Praise God for the Gift of Creation

Psalm 148; 4-13
Let them all praise the LORD’S name; for the LORD commanded and they were created…
Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deep waters;
You lightening and hail, snow and clouds, storm winds that fulfill His command;
You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars;
You animals wild and tame, you creatures that crawl and fly;
You kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all who govern on earth;
Young men and women, old and young alike.
Let them praise the LORD’S name, for His name alone is exalted, majestic above the earth and heaven.

“Because the earth was entrusted to human stewardship, the natural world is not just a resource to be exploited but also a reality to be respected and reverenced as a gift and trust from God. It is the task of human beings to care for, preserve and cultivate the treasures of Creation.” (Pope John Paul II, 2001)

“At its core, global climate change... is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. It is about protecting both “the human environment” and the natural environment. It is about our human stewardship of God’s creation and our responsibility to those who come after us.” (U.S. Conference of Bishops, 2001)

May the Lord forgive us and guide us to become responsible stewards of Creation, aware of what is happening to the earth, and ready to act and advocate for the good of this entire planet. May our praises to God for the gift of Creation energize us to see, reflect and act.

Creator God, we praise you for the grandeur of the universe.
We praise you for the gift of the Earth.
We praise you for the land, and we praise you for the seas.
We praise you for the great miracle of teeming life on our prolific planet.
We praise you for the cycle of growth and for the beauty of the Spring.
We praise you green growth of summer and for the holy harvest in the Fall.
We praise you for the infinity of different creatures on the land and in the sea,
Each unique in its own way,
Each fitting into the complex ecosystems you have gifted us with,
Each dependent on each other and the whole.
We praise you, our Creator.
Grace us with a sense of our responsibilities
To preserve and protect your precious gift,
This Garden, this Earth.
(Education for Justice; Jane Deren)

Care for God’s Creation

God who made all things, and with regard to each created reality “God saw that it was good”. At the summit of this creation, which, “was very good”, God placed man. Only man and woman, among all creatures, were made by God “in his own image”. The Lord entrusted all of creation to their responsibility, charging them to care for its harmony and development. This special bond with God explains the privileged position of the first human couple in the order of creation.

Far from being enslaved by things, the disciple of Jesus must know how to use them in order to bring about sharing and brotherhood.
The greater man’s power becomes, the farther his individual and community responsibility extends, and that every human activity is to correspond, according to the design and will of God, to humanity’s true good.
We cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention both to the consequences of such interference in other areas and to the well- being of future generations.
The aspect of the conquest and exploitation of resources has become predominant and invasive, and today it has even reached the point of threatening the environment’s hospitable aspect: the environment as ’resource’ risks threatening the environment as ’home’.

Technology that pollutes can also cleanse, production that amasses can also distribute justly, on condition that the ethic of respect for life and human dignity, for the rights of today’s generations and those to come, prevails.

At Risk in the Womb

Children who suffer the most from environmental exposures are those yet to be born because they are least capable of fending for themselves from toxic exposures.
Pregnant women are particularly at risk because lead ingested can cross the placenta and affect the unborn child.
A developing baby in the womb when exposed to lead is at a higher risk of being born prematurely and having low-weight at birth.
Mercury levels in a fetus’ umbilical cord blood are 70% higher than those in the mother’s blood.
1 in 6 or more children born in the USA could be at risk for developmental disorders because of mercury exposure un the mother’s womb.
Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, can affect a child’s growth, heart and other defects.
Do I live out responsibility to care for God’s creation?
Do I litter? Live wastefully? Use energy too freely?
How can I reduce consumption in my life?

(Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; Education for Justice)

Adapting to Climate Change :Ethiopia

A Catholic Relief Services Case Study

Ethiopians profit by protecting their watershed in face of climate change. Over the last three decades, 98% of all people worldwide were affected by a natural or climate-related disaster.

In Ethiopia, rising temperatures and increasingly variable rainfall are killing crops and livestock in drought-prone areas. Farmers in the drier areas of the country are harvesting few to no crops as the sun beats down on the fields starved for rain. Meanwhile pastoralists are struggling to find enough water to keep their camels, cattle, goats and sheep alive.

Ahmed Sheno: “My life has changed. I feel more confident about my family’s future.”

WHY?

CRS along with the Hararghe Catholic Secretariat have integrated water resource management projects in the 4 communities to increase available ground water by protecting the natural resources within their watershed area.

Years of poor resource management had significantly reduced the ground water available, forcing residents to rely on wells.

As a short term goal CRS provided a diesel-operated water pump enabling residents to access water for household use and irrigate 17 hectares.

The hillsides were increasingly barren from deforestation and overgrazing so CRS focused on replenishing available ground water resources, but fundamental changes needed to be made by the residents.

The community began building stone terraces across the hillsides. These terraces prevent heavy rains from washing topsoil away and help retain the water that falls on the hills. Trees were planted, small bushes and grasses were also planted to improve soil stability, reduce soil erosion and produce new sources of firewood and livestock feed.

After 4 years the area’s ground water increased significantly and natural springs came back to life. This increased availability enables villagers to grow fruits, and vegetables year-round and can sell them at a profit.

Ahmed Sheno alone earned $1,340 selling his excess potatoes, onions and cabbage. Ahmed’s average household income was $260.00.

He used this extra money to build a house with a corrugated iron sheet roof and to buy 3 oxen, 2 cows and 4 goats. He also contributed to a community project to help build classrooms so his children could receive a better education at a local school.

Ahmed said of the rehabilitated watershed, "Each of us guards this area because it is the foundation for changing our lives.”

www.crs.org

How Long Does Our Garbage Last?

According to the EPA in 2007 the average American generated 4.62 lbs of garbage every single day.

Have you given much thought to how long that garbage is going to sit in a landfill until it decomposes?

Plastics:

Plastic is pretty much a staple in modern life; it is petroleum based and we use approximately 1.6 million barrels of oil every year, just in making plastic bottled water.

Plastics estimated will begin to decompose in a landfill for at least 1,000 years.

Plastic bags will decompose in 10-20 years IF they are exposed to sun and air. No sun or air in landfills.

Glass:

Glass is the easiest things to recycle, since glass is primarily made from sand and it is simply broken up into small pieces and then melted down to make new glass bottles. Existing glass melts at lower temperatures so recycling saves energy.

Glass thrown away in the garbage could take up to a million years to decompose. (source:WWF)

Aluminum Cans:

Every three months, Americans throw away enough aluminum cans to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.

Aluminum cans in a landfill take around 80-200 years to decompose.

When recycled, it takes as much energy to make 20 cans as it does to make one brand new one.

Newspapers:

Newspaper is the largest element in a landfill based on volume.

In a landfill takes only 2-4 weeks to decompose, but the trees that are cut down to make paper and the volume it takes up in a landfill makes recycling newspapers the easiest thing to do. Bring them to church and drop them off in the recycling dumpster.

Food Waste:

According to the EPA food waste is the single largest waste stream in the USA by weight. When food decomposes without oxygen it produces methane, which is 21 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide.

Landfills are the single largest methane producer in the world, accounting for over 34% of all the methane released into the environment.

A banana peel and an apple core take a month to decompose. An orange peel takes 6 months.

Styrofoam Containers:

It is hard to recycle and most places don’t even try.

Scientists estimate it takes up to a million years to decompose.

Disposable Diapers:

Over 18 billion diapers are thrown away each year in the USA alone.

Disposable diapers decompose after around 550 years.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle, Recycle, Recycle, Recycle, Recycle