Green Initiative Articles

March 2009

March 1 - RES RECEIVES GRANT FOR GREEN
Resurrection Church has received a Dubuque Metro Area Solid Waste Agency (DMASWA) grant of $693 to purchase compostable hot cups for use at parish meetings, funeral dinners and the parish festival. The cups are compostable in the City of Dubuque Green Cart Food Scrap program,  moving us on our way to have a "zero waste" church/school campus. Part of the grant also provides for washable china plates now being used for funeral dinners, CEWs and other parish events. Even though our work is not finished in acquiring compostable or washable food/beverage items, we appreciate DMASWA and the words of administrator Chuck Goddard:  "Both the committee and the DMASWA board do recognize and commend the Church of the Resurrection on their commitment to become a greener, more sustainable church campus and we encourage Resurrection to keep working on their goals . . ."
Environmental Stewardship Committee of Social Justice

March 8 - GREEN PRAYER & HINT FOR LENT
Lord, you are sovereign in our land and all the earth. Your reconciling love is steadfast and your mercy encompasses all things.We have deeply wounded your life-giving Spirit. Before we touched this land, it was a Garden of Eden; we are in danger of leaving it a desolate wilderness . . . Turn us toward contrition for our actions and lead us into right relationships with your whole creation.
Dennnis Ormseth. website:  www.webofcreation.org/Worship/liturgy/lent07.htm

Hint from the "Mustard Seed" Lenten Calendar, March 9 & 10:
Recycle #1-#5 and #7 plastics.  Use microwave instead of oven this week.

March 15 - GREENING OF IRELAND 
Through a National Waste Prevention Program,“Ireland aims at changing existing waste disposal practices [by] reducing unnecessary volumes of waste such as food waste, farm, plastics, or packaging materials,"  says Tony Kileen, Irish minister for environment and energy. In an American article focusing on sustainability practices in the land of St. Patrick, Maryann C. Love says: “In the United States, we focus on recycling, while the Irish focus on reduction. And, she adds: "Americans spend almost $4 billion on green gear and decorations [to honor of St. Patrick]...Instead of consuming more, let’s follow the Irish example and not just wear green but be green.”  America , March 3, 2008, Maryanne Cusimano Love (To be continued next week)

 

March 21 - GREENING OF IRELAND 
Last week, we talked about the Irish nation focus on reduction, as well as recycling. This week, let's look at the Emerald Isle more closely.  Six years ago, Ireland started taxing plastic carrier bags, the equivalent of 30 cents per bag at the check-out line. When the Irish "plastax" was initiated, usage dropped 94% within months as the Irish used their own totes. Sound impossible for the U.S.? San Francisco banned the bags last year. Considering banning the plastic are Austin, TX; Bakersfield, CA; Boston; New Haven, CN; Portland, OR; Phoenix; and Iowa City. Why “pick on” this consumer convenience? For starters, they take 1,000 years to break down, litter the landscape, choke streams and sewer systems and are dangerous for wildlife. In Dubuque, we can (and should) recycle plastic bags at grocery stores, but it sometimes costs more to recycle them than they’re worth. Would a plastax work here? Moral of the story: Go green and BYO boxes or reusable bags on shopping trips.
America , March 3, 2008, Maryanne Cusimano Love

March 28 - IN SYNC WITH THE PRESENTATION SISTERS
In 2007, the Sisters of the Presentation of Dubuque committed themselves to “listen deeply to the cry of Earth heard most loudly in the cry ot those made poor.” Theyv’e continued the quest to “attend with urgency to woundedness of our global community. They ask themselves about many facets of sustainability and poverty including how they buy products. We at Res can ask ourselves the same questions: Do I need this (product) and need it now? Was it made sustainably? Were the workers who made it treated well? Does it have too much packaging? Can I recycle it when I’m through with it, or will it clog a landfill? Let’s joint the Presentation sisters and together reduce our carbon footprint and analyze our shopping habits. What a bright idea for Lent!
Presentation Doorways, winter 2008, Jennifer Rausch, PBVM