ASSESS

. . . your participation-as individuals and organizations-in contributing to climate change (i.e. consumption and conservation).

Today, we all see that man can destroy the foundations of his existence, his earth, hence, that we can no longer simply do what we like or what seems useful and promising at the time with this earth of ours, with the reality entrusted to us. On the contrary, we must respect the inner laws of creation, of this earth; we must learn these laws and obey these laws if we wish to survive. Consequently, this obedience to the voice of the earth, of being, is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment.

Pope Benedict XVI, July 24, 2007

How much do we consume? How might our lifestyle choices impact the planet and its people? Useful tools abound to help us discover the answers to these two important questions.

Critically assessing our actions will allow us to make better, healthier, sustainable choices for our neighbor, our planet and for ourselves.

Assessment Ideas for Organizations:

Conduct an Energy Audit of your building (churches, schools and other buildings) to discover where energy is being wasted.

Note: Many Catholic organizations rent office space and may find it more difficult to do an energy audit if the landlord chooses not to. But there are other ways in which Catholic organizations and institutions can assess their climate change impact:

1. Think in terms of energy savings:
   • Do you turn off lights when leaving a room?
   • Do you purchase bottled water when tap water will suffice?
   • Are computers and other office equipment turned off overnight, on weekends or any time when not in use?
2. What about large gatherings?
   • Are your meetings or conventions as green as can be? do vendors provide opportunities to reduce waste, recycle, etc?
   • Can smaller gatherings be done over a conference call or teleconference and cut the need for air travel?
   • Can you think of ways to assess, longer-term, the carbon footprint of your meetings and conventions?
3. Discover your carbon footprint to assess how your lifestyle choices contribute to or help reduce carbon emissions. Visit the Regeneration Project and their “Cool Congregations” website.
4. Assess your needs as opposed to your wants. Understand the difference between long-term sustainable lifestyles versus instant gratification. Consider what Pope Benedict said about the voices of the future versus the voices of the moment. How will your wants affect poor people’s needs and the earth both today and tomorrow?