According to the Stanford University recycling center, Americans make 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than at any other time of the year. Much of it, of course, is caused by the waste produced by decorating and gift giving. So why not instead strategize how each of us can make less waste insteadContinue reading “Dreaming of a Green Christmas”
Tag Archives: carbon footprint
Season of Creation Week 3
September marks the end of summer and summer vacation for school children. September also is the month of the Season of Creation, that time of the church year to focus on creation and ask ourselves what more we can do to take care of it. The flipside of creation is climate change which is impactingContinue reading “Season of Creation Week 3”
Season of Creation Week 2
The 2022 Season of Creation started on September 1st and continues until the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4th. The Season of Creation is a time to focus on creation and ask ourselves what more we can do to take care of it. This year, we are asked to “listen to theContinue reading “Season of Creation Week 2”
Sign the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has expressed support for the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and announced last week that all new exploration and production of oil must be phased out to prevent global temperatures from rising to a “precipice.” This is why over 250,000 individuals, including GretaContinue reading “Sign the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty”
Living on through selfless acts
I ran across a great quote in an audiobook I just finished reading – I listen to books during my long runs. The fiction book, The Flight Attendant – by Chris Bohjalian – was a good read but hardly a book where I expected to find such a gem of a quote: “Supposedly, whatever weContinue reading “Living on through selfless acts”
Experiencing an Ecological Conversion
In Laudato Si, Pope Francis, invites to experience an ecological conversion: We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart…it entails gratitude and gratuitousness, a recognition that the world is God’s loving gift, and that we are called quietly to imitate his generosity in self-sacrifice and good works…It also entails a loving awareness thatContinue reading “Experiencing an Ecological Conversion”
Resolve to Reduce Energy Usage
January is the month of New Year’s resolutions. Why not make a resolution that can improve yourself while also lowering your carbon footprint? For our second week of resolutions, I thought that I would talk about energy usage. Throughout our lives we consume energy in many different ways. At home, we heat and cool ourContinue reading “Resolve to Reduce Energy Usage”
The Gift of Creation
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. His gift to all of us was creation itself. And we all benefit from the gift of creation everyday of our lives. At the same time, creation is suffering greatly from human-induced climate change due to man’s disregard for God’s handiwork and our oversized carbonContinue reading “The Gift of Creation”
Simple Christmas Gifts
In my article from a couple of weeks ago, I championed the idea of a simpler Advent season that shifted the idea of giving Christmas gifts to the needy rather than those with plenty. That idea tops my gift-giving list, but I also include alternatives that come with small(er) carbon footprints: My top suggestion remainsContinue reading “Simple Christmas Gifts”
Opening Up to What is Possible in a Crisis
As I mentioned last week, the coronavirus pandemic is challenging all of us. And many in the world are suffering and even dying because of Covid-19. In addition, many more people throughout the world are suffering because of the efforts to reduce or stop transmission of the coronavirus. These efforts, while saving lives, have, unfortunately, Continue reading “Opening Up to What is Possible in a Crisis”
Saint Francis of Assisi at St John the Evangelist 