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  • San Diego Creation Care Team Success Stories

    Catholic Climate Covenant has created two short videos to discuss how different churches in the San Diego diocese in California have worked to be better stewards of God’s creation. The parish of Our Mother of Confidence in San Diego, California, has taken action to reduce water and energy usage while the Saint James Parish and Academy in Solana Beach, California, has implemented environmentally conscious projects and initiatives in their community.

  • Dayton Divests

    In June 2014, the University of Dayton became the first Catholic university in the United States to announce their divestment from coal and fossil fuels. Members of the university staff see this move as part of the university’s commitment to “being a responsible steward of the Earth’s natural resources.” This decision was commended by the president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Their decision was one inspired by faith reflection as well as a commitment to financial stability for the university.

    Beyond divesting from coal and fossil fuels, the university has taken further steps to move their campus toward efficiency and sustainability. The university now has two full time employees who work to improve campus sustainability and offers academic programs in these areas as well. The University of Dayton is also home to the Hanley Sustainability Institute.

  • Pope Tells Oil Executives to Act on Climate: "There Is No Time to Lose’”

    This past Saturday, the pope gathered leaders of the world’s largest oil companies for a closed-door conference at the Vatican. He commended oil and gas companies for progress made in developing more careful approaches to assess of climate risk and adjustments made to their business practices. However, these actions are not enough. Pressure has been building on oil and gas companies to transition to less polluting forms of energy, often coupled with the threat of fossil-fuel divestment.

    The pope reiterated his call for a transition from fossil fuels “to a greater use of energy sources that are highly efficient while producing low levels of pollution.” He emphasized that the poor who would suffer the most from the effects global warming. And that we owe it to the poorer countries and future generations.

  • Irish Bishops Announce Divestment from Fossil Fuels Ahead of the Pope's Visit

    The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference announced it would divest from fossil fuels hours before the arrival of Pope Francis. The bishop's move means withdrawing investments in 200 oil and gas companies within five years. The bill was introduced in the Irish Parliament, requiring the country’s sovereign wealth fund to divest from all fossil fuels. If the Irish bill passes, it will make Ireland the first government to divest from fossil fuels.

  • Engaged Organizations: Springs Dominican motherhouse, Columbus, OH

    The Springs Dominican motherhouse hosts 150 individuals (maintaining 76 beds). Initial green projects included replacing their lights with LED bulbs and replacing seven boilers, which had been there since the 1940s, with just one new one. Recently, Innovative Organic Recycling composting company had been invited to speak with house members, and their composting program took off from there. Jean Sylvester, Motherhouse Administrator, had found it easy to do at her own house and was also aware of Shepherd’s Corner success with it. Both staff and residents adapted quickly and the process is streamlined at this point. Composting is done by the sisters themselves, with administration providing the bags and cans. In addition to composting food, even the bones, all of plates and cups, including coffee cups, can be composted as well.

    For administration, this is a business model that makes practical sense. Management had been quoted at $35 per pick up, so they decided to give it a two-week trial period. Overall, composting has been a "win-win" for them, with its ease of implementation and minimal ongoing efforts. In addition, their dock smells better because the food waste bags are not left open in the dumpster now. There is also less garbage for RUMPKE to take, so the project cost savings of waste management will be reaped over time .

  • Hitzhusen to Deliver Lecture on Spirituality and Sustainability on Sept. 20 in Sylvania, OH

    The Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment, an “educational consortium for environmental concerns” affiliated with Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH, will host Dr. Greg Hitzhusen to deliver a lecture on “Spirituality and Sustainability: Hope for All Creation” at the Franciscan Center from 7:30-9:00pm on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

    Attend this FREE public lecture hosted by S.A.V.E. – Science Alliance for Valuing the Environment.

    To read more about this event please click on the link below:

  • Today is registration deadline for Columbus Diocese Creation Care Conference on Oct. 8

    The Columbus Diocese is offering a day of reflection, inspiration, study, and sharing of resources to help Columbus area Catholic communities respond to Pope Francis’ environmental urgings in his recent encyclical, Laudato Si: Caring for Our Common Home. The conference: “Enlivened by Laudato Si’: We Care for our Common Home: Our practical response to care for God’s creation” will be held at the Martin De Porres Center in Columbus from 10am-2pm on Saturday, October 8.

    The conference will feature creation care team building sessions, spirituality and worship, education, sustainability information for energy savings, and advocacy to care for creation and the poor. Dr. Greg Hitzhusen of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State will deliver a keynote address.

  • WATERSHED: Replenishing Water Values for a Thirsty World

    This site highlights the reports and videos and resources gathered to address world water resources, sponsored by the Vatican and many other partners.

  • Engaged Organizations: National Council of Catholic Women

    National Council of Catholic Women discuss their work with Catholic Relief Services with regard to their focus on water projects in developing countries, as indicated on their website and in the video below:

    "The Water for Life video illustrates the work of Catholic Relief Services in partnership with the National Council of Catholic Women (www.nccw.org) in responding to the critical need for water projects in developing countries. The greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today is food and water scarcity issues that threaten the peace and security of most developing nations."

  • Global Climate Change A Plea for Dialogue Prudence and the Common Good

    A Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops was issued on June 15, 2001. This document covers a multitude of current environmental problems and the resulting negative impact on populations around the world - especially with regard to indigent populations. It stressed the connectivity of human behavior and it's impact on the planet.

  • A Bishops’ Letter about the Climate

    Below is a section of the introduction from A Bishops’ Letter about the Climate, which covers a multitude of critical environmental issues, from the 2014 Bishops' conference:

    "We have lived with reports and forecasts of climate change since the 1980s. Our climate is the result of the interaction of complex systems and there is often a great distance between cause and effect in terms of both space and time. There are uncertainties and a lack of clarity. However, the knowledge we possess today does not allow us to postpone until tomorrow
    what needs to be done now. Our human climate impact must decrease for the sake of the earth, for the sake of the world that God so loves that God gave us Jesus Christ."

  • Five Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent Alarm

    This article covers Pope Francis's reaction to the world governments responses to climate change. The Pope writes to unite people through religion in an effort to bring awareness to the movement. The article details how the church is divesting in fossil fuel companies. The article also focuses on the political divide and how it affects people's views on the climate crisis.

  • How to Green your Parish

    This article is about the importance of parishes to participate in environmentally sustainable actions based on Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’. It encourages parishes to strive to become more eco-friendly by taking work together as a community and focusing on change one issue at a time. The article focuses on three main areas: reducing the parishes greenhouse gas, sustaining food and land use, and preserving water.