Our energy choices are harming the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, newborns, children, the elderly, the poor, and people with asthma and allergies. As people of faith, striving towards creation justice means that we protect all of Creation, including our neighbors.

Right now here in Virginia we have an opportunity to stand with multiple communities being impacted by the construction of two fracked-gas infrastructure projects, the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Already trees are being cut down to clear the land.

These pipelines are threatening drinking water, endangering families’ land, and impacting our national forests. These type of fracked-gas pipelines often leak and can explode, threatening life in the vicinity. In the United States, around 512 fatalities and 2,359 injuries have occurred since 1986, due to pipelines exploding, including recent explosions in Appomattox and Fauquier Counties, Virginia. And expanding fossil fuel infrastructure perpetuates our dependence on the dirty energy that is damaging our climate.

#Pray4TreeProtectors
Social Media Action

Please join us, our neighbors at Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), and faith communities across the state as we encourage Governor Northam to take a closer look at the impacts on Creation of the proposed MVP and ACP pipelines through the #Pray4TreeProtectors social media action.

We are lifting up the advocates who are tirelessly working and sacrificing to protect their communities’ life, land, and drinking water. We are also asking the governor to direct the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to conduct a water crossing review of particularly impacted waterways stream by stream, starting immediately, and to give the public time to review the erosion control plans before DEQ completes final plan review. Public plan review comments were submitted last October when the plans had not yet been completed.

Step One: Print

Print out a sample sign or create your own that speaks to you/your faith community about why you/your faith community feels called to stand with the tree protectors. To download a PDF of our signs, click on the image you would like pictured right. We suggest that you laminate the sign if you want to leave it up for longer periods of time.

Step Two: Tie

Find a wide band of fabric that you can use to tie around a tree on your property or on the property of your faith community. Also gather materials to clip, pin or otherwise attach your sign (or signs) to the fabric.

Step Three: Take A Photo

Gather your community. Invite friends, family, and fellow members of your faith community to help you to attach the sign to the tree. After it is attached, prayers or hopes should be offered. Each person should then say a few words about why protection Creation is important to them as a person of faith. Finally, take a photo of the folks who have gathered with the tree and the sign. Feel free to bring a few extra signs if folks want to hold them for the photo.

Step Four: Post and Share

Post your photo on your personal and/or organizational social media accounts. Double check that you have tagged Governor Northam and used the hashtag for the action #Pray4TreeProtectors. Some ideas and sample messages for Facebook and Twitter are below.

Handles to Tag:

@governorva

@DEQ

@timkaine

Main Hashtags to Use:

#Pray4TreeProtectors

Other Hashtags to Use:

#StreamByStream

#NoMVP

#NoACP

#ClimateJustice

Sample Tweets:

. [@Your Faith Community or Regional Name/Handle] prays for those who are protecting our trees from pipelines. #Pray4TreeProtectors #NoMVP #NoACP @governorva

We pray for those who are protecting our trees from pipelines. #Pray4TreeProtectors #NoMVP #NoACP @governorva

.@governorva please call for @DEQ to to conduct water crossing reviews #streambystream for the pipelines. We must protect Creation, including our neighbors. #Pray4TreeProtectors #NoMVP #NoACP

Quick Note: If your tweet starts with a handle (like two of the sample tweets above), make sure to include a period in front of the handle. Otherwise, Twitter will only show your tweet to people following you and the handle you started with.

Sample Facebook Posts:

We pray for those who are protecting our trees from pipelines. Our energy choices are harming the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, newborns, children, the elderly, the poor, and people with asthma and allergies. #Pray4TreeProtectors #NoMVP #NoACP @governorva

Since 1986, around 512 fatalities and 2,359 injuries have occurred due to fracked-gas pipelines exploding, including recent explosions in Appomattox and Fauquier Counties, Virginia. Too many lives have already been lost. It’s time to protect Creation. #Pray4TreeProtectors #NoMVP #NoACP @governorva

Share what your faith community’s prayer or hope is for our tree protectors here in VA.