The Catholic Bishops of Ohio are against an indefinite freeze of Ohio’s clean energy target standards. The Ohio Mandates Study Committee has called for this freeze due to a need for continual studying of energy standards and their impact on the state. The Bishops, however, feel that there is no need to freeze the standards, as alternative energy sources benefit the environment as well as society.
This is not the first time that the Bishops of Ohio have voiced such a stance. Back in 2014, a similar issue arose with SB 310, which proposed the original freeze of Ohio’s advanced energy portfolio standard that was established by SB221. The Bishops voiced opposition to SB 310 at that time.
Some people may think that water issues in the United States only exist in the west. This is far from the truth. In addition to algae bloom issues throughout the midwest, the Appalachian region of the United States has been experiencing severe water contamination due to mining and chemical spills for the past several years. Fortunately, the residents of this region are kept informed by the Catholic Committee of Appalachia. Once a year, residents from all over the state meet in one location to discuss the issues of their region and try to come up with solutions.
Catholic Churches have been attempting to go green for years. One resource that has helped them to achieve this goal is a series of steps explained in the National Catholic Reporter. This site shows simple and easy steps that a congregation can take to being green, from conserving water and energy to educating and building communities.
The Boomerang Alliance in Queensland is calling on the government to implement the use of container deposits. They are doing this with the theme of Good Friday, invoking religious feelings and morals to gain support. This Easter and holiday season, it is always important to think about what we can all do to make a difference.
The Diocese of Southern Ohio posted a plan to help congregations and households with their energy bill. It was titled, An Energy Plan: Taking Action Today Results in a Better Tomorrow, and gives tips and important questions to ask when discussing your electric and gas bill. It also provides instructions on how to develop an Energy Plan to ultimately save energy and money.
The Creation Care Team of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has created a Creation Care Guide based on the teachings of Laudato Si’. This guide contains information on energy conservation and efficiency, purchasing and recycling, transportation, and water conservation. Additionally, they have a section on making Laudato Si’ more accessible to younger generations. The inspiration for this guide came from the Archdiocese of Atlanta who wrote a document titled, An Action Plan for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta.