May the glory of our God endure forever; may God rejoice in every work.
-(Psalm 104:30-32)
The fullness of Joy is to behold God in everything.
-Julian of Norwich
Believe one who knows: you will find something greater in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.
-St Bernard of Clairvaux)
A true concept of development cannot ignore the use of the elements of nature.
-Pope John Paul II, Solicitudo, Rei Socialis, 1987
Creator God, we gather in your name to give praise and thanks for the wonder of your creation. We ask your forgiveness for the times we have failed to respect any part of your creation.
–The Columbia River Watershed: Caring for Creation and the Common Good, U.S. Catholic Bishops
We cannot go on being indifferent to the preservation and improvement of the environment in which we live.
–Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The earth belongs to God, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
(Psalm 24:1)
It is manifestly unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate excess goods, squandering available resources, while masses of people are living in conditions of misery at the lowest level of existence.
–Pope John Paul II
The fundamental relation between humanity and nature is one of caring for creation.
-The Catholic Bishops of the United States, Renewing the Earth, 1991
A "mere accumulation of goods and services, even for the benefit of the majority," as Pope John Paul II has said, "is not enough for the realization of human happiness"
(SRS, no. 28).
Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past…a new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge… The ecological crisis is a moral issue.
–Pope John Paul II
Lord, hear our prayer, that we as a parish make a covenant with each other to renew the face of the earth by beginning in our own gardens. We pray to the Lord. Amen.
God of all creation, how can we help but see you in the beauty of the outdoors? Your spirit is everywhere we look and the vastness of your creation is more than we can comprehend. Even in our own small yards and gardens we experience an amazing variety of your works. Help us to cherish the goodness of nature by lovingly attending to it with gentleness and consideration for how the small choices we make in our own yards can impact your garden, this earth. Be with us as we pray. Amen.
Jesus, carpenter and artisan: with your hands you fashioned out of the materials of earth objects that became part of the lives of your family and neighbors. Make us aware of our relationship to the materials we work with and the communities our work touches. Deepen our reverence for the sacredness of our call to continue the work of God’s ongoing creation in all we do. In the power of your spirit, we pray…Amen.
We urge all private property owners and managers of public lands to be good stewards of God’s land, to restore and conserve the land, and to promote human communities integrated with regional ecosystems. Renewing the Earth -- USCCB
Conservation practices by individuals and businesses, including diminished power use, the installation of insulation, and subsidized weatherization of the homes of low-income families, will certainly assist regional energy providers…to meet projected needs. Renewing the Earth – USCCB
Additional creative energy-saving initiatives are necessary, and new sources of energy need to be developed to supplement or, if ecologically or economically necessary, to supplant current systems. Renewing the Earth – USCCB
• Minimizing drafts in your home
• Use renewable energy (PGE has renewable units available) http://www.portlandgeneral.com/home/products/renewable_power/default.aspx.
• Use programmable thermostat on furnace that will automatically turn down the furnace when you are sleeping or at work
• Lower the thermostat and wear a sweater
• Buy gifts made from recycled materials. "http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=2382
• Use ‘Green’ goods and services. Here are some ideas: http://www.ecomall.com/homepage.htm
• Buy foods with the least wrapping.
• Shop in bulk to reduce packaging
• Buy fresh foods instead of frozen. Fresh food requires less processing and packaging than frozen food.
• Eat in season Don’t be tempted in wintertime to buy fresh fruit flown in from across the globe. Cut down on food miles by buying in season.
• Recycle old electronics, cell phones, appliances, clothes, ink cartridges These items are accepted at most Far West Fiber locations, http://www.farwestfibers.com/Locations/Beaverton.html, http://www.freegeek.org/ Intel also offers electronics recycling twice a year. They also offer paper shredding. Search the web for locations and items accepted.
• Recycle batteries Radio Shack recycles rechargeable batteries. To locate a recycler of other batteries try http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1383
• Use wrapping paper and cards made with recycled paper.
• Reuse newspaper as wrapping paper and jazz it up with a pretty ribbon or bow.
• Save paper and energy with e-cards.
• Give the gift of time or a service rather than a material gift.
• Donate your old car or boat – Many charities will refurbish and resell them.
• Inventory your pantry, freezer and refrigerator and use what you have before buying more
• Turn off your computers at night
• Unplug your phone charger
• Unplug your curling iron.
• Unplug unused appliances
• Turn off a light
• Remodeling? Donate your old windows, appliances and furniture.
• Put a plant on your desk. Do your bit towards cutting rising levels of indoor air pollution.
• Unscrew a few fluorescent office lights. Fluorescent lights are extremely energy efficient, but can be too heavily used so try using some portions only or taking out every other strip.
• Request sensor dryers in the bathroom Get rid of paper towels
• Drop a font size Try dropping a font size when printing your documents and you will save both ink and paper.
• Use a solar powered calculator
• Use an alternative to conventional dry cleaning:
(1) Seek out a professional who offers non-perc (tetrachloroethylene; the smelly stuff) dry cleaning;
(2) Consider a home dry cleaning kit.
(3) Buying clothes that don’t require dry cleaning;
(4) Modern washers with gentle cycles are often suitable for items you’d consider hand washing;
(5) Steam clean lightly soiled articles in your dryer. Place delicates in the dryer with a damp colorfast towel and a scented sachet (for freshness), run a normal cycle.
• Recycle your metal hangers or reuse your hangers. Ask the dry cleaners if they will take back their wire hangers and use them again.
• Buy new tires from a retailer who will recycle your old ones.
• 2-car families consider down sizing to one car. Maybe a Zipcar would work for you. http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=24241
• Buy the smallest car that is practical.
• Bring your own bags when you go grocery shopping.
• Teleconference.
• Calculate how much green house gases your car emits. Go to http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_road.html and use their calculator.
• Carpool to Mass or work.
• Use mass transit http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=10798
• Drive more efficiently
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/drive.shtml
http://www.howtoadvice.com/savinggas
• Combine trips making a loop rather than driving back and forth.
• Check out http://www.drivelesssavemore.com/ to discover options for reducing car trips. Save wear and tear on you, your wallet and the planet.
• Install a bulletin board above the copier for office communications that are both casual, non-confidential and for group notices. This also serves as a strong visual reminder to eliminate unnecessary paper use.
• Moving to digital documents — through creation or by scanning paper documents into a database.
• Recycle the paper you must use.
• Choose paper instead of plastic.
• Having a party? Use washable plates instead of throw-away paper plates.
• Consider composting and recycling everything and stop your garbage service.
