • "Season of Creation" 2025 - "Peace With Creation"
  • Other topics, as desired
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Susan Meier (she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

Hope to see you at our next meeting, as follows:

• Thursday, July 17th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  • Gregg Jones - Roland Park Community Center event: 9-9-25
  • Everyone's Creation Care Activities/Progress
  • Season of Creation 2025 - "Peace With Creation" - https://seasonofcreation.org/resources/

• • "Energy Efficiency" Grants
  • Other topics, as desired

• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Susan Meier (she/her]]

In the middle of the summer heat, grab a cold drink and aim a cooling fan at yourself and find respite with fellow Creation Care folks . . . see below for tonight's Zoom link 

 

~ Susan

[Lee Hudson]

Thanks, Susan--

to all,

I'll be at the Good Trouble rally in Annapolis Thursday, but I owe you an update on a number of matters.

1} I've looked into Annabel's comment about sb931, community solar, and questions regarding its effect on ag- and preservation, zoning and planning, in rural counties. Here's what I learned: A public petition circulated in Shore counties in May and June to send sb931 to voters as a ballot referendum. The initiative is a project of Montgomery Countryside Alliance, a new organization started for the purpose. Here's how it was framed: The bill directs the Public Service Commission to approve solar projects on 5% of each county's priority preservation areas (farmland and forest conservation areas) - upending the decades of time and taxpayer funds spent to conserve these areas all across the state. This framing got traction among Shore farming interests. Their stated concern, covered in June by "The Kent County News", is that the bill incentivizes a Shore land rush because solar developers offer more per-acre than farming will. I re-read the bill, its support and opposition testimony, talked to the "Kent County News" reporter, to a delegate, and to a policy staffer for the Senate committee that heard the bill. I had never seen anything in it directing the PSC to approve solar projects on farm- and forest-land. The bill raised a regulatory cap on land that may be considered available solar from 2.5% to 5%. The process for considering--and approving--a permit for a solar project has always resided with the PSC. The bill explicitly defines this process and privileges counties, residents, and affiliated stakeholders with voice and seats at process tables. All established agri- and timberland preservation and conservation regulations are explicitly maintained. The PSC regulates any generation project producing more than 2MW of electricity, solar or otherwise, because of grid connection. The framing appears to be referencing Piedmont Reliability property seizures, which the PSC doesn't regulate because PJM does (see 2} next on that). Pressures on farmers and farming are real. The bill can't and doesn't tell any property owner what can be done with it. The staffer and I talked about where pressures on farming come from: not from solar; from corporate agri-business control of markets, resources, and production methods. Some farmland can and may go to solar (if you go north to NY, VT and other states you will see solar farming). But the bill specifies when and if solar sites are retired how it shall be done safely with restoration requirements. Because Countryside Alliance stood up abruptly and singles out solar with deceptive messaging, it reads to me like an astro-turf project. Public reporting hasn't identified organization principals or funders. Eventually they'll have to file some kind of disclosure because they organized for a ballot question. Perhaps we'll know more someday.

2} I signed the Synod on to this letter circulated to environmental interests regarding a procedural process at PJM about grid connection and green energy (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZ9l1J15o956EXX3DO2OXMkb0X8_PJ8mDNSiT5eHBCaBXxHQ/viewform). You may remember the subject was part of what Drew Hudson talked about at the May CC meeting, holding green electrons off the regional grid to privilege private, corporate interests that control its energy supply. The letter was anodyne and we've been on the public record supporting decarbonizing in MD for a quarter century.

3} Bonnie Sorak of IPC requested that we re-circulate or remind people of their partnership pledge; Do you know of a congregation that hasn't signed our IPC Partner Congregation Pledge yet? If so, please consider telling them to sign HERE! FYI-

4} The Bay watershed agreement, which is the policy instrument that directs Bay restoration, is being revised--again. No target deadline established has ever been met after spending billions on efforts. A lot of what the update apparently seeks to do is move the goalposts. I'm going to comment from the Synod after I wade through the draft to see what our position can be. Your comments as creation advocates are appropriate if others want to make them. It's a public process. (https://marylandmatters.org/2025/07/07/revised-chesapeake-bay-agreement-public-comment/)

5} I'm working on a blurb for the Synod e-letter to remind individuals and congregations that there are options available for purchasing green electrons. Electricity from the current generation fleet will not keep up with demand and its price is set at auction on PJM. So it's going to keep rising sharply. Buying green energy is a hedge because there is no commodity in its cost.

6} The current legislative leadership plan is to override the Governor's veto of the RENEW act, rather than re-introduce it. That will get it into effect sooner. The Governor vetoed it because he said it cost too much to calculate how much carbon has cost MD how much money. That role was assigned to the Comptroller. However, private philanthropy stepped in to finance some consulting services to begin researching, and the Governor's office has let that proceed. With an override in January the RENEW act will stay on schedule. I can set CC up with a presenter to brief you on it, if you want.

and the holy #

7} At the end of the session I wrote that removing incineration from the renewable portfolio had failed again. That was incorrect. The actual bill to do that did fail, but removing incineration was inserted into the larger leadership energy package (some of which we liked and some we didn't--nukes, for example) and that bill passed. As is said in the print press, I deeply regret the error.

Peace,

Lee

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[Margaret Brack]

Susan,

I originally was going to join the Zoom, but I am going to be going to the Good Trouble gathering from 6-7:30pm this evening.

Wishing you all a good meeting!

Margaret+

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This message came from the DE-MD Synod's Creation Care Ministry Group members. We seek to be helpful so please send an email to act...@creationcarede-md.org if you believe you are receiving too many emails from this group. Thank you for your feedback.
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[DE-MD Creation Care Ministry]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

REMINDER: Hope to see you! 

• Thursday, August 21st, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics

• • Everyone's Creation Care Activities/Progress
  • Season of Creation 2025 - "Peace With Creation" - https://seasonofcreation.org/resources/

• • REMINDER - Roland Park Community Center event: Sep 9th (7-8:30 PM)
  • SUN-DAY - Sunday, September 21st - https://thirdact.org/sun-day/
  • Other topics, as desired
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

REMINDER: Hope to see you! 

• Thursday, 25 September 2025, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  • Remembering Lee Hudson
  • Acknowledging the health and other concerns of our members
  • Congregation/organization updates
  • SUN-DAY - Sunday, September 21st - How did it go? https://thirdact.org/sun-day/
  • Other topics, as desired
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

REMINDER: Hoping you'll find joy in attending this month's meeting! 

• Thursday, 16 October 2025, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  • Opening thoughts
  • Congregation/organization updates
  • Looking toward 2026
  • Other topics, as desired
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

Blessings,

~ On behalf of Charlie Bailey, Larry Ryan, Mydea Reeves-Karpeh and Susan Meier

 

[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry and Friends,

 

REMINDER: This month's meeting is almost here! 

• Thursday, 20 November 2025, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  • Congregation/organization updates
  • Grant Applications - we've received 8 so far! 

• • Looking toward 2026
  • Other topics, as desired

• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Margaret Brack]

I have moved to Bellevue, Nebraska. Please remove my name & address from your mailing list. Your work is so very important!

Rev. Margaret Brack

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This message came from the DE-MD Synod's Creation Care Ministry Group members. We seek to be helpful so please send an email to act...@creationcarede-md.org if you believe you are receiving too many emails from this group. Thank you for your feedback.
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[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Ministry Friends,

 

REMINDER: Help chart our course for 2026!

• Thursday, 18 December 2025, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• Topics
  
  • Grant Applications - what projects are being funded?
  • Congregation/organization updates

• • Looking toward 2026
  • Other topics, as desired

• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[DE-MD Creation Care - Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Friends,

 

Our guest educator for January will be Bonnie Sorak [long-time Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake (IPC) leader and frequent "co-conspirator" of Deacon Laura Heller].

 

Bonnie is now a leader at Serenity Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery and Arboretum, the first all natural burial Cemetery in Maryland. She will share her knowledge and answer our questions.

 

Other burial/cremation alternatives that reduce our impact on Mother Earth will be planned for upcoming meetings, as interest dictates . . . 

• Thursday, 15 January 2026, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

Blessings,

~ On behalf of Charlie Bailey, Larry Ryan, Mydea Reeves-Karpeh, Pastor Carla Christopher and Susan Meier

 

[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Fellow Earthlings,

 

Friendly reminder . . . in one hour . . . see Zoom link below . . . 

 

Blessings,

~ Susan, Charlie, Sis Mydea, Larry and Pastor Carla

---------- Original Message ----------

From: "DE-MD Creation Care - Susan Meier [she/her] " <suzi-or...@comcast.net>

To: "creation-care-...@googlegroups.com" <creation-care-...@googlegroups.com>

[DE-MD Creation Care - Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Friends,

 

Our guest educator for February will be Pastor Melody Hession who is following in the very large footsteps of Pastor Lee Hudson, who  advocated on behalf of the Delaware-Maryland Synod until his sudden death at the end of the summer.

 

Pastor Melody will share her insight into the legislative process and offer suggestions about how we can have our voices heard in Annapolis and beyond. Advocacy has always seemed like such a huge task to me, and I'm looking forward to learning otherwise!

• Thursday, 19 February 2026, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

[Melody Hession]

Hello All,

Thank you all so much for having me on your call last night. It was truly a pleasure to meet you. I hope you don't mind if I join your future calls sometimes too. Even if you aren't talking about legislative advocacy, I'm just curious to know more about the team and what you all are up to! 

Here is the follow-up information for the bills I talked about last night. And first, HERE is the tool to look up your state delegate(s) and senator.

1. The Bottle Bill (HB331/SB342)

Target: Contact the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee members if one of them is your direct representative, or you could contact Chair Feldman saying that you would like a favorable report so that your representative can have the opportunity to vote on it. We are targeting the Senate committee because the House committee has historically voted this bill favorably out of their committee, but you can also contact the house committee members if you'd like.

The Maryland bottle bill would institute a deposit-refund system to reduce the burden of litter and trash on the environment and local governments. Ten other states have already enacted such systems, which are highly effective in reducing beverage-container litter in our waterways and along our roadsides, as well as lowering trash management burdens on local governments. About 5.5 billion beverage containers are sold in Maryland annually, and only a quarter are currently recycled. This legislation is designed to increase that level to 90 percent.

*Charlie, I double checked and in fact, retailers are going to be fully reimbursed for all expenses related to any of the infrastructure for the bottle return program! The Chesapeake Bay Trust, which was created by Maryland's General Assembly in the 80s to complement the work of larger state agencies and empower community based groups through on the ground grant-making, is funding the program. Retailers do not pay a cent. 

2. Transportation and Climate Alignment Act (HB437/SB59)

Target: Upcoming hearing on 2/25 (Wednesday next week) in Budget and Taxation Committee. Contact your rep on this committee or contact Chair Guzzone.

See attached the testimony where I reiterated Lee's testimony from last year.

3. CHERISH Act (HB1268/SB781)

Target: Hearings on 3/03 in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment and 3/10 in the House Environment and Transportation Committee. Contact your rep on these committees or contact Chair Feldman in the Senate committee or Chair Korman in the House committee.

See attached a one-pager on this bill.

I hope that wasn't too much of an information dump. I'll continue staying in touch about these three bills! Please feel free to email/call me if you have any questions or want to talk things through. mhessi...@gmail.com and (443) 852-8553.

Cheers,

Rev. Melody

[ethan]

Hello friends,

Thank you all, but especially Rev. Melody for a wonderful and informative meeting last week. I greatly appreciate your patience in waiting for this follow-up on the data center bills I mentioned. Here is some information including hearing dates, bill numbers and links to the MD General Assembly site for the bills IPL-DMV is watching the closest currently. I will continue to keep you all updated about these bills and any others alongside our data center and legislative work more generally. 

Data Center Clean Capacity Bill (Watch my colleague Andrea speak about this bill.)

• House Bill - HB 940
  • Hearing February 24th, testimony was due February 20th 
• Senate Bill - SB 596
  • Hearing February 26th, testimony due February 24th (TOMORROW!)

Data Center Transparency and Planning Act 

• House Bill - HB 1411
  • Hearing March 10th, testimony due March 6th

As I also announced during the meeting, IPL-DMV is holding a lobby day on March 11th in Annapolis alongside Nature Forward and the Marylanders for Data Center Reform coalition to advocate for the bills above and a number of others. There is a prep webinar tomorrow morning at 9am where you will learn more; but don't worry if you can't make it as it will be recorded - just sign up here if you are interested in join us on 3/11! We would love to have you there! Please also take a look at our website at ipldmv.org/realwisdom to learn more about our new data center campaign, what your congregation can do and the local fights happening across our region. Additionally, if you are interested in our MD legislative priorities and advocacy resources beyond data centers, this document is the place to go.

I hope all of this is helpful! As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at this email (et...@ipldmv.org) if you have any questions or support you need!

Blessings,

Ethan

Ethan Lucas (he/him)

Program Associate | Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA)

Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member

Proud Maryland Climate Corps / Service Year Option Second Year Leader 

(301) 525-8760 

A program of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.

[Catherine Rice]

Hi Creation Care Friends,

I appreciate that you introduced us to our new Legislative Advocate and am sorry I wasn’t able to attend the meeting for a live, virtual introduction.

Some of you know that the Racial Justice Team is in a partnership with neighborhoods in West Baltimore with the goal of revitalizing and stabilizing those historically Black neighborhoods.  One aspect of this work is to combat environmental injustices.  So, I am very interested in the second bill listed below.  Thanks for sharing!!

I am passing it along to our transit and west Baltimore citizen advocate partners.  Here are their websites FYI.

https://www.reconnectingwestbaltimore.org/

https://moretransitequity.com/

G-d's Peace,

Cathy Rice (she/her/hers)

410-913-5382

"True Peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice".  MLK, Jr. 

Delaware-Maryland Lutheran Synod Racial Justice Team Co-Chair

Howard County Master Watershed Steward

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This message came from the DE-MD Synod's Creation Care Ministry Group members. We seek to be helpful so please send an email to act...@creationcarede-md.org if you believe you are receiving too many emails from this group. Thank you for your feedback.
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[Melody Hession]

Hello Creation Care Team!

This is Rev. Melody with opportunities below to help pressure committees to call creation care legislation to vote! Please see attached our synod testimony for two of these bills. I did not write testimony for the Bottle Bill. I did what Lee did last year, which was simply select "favorable" on behalf of the Delaware-Maryland Synod. You're welcome to pull language from the other attached testimonies to write an email, but all we really need is an email that looks like this:

 Chair [Name],

My name is [Name] and I am part of [Faith Community Name] in [City Name], an ELCA congregation in the Delaware-Maryland Synod. I am reaching out because I would like to encourage you to please call [bill name and number] to a vote, and I request a favorable report.

Thank you so much for all that you do.

Sincerely,

[Name]

And if you can include your district number that's great, but if not that's okay too.

1. Transportation and Climate Alignment Act, SB59

Email Chair Guzzone: guy.g...@senate.maryland.gov 

2. Bottle Bill, HB331 and SB342

Email Chair Korman: Marc....@house.maryland.gov

*for HB331

Email Chair Feldman: brian....@senate.maryland.gov

*for SB342

3. CHERISH Act, SB781

Email Chair Feldman: brian....@senate.maryland.gov

There is also a hearing for the CHERISH Act on Friday, if anyone would like to join me or submit testimony tomorrow! Text/call me for details: 443-852-8553.

Cheers,

Rev. Melody

--

Rev. Melody Hession-Sigmon (She/Her)

(Cell) 443-852-8553

[Susan Meier [she/her]]

Dear Creation Care Friends,

 

We'll hear from Pastor Melody Hession who will share relevant news from Maryland's 2026 legislative session that just concluded.

 

Dates to Remember:

• Newly planned: In-person visit to Serenity Ridge (Maryland's first all natural burial cemetery) - Sunday, 31 May 2026 - 3 PM
• Book and plant giveaway at Synod Assembly - 5-6 June 2026

We'd also like to hear your Springtime/Earth Day plans!

 

Hope to see you tonight . . . 

• Thursday, 16 April 2026, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
• via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2523747438

Blessings,

~ Susan Meier on behalf of Charlie Bailey, Larry Ryan, Mydea Reeves-Karpeh and Pastor Carla Christopher