Maybe you missed the “World Day of Care for Creation”

World Day of Care for Creation

World Day of Care for Creation

Pope Francis declared  September 1, 2017 the World Day of Care for Creation.  Something the Orthodox Church has done since 1989.  The annual day of prayer offers individuals and the community of believers as a whole to “…renew our personal participation in this vocation as custodians of creation…” And in 2017 the spiritual heads of the Churches co-signed and jointly released a statement to

“…profess with one mind and one voice the sacredness of God’s creation and to proclaim the need to respect and protect its resources for the benefit of all people, especially the vulnerable among us.”

“The world that we share – the ground we tread, the air we breathe, the water we savor – unites us in a very tangible and profound way. Despite our diverse religious or racial differences, the earth provides a basis of solidarity and the ground of harmony for all people, all creatures, and all things.”

You can read the entire statement here. (in English).

What you can do

We can all improve on how we care for God’s creation entrusted to us.  Use more renewable resources in a sustainable manner. Cut back or stop using one-time use and disposable products. Like plastic. Did you know that :

  • Plastic accounts for around 10 percent of the total waste we generate.
  • The production of plastic uses around eight percent of the world’s oil production.
  • Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles every year (source: Brita)
  • Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated).
  • Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the body—93 percent of Americans age six or older test positive for BPA (a plastic chemical).
  • Some of these compounds found in plastic have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Take reusable shopping bags to the grocery store.  Take a travel cup everywhere and use it instead of the plastic offered with drinks at pot lucks, fundraisers, auctions and when you go to fast food restaurants.  Reusable cups keep your  specialty coffee warmer longer, too. Refuse plastic straws, don’t use one at all or carry your own metal or glass found at many retailers. We have metal straws  – they are even allowed on planes when traveling.

Care for Creation

Start composting. Reduce chemical use. Encourage beneficial insects and natural predators. Grass clippings can be mulch. Trees are renewable resources and valuable crops in their own right. Trees can become  a wide variety of products from small chips, mulch, biochar, dowels,  and boards to be made into something needed. Give me a call and we’ll take a step forward in caring better for God’s creation.  It’s ALL connected. God created a diverse and intertwined Earth. When we increase the size of the crop field, we can break that circle. Manage with care. Let’s move closer to sustainable living.

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