Happy Valentine’s Day! We should show our love to our “valentine” while also respecting our common home. Here are a few quick tips for celebrating the day in as eco-friendly way as possible.
- Buy fair trade gifts and chocolates.
- Give e-cards. If you do send a paper valentine, be certain to send one that is printed on paper containing recycled-content. Be sure to recycle your paper valentines.
- Instead of cut flowers, give seeds, seedlings, potted plants, or plant a tree together. If you give flowers, try to give organic or locally grown flowers, or a perennial plant.
- Make a donation to an environmental organization (consider Catholic Climate Covenant) on behalf of your valentine.
- Plan a trip to a wildlife reserve, nature center, park or natural area.
- Arrange dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in organic or locally grown food, or make your own romantic meal with locally grown ingredients. Make it a meatless Valentine’s day dinner!
In this email you will find more ideas for how you and your faith community can show our Earth some love. Has the KonMari “obsession” made it to your family’s or community’s life? Make sure that the decluttering is done in an eco-friendly way! Also, check out some of the available Lenten creation care resources!
Blessings,
Paz
How will you take action?
Reflect
The Beauty of Nature
O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
~Walter Rauschenbusch
Act Together
Ten Minutes
Register for Why the Faith Community Holds the Climate Key Webinar
You are invited to join us on Wednesday, February 27th at 3-4 pm (eastern) for an online conversation with Professor Ed Maibach from George Mason University’s Center for Climate Communication. Dr. Maibach, who has been at the forefront of polling and messaging on climate change will discuss:
- How the faith community is vital to inspire effective climate policy and greater climate action.
- The compelling case for Catholics and other people of faith to use the power of their core beliefs and public witness to change attitudes toward solving the climate crisis.
Why the Faith Community Holds the Climate Key
Wednesday, February 27th
3:00-4:00 pm (eastern)
NOTE: Link to webinar recording will be sent to all who register.
Half Day
Lent Resources
To help you plan for Lent, here are a few Lent resources. Plan to spend a couple of hours reviewing the resources and discussing what works for your community.
- Lenten Fast resources from Global Catholic Climate Movement
- Carbon Fast resources from Interfaith Power and Light.
- Plastic Bag Fast for Lent
- Creation Care: A STUDY AND PRACTICE FOR LENT (and beyond) from Earth Ministry
- Creation Care Calendar from the Inter-religious Working Group on Extractive Industries (2019 version coming soon!)
- Lent course: Climate change and the purposes of God - Study course by Operation Noah
- Stations of the Forests from Columban JPIC
Ongoing
Many of us are feeling inspired by Marie Kondo and are busily decluttering our homes. Your Creation Care Team can be of assistance in the decluttering/finding joy movement! In order to make sure that the decluttering is done in as ecologically friendly manner as possible and that usable things don’t end up in the landfill, your Creation Care Team might want to consider:
- Planning a swap meet where the community can trade their “clutter” with each other. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.
- Hosting a community yard sale. Use the proceeds to fund your Creation Care Team ministry or donate to a local environmental cause.
- Collecting usable household and yard tools and create your own “tool library”. These have become quite popular in the “sharing” economy.