After praying with God and finding peace and trust in his design for Creation, we get inspiration from him and others to act. Here are some ideas for Caring for Creation that may spark an interest in you:

“Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our ‘common home,’ we are living at a critical moment of history. We still have time to make the changes needed to bring about ‘a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.’ Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has overlooked them. Our common home has been part of this group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities and our societies. To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it. … Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. As Christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care of our common home.”
– Pope Francis, Address at White House, Sept. 24, 2015

There are so many ways to Care for Creation. However, we’re at a point where even if we put all of our energy into the worthwhile efforts of reducing our waste or planting a billion trees, it would not be enough to flatten the carbon curve. Unless we immediately stop using fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy to power our lives and create the products we use every day, life on earth will soon be unsustainable. Individual efforts in our households are important but won’t be enough. We’ll have to demand rapid change from our elected representatives and from major companies. Click here to understand why.

The companies that have done the most harm to God’s Creation have done a great job at the bait and switch – they’ve funded marketing campaigns to transfer responsibility away from themselves and onto us by convincing us that recycling and “reducing our carbon footprint” is the answer to protecting our common home. In the meantime, we’ve just been rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

CARE FOR CREATION WITH YOUR VOICE:

https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/program/advocacy

https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

https://www.edf.org/get-involved

Tell your mayor you want your town to care for creation https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/join-us/

Ask your college or university president to sign the Global Climate Letter https://www.sdgaccord.org/climateletter

 Search for and follow these accounts on social media and repost and share info on caring for creation: Catholic Climate Covenant, Earthbeat NCR, 350org, Zero Waste NJ, National Geographic, Photo Ark

Start a conversation with family & friends https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/say-what-starting-climate-conversation?_ga=2.125545034.1549820424.1600441970-1428863945.1600441970

Tell us how you care for creation: Email Melanie Cheplic at mcheplic@churchofpresentation.org

Click here to join our mailing list for updates & alerts for upcoming legislative action.

CARE FOR CREATION WITH YOUR WALLET:

Switch to a renewable electricity supplier at home or at your office https://www.nj.gov/bpu/commercial/shopping.html

Learn how you can reduce energy use at home
https://nj.pseg.com/saveenergyandmoney/energysavingpage/homeenergyanalyzer

Consider installing solar panels
https://www.njcleanenergy.com/renewable-energy/tools-and-resources/ownership-financing-options 

https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun/Solar-for-Your-Home/How-to-Go-Solar/Solar-Options

Check if your investments are supporting fossil fuel companies https://fossilfreefunds.org/

Consider a hybrid car

Invest in climate solution funds:
https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/dominican-sisters-commit-46-million-seed-new-climate-solutions-funds

https://www.fool.com/investing/how-to-invest-in-renewable-energy-stocks.aspx

CARE FOR CREATION WITH YOUR SERVICE:
Email mcheplic@churchofpresentation.org to find out how you can support Presentation’s St. Francis Ministry
https://laudatosimovement.org

Support conservation & solution projects:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/

https://plasticbank.com/about/

https://greendreamer.com/journal/environmental-organizations-nonprofits-for-a-sustainable-future

CARE FOR CREATION BY REDUCING YOUR POLLUTION:
Switch to Creation-friendly pesticides & fertilizers or tell your homeowner association you want to switch
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/lawns/21015220/tips-for-a-lush-organic-lawn

No one manages waste perfectly but we can all try our best! Here’s how to keep trash down to a minimum: https://goingzerowaste.com/

Try following these principles when buying stuff or throwing it away:
REFUSE   How long will this thing last and when I’m done with this, where is it going to end up? If it’s going straight to a landfill, I do my best to REFUSE it.
Do I really need it or can I use something I already have? Is there a more sustainable or Creation-friendly alternative? If the answer is yes, I REFUSE it.
REDUCE  Can I buy/use a smaller amount of this? Yes? REDUCE my use.
REUSE  Do I really need to throw this out or can I use it again or for a different purpose? I REUSE it.
ROT  Can this breakdown in a compost or will it end up in a landfill as toxic waste because it’s not exposed to oxygen? If it’s compostable – not sure? Link: https://www.thespruce.com/what-to-compost-1709069, let it ROT in a compost.
RECYCLE Can this theoretically be recycled? Rinse it out and put it in the RECYCLE bin.
Too big to fit in the recycle bin, like an appliance?
https://njcleanenergy.com/recycling
https://www.junkahaulics.com/what-we-take/appliance-recycler/
https://njhazwaste.com/counties/
https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8782.html

Click here to return to the St. Francis Ministry home page.