Katia Reeves, a member of the creation care team at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, in Palo Alto, California, added another first step is to check with your city or county to see what recycling and composting programs they offer. She admits their waste reduction efforts would be hampered without the city of Palo Alto's zero waste program, which provides pick-up for composting and recycling. In addition, California law requires businesses to recycle.
Congratulations to St Elizabeth Seton School for their recognition of “Community Spotlight” by Palo Alto for their work implementing Zero Waste best management practices around campus, among staff and students alike. By setting up and using waste stations in lunch areas and classrooms, the school increased their diversion rate from 67% to 87%. Diversion rate is the amount of material recycled or composted and therefore diverted from the landfill. On top of protecting the environment, these Zero Waste efforts have also resulted in the school saving money on their service fees! Well done!
It’s good to recycle your junk mail (OK, “unsolicited bulk mail”) . It’s even better to stop getting it. Stopping junk mail is a form of waste reduction (better than recycling). By stopping the mail you don’t want, you can conserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As of January, the solar panels installed at the OLR and SAG sites have saved your parish a total of $16,962 in electric bills. A big THANK YOU to all who contributed to this important parish project.
As Catholics, we recognize our responsibility to advocate on behalf of creation and the poor. Our advocacy is now more important than ever. Please join the Catholic Climate Covenant in reaching the goal to deliver a petition signed by thousands of Catholics calling on President Trump to honor the Paris Agreement, the Green Climate Fund, and the Clean Power Plan.
St. Thomas Aquinas especially was noted for its leadership within the Diocese of San Jose. In the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching and Creation protection, this parish has implemented many energy- and water-saving measures, including installing two solar systems totaling 62 kilowatts of clean power; and employing energy-efficient lighting and drought-tolerant landscaping. St. Thomas Aquinas has an active Green Committee, which has hosted presentations on Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology, advocated for clean air policies to local regulatory agencies, and held Earth Day celebrations that provide resources on actions their parishioners can take.
I have just found out from the California Interfaith Power and Light organization that our parish "has been chosen to be recognized as an exemplar of faith-based climate action in our 2016 Cool Climate Award Ceremony". We have been awarded an "Honorable Mention" as shown on the list below for the "Green Building" category.
As with any endeavor that makes a difference, it takes a lot of team work. The amazing support from our parishioners to make two sets of solar panels installations a reality is getting a lot attention and recognition, and we know is inspiring other parishes to do the same. We cannot thank enough all those who supported the projects in small and in big ways.
On June 18 we mark the one year anniversary of Laudato Si' in which Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this planet". In section 179 the Holy Father states: "Unless citizens control political power - national, regional and municipal - it will not be possible to control damage to the environment."
Our parish Green Committee would welcome more members. We mostly e-mail; we meet about once a month. We work to leave just a gentle footprint on our common home. Pope Francis wrote a powerful encyclical - Laudato Si - last year. It inspires us. We could use your help.
On behalf of all the people who will be able to see much better, we would like to extend a heartfelt "Thank you!" to all the compassionate parishioners who donated eyeglasses. We collected 108 used eyeglasses (and some new), 1 pair of contacts and $11 at the three parish sites for up-cycling through the Lions International Sight Program to help people in developing countries.
"Through a number of measures, we reduced the carbon footprint from natural gas consumption at our parish facilities by 43% from 2009 through 2015. The side benefit is the energy cost savings. In 2009 we emitted 156.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to natural gas and in 2015 it went down to 89 metric tons. One metric ton = 2,205 lbs.
III. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY (Continued) 41. In tropical and subtropical seas, we find coral reefs comparable to the great forests on dry land, for they shelter approximately a million species, including fish, crabs, molluscs, sponges and algae. Many of the world’s coral reefs are already barren or in a state of constant decline. “Who turned the wonderworld of the seas into underwater cemeteries bereft of colour and life?”[25] This phenomenon is due largely to pollution which reaches the sea as the result of deforestation, agricultural monocultures, industrial waste and destructive fishing methods, especially those using cyanide and dynamite.
III. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY (Continued) 37. Some countries have made significant progress in establishing sanctuaries on land and in the oceans where any human intervention is prohibited which might modify their features or alter their original structures. In the protection of biodiversity, specialists insist on the need for particular attention to be shown to areas richer both in the number of species and in endemic, rare or less protected species. Certain places need greater protection because of their immense importance for the global ecosystem, or because they represent important water reserves and thus safeguard other forms of life.
III. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY 32. The earth’s resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses. Different species contain genes which could be key resources in years ahead for meeting human needs and regulating environmental problems.
We are making a difference already thanks to the Green Committee, the Building and Equipment Maintenance Committee and all the generous parishioners who funded both of our solar panel projects! An article in the latest issue of the San Francisco Archdiocese newspaper has a photo of the OLR solar panels and a mention of our parish in about the 8th paragraph.
If you have used eyeglasses you no longer need, you can donate them for the Lions Club eyeglass recycling program. We have collection boxes in all the church vestibules. Lions accept prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses, and plastic and metal frames. Children's glasses are especially needed.
Are you curious to know how your steps to save energy are making a difference? The Palo Alto has a new utility portal where you can see your gas, electric, and water consumption. See how you compare to similar homes, check your historical usage patterns, and get resources and programs to help you save energy and water
27. Other indicators of the present situation have to do with the depletion of natural resources. We all know that it is not possible to sustain the present level of consumption in developed countries and wealthier sectors of society, where the habit of wasting and discarding has reached unprecedented levels. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.
23. The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. At the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life. A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon.