Social Justice Tag: Earth

By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director

As we enter the month of May, I hope that you have enjoyed your time outdoors, including gardening. One important aspect of gardening that I have learned is to add native plants to my yard. 

There are many benefits to incorporating native plants. Because they are accustomed to the local climate and the potential predators that may feed on them, native plants are generally easier to grow and tend to be more resistant to our deer, rabbits, and other wildlife. Even better, they are beneficial to a host of wildlife, especially birds. Many native trees, shrubs, and flowers will support a large number of caterpillars. In fact, native plants support about 35 times as many caterpillars as non-native plants on average.  Did you know that an adult chickadee bird needs to catch approximately 100 to 150 caterpillars to feed a single baby bird? As such, these birds search for places where they can find enough caterpillars. Planting native plants is a great way to fulfill this need and attract many birds to your yard. Native trees that are especially good at supporting caterpillars include oak, cherry, willow, birch, and poplar. Other types of caterpillar-friendly native plants are goldenrods and asters.  Additional information on this topic can be found in the following video. 

To find out which native plants may thrive where you live, visit the National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation. 

Green Tip 

Plant a native tree or shrub on your property or request that whoever is responsible for the grounds of your facility do so. Local nurseries typically have sections devoted to native plants.  Also, some states may have a coupon you can use to support native plants (e.g., Maryland –https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Pages/MarylandersPlantTrees/Print-Your-Coupon.aspx).  

By Mike Poulin, Justice Resource Manager

We know that for many, one tip a week is a good pace for living more sustainably. But if you get on a roll and want to explore a larger variety of options here are two helpful tools to check out: 

Sister Elaine Lopez Pacheco, RSM, recommends My Ecological Footprint. This extensive checklist, created by Christine Rochester, was inspired by the Green Women Leadership Training, a program of www.HealthyWomenHealthyEarth.org.  

The Catholic Climate Covenant guides the U.S. Church’s response to climate change by educating, giving public witness, and offering resources. Their Abundant Living Worksheet provides an inventory for personal and community growth. 

By Sister Anna Regina Gakuhi   

The St. Joseph Mercy Hospital herbal garden was the Sisters of Mercy Associates’ original idea. They invited me to join them because I work in the hospital and have a passion for farming. 

The reason for this herbal garden was to have the staff take care of it and enjoy the produce. I organize and involve the staff in weeding, trimming, watering and harvesting. We often discuss the use of the herbs we are tending. I notice that some staff are passionate about caring for the herbs and have brought some from their own gardens to add to our shared hospital garden. Others have asked for cuttings to start their own.  

Although our garden may be small, its impact is large. We are taking care of Mother Earth as our herbs are naturally grown.   

Green Tip

Get to know whomever manages the property of your workplace, school, church community or other communal space. Offer to support their efforts to maintain the lawn and gardens and enter into dialogue about environmentally sustainable practices.  

Sister Anna Regina lives in Georgetown, Guyana. 

By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director 

Planting season is underway. Prior to moving into our current home a few years ago, I did not know a lot about planting flowers, let alone the various benefits that might come with planting one type of flower over another other. That changed about two years ago when I got involved with a native plant giveaway sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation at my local church.  I brought home milkweed and several other native plants. With very little care other than regular watering, these plants grew substantially over the summer. The milkweed, for example, produced over 100 purple flowers from one stem by late summer and into fall. This one stem multiplied into 13 large stems the following spring, which I would estimate produced over 500 flowers.   

Milkweed is a great native plant; it is easy to grow and maintain and it supports the monarch butterfly population and other types of butterflies are highly dependent on it as a source of food and as a place on which to lay their eggs during their long migrations. Did you know that it takes 4 generations of monarch butterflies to complete a full migration? They travel from central Mexico to their summer breeding range in the northern US and back to Mexico. Sustaining so many monarchs during this migration requires milkweed and other native flowering plants. Both urban and agricultural land development have led to substantial losses of habitat that supports these plants, resulting in an approximate 90% drop in monarch populations since the 1990s. Please watch the following video for more details regarding monarch migrations and issues related to their demise. 

Green Tips 

Become more aware of the issues surrounding the loss of monarch butterflies and their native habitats. Learn about what is currently being done to reverse these trends. The Mercy Monarch Milkweed Project, which is where I obtained some of the information above, is a great place to begin: https://mercyecology.org/monarch-milkweed-project.    

During the months of April and May, there tend to be various native plant giveaways, which often include milkweed.  Please try to take advantage of such giveaways or support a local nursery through the purchase of native plants such as milkweed. 

By Mike Poulin, Justice Resource Manager

One way to skip waste when you are eating out is by refusing a plastic straw. Because of their size, straws can inflict damage on the noses, eyes, throats and digestive tracts of animals. 

Even more present in the environment than plastic straws are single-use containers. Avoid adding to this waste when you eat out by bringing your own container for leftovers. You’ll reduce the number of containers that are thrown away, and you won’t be wasting that yummy food!

Special thanks to Mercy Associate Carol Conway for suggesting these ideas! 

By Sister Karen Donahue 

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 1.3 billion tons (2,600,000,000,000 pounds) of food are lost or wasted every year. At the same time, almost two billion people are malnourished or go hungry. The food sector accounts for about 22% of greenhouse gas emissions, mainly because of the conversion of forests to farm land. While we may think of food waste and loss just in terms of the food itself, large amounts of energy (for fertilizer production and transportation) and water are also wasted.  

Food loss and food waste are often used interchangeably but they do not mean the same thing. Food loss refers to food lost in the earlier stages of production including harvest, storage and transportation. Food waste, on the other hand, refers to foods that are edible but are thrown out by supermarkets or consumers. 

Green tip: 
While reducing food loss is a systemic issue, reducing food waste is up to each of us. Commit to adopting at least one of these 15 steps for reducing food waste suggested by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director 

To reduce our consumption and usage of plastic, it is important to eliminate the need for the plastic bottle. One of the most common reasons we consume plastic bottles is to increase our consumption of “healthy” and “clean” water. Then when we are finished we can just recycle the bottle. It seems like a win-win situation: we are able to consume clean water with little or no waste. This is actually not the case. In order to get some sense of what actually takes place in the life cycle of a water bottle and the environmental issues that are involved, please watch the following video.

Green Tip 

Abstain from drinking bottled water and other beverages bottled in plastic, including soda, and juice; for now, milk can be an exception. Glasses, cups, and reusable bottles, along with an effective filtration system for your tap water, are great alternatives. 

By Mike Poulin, Justice Resource Manager

This Lent, fast from single use bottled water. While bottled water can be useful in emergency situations, the proliferation of single use plastic bottles for routine hydration is an ecological catastrophe. In 2018, 1.3 BILLION plastic water bottles were used EACH DAY. That’s over 470 billion bottles for the year. 

Eliminating single use plastic bottles reduces the amount of plastic waste in the ecosystem. It also decreases the use of fossil fuels required to transport water in bottles. Consider filling a reusable bottle with tap or locally filtered water for hydration on the go. 

By Sister Karen Donahue 

Palm oil has emerged as an ideal fat for processed foods because it is cheaper to produce than other fats and oils. But it comes with deep environmental and social justice costs. 

Palm oil trees, which are native to West Africa but now grow throughout the tropical areas of the world, produce oil from both the fruit and the pit to yield multiple crops each year. Large tracts of tropical forests are now being cleared and burned for palm oil plantations, harming indigenous communities and ecosystems. These tropical forests rest on peat bogs; when this carbon-rich organic matter is burned, astronomical amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere.  

In addition to serving as a cheap fat for processed foods, palm oil is also a significant component in many toiletries, cosmetics and other personal care products. 

Green tip: 
Install an app on your phone or tablet so you can assess products with palm oil when you go shopping. This is for Apple products, and this for other devices. As you consider your purchases, refer to this list of products certified by the Rainforest Alliance as environmentally and socially sustainable. 

By Jason Giovannettone  

For this next week of Lent, I would like to focus on fasting from the use of plastics during mealtimes.  

Rather than using plastic tablecloths, look for reusable linens that are sustainable, manufactured in an ethical manner, and not harmful to the environment.   

1. Sustainable table linens will not need to be replaced on a regular basis, thus reducing overall consumption.  They should not fade or wear out after a few washes. 
2. Ethically-made table linens are manufactured in facilities that treat their employees fairly and provide reasonable pay to allow workers to provide sufficiently for their families. 
3. Environmentally-friendly table linens are made using natural materials.  Look for table linens that are made from organic natural fibers (ideally, they are ECOCERT certified), certified Fairtrade, and/or have received the OEKO-TEX certification, which means they are made without harmful chemicals and other substances. 

Look for linens made from natural and biodegradable materials such as organic cotton, linen, hemp, palm, and bamboo.  Only using fibers that are organically grown ensures that no harmful chemicals or practices were used when growing and harvesting the fiber material.   Try to avoid linens made from recycled plastic, which can release microplastics into the water during washing.  Some examples of companies selling natural fiber table linens include Rawganique (organic, natural fiber), Hazia from the North (organic cotton), I Love Linen (OEKO-TEX and ECOCERT certified), Made Trade (organic cotton, Fairtrade), Magic Linen (OEKO-TEX certified), and Ten Thousand Villages (Fairtrade certified), among others.     

If you feel strongly about the materials used to manufacture the tablecloths and other linens used in communal kitchen and dining areas, please ask your food service provider about purchasing table linens made from organic fibers through one of the companies listed above. 

Green Tip 

For an easy way to fast from one form of plastic this week, say “no” to plastic straws you are offered or abstain from drinking from any type of disposable plastic bottle. 

Acknowledgements 

Much of the research above was taken from the website “Sustainably Chic.” 

You can reach Jason at jgiovannettone@sistersofmercy.org

By Mike Poulin, Justice Resource Manager

In recognition of the beginning of Lent, the Mercy Tips team invites you to consider ecologically minded fasting this season. To assist, each week of Lent we will offer a fasting idea that can reduce your carbon footprint. In doing so, we hope that your Lenten fast might become a regular habit to benefit Earth. 

Additionally, we invite you to send in your ‘green’ fasting ideas so that we can share them with the community. Email your thoughts to us at justice@sistersofmercy.org. 

For this first week of Lent, I offer a fasting idea from the frozen plains of Nebraska. It is cold here in February. The colder it gets, the more I want to turn up the heat. But I am going to fast from my normal temperature setting by turning down my thermostat (and putting on a sweater!). As I “fast” I’ll be using less fuel to heat my home. As a bonus, every degree I turn down my thermostat saves up to 3% on my heating bill.