Caring for Creation

The climate change issue is very important because rising sea levels will cause the loss of coastal land and islands around the world resulting in millions of people needing to relocate and find new livelihoods. Warming oceans effect the quality and number of sea creatures. Higher atmospheric CO2 levels have and will continue to affect our health. Warming temperatures are causing droughts in some areas resulting in crop loss. Warming oceans are causing stronger storms resulting in loss of homes, communities, and lives.

This issue is very urgent because according to climatologists at NASA, atmospheric CO2 has increased from 280 ppm to 390 ppm. 390 parts per million is higher than CO2 has been in millions of years. It is urgent to try to get it back to a safer level of 350.

This issue is very existential because, if it is not addressed, near future generations will not have an inhabitable earth.

The UN has published 10 points of awareness through their ACTNOW campaign. Are you aware? 5-minute showers * Drive less * Meat-free meals * Local produce * RECYCLE * Lights off * Unplug * Refill and Reuse * Zero-waste fashion * Bring You Own Bag.

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.

FOOD WASTE
Food is wasted throughout the supply chain from agricultural production, shipping and storage, all the way to household consumption. This results in a waste of resources such as land, water, and energy.  It’s estimated that hundreds of barrels of oil and 1/4 of the world’s freshwater reserves are used to produce food that’s being wasted.  By being careful with your own food purchases and storage, you can benefit the environment.  Half of all produce is thrown away because it’s too ugly to eat. This amounts to 60 million tons of fruit and vegetables going to waste.  Look for specials and reduced price on ugly produce. Ask the produce manager if they would sell the produce instead of throwing it out. Buy only the produce your household can consume, Store produce properly so that it stays edible longer. Consider freezing produce before it decomposes. 1.6 billion tons of wasted food is left in landfills every year, creating methane, a greenhouse gas.  Large amounts of animals are drawn to landfills with rotting food which can have a big impact on local ecosystems and wildlife. Instead of putting food scraps in the trash, start saving organics for composting or dropping it at the collection site on Jefferson Highway. Organics make up 30% of our trash and provide the biggest opportunity to reduce the waste we send to landfills.

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”, says Robert Swan, polar explorer. Pope Francis states in his encyclical letter On Care for Our Common Home, “as the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation.” All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.”

Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems plaguing our earth. Here are a few simple steps you can take to reduce plastic pollution.

Save glass food jars to use as storage containers; consider using a product such as Bee’s Wrap as another reusable food storage option; instead of a plastic straw, purchase a reusable glass or stainless straw to carry with you; instead of a plastic toothbrush, use a bamboo toothbrush which is 100% biodegradable; instead of plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner, look for new shampoo bars and solid conditioners! For more ideas and inspiration, check out the Tare Market (a zero waste store) coming to S. Minneapolis. Every small step helps. You can be the Change!

Do you know why marine life is so disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution? It’s because it can cause harm to them in so many different ways. Many marine animals can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. Animals that eat plastic often starve because they can’t digest the plastic and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food. Birds and other larger animals often become trapped or ensnared in plastic bags, fishing line, and other debris. Sea turtles specifically are highly susceptible. They both mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, and frequently are trapped in debris, restricting their growth and movement. Plastic never fully degrades. Over time it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. Eventually it becomes small enough to enter the bloodstream of marine organisms. Since the organisms cannot ever digest or process the plastic, it remains present until the organism is eaten. This passes all the plastic on to the predator, which is usually fish. If that fish is caught, then the plastics will be passed on to whichever human consumes it. To learn more about plastic pollution Google “Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit”. Please consider joining the Caring for Creation Committee at St. Joe’s. For more information contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast .net.

It’s true – China is no longer accepting many recycled materials from other countries, including the U.S.. China was a large importer for post-consumer recyclables for many years, including cardboard and newspaper and mixed paper, as well as some plastics. While this has changed how the U.S. manages its recycling at large, it’s not the end of recycling as we know it. 
In fact, China was never a home for post-consumer food and beverage cartons (a.k.a. used cartons) when sorted separately from other recycled paper. That hasn’t changed. Buyers for these used food and beverage cartons are still accepting cartons across the U.S. as well as Mexico, Korea and India. In fact, they actually need cartons to supply their own customers with recycled materials that produce new products we use every day, including paper towels, tissue, writing paper, and even building materials!
When you place your refrigerated cartons (also known as “gable top” cartons that package products like orange juice and milk) and shelf-stable cartons (also known as “aseptic” cartons that package products like coconut water and broth) in the recycling bin, they are picked up and sorted out from other recyclables at a Materials Recovery Facility. The facility packages these cartons into giant bales and sells them to recyclers. There are two types of recyclers for bales of cartons: paper mills that extract the fibers to produce paper pulp for new paper products, and others that transform the entire carton into building materials. 
For this process to continue to work, we need to keep recycling. When you recycle, you contribute to a circular economy, preserve natural resources and reduce litter. It’s more important now than ever before to recycle your cartons – and all other recyclable materials – correctly.

Access to carton recycling has grown from just 18% to 63% in the past ten years, reaching more than 72.5 million homes across 49 U.S. states. We must keep the progress and momentum – now is the time to redouble our efforts, not to give up when there’s a bump in the road.
Recycling only works when you place the correct items in your recycle bin. 

Make a Difference From Diapers to Pots: Household Items Needed for New Refugees Like any good shopping list, our current donation needs list includes a great variety of items, from diapers to pots. We have seen a couple of months of increasing numbers of new refugee arrivals and are in significant need of the following items: infant diapers, standard size NEW bed pillows, toilet bowl cleaner, rice cookers, and large stock pots for cooking. If you are able to make a donation, please email us for drop-off information. We encourage you to share these needs with your family, friends, co-workers, and faith communities. Thank you for making Minnesota a home for people who have been without one.

Caring for Creation
FIRST STATE TO BAN POLYSTYRENE FOOD CONTAINERS. The Maryland state legislature has passed a bill to ban polystyrene food containers and cups. "Single-use plastics are overrunning our oceans and bays and neighborhoods," "We need to take dramatic steps to start stemming our use and reliance on them ... to leave future generations a planet full of wildlife and green space."

One of the many wonderful things about our parish is the feeling that you are part of a large family. To help ensure this feeling is shared, we provide name tags, so that everyone can call each other by name, just as God calls us by name to be his children. The Caring for Creation team at St. Joseph the Worker would like to ask parishioners to use one of our new more permanent name tags that can be held on with a pin or string instead of the peel and stick disposable ones. They will be available at the welcome desk in the gathering space. When we reduce-recycle-reuse-repurpose things, we help ensure that we preserve God's beautiful creation for generations to come. Thank you

Over the next month or so, you may notice the information posted about plastics in St. Joseph's Hall. You may also notice that a lot (no, really, a lot) of plastic isn’t recycled properly. There are some ideas of more things you can do to help, but we tend to forget that we already have resources for things we can do. While you may be recycling, there are a lot of things you may not know you can recycle. Or there may be things you’re attempting to recycle that may be doing more harm than good at your local recycling center.

PEOPLE CONSUME PLASTIC DUST AND FIBERS EVERYDAY
Research suggests the average person swallows up to 68,415 plastic fibers each year from plastic dust particles landing on their plates. The average person also ingests about 100 plastic particles each year from shell fish remnants of microplastic from water pollution.Tests reveal bottled water contains an average of 325 pieces of microplastic particles per liter.

To reduce these health hazards from plastic contamination, reduce your personal use of plastic bottles and other plastic items and petition companies to reduce their single-use packaging.Every change makes a difference.

Plastics Pollute our Oceans

Decades of poor waste management practices and inadequate government policies have allowed huge amounts of plastic waste to be dumped directly into the ocean and led to an international pollution crisis that threatens each of the world’s oceans. Did you know that around the globe there are 5 massive patches or “gyres” of marine plastic? These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii IS THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.

At a bird sanctuary on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, there is a bird sanctuary and nature museum displaying a dead Albatross showing all the plastic it had consumed. There were plastic cigarette lighters, parts of a flip-flop, plastic bags, pieces of plastic toys and plastic water bottle caps inside the dead bird. When the bird’s stomach became too full it couldn’t eat and it died of starvation. This should sadden and shock us all, as this is God’s creation and his creature. This is only one of the many consequences of plastic pollution.

If you would like to learn more about plastic pollution and what we can do to reduce it, we invite you to join us at our Caring for Creation meetings held once a month at St. Joe’s in the library from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. For dates and more information on this ministry, please contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast.net.

Here is something interesting. Have you heard of Microbeads? How about Microplastics? There is a difference, but both pose a serious threat to life of all types.

Microplastics are defined as very small (less than 5 mm in length) pieces of plastic debris resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste. The source of these Microplastics can be any item, large or small, from plastic bags to straws to toys or food containers. When plastic products are not disposed of properly (such as recycling), they end up in the environment where sun, water and other elements eventually break them down into tiny particles. These toxic particles never fully disappear but end up in our waterways, oceans, soil and our food chain.

Microbeads are defined as manufactured solid plastic particles of less than 1 mm in their largest dimension. They are most frequently made of polyethylene, or other petrochemical plastics. Microbeads are used in products such as personal care, toothpastes, detergents, cosmetics, and others. These toxic particles are washed into our water systems making their way into our food and drinking water.

Another troubling source of these tiny plastic particles is clothing made of synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon! This category is labelled Microfibers. When washed, this clothing sheds plastic fibers which in turn slip through filtering devices to end up in waterways and eventually our seafood food chain. Plastic is used in a myriad of products and has been for decades. That production continues and continues to threaten and contaminate us and our environment.

Please educate yourselves on this subject. Look up “The Story of Microfibers” on youtube; search “Microplastics in the Marine Environment”; explore beatthemicrobead.org.

You can help by considering your purchases of plastic products. Remember to Reduce / Refuse / Reuse / Recycle / Remove.

For information on joining the Caring for Creation team contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast.net.
 

Plastics Pollute our Oceans
Decades of poor waste management practices and inadequate government policies have allowed huge amounts of plastic waste to be dumped directly into the ocean and led to an international pollution crisis that threatens each of the world’s oceans. Did you know that around the globe there are 5 massive patches or “gyres” of marine plastic? These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii IS THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. At a bird sanctuary on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, there is a bird sanctuary and nature museum displaying a dead Albatross showing all the plastic it had consumed. There were plastic cigarette lighters, parts of a flip-flop, plastic bags, pieces of plastic toys and plastic water bottle caps inside the dead bird. When the bird’s stomach became too full it couldn’t eat and it died of starvation. This should sadden and shock us all, as this is God’s creation and his creature. This is only one of the many consequences of plastic pollution. If you would like to learn more about plastic pollution and what we can do to reduce it, we invite you to join us at our Caring for Creation meetings held once a month at SJTW in the library from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. For dates and more information on this ministry, please contact Steve Kriz at s.kriz@comcast.net.

While your specific county may have different things they can take, here’s a short list of things you should and shouldn’t recycle in Hennepin county:
Should: Yogurt, pudding, and fruit cups
Shouldn’t: Plastic bags, film, and wrap (typically in packaging)
Should: Clear, rigid packaging from toys and electronics
Shouldn’t: Plastic foam (Styrofoam)
Should: Clear disposable cups and bowls

It can be confusing (and maybe a little annoying), but doing your part to help sort things before they leave your property can have tremendous impact later down the line, and eventually can become second nature. Need a printout to remember all the rules? Check out https://www.hennepin.us/recycling

Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated). It takes 500-1000 years for plastic to degrade.
EcoWatch

Steps you can take:
Refuse single-serving packaging, excess packaging, and plastic utensils.Carry reusable utensils in your car or purse to use at take out restaurants. Avoid sandwich bags and juice cartons by replacing them with reusable lunch bag and thermos.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Tablet

"Over the last 10 years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century..."
Eco Watch

"The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year."
Eco Watch

Steps you can take:
1. Go digital! No need for plastic CDs, dvds, and jewel cases when you can buy your music and video online.
2. Bring your to-go mug with you to coffee shops or restaurants. Refuse lids, straws, and plastic cups.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Tablet

EASY WAYS TO REDUCE PLASTIC USE

Plastics in the environment pose an increasing risk to human and animal life on our planet.
Most of us are aware of some simple ways to reduce our plastic use, such as using a stainless steel water bottle instead of buying water in plastic bottles and using a reusable coffee cup when leaving home. Here are a few more ideas to help reduce your plastic use.

• 1. Use wooden matches instead of plastic lighters.
• 2. Make fresh squeezed juice at home and avoid buying juice in plastic bottles.
• 3. Refuse plastic straws in restaurants.
• 4. Use reusable produce bags for shopping
• 5. Give up chewing gum. It’s made from synthetic rubber/plastic
• 6. Purchase foods like cereal, pasta and rice in bulk and use your own reusable containers.
• 7. Use a razor with replaceable blades, not disposable razors.

Also, if you have plastic containers or bags at home, reuse them rather than throwing those away and buying replacements.

Please consider join the Caring for Creation Committee at St. Joe’s. We meet once a month for discussion, education and planning for our Green Fair in April of 2019. Contact Steve Kriz with questions about the group at 763-354-9580 or e-mail at s.kriz@comcast.net.

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. 

Have you tried this?
Well, spring is the perfect time to get started composting from your own home. No space or no gardens? – don’t give up, there is another option! Read on. The benefits of compost include: conditioning the soil by adding beneficial organisms; diverting household waste from the garbage and landfills; eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers on lawns and in gardens. It’s good for the environment. You can create your own compost pile, or use a rotating compost tumbler for a little less work. Another option is to transport your household kitchen waste to a free drop-of site. All options are easy, and fun because you are helping to create a sustainable by-product – good for the earth. Check out the following websites for details. Eartheasy.com mncompostingcouncil.org 
 

PLEASE LEARN TO RECYCLE CORRECTLY ... Just a few months ago China, which has been the largest purchaser of U.S. recyclables, announced The China National Sword Policy, refusing to accept much of the U.S. recyclables due to the large amounts of garbage that has been historically thrown in recycling bins. I know firsthand, that the source of the garbage (aka contamination) in recycling, comes from public confusion at the bin. As a result of China's decision, significant amounts of the recyclables collected in the U.S., are destined for landfills and subsequently, many manufacturers needing to reuse those materials, are unable to do so. The confusion at the bin and contamination in the recyclables which has led to China's decision, has a devastating ripple effect on the environment, sustainable manufacturing, the economy and the amount of waste going into the oceans. ( Dorothy )

Caring for Creation
Are we fulfilling Isaiah's prophetic visions when he stated?
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers,
the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people:
they have disobeyed the laws,violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse consumes the earth: it's people must bear the guilt.
Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left....
Isaiah 24: 4 - 6

Caring for Creation Action 
Water is a Matter of Life and all of us are at risk. 
Ensuring pure water for all people would be considered a basic right for us in the United States. However, on a global scale , water resource are quickly becoming privatized. Privatization refers to water for those with the financial resources ---not encompassing the general public. 
Should we be buying water from companies that bottle it and sell it?? Not to mention they are in plastic bottles that most of them end up in environment. both land and ocean..where it stays ... forever or is eaten by fish and birds as it turns to small pieces.
 

The Caring for Creation Group meets monthly at St. Joe’s. We read, study, talk about environmental issues and then take actions to help our beautiful planet heal. We want to leave a cleaner, healthier Earth to our children, their children and all the children to come after us.

If you have questions about Caring for Creation please contact Steve Kriz.

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

Oh God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. 

On Care For Our Common Home, Laudato Si’

The Earth is not a platform for human life.
It’s a living being.
We’re not on it but part of it.
It’s health is our health.

Thomas Moore 


Caring for Creation
We are proud of our amazing state. Minnesota is one of the nation’s leading states for wind power, and wind made up 18 percent of the state’s electricity generation last year, up from 13 percent from 2011. Renewable energy jobs, most in wind and solar grew by 16% in Minnesota from 2015 to 2016. Looking for a new job? Six coal plants that pollute the air are planned to close in the next few years.  Solar is growing all over the state too. Have you checked into a solar connection for your home?

Renewable and Energy Efficiency are Job Growth Engines
Thanks largely to effective energy policies that increase renewable energy and energy efficiency in our energy mix, Minnesota has one of the strongest clean energy economies in the nation. We’ve already developed over 15,000 clean energy jobs that pay on average 42% more than Minnesota’s average wage. Since 2000, clean energy employment grew 78%, compared to the state’s total job growth of 11%, and now provides over $1 billion annually in payrolls, as well as millions of dollars in taxes to cities and counties across the state. Learn more about climate change and renewable energy at www.Fresh-energy.org.

The Caring for Creation ministry at SJTW shares information on how we all can do our part to care for Mother Earth. If interested in joining please contact Steve Kriz.