Caring for God's Creation: Reduce -- Recycle -- Reuse

Earth Day – April 22, 2007

Prayfully reflect on how you can change a few everyday habits to better show your love for God’s creation. 
The Catholic faith teaches care for the poor and care for creation.  The world’s poor are vulnerable to grave, disproportionate consequences as global warming disrupts the climate.  As stewards of God’s creation, we are responsible for passing on Gods’ gift to future generations.

Learn More
Earth Day 2005

Care for God’s Creation in every situation: 

Reduce * Reuse * Recycle

Reduce:

Energy

• Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.

     Save Money - Compact fluorescent light bulbs typically consume 2/3 less electricity than regular light bulbs.  And they last up to 10 times longer than regular bulbs.  The bottom line is that you'll save money by replacing standard light bulbs with CFL bulbs. Help the Environment - Most electricity in the U.S. is produced by coal-fired power plants.  The problem is that for every kilowatt hour of electricity generated by a coal-fired plant, the EPA estimates that 1.43 lbs of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.  By switching to energy-saving CFL light bulbs, you lessen greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. If every household in the U.S. replaced a burned-out bulb with an energy-efficient, ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent bulb, it would prevent more than 13 billion pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere – which is like taking more than a million cars off the road for an entire year!  When you do change out your bulbs, let us know by going to the following URL and registering as part of our IHM group by clicking on the "Join this Group" button at http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/group/IHMCareOfCreation  

• Buy a programmable thermostat and set the temperature at 78 or higher in the summer and 68 or lower in the winter. 

     Half of your household energy costs go to two things – heating and cooling your home.  Make sure your systems are tuned up and consider buying ENERGY STAR rated systems when you need to replace your furnace or AC.  Improving the insulation in your home, including the attic will also help.

• Household appliances such as refrigerator, hot water heater, washer, and dishwasher are big users of household energy.

 REFRIGERATOR: Be sure to clean the condenser coil. This simple action can improve the efficiency of your refrigerator by a third!  Consider buying an ENERGY STAR rated model when you need to replace your refrigerator and think about getting rid of your 2^nd refrigerator. If you don’t really need it, don’t waste the energy. 

WATER HEATER: Turn the water heater down a few degrees and insulate the heater and pipes.

WASHER/DISHWASHER:  Run full loads and use warm water, not hot.  You’ll cut energy use by 50%.

COMPUTER: Computer monitors consume twice the energy of a computer’s processor – always turn monitors off when possible.

• Choose a car with better fuel economy. 

    If you can’t do that, try to drive less and get better fuel economy by getting your car tuned-up. Experts say that paying attention to fuel efficiency in your car may be the single biggest thing you can do to prevent global warming.

Water

• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving

• Obey  watering bans and water lawns in the morning to reduce evaporation.

 

Reuse:

·         Donate reusable items to local causes:

• St. Vincent de Paul Society – clothing, toys, furniture, housewares, appliances

• Atlanta Community ToolBank – tools, hardware, working appliances

• Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta - mattresses/box springs dressers, tables, chairs, small appliances, housewares, linens

·         Join Freecycle - http://www.freecycle.org/ - free, online exchange of useable goods within local geographic area

 

Recycle:

 Use recycled paper products. 
Local grocery stores stock recycled toilet paper and paper towels.  Members of IHM’s Social Justice committee have been using these products and give them a “thumbs up”!

Sign up for DeKalb County’s curbside recycling program!  
The comprehensive recycling service is included in your yearly sanitation fee but you need to sign up to have the trucks pick up your recyclables every Wednesday.  There is a small fee for supplies (bags and bin).  So far Dekalb has diverted over 1000 tons of waste from landfills!  To sign up, call the Sanitation Customer Service (404) 294-2900 or email sanitation@co.dekalb.ga.us.

Recycle your Sneakers
Nike’s Reuse a Shoe converts old sneakers to athletic flooring – IHM’s Reuse-A-Shoe collection will be May 19^th/20^th!  You can also bring your old sneakers to Niketown at Phipps Plaza

Watch for notices on your county’s Electronic Recycling Days
Most counties now regularly schedules Electronic Recycling days where residents can bring old cell phones, microwaves, stereos, computers and other electronic equipment. 

 

You Can Make A Difference!
 

Educate yourself on the best ways to care for God’s Creation: 

• Learn more about it!
  Recommended books:
  Red sky at morning: America and the crisis of the global environment by James Gustave Speth
  Our Stolen Future by Theo Colburn
  Let the Earth Bless the Lord: God's Creation and Our Responsibility : A Catholic Approach to the Environment by United States Catholic Conference, Jill Ortman-Fouse and Wlater Grazer.
  Justice: A Global Adventure by Walter J. Burghardt
  All Creation Is Groaning: An Interdisciplinary Vision for Life in a Sacred Universe by Carol Dempsey and Russell A. Butkus  
  
  Recommended Web Links:
  www.onebillionbulbs.com/   A great website to learn about the cost-saving and environmental benefits of compact fluorescent bulbs.  If you sign up, join our IHM group by clicking on the "Join this Group" button at http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/group/IHMCareOfCreation
  www.gipl.org   Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (IHM is now an active participant of this interfaith coalition!)
  www.kilowattours.org  Kilowatt Ours – Energy saving tips and information on DVD home viewing of this film
  www.educationforjustice.org – Catholic Center of Concern website focusing on the challenge of sharing Catholic Social Teaching and bringing greater awareness to social justice issues including Care for God’s Creation. 
  www.georgiapower.com - Georgia Power’s energy saving tips (Call them for a free Energy Audit and sign up for Georgia Power's Green Energy® program and help bring more renewable power to Georgia.)
  www.georgiarecycles.org/ - Georgia Recycling Coalition
  www.awwa.org/advocacy/learn/conserve/dripcalc.cfm - American Water Works Commission Drip Calculator
  http://www.earthday.net/climatechange.aspx - Earth Day Network Climate Change Solutions-

At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or
political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group
pressures.   It is about the future of God’s creation and the one
human family.     U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

 

 The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds, the world and those who live there. Psalms 24:1