Caring for Our
Common Home By S. Caroljean Willie
T
he world’s top scientists are sounding the alarm that climate change is not something that will happen in the future. It is here and it will affect all of us, but those who are marginalized and economically poor will suffer disproportionately and yet, have done little to contribute to the causes of climate change. The recent release of a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is the compilation of the work of scientists throughout the world, states that, “Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s climate in every region and across the whole system. Many of the changes observed in the climate are unprecedented in thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years and some of the changes already set in motion – such as continued sea level rise – are irreversible over hundreds of thousands of years.” EarthConnection (EC) seeks to keep people informed about the realities of climate change, but also to offer concrete ideas and actions to help mitigate the consequences. A series of webinars, blogs and a newsletter during the past several months have highlighted the Season of Creation (9/1-10/4) whose theme this year was “Oikos: A Home for All”; these include a session on how to reduce the use of plastic by Susan Vogt, a national speaker and writer on environmental sustainability; a program on “Sacred Earth Knowledge: What Indigenous People Have to Teach Us”; and another on the “Medical Consequences of Global Warming” by Dr. Kathleen Downey, MD, a recently retired professor from the University of Cincinnati who has also practiced in Alaska, on the Navajo Reservation, in New Zealand, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
EarthConnection has hosted several groups, including students from Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati Tech and the National Vincentian Volunteer program, to learn more about the building and ecospirituality.
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Sisters Winnie Brubach (left) and Caroljean Willie worked with a number of Girl Scout Troops this fall to earn a variety of earth-related badges.
A number of Girl Scout Troops have visited EC to learn about alternative energies, earn their EC patch and work on a variety of earth-related badges. The “Movies That Matter” series is again being offered on site once a month.
A major emphasis in programming has been the introduction of the Laudato Si’ 7-Year Action Platform initiated by the Vatican. The goal of the platform is to have every Catholic institution, from the family to large institutions, become ecologically sustainable in seven years. According to Pope Francis, “We need a new ecological approach that can transform our way of dwelling in the world … Our selfishness, our indifference and our irresponsible ways are threatening the future of our children.” S. Caroljean (Cj) Willie has been working on the Archdiocesan Creation Care Task Force to introduce the program to parishes as well as with the Charity Earth Network (CEN) to design a webinar entitled: “Boundless Charity Embraces Earth.” CEN also has a dedicated space on the Federation website to keep congregations informed about what they are doing and to share ideas. S. Cj has hosted several classes of students from Mount St. Joseph University at EC who came to learn about the building as well as ecospirituality. She also offered a webinar on EC for the National Vincentian Volunteer program. S. Winnie Brubach has hosted several classes from Cincinnati Tech who came to tour the building and learn about its construction. From S. Winnie on our organic garden: “Two beds of garlic have been planted for harvest in June. The plants are already showing through the straw on top. We have been concentrating on ‘harvesting’ the weeds on the paths and in the beds. We let some of the weeds grow flowers so the bees would have a food source in early autumn. The zinnias continue to flower so the nectar eaters are still being fed. We harvested almost 900 pounds of vegetables the past growing season to donate to the Good Samaritan Free Health Center.” I n t e rcom
