In response to Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home, The Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati, recently encouraged Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese to participate in one of two energy summits to promote “faithful sustainability” and best energy practices in church facilities and homes.
From the event description on the website, “ The Archdiocesan office of Property Management and Real Estate, and office of Social Action invite pastors, business managers and facilities managers to join representatives from CCE, Duke Energy, EPA’s Energy Star and WaterSense and US Green Building Council in a half-day event where they can participate in no-cost efficiency programs. For many, they will be able to take action towards reducing energy use and lowering energy costs this same day“.
Homily Helps is a resource from Catholic Climate Covenant that offers resources that help to integrate the insights of Laudato Si’ and caring for creation into Sunday mass. It includes highlights from the Scripture, relevant quotations from Laudato Si’, sample applications, and more.
Catholic Climate Covenant has created their 2018 Earth Day video Beyond a Throwaway Culture. The focus of the video is the harm that comes from single-use disposable plastics - how it contributes to both land and marine pollution.
This hour-long webinar was created by Catholic Climate Covenant and Earth Day Network to address the exponential growth of plastics and how it is threatening the survival of our planet. Earth Day Network discusses the resources they offer to help end plastic pollution and their Earth Day campaign: A World Without Plastic Pollution. The webinar then discusses Catholic Climate Covenant’s program, Beyond a Throwaway Culture: Reduce Waste–Grow Community, and describes how faith communities can celebrate our common home on Earth Day and every day.
Catholic Climate Covenant has created their 2018 Earth Day with the theme of reducing waste. Titled Beyond a Throwaway Culture: Reduce Waste- Grow Community, the focus is on single-use disposable plastics and how they contribute to land and marine pollution. The program includes prayers, readings, actions, and a video.
The Catholic Climate Covenant has produced Know the Creator through Creation, an educational program to help celebrate Earth Day. This is the second year they have offered this resource that includes prayers, scripture readings, videos, discussion questions, and suggested activities to help teach about climate change. Their goal is to increase climate literacy and assist Catholics in embracing their call to care for creation. There are three different age specific programs between 30 minutes to an hour long.
"St. Patrick Parish in Iowa City, a participant in the Victory Noll Sisters Small Grants Program, offered each household in the parish a free kit with native plant seedlings, a kitchen compost container, and LED bulbs.
The 162 native plants arrived just in time for Laudato Si Week in late May, and more than thirty households signed up in this inaugural effort."
