Celebrating Our Creation Care Teams

Mission:

• To implement the Laudato Si Action Plan throughout all ministries at St. John Neumann Church and School.
• To integrate these activities into the Spanish and Anglo communities at St. John Neumann Church.
• To create an ethic of caring for our earth and one another in our church, school and in our homes.
• To disseminate these principles throughout our communities where we live, work and play.

Accomplishments:

At St. John Neumann we are following Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home, Mother Earth by creating an ethic of conservation. We are using the Laudato Si Action Plan as our guide. This document was developed and reviewed by a group of interdisciplinary, interfaith scientists at the University of Georgia. It is a practical guide for all faiths to care for the earth. A movement has begun among all religions to address climate change and environmental degradation as a moral imperative.

Accomplishments:

At St. John Neumann we are following Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home, Mother Earth by creating an ethic of conservation. We are using the Laudato Si Action Plan as our guide. This document was developed and reviewed by a group of interdisciplinary, interfaith scientists at the University of Georgia. It is a practical guide for all faiths to care for the earth. A movement has begun among all religions to address climate change and environmental degradation as a moral imperative.

Parish Activities and Education

1. Susan Varlamoff spoke from the pulpit to gather support for the project and to establish a Creation Care Team – 45 people signed up
2. Formed a Creation Care Steering Committee that meets every other month to strategize. Pastor Fr. Sunny attends most meetings.
3. Created a Creation Care video used for Earth Day and to showcase the program.
4. Used Green Shortz videos on the parish monitors to give tips on living green.
5. Provide weekly eco-tips in English and Spanish to follow the liturgical and natural seasons. These tips are based on the Action Plan.
6. Planted a Laudato Si native tree (Shumard Oak) in the natural area surrounding the blessed mother.
7. Planted a native dogwood tree with the local Lutheran church to show solidarity on creation care.
8. Boy scouts through 13 eagle scout awards constructed outdoor stations of the cross in the woods.
9. Invited Kat Doyle to the parish to speak about the Pope Francis’ Laudato Si.
10. Organized two Mulch Days to spread mulch on all beds. 50 people turned out.
11. A Laudato Si educational series is planned for the fall of 2019.

Energy Conservation & Efficiency –  Energy savings about 20%

1. Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) conducted energy audit (2012) on the church and administration building to determine baseline energy use and opportunities for energy reduction.
2. St. John Church received a $3,000 grant from Georgia Interfaith Power and Light to change all conventional lights to LED bulbs.
3. The Creation Care Team will apply for another grant in the fall of 2019 for attic insulation.
4. Energy use is on a downward trend.
5. Installed motion sensor in church rest rooms.
6. Temperature set at levels to minimize energy use.
7. Turn off lights in unused areas.
8. Lights in chapel are controlled by an on/off motion sensor.
9. All air conditioning units upgraded to energy efficient models.
10. HVAC in church on programmed schedule.
11. All AC filters changed quarterly.
12. Admin building`s outside lights controlled via photo-cells.
13. Sanitizer in Reynolds Hall kitchen runs on a 90 second cycle.
14. Conversion of Administrative Area to LED Lights and Fixtures
15. Spotlight conversion to LED spot lamps
16. Fluorescent cost of conversion – 4” fixture, lamp and parts
17. Install U fixture, lamp and parts

Purchasing and Recycling

1. Recycling program established. Reduced waste going to the landfill by 50%.
2. Styrofoam BANNED. Bi-lingual signs posted throughout the meeting rooms and general area.
3. Replaced office furniture with used & free.
4. Copier in office prints on both sides.
5. Old electronic items taken to Good Will.
6. Repairs always done when possible instead of buying new.
7. Washing dishes for smaller events to reduce waste.
8. Recycling votive candle holders.
9. Many materials purchased for church come from local natural resources such as Tennessee stone.  
10. Encourage E-giving to save paper and increase church donations.
11. Compostable dinnerware is being purchased over disposable.

Water Conservation

1. Restroom water faucets on sensors.
2. Low flush toilets installed in the church.
3. Repaired leaks that saved many gallons of water.
4. The Creation Care team is working with the county and Archdiocese to minimize flooding from the nearly stream. Culverts will be cleaned of silt. A Bioswale with in installed and the stream banks will be planted to reduce erosion.

Buying & Sharing food

1. St. John Neumann maintains a St. Vincent de Paul food pantry for the surrounding community.
2. The food pantry maintains a small vegetable garden and fruit trees to provide fresh produce.
3. Parishioners are encouraged to donate produce to the food pantry from their vegetable gardens.
4. Gwinnett Cooperative Extension agent Tim Daley gave a vegetable gardening workshop for parishioners for Earth Day 2018.
5. St. John Neumann school received a Captain Planet Foundation grant to install a school vegetable garden to teach children about where their food comes and to use it as demonstration site to teach core subjects such as math and science.
6. University of Georgia Gwinnett County Agricultural Extension agent conducted three workshops on Spring, Fall vegetable gardening and Fruit Tree gardening. Raised beds were constructed for demonstration purposes and planted with season vegetables for the food pantry. A fig tree, blueberry bushes and a blackberry vine were planted for fresh fruit.

Create sustainable landscapes

About 12 Master gardeners and volunteers manage an eco-friendly landscape. These principles are based on Sustainable Gardening for the Southeast, by Susan Varlamoff. The following are underway or completed.

1. Removed invasive plants.
2. Connected the landscape to adjacent urban forest which includes a stream.
3. Created a water wise landscape.
4. Planted native trees, shrubs and plants throughout the landscape
5. Lawn is less than the recommended 40% of the landscape.
6. Correct planting procedures are followed; mulch made from ground trees and limbs is placed on beds to reduce weeds and water needed for irrigation.
7. Compost pile created with landscape waste.
8. Minimal pesticides are used to control pests. 
9. A pollinator garden has been installed.