SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

Response to the Cry of the Earth

• Organize park and beach clean ups to reduce plastic pollution

• Plant edible food forests

• Propagate native pollinator habitats

• Convert grass lawns to native meadows

• Turn off excess light – especially at night during bird migration season

• Support The Audobon Society’s Lights Out Program

• Reduce meat consumption–especially red meat–to reduce animal cruelty and curb greenhouse gas emissions

Response to the Cry of the Poor

• Grow food and donate to local food banks

• Embark on service trips focused on clean water access

• Donate to hurricane and flood relief efforts

• Distribute food, clothing, and hygiene products to the homeless

Ecological Economics

• Research and use fair trade products with just labor practices

• Support green businesses

• Buy local when possible

Adaptation of Sustainable Lifestyles

• Compost food scraps, paper products, and organic material -- avoid adding meat, dairy, and oily foods

  • Use cardboard / cardboard egg cartons to cover compost and protect from rodents

  • Cut holes in the bottoms of trash cans for compost drainage in urban settings

  • 3 bin system is most effective and labor-intensive – use palettes and a tarp

  • Simple tumblers: Orbis Earth Machine, Garden Gourmet, Hot Frog

  • 3:1 brown to green; 30:1 carbon to nitrogen

  • Avoid adding meat, dairy (egg shells are okay), oils

  • Keep moist and aerate at least once per week

  • Consider using an indoor worm bin

• Conduct waste audits

• Purchase environmentally friendly laundry detergent and hair products

• Grow organic gardens – raised bed method, homemade greenhouses, indoor survival gardens

  • Embrace permaculture design principles

  • Re-grow vegetables from food scraps

• Purchase hybrid or electric vehicles

• Install water refilling stations

• Encourage reusable water bottles

• Recycle and donate old clothes

• Buy used clothing

• Donate old furniture to Goodwill

• Use compostable silverware when possible

• Purchase takeout from restaurants with compostable food products

• Minimize aerosol sprays and products with microbeads

• Avoid using plastic straws

• Opt for used and online textbooks

• Make and use reusable bags for school operations

• Use reusable coffee thermoses

• Buy new products only when necessary

• Cut back on excess paper use and move digital when possible

• Install CFL or LED light bulbs

• Consult LEED certification standards for new buildings

• Monitor energy and water use and find ways of reducing consumption

• Install motion sensor lights in restrooms

• Switch off appliances when not in use

• Train custodians on green cleaning methods

• Find out more about recycling in your community

  • What gets recycled and what doesn’t?

  • What can you do to ensure you recycle as much as possible?

• Dispose of waste properly – e.g. recycle batteries

• Find ways to capture rainwater

• Support leave the leaves campaigns; reduce leaf blowers

• Encourage carpooling

• Ride bicycles and choose public transportation when possible

• Unplug chargers and other cables not in use

• Use real dishes and towels instead of single-use ones

• Reduce meat consumption or purchase locally sourced, humanely raised meat; embrace plant-based substitutes such as tofu, tempeh, lentils, veggie burgers, etc.

  • Meatless Mondays

  • Purchase less red meat (esp. beef – 12x the greenhouse gas emissions of chicken)

Ecological Education

• Know Your Bioregion

  • Study local watershed

  • Research Indigenous History – Whose Land Are You On?

  • Practice nature journaling to understand local ecology

  • Practice forest bathing – Japanese research supports physiological benefits

  • Create outdoor classrooms

  • Integrate outdoor activities into academic and extracurricular life when possible

  • Visit conservation areas, waste disposal sites, and municipal water sources

  • Collect native seeds

• Forage

  • Practice plant identification with Seek by iNaturalist App

  • Learn plant families

    • Most common: mint family, parsley family, mustard family, pea family, lily family, grass family, rose family, aster family

    • Research edible and medicinal varieties

  • Learn about mushrooms – exercise caution; spore prints can help identify

• Track animals

  • Large scale signs, medium scale signs, small scale signs

  • Analyze scat, bird pellets, gnaws and chews

  • Use Merlin App to identify bird calls through Cornell Ornithology Lab

• Screen and discuss The Letter: Laudato Si Film

• Take Christianity and Ecology online course through Yale/Coursera

• Add indoor plants to enhance nature connection

Ecological Spirituality

• Integrate Creation-centered liturgy (see guide here)

• Celebrate Creation-centered holidays

  • Rogation Days - Normally the three days before the solemnity of the Ascension

  • Feast of St. Francis of Assisi Feast - October 4

  • World Food Day - Week of October 16

  • Fast for World Harvest - Thursday before Thanksgiving

  • World Day of Peace - January 1

  • Earth Day - April 22

  • World Environment Day - Early June Arbor Day - Varies by state

• Nurture outdoor contemplative practices

Community, Resilience, and Empowerment

• Connect and collaborate with local environmental groups in the community

• Explore solar panels or wind turbines for electricity generation