Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement: Season of Creation
The Season of Creation is a time to reflect and evaluate our own personal footprint on the earth while at the same time advocate for policy changes. Here is one tool for that reflection: ecologicalexamen.org.
The problem of climate change may seem so huge that we are tempted to throw our hands up in despair. As we witnessed the wildfires, floods, and hurricanes these past months, we might have asked ourselves how our individual efforts could possibly impact the climate emergency.
Yet, as consumers, we have the power of the purse, and as people of faith, we have the power of hope, while as a community, we have the power of persuasion.
What I do influences others around me to adopt new sustainable lifestyle habits. It’s a ripple effect.
The habit to turn off unused lights, to walk or ride a bike instead of using Uber, to compost our food scraps, to use less plastic, to tend a green space with plants, to pray gratefully for the gifts of Nature, to be more conscious of conspicuous consumption, to reuse, repurpose, and recycle things, to switch our electricity to a renewable source, to not buy bottled water, etc.
The list can be long, but let’s keep in mind that we’re not doing this alone, that our individual efforts are added to the collective effort of our parish, other parishes, and other houses of worship. As each ecological action becomes a habit, it forms part of our integral ecology lifestyle and brings us more in tune with God’s creation. And each of our individual actions radiates out as a message and model to those around us. As members of a faith community, we can influence and support one another in developing new ecological habits in an effort to support a planet flourishing with life.
Who would have thought 30 years ago that we’d have bike lanes, recycling and compost pick-up, donation centers for old electronics, and solar panels and gardens on rooftops, etc? The seed for these programs started with the actions and vision of one.
– Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement