Caring for Creation

Trash bags, plastic lids for coffee cups, bottle caps, shampoo and conditioner bottles, food containers and utensils for take out…….items all made of black plastic.

Black plastic is found in almost every household. However, black plastic is particularly harmful to the environment. Why do marketers use black plastic? Because it is cheap and more visually appealing than clear plastics.

Black Plastic is:

*Not recyclable. Infrared systems at recycling centers cannot recognize it because its soot coloring makes it too dark to recycle and it ends up in landfills or gets burned.

* Is made of old recycled housings for electrical devices and contains chemicals such as bromine, antimony and lead that are partly toxic and not intended to come into direct contact with humans because they can have strong negative health effects.

*Has carbon black a form of soot added as a reinforcing substance and is a health risk.

*Made from petroleum and is harmful to the environment. All plastic is made from natural minerals such as petroleum, natural gas, coal and salt. Using plastic supports the consumption of petroleum and environmental pollutions.

Packaging does not affect the actual product. It doesn’t matter if the packaging is black, white or any other color. Black plastic is not essential for life and therefore, is very easy to live without.  
 

Recycling During Summer Celebrations

With the warmer weather coming many of us will start planning family get togethers, graduation parties, family reunions, Mothers Day and Father’s Day parties out of doors or maybe just want ot enjoy a beautiful day outside. Or maybe we just plan on going to picnics and visits to local parks with our family or friends toting a packed meal..

Unfortunately we often chose the easiest way of entertaining which is using disposable dishes, cups and flatwear. This does help with the clean up but is not the best way to care for our creation. However, we can do a few things to help the environment and still have fun.

1. Never throw your used paper products on the side of the road or in a lake or river. Syrofoam especially is very deadly to fish and many animals. It does not disintegrate into the soil.

2. Use recycle bins for plastic and metal containers so they can be recycled.

3. If possible serve water or perhaps lemonade from a sealed pitcher with paper biodegradable cups. Saves a lot of plastic bottles and aluminum cans from filling the recycle container.

4. Use Biodegradable plates and cups They are more expensive but much more earth friendly

5. If you have balloons be sure someone takes them and deflates them rather than letting them fly away into trees or bushes. It will also protect our wildlife

6. Instead of throwing the leftovers have some disposable containers and send food home with the guests. Mother Nature will thank you and the guests get free food.

7. Use citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes away from the picnic area. Some of the mosquito sprays can be very toxic.

8. When using a public area be sure to leave the area clean

9. Summer is for fun. Lets have a good time but try and help Mother Nature keep it available for future generations

Our food system's biodiversity depends on pollinators such as honey bees, butterflies, ants, beetles, birds and bats. Honey bees alone pollinate a third of the food we eat, from the apples on our table to the almonds in our granola. This translates to a vast array of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, all relying on honey bees to reproduce and thrive. Unfortunately, honey bee populations are threatened by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a complex issue first identified in 2006 with contributing factors like habitat loss, pesticide use, bee management practices, and diseases. Here are ways that you can help.

1. Plant bee-friendly flowers in your garden. Choose native wildflowers that bloom throughout the season, providing a steady source of nectar and pollen. The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is an official USA Bee Campus and great resources for selecting pollinator-friendly plants. https://beelab.umn.edu/plant-flowers

2. Maintain a bee-friendly lawn. While turfgrasses can provide some environmental benefits, they don’t provide much food for pollinators. One way to provide resources for pollinators while keeping the function of a lawn is to incorporate other plants such as dutch white clover, self-heal and creeping thyme. These plants have the right type of flowers for bees. Once established, bee lawns take a similar (or even less) amount of work to maintain as a traditional lawn, making them an accessible addition to almost any home landscape. https://beelab.umn.edu/bee-lawn

3. Avoid using pesticides in your own yard and garden whenever possible. Instead choose natural pest control methods like hand-picking insects or using insecticidal soap. When you must use a pesticide, look for pollinator-safe alternatives. Many garden centers carry products specifically formulated to be less harmful to bees.

4. Support local beekeepers by purchasing their honey directly, at your local farmers market, or supermarket.

5. If you see a swarm of bees, don’t panic. They don’t want to hurt you. Call 651-436-7915 to report a swarm. Be prepared to provide information such as the address and how long has the swarm been there. Take a photo of the swarm as close-up as you feel comfortable.

Since the start of human civilization, we've cleared 46% of trees globally.  In 2022 alone, we lost 22.8 million hectares of tree cover to deforestation, logging and fires-equivalent to a soccer field of trees every six seconds. To ensure a safe, healthy future we must restore these forest habitats. Here are 4 reasons we need trees near us according to earthday.org.
1, Trees purify our air and combat climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in trunks and soil.  Trees absorb 30% of global emissions every year.  When we burn them or cut them down, all of that pollution get released into the air.
2. Trees provide housing to millions of species that protect us from disease.  A quarter of our medicine comes from plants found in the rainforest, and if you add species in coral  reefs, they make up 40-50% of our pharmaceuticals. As we encroach on forest habitats, we lose these valuable species.
3. Trees cool our streets and concrete cities. 2023 was the hottest year on record and 2024 looks to be even hotter. The Dept. of Energy states that planting trees near your home and buildings can reduce solar heat and reduce the cost of air conditioning,
4. Trees protect against flash floods, mudslides, and water pollution by stabilizing soil and absorbing water. Tree roots also filter harmful chemicals and pollutants from storm runoff into our rivers and lakes. Restoring our forests is a critically important way to help protect our Mother Earth.

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.