Attuned to how “all of Creation lives and moves and has its being in God” and desiring to meet the environmental challenges of the moment, a group of Sisters – both retired and active in ministry – formed a Sustainability Committee, together with Motherhouse staff and Associates.
The committee is encouraging our Sisters and dear neighbors to adopt practices that reduce waste and energy consumption, reuse and repurpose goods to limit greenhouse gas production, conserve water and other natural resources, and advocate for broader action to protect and preserve our land, air, and life in all its (human and non-human) diversity.
Ideas, action steps, and educational resources are offered below:
Good air quality is a requirement for preserving the exquisite balance of life on earth for humans, plants, animals and natural resources. In this tip sheet from our Sustainability Committee we discuss what makes air quality “good” or “bad” and share simple ways each of us can help make the air we breathe safer and healthier.
Sustainable land use is how we humans use soils, water, animals and plants to meet our need of today and of the future, while preserving the wondrous biodiversity of Earth and living in right-relationship with all God has created. Through these two tip sheets (Part 1 and Part 2), our Sustainability Committee encourages us to be mindful about the sources and methods used to grow and transport the food we eat and suggests creative, affordable ways to eat organic and buy local, supporting farmers in our own backyards.
As Sisters of St. Joseph, we seek to be united to Jesus Christ in his love for God, for all people and for all creation. We believe in a “sacramental universe,” recognizing that all life forms are imbued with the presence of the triune God and therefore have intrinsic value (Ecological Ethics of Place, 2007). These tip sheets from our Sustainability Committee invite us to develop a deeper relationship with God’s Creation through the practice of “nature journaling” and to reflect on our patterns of consumption and their impact on our dear neighbors and the planet we share.
Heating and cooling our homes, lighting office buildings, driving cars and moving freight, and manufacturing the products we rely on all require energy – which, primarily, has come from from fossil fuels. While burning fossil fuels pumps more carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere, trapping heat and causing temperatures to rise, using renewable energy sources like wind, solar, biomass, and hydropower can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In these tip sheets (Part 1 and Part 2), our Sustainability Committee suggests simple, energy-saving changes each of us can make to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
Conservation is an act of love for our dear neighbors and for the world that we share. Pope Francis reminds us that “access to safe, drinkable water is a basic and universal human right.” There are many ways we can reduce water waste in our homes, workplaces, and communities. Here are a few ideas from our Sustainability Committee:
- Repair leaky pipes and faucets. (A faucet that drips just once per minute can waste 2,700 gallons of water a year!)
- Reuse humidifier water or use rain barrels to catch water for your plants and gardens.
- Wait for a full load to wash clothes. (Did you know up to 20% of the average household’s water is consumed by a washing machine?)
- Pre-soak dirty dishes in warm water before washing. (A faucet running at full power uses 6 gallons of water a minute!)
- Reach for boxed, not bottled water – or better yet, bring a glass or reusable bottle with you. (17 million barrels of oil are used each year to make plastic water bottles – and 86% of them end up in landfills.
Our Sustainability Committee is developing a list of books, movies, and resources we can use to help educate ourselves and our dear neighbors about environmental issues and advocacy actions we can take together to protect our common home. Check back soon to learn more!
Uniting through Prayer and Action
Each year, beginning on the World Day of Prayer for Creation, September 1, and continuing through the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4, we join with our brothers and sisters in Christ through prayer and action to, as Pope Francis writes in his Encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, “cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation.”
This work is more urgent than ever, as our planet reels from a pandemic-driven surge in waste and our local waterways, soil, and air quality suffer from the extraction of natural resources, pollution from industry, and a flood of single-use plastics.
“Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation,” Pope Francis says, which is why we’re asking you to join us in pledging to weave the principles and spirit of the Laudato Si Action Platform into your daily actions – both as an individual, and as an important part of your community (at work, in your spiritual home, and on your block).
As Sisters of St. Joseph, we believe in a “sacramental universe” of wondrous diversity – a gift of God that requires our care and respect. We believe that God entrusts these resources to us so that we may nurture and sustain them for our dear neighbors now and into the future.
If you share these beliefs, and are ready to act with us to care for our common home, take the pledge!
Resources to Share on Social Media
Enjoy a morning on the lake with Sister Jan Franklin at Raccoon Creek State Park and learn about her approach to nature journaling and finding peace in God’s creation.
At an Earth Day Rally in Beaver, PA, our Sisters stand with local community groups and environmental advocates to raise awareness about the need to care for our common home. In this clip, Sister Kari Pohl talks about air pollution in our area and the air quality monitors recently installed at our Motherhouse.
Join Sister Sherryl White on a road trip to some of our local convents. See how Sisters are caring for Creation, living sustainably and sharing the fruits of their labor with their dear neighbors. Experience our Sisters’ vegetable gardens, rain barrels, bird feeders, compost bins, pollinator plants and more!