News Archives » Ecology
Catholic Health System Eliminates Styrofoam January 5th, 2012
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, South Carolina has completely eliminated its use of Styrofoam plates, cups, and bowls in cafeterias at both Greenville campuses as part of a 3-year-old, system-wide green initiative and as a way to be a model to the wider Greenville community.
Karen Schwartz, the hospital system’s vice president for facilities, says that the move was inspired by the fact that as a petroleum-based product, Styrofoam doesn’t decompose or go away over time in a landfill. It stays forever and it takes up space. If you throw it in the ocean, it floats and it can kill sea life. If you burn or incinerate it, the chemicals that were used in the manufacturing of it aerosolize and again has a negative impact on the environment…
“We really couldn’t find a redeeming quality other than the fact that it held stuff.” Schwartz added: “We are all responsible for caring for God’s creation and we are interdependent on one another. It is really short-sighted of me to think that my actions and behaviors don’t impact someone in Haiti, Peru, Africa or China – because they do.” (Story from The Greenville News, 12/30/2011)
We’d like to give a shout out to the Catholic Climate Covenant for sharing this story in their Weekly E-Update. For more information, and to sign up, visit their website at: http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/
Catholic Climate Covenant is a project of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change.
Investors Urge Senate Leadership to Allow Implementation of Clean Air Act Rules December 19th, 2011
Photo Credits: Likely Impact Congress Blocks Pollution Limit Updates
The Missionary Oblates joined thirty-two faith-based and socially responsible investors in a letter to the Senate leadership urging timely implementation of Clean Air Act rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most notably, the Cross State Air Pollution rule (CSAPR) and Mercury and Air Toxics rule (Utility MACT). Arguing that the proposed rules would create jobs and save lives, the investors added that, based on their discussions with electric utilities, the proposed rules would not threaten the reliability of the electric system.
Read the letter (Download PDF)…
The Story of Broke and How our Tax Dollars COULD be Used November 8th, 2011
In her latest video, Annie Leonard (creator of The Story of Stuff) looks at where our tax dollars go – and how they could be better used to build the kind of society we all want.
Watch “The Story of Broke”:
Reflections on “Justice in the World” October 25th, 2011
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of the 1971 Synod document, ‘Justice in the World’, the JPIC Commission in Rome is conducting a series of interviews with people from around the world who have something constructive and educational to say about this document. The videos, which are then placed on YouTube, are designed to further the incorporation of Catholic Social Teaching into the mainstream of Catholic life.
Watch these YouTube reflections on ‘Justice in the World’ from Maria Riley, O.P. and Jim Hug SJ from the Center of Concern in Washington and Marie Dennis from the Maryknoll Office of Global Concern. [http://jpicformation.wikispaces.com/]
Eco-Tips: Mindfulness about Waste October 20th, 2011
Did you know that every year:
- each person in the United States produces over 3,285 pounds of hazardous waste;
- over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not;
- the United States generates 30 billion foam cups, 220 million tires, and 1.8 billion disposable diapers every year.
Its time to stop. These are some of the things you can start doing today:
- Favor products with a high recycled content, even if they cost a little more.
- Reduce the volume of packaging you buy, reuse what you can, and recycle the rest.
- Tell the clerk “I don’t need a bag”.
- Use your own reusable canvas bag or backpack at the store.
- Buy quality products and keep them for a lifetime.
