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Water justice conference to stream live at St. Peter’s Lewes March 22-24

March 7, 2017

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lewes has registered as a partner site for Trinity Institute 2017: Water Justice originating from Trinity Wall Street in New York Wednesday-Friday, March 22-24. The international conference is designed to provide guidance for churches and environmentalists who want a unified, faith-based action on the front lines of the water justice movement. Members from neighboring churches and communities, environmentalists and leaders in water conservation are invited to attend and participate in discussions on water justice issues that are relevant to the Delmarva region and the wider world. All events will take place in St. Peter's Parish Hall, 211 Mulberry St. The conference is free, but attendees are asked to RSVP to the church office at 302-645-8479.

Former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, a national leader on environmental protection, will be the keynote speaker at 8 p.m., Wednesday. She continues to advocate for environmental justice and the creation of a cleaner, healthier environment. Her dedicated work to address the threats of climate change includes fighting to remove arsenic from drinking water. She led the effort to pass the Water Resources and Reform Act of 2014, which had overwhelming bipartisan support. Her address will be preceded by opening worship at 7 p.m., with a sermon by Archbishop Winston Halapua of the Diocese of Polynesia and Aotearoa New Zealand, the author of "Waves of God's Embrace," an exploration of the people of Polynesia and their profound connection with the ocean.

The conference continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday. Speakers will include Maude Barlow, a political activist, author, former United Nations senior advisor on water, and chair of the board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch; Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, part of the Department of the Interior's South-Central Climate Science Center; and Dr. Christiana Peppard, an expert on the ethics of fresh water and problems of climate change and author of "Just Water: Theology, Ethics and the Global Water Crisis."

In a special session at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, participants speaking from Trinity in New York and St. Paul's in London will address issues in those cities to model how communities can solve local problems in light of global realities. Conference organizers refer to Genesis that before there were light or plants or living creatures on Earth, there was water. "Water is a heavenly gift, essential to sustaining all forms of life on Earth. As water crises increase, from Flint to Standing Rock and beyond, access to safe and clean drinking water decreases - particularly for the poor and marginalized," they say.

For more information including an agenda and speakers at the three-day conference, go to www.stpeterslewes.org or www.trinitywallstreet.org.

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