Caring for Creation

Stop using plastic bags to save our environment and improve everyone’s health

Each year there is approximately 400 tons of plastic produced. Of that at least 14% goes into bags. Unfortunately only about 16% of plastic is recycled and the rate for plastic bags is significantly lower since many local recyclers do not accept plastic bags.

Granted getting a plastic bag to carry your purchases makes shopping so much quicker. We do not think about the harm those bags are doing to our environment and even our health. Most of the time the bag goes home and eventually into the garbage. Studies have found that it takes up to 2000 years for plastic to completely decompose. Using cloth or canvas bags to carry our purchases can go a long way to help cut down on plastic waste and pollution

Listed below are some reasons we should switch from plastic bags to cloth or other reusable bags that we bring from home.

1. Plastic bags kill up to around 100, 000 animals yearly, many of them in our lakes, rivers and oceans.

2. The BPA product found in plastic can lead to health problems of cancer among other other diseases.

3 The production of plastic bags drains the supply of petroleum and causes a rise in price of oil

6 There is a large amount of water used in production of plastic and in many areas of the world water is a precious commodity

Help the next generation have a cleaner environment START USING CLOTH BAGS INSTEAD OF PLASTIC!

Why Care About Climate Change?
Although climate change is a crisis that requires immediate, drastic action, it can sometimes seem like nothing is happening or that only far-off parts of the world are at risk. Even if the world isn’t going to end tomorrow, we’re headed down a dangerous path.
Climate change is everyone’s problem. And that includes future generations. Everyone needs to care about climate change
Here are some impacts of climate change.   We are starting to see some of these in our lifetime but in the next 20 years for our children and grandchildren it will be an entirely different story.

Climate Change….

• Is causing glaciers and ice to melt, raising sea levels.  Water expands as it warms causing oceans to swell in size.  This water needs to go somewhere and that place will be the land we live on causing millions of people to relocate.

• Makes severe weather worse such as heat waves, heavy precipitation, hurricanes and tropical storms. Think of droughts being worse than before, record amounts of snow and devastation to cities torn apart by tornadoes and hurricanes. 

• Creates food shortages.  Weather changes will cause food and water shortages. When heavy rains and tropical storms flood our farmland, crops and livestock can’t survive. And when droughts and heat waves last longer, are hotter and are more frequent, those plants and animals lack the water they need. Climate change also threatens to disrupt the global food supply. Severe weather events can keep cargo ships from crossing the ocean, and floods and wildfires can cut off road and rail networks. Even if we can produce enough food, if we can’t transport it to the people that need it, it won’t do us any good.

• Is bad for our health.  Severe weather events and airborne pollutions will increase the risk of heart disease, asthma, lyme disease and mental health problems.

• Is expensive.   Natural disasters cost millions of dollars in clean up expenses.   And where does the money come from to pay for this?  From us, with our tax dollars.

• Endangers other species.  Climate change will lead to a loss of biodiversity and animal life.  No more tigers or elephants, fewer pollinators who are essential for our food supply and fewer plankton who live in the ocean and produce energy.
Pope Paul VI wrote in 1971…. “Due to an ill-considered exploitation of nature, humanity runs the risk of destroying it and becoming in turn a victim of this degradation. “

Please consider joining the Caring for Creation group at St. Joe’s.  We always welcome new members. Contact Steve Kriz for more information at stephenkriz@gmail.com

As we all anxiously await the first signs of Spring, one of the first places we all look is for green buds on the trees. Throughout history, trees have been used as symbols of God’s loving relationship with the Earth. From the Tree of Knowledge in the Book of Genesis to the Tree of Life mentioned in the Jewish, Hindu and other faith traditions, trees have been important symbolically to us in our religious faith.

Trees and human beings have a symbiotic relationship in the biological world, as well. Trees take in carbon dioxide, which humans produce, and provide us life-giving oxygen in return. Trees also perfectly illustrate the diversity of God’s creation and the importance of that diversity. Trees are beautifully adapted to the environments in which they live. Examples are everywhere: From mango trees that thrive in brackish, salty water and serve as a natural ocean break for coastal communities, to redwoods, specially adapted to absorb the huge rains in the inland old growth forests of the Northwest, trees help humans adapt to difficult climates and environments. As we celebrate Lent and new life in the Spring, be sure to be kind to your trees and consider planting even more of them!

2023 New Year’s Resolutions to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Eat less meat. Meat production has a large carbon footprint. Start small by choosing one or more days to a week to skip meat in your meals.

Investing your retirement savings. Invest in planet friendly funds. Most investment funds include stocks in major fossil fuel companies. Your investment fund may be contributing to the climate crisis. A growing trend in the climate movement is to look at your retirement strategy and invest in planet friendly investments.

Tidy up your email inbox. Every email sent and received uses electricity. One email doesn’t amount to much but adds up when multiplied by the thousands that we each receive and send. You can cut your own carbon footprint by deleting unnecessary emails, unsubscribe from irrelevant email lists, empty your junk folder regularly and cut back on your use of the “cc” button.

Turn off your faucet to reduce your water use. Turn off your faucet more often when brushing your teeth, cleaning your face or washing dishes. Take a shower rather than a bath. Five minutes in the shower uses 10-25 gallons of water. A bath uses about 70 gallons of water.

Adjust your thermostat. Lower your thermostat by one or two degrees. This is something easy that helps reduce your household carbon footprint.

Your Wardrobe. A tremendous amount of clothing ends up in landfills. Limit how much you buy. Donate or sell what you no longer want. Reuse, repurpose, repair and re- manufacture materials and products for as long as possible

The late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stated at the World Day of Pease back in 2010 that “We are all responsible for the protection and care of the environment.”

Start the New Year looking at how you can be part of the climate change solution. Many small, consistent changes often have the biggest impact.

based on a reflection by Michael Downs presented by Ignatian Solidarity Network

Climate refugees are people who must leave their homes and communities because of the effects of climate change.  Though their suffering has become clearer, climate refugees largely lack any formal recognition or protection under international law. By 2050 , according to the World Bank, there will be 143 million climate refugees from sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
Read the full article at https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2022/08/22/as-sea-levels-rise-how-do-we/

“We Are the Earth” 
A writing by Franciscan Priest Richard Rohr 

Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh describes our inherent connection to the Earth and how that understanding can shift our behavior: 

At this very moment, the Earth is above you, below you, all around you, and even inside you. The Earth is everywhere. You may be used to thinking of the Earth as only the ground beneath your feet. But the water, the sea, the sky, and everything around us comes from the Earth. Everything outside us and everything inside us comes from the Earth. We often forget that the planet we are living on has given us all the elements that make up our bodies. The water in our flesh, our bones, and all the microscopic cells inside our bodies all come from the Earth and are part of the Earth. The Earth is not just the environment we live in. We are the Earth and we are always carrying her within us. 

Realizing this, we can see that the Earth is truly alive. We are a living, breathing manifestation of this beautiful and generous planet. Knowing this, we can begin to transform our relationship to the Earth. We can begin to walk differently and to care for her differently. We will fall completely in love with the Earth. When we are in love with someone or something, there is no separation between ourselves and the person or thing we love. We do whatever we can for them and this brings us great joy and nourishment. That is the relationship each of us can have with the Earth. That is the relationship each of us must have with the Earth if the Earth is to survive, and if we are to survive as well. 

If we think about the Earth as just the environment around us, we experience ourselves and the Earth as separate entities. We may see the planet only in terms of what it can do for us. We need to recognize that the planet and the people on it are ultimately one and the same. . . . 

Hanh recognizes that our false notion of separateness from the Earth not only creates physical harm but emotional harm as well: 

A lot of our fear, hatred, anger, and feelings of separation and alienation come from the idea that we are separate from the planet. We see ourselves as the center of the universe and are concerned primarily with our own personal survival. If we care about the health and well-being of the planet, we do so for our own sake. We want the air to be clean enough for us to breathe. We want the water to be clear enough so that we have something to drink. But we need to do more than use recycled products or donate money to environmental groups. We have to change our whole relationship with the Earth. 

“Laying Hands on Mother Earth” 
A writing by Franciscan Priest Richard Rohr 

Steven Charleston is a member of the Choctaw Nation and an Episcopal bishop. In his book Ladder to the Light, he offers practices drawn from the meeting point of his Christian faith and Native American spirituality. Here he adapts a practice known as “laying on of hands.” 

In order to receive the exchange offered by Native American tradition, we must put down the idea that the earth is nothing more than a vast accumulation of natural resources. Instead, we must see the earth as a living presence. We must recognize the interrelatedness of all life and begin to actively engage in protecting and learning from all our relations. . . . 

They call it a laying on of hands. In many faith traditions, when prayers of healing are offered, people place their hands on the patient. I have decided to do that for someone, and I am inviting you to join me. The patient is our Mother Earth. She is struggling to recover from the effects of toxic poisoning and exhaustion. I am going to intentionally lay my hand on her and say, “Thank you, Mother, for all you have given us. Be healed of all that harms you.” It is only a symbol, but symbols have power. Please share my invitation. If every person on our planet went outside to lay hands on the earth and ask for healing, it might inspire us all to act, to work, to give for the sake of our Mother. 

Lent is a time for reflection and atonement for our sins. In 2019, after the Synod of the Amazon, Pope Francis proposed that “ecological sin” be added to the Catholic catechism. Catholic theologians, such as Megan Clark of St. Johns University, say the concept of ecological sin illustrates the relational aspect of sin. Sin is usually thought of as an offense against God or against other people. But ecological sin asserts that our relationship can also be broken with the natural world, too. Framing environmental destruction as a sin reminds us that God is involved in our interaction with nature and that destroying or harming the natural world damages our relationship with God. The pope cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church in stating "each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection." This means God made each creature with an “intentional purpose outside of its usefulness to human beings”, says Jesuit Father Christopher Steck, a Jesuit theologian at Georgetown University. "When we do things that act against God's goal for that creature, we sin against God, of course. But we're also doing an injustice against that creature," he said. As you progress in your Lenten journey, consider including prayers for the Earth and God’s creatures with whom we share this beautiful planet. Ecological sin is as real and potentially harmful as the sins we commit against each other and God.

The New Year brings more good news and another opportunity to care for our common home! When this kind of news presents itself I can’t help but be reminded of the insight of Pope Francis in On Care for Our Common Home when he says “Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is, first and foremost, up to us.”
All trash haulers of Hennepin County are required to offer organics recycling as of January 1st! You may be surprised to learn that 1/3 of our trash is organic material. Instead of ending up in a landfill where it helps to generate toxic methane gas, it can now be reused sustainably to create compost with curbside pick-up! If you live in Maple Grove, go to its website to review a list of materials accepted in organics recycling; you will be surprised at how long the list is! You can then, also, review the trash haulers licensed by Maple Grove to do curbside organics pick-up. Contact any to get more details to start your curbside pick-up. 
You can also create your own compost using some of the same organic materials. Compost bins are for sale at the Hennepin County drop-off sites in Brooklyn Park and Bloomington and at big box garden centers. Check www.hennepin.us for “how to” and more information, especially the green disposal guide. You may choose to continue dropping off your organic materials at either the Brooklyn Park drop-off site or the Bloomington site. See details for organics drop-offs on the Hennepin website.

Food waste is a large problem. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one in seven households don't have enough to eat. 15% don't eat very healthy.  At the same time , we are tossing 34.5 million tons of food in landfills or other  disposal means.  The food thrown in landfills decomposes into methane that is greenhouse gas 86 times more potent  than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years.  In simple terms, if we could eliminate the food waste going into landfills, it would be like taking 25 percent of all cars off out roads.  What can we do to help this situation? Prepare meals just what you will eat?  Arrange to pick up restaurant leftovers and bring to those in need. Make a home and / or church  a  compose location.  It makes great black soil. Donate food to Cross.

PROTECTING OUR PLANET STARTS WITH YOU
10 SIMPLE THINGS CHOICES FOR A HEALTHIER PLANET

1. Bike and walk more, drive less.

2. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Cut down on what you throw away.

3. Learn to make smart seafood choices at www.FishWatch.gov.

4. Plant a tree. Trees provide food and oxygen. They help save energy, clean our air and help combat climate change.

5. Volunteer for cleanups in your community.

6. Conserve water. The less water you use the less runoff and water waste end up in the ocean.

7. Buy less plastic and use reusable shopping bags.

8. Choose nontoxic chemicals to use in your home and office.

9. Use energy efficient light bulbs. The reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, turn off lights when leaving a room.

10. Educate yourself. Then help others understand the importance and value of our natural resources.

STOP THE VIOLENCE IN OUR HOME

Fr. John Dear reflected while writing his book, The Beatitudes of Peace, that Jesus was talking about creation when He said, " Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  How will the meek inherit the earth? By preserving it!  As Thomas Merton wrote, "Meekness is not passive. It is radical, active, daring public non-violence."  As John Dear continues to point out we can't just talk about catastrophic climate change, we must actively change our priorities and behavior because we are committing violence against the earth itself.  Radical resistance to climate change can lead us to a sacred appreciation of our home--Mother Earth. We can stop the domination approach to the uses of our resources i.e. land, mineral, water, trees. We can view the world not as an object to be used for mere profit, convenience, and pleasure, but as our home, our sanctuary, a place of peace to be loved and respected. Please pick an environmental cause and do your part to stop the violence in our home. You can make a difference.

"May we breathe in the suffering of the planet and the poor
and breathe out solidarity, resiliency and action." EarthBeat
 

Minnesota just experienced one of its hottest and driest summers in recorded history. In a middle-aged person’s lifetime, they have seen growing seasons lengthen, storms become more severe in intensity and moisture content and new invasive species making their home in Minnesota, which have never lived here before. Climate change is undeniable, even based on anecdotal evidence. Instead of accepting an increasingly grim future, we can work towards a more prosperous green future by focusing on three things: 1) How we move ourselves 2) How we heat and power our homes, and 3) How businesses produce, distribute and sell their goods or services. Anything that reduces our use of fossil fuel in these three areas as quickly as possible is essential. Pope Francis has said, “Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start”. Let us all resolve to make a new start by committing to restore a more temperate Minnesota.
 

What do methane gas, composting, and social justice have to do with each other? A major source of methane gas is organic waste in landfills. Because this waste gets buried in a landfill where it is lacking in oxygen, it experiences anaerobic decomposition which produces methane gas. It is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas that CO2 says the U.S. EPA.

Did you know that, historically, low-income and minority communities are more likely to be located near areas such as landfills because of housing availability. Many different toxic gases are emitted from landfills as well as toxic liquids which can potentially reach our ground water. Living near these areas is not healthful.

Composted food waste (exposed to oxygen) does not produce methane gas. It does produce nutrient rich soil that can be used in your garden, or, on a larger scale, in roadside projects. Help reduce lethal methane gas and other toxic elements by participating in any of the following:

Compost your own food waste at home; Take your food waste to a Hennepin County drop-off site; Buy what you will eat; Eat what you cook; Start using or start you own curbside organics pick-up service.

In his Encyclical, Pope Francis talks about the interconnectedness of all things. Trees are an integral piece of that web. Take the example of a rainforest. Leaves in the high canopy of the trees pull water from the roots way below. They then take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use energy from the sun to create carbohydrates for food for themselves. A byproduct of this process of photosynthesis is oxygen and water vapor! Rainforests can release 20 billion tons of water into the sky each day in the form of clouds. These clouds in the sky are called “aerial rivers” and are larger than the Amazon River itself! These aerial rivers produce rain throughout much of S. America and even affect moisture as far as the Midwest of the U.S. and southern France.

There are several rainforests throughout the world, but the Amazon is the largest. When deforestation happens, the balance of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water is disrupted. Climate, health, biodiversity, agriculture, economy, and life are subsequently affected. Explore the research of Nobel Laureate Carlos Nobres, a Brazilian climate scientist working to protect the forests of S. America. And, plant a tree whenever you can!

GRATITUDE AND GENEROSITY  

The best thing that we can do during this pandemic is to consciously be aware of the blessings we have in our lives and then let that lead us to being generous. 

Caring for Creation members love the Earth and want to help heal it and pass on a healthier planet for future generations. 

Here are some ideas for how to show love, kindness and care for people and the Earth. 

Practice acts of social kindness-pick up litter. 

Go out of your way to make contact with a person of another race, nationality, religion or lifestyle. 

Buy fair trade products.  With your purchase you can “vote” for businesses that respect God’s creation and ensure equitable pay for their laborers.  

Plant a tree.  This spring St. Joe’s gave out free trees to parishioners.   We hope to do that again in the future. 

Contribute to organizations in our community working on behalf of social, racial, economic or environmental justice.  When the coronavirus in under control consider volunteering at one of these organizations. 

Caring for Creation is not meeting now but when we can gather again please consider joining us and help to educate others on climate change and learn  how changing our habits can reduce the warming of the Earth.  Contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast.net.
 

This article is based on Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter--Laudato Si'; Chapter 6 "Ecological Education and Spirituality"

"Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products, people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending."
"The current global situation engenders a feeling of instability and  uncertainty, which in turn becomes a seedbed for collective selfishness."

Considering all that we've been through with COVID19 and the racial unrest in our city and country, now would be a good time to change our lifestyle to reflect spiritual values that create respect for the world we live in. Our own Pope points out the misuse of creation for profit and the inequity of a consumer lifestyle creates imbalance and unrest in humans and in nature.

In the above chapter of his encyclical he states. "Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and a joyful celebration of all life."

Young people demand change.  They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future with the outthinking of the environmental crisis and the suffering of the excluded.
Pope Francis
 

How Minnesota students are combating climate change
“From eliminating single-use plastic items to pressing school boards to commit to 100 percent clean energy, Minnesota students are changing how schools respond to climate change. 

Jason Rodney, a youth program coordinator for Climate Generation — a Minneapolis-based nonprofit founded by Will Steger in 2006 that’s focused on supporting climate change education and youth-led climate change solutions — says he supports students who are involved in projects at the school or city level. 
His organization is one of many that are helping youth think about how to take action against climate change, through policy changes at both the state and local levels. In schools, he says some of the other most common initiatives include things like integrating climate change education into classrooms, providing more training and job opportunities in green careers — like sustainable agriculture practices, especially in rural districts — and improving composting and recycling services at schools”. 

-adapted by an article by Erin Hinrichs, MinnPost’s education reporter
 

Next Phase of Recycling: Lab Gloves and Apparel 
More labs and cleanrooms are aiming for zero waste by diverting gloves and apparel from landfills and turning the items into totes, shelving, and lawn furniture. Just to name a few uses. 
Lab workers use several pairs of gloves a day which creates a big environmental waste in landfills. One university estimated that nearly 30 percent of its waste comes from research buildings.  A waste audit from University of Washington found that 22 percent of its waste consisted of nitrile gloves. Many labs and cleanrooms are now shipping used gloves and apparel
to recycling facilities where they are turned into plastic pellets which are then reprocessed into durable consumer goods. Universities are also assisting other schools and laboratories to reduce their waste in the same way.

TWO SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE
1. Do not use plastic bags when you shop. Always use reusable bags. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at many stores. They last for years and do not add to plastic pollution. People are still using 10-15 plastic grocery bags when they shop at places like Cub. This is unnecessary and adds to the huge amount of plastic pollution in our cities, state, country and world. If you forget your reusable bags, use paper grocery bags, and reuse them. They can be used several times before you recycle them.

Also, ask to talk to store managers and ask them to stop using plastic bags.

2. Refuse plastic straws when eating in restaurants and tell the server why. Say something like “I don’t want a plastic straw. They are a huge source of pollution”. If you must use a straw purchase a reusable one made from bamboo, metal or paper. Some sources where you can find these optional straws: Buluh for bamboo straws, Simply Straws for glass straws, Final Straws for silicone/stainless steel straws or Koffie for silicone straws.

These actions may seem insignificant but if all of us take time to consider our use of plastics and find options that are healthier for our planet the effect can be VERY significant.

If you would like to join Caring for Creation here at St. Joe’s contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast .net. The group meets once a month from 7:00 to8:30 PM in the library except in June, July and August.

DO YOU KNOW ALL THE ACTIONS CARING FOR CREATION HAS TAKEN IN 10 YEARS? 

The Caring for Creation team was started in 2008 as an off-shoot of our Social Justice Group, with support and encouragement from Roxanne Smith.   The group’s purpose is to educate about how we can help care for God’s beautiful creation, Earth.  The members of the group also educate ourselves on climate change and how we can implement changes in our personal lives to become more thoughtful in the ways we live, to become more energy efficient and dispose of our trash in the least damaging ways.  It is now a group of 7 people and hopes to continue to grow. 

These are some of the actions the group has taken in ten years. 

1.  Hosted Will Steger to speak at St. Joe’s, followed by a Q&A session.  He spoke on climate changes in Arctic.  

2. Hosted author Jack Nelson-Palmyer presentation who spoke to us about his book, “Authentic Hope-It’s the end of the world as we know it but soft landings are possible” and we had a Q&A with him as well. 

3. Hosted a discussion with J. Drake Hamilton who is science policy director at Fresh Energy, an independent, Minnesota –based nonprofit organization working to speed the transition to a clean energy economy. 

4. Screened the documentary, Days of Living Dangerously, an American television series, followed by Q&A. 

5. Hosted 4 Green Fairs in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018 at St. Joe’s. 

6. Did a letter-writing campaign to local restaurants regarding use of paper vs. Styrofoam for take-out. 

7. Partner with faith formation classes to provide information on caring for creation topics or to work on projects together. 

8. Partnered with the Garden Ministry to clean up outside compost and dumping area in 2014. 

9. Created and maintain the Caring for Creation bulletin board inside entrance 2, since 2014. 

10.   Caring for Creation Group read and discussed two books:  “On Care for our Common Home”  by Pope Francis and “Caring for Creation”by Mitch Hescox and Paul Douglas. 

11.  Applied for and won a grant from Hennepin County to begin an organic recycling program at St. Joe’s in 2015. 

If these activities sound interesting to you and you are concerned about climate change and caring for our planet we invite you to join our group which meets once a month, except over the summer, at 7:00 PM in the church library.