By Marianne Comfort, member of the Mercy Justice Team
Incorporating native plants into your landscaping is a healthy alternative to a sterile grass lawn or non-native vegetation. Native plants generally require less maintenance — including the use of pesticides, herbicides and water – since they are adapted to the local climate. They also provide a friendly habitat for local birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
You may learn more about native plants in a 1 ½-hour virtual program offered by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Three experts share why native plants are important to urban and rural areas alike; which plants support which types of wildlife; and how to develop and execute a planting plan. Most of the tips will be useful no matter where you live, while some will be specific to the East Coast.
By Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director
In response to our post on hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), we received these questions: What are the issues related to battery disposal, and are we solving one problem by creating another? Disposal is just one of the potential issues related to these batteries, which also include emissions from battery charging and human rights concerns related to their manufacturing (more details on this later).
Battery Disposal
Conventional vehicles use lead-acid batteries. Because these batteries contain lead, which is a carcinogen and very harmful to the environment, a large portion of them is recycled. Even so, tens of thousands of tons of lead are lost to landfills each year or released into the environment during the mining and manufacturing process.
Batteries used in more recent hybrid and electric vehicles are typically lithium-ion batteries, which are very recyclable though their rate of being recycled is far below that of lead-acid batteries. This is partially because lead is a more toxic heavy metal than lithium. However, lithium-ion batteries also contain small amounts of other toxic heavy metals such as cobalt, graphite, nickel, and manganese. One advantage of lithium-ion batteries is that they have considerably longer lifetimes of at least 10 to 12 years. A big disadvantage is that the cost of replacing a lithium-ion battery can be several thousands of dollars.
A used lithium-ion battery can easily be recycled by contacting the auto dealer from which you purchased your vehicle.
Emissions from Battery Charging
Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles need to be plugged into a 120-volt or 240-volt source in order to maintain a full charge. The emissions caused by the use of electricity to charge these vehicles is often overlooked. If you live in a region where a significant portion of your electricity comes from renewable sources such as solar and/or wind, you have your own solar panels or you have bought into a solar farm, this is not an issue. But if you live in a region that still relies heavily on fossil fuels for energy, emissions created by charging your vehicle can almost completely offset the benefits of higher fuel efficiency. For more details, please refer to Page 19 of this report.
Green Tip
Recycle your lithium-ion batteries. For more information on the disposal of lithium-ion batteries used not only for vehicles but also for a wide range of other applications, visit the EPA’s website.
In our first posting on this site, Jason provides good questions to consider when shopping for a greener vehicle. But if you are like me and keep your cars for 150,000 miles (about 241401.6 km) or more, a newer used car might be years away. What do we do in the meantime to reduce our travel footprint? Combining trips can reduce fuel consumption and save time.
Because it does not involve returning to our home or office after each stop, combining trips results in less distance being traveled. A car’s engine also works more efficiently when it is warm. Running several errands in succession takes advantage of a warm engine and increases gas mileage. This is especially true in places with chilly winter months. So, plan to avoid single stop outings. In future posts we will explore other green transportation options.
Our Chicago area Mercy Association has been focusing on care for our Common Home. We’ve had workshops and discussions on best practices, and discussions on Laudato Si. Mercy Association bought about 75 cloth napkins and 18 cloth tablecloths, along with stainless dinnerware, to be used at Mercy Association events. If disposable cups are used, they are paper not plastic. We no longer ever serve water in plastic bottles and encourage all to bring their own travel cup or mug.
Our meeting place allows us to use the dishes, cups, glasses, and silverware there for our gatherings with meals. At cleanup we sort out recyclables from trash. Any leftover food is distributed in reusable takeout containers or wrapped in foil. The ultimate goal is zero food waste.
When we need to indicate a preferred entrance to the meeting place, we no longer use balloons but have purchased reusable signs.
by Jason Giovannettone, Climate and Sustainability Director, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
The two major sources of greenhouse gas emissions for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas come from energy and vehicle use. Switching to an electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle could substantially reduce your emissions.
When switching from a fully gas-powered to an electric, hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicle, there are many items that need to be considered.
A hybrid vehicle has the standard internal combustion engine that you would find in any fully gas-powered vehicle, but it tends to be much smaller because a hybrid is also powered by one or more electric motors that use energy stored in batteries. When the charge of the battery goes down or extra power is needed, the gas-powered motor will take over. The battery is then recharged whenever the brakes are pressed. The combined use of a gas-powered and an electric motor allow the vehicle to have a much higher fuel mileage than a standard vehicle powered solely by gas. For example, a Toyota Prius can get up to almost 60 miles per gallon compared to a standard gas-powered vehicle, which often has a fuel mileage of less than 30 miles per gallon. There is no difference in the driving experience between a hybrid and a fully gas-powered vehicle except that you will spend less time filling up at gas stations.
In contrast to a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle (or EV) is fully powered by energy stored in a battery and thus produces zero emissions while being used. Even though an EV requires no gasoline, it does require that the battery remain charged, which, unlike the hybrid, cannot be accomplished by using the brakes. Owning an EV requires an internal structure at home that contains an outlet for charging. If you are traveling distances longer than 200 to 300 miles, which is the common range of most EVs, you will also need to find a location at which to charge your vehicle. On the West and East Coasts, this may not be a big issue as there are many locations that offer charging stations; if you are traveling away from the coasts, though, it may be more challenging. As more charging stations are installed throughout the country, this will become less of a concern. It can take several hours to charge an EV when using a standard outlet. Some higher-level chargers can fully charge a battery in 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the vehicle. Though an EV does not create emissions while being used, significant emissions can be realized from charging your vehicle. This may not be a big issue near the East and West Coasts where a higher percentage of energy comes from renewable sources; in the central portion of the country the high use of fossil fuels can increase emissions from charging almost to the point where there is not significant savings when compared to a fully gas-powered vehicle.
The third and final option when considering an electric-powered vehicle is a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV). A PHV will run completely on electricity for the first 25 to 45 miles, after which it will run as a regular hybrid. In order to take advantage of this capability, you will still need an indoor outlet at home in order to charge the battery overnight. However, when traveling far from home, you do not need to find a charging station. If you keep the PHV charged at home and typically travel less than 25 to 45 miles per trip, you will use almost zero gasoline. In fact, one sister who is currently using a PHV reported an average of 114 miles per gallon.
Green Tip: When requesting your next vehicle, consider a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or a fully electric vehicle. Consider the following questions:
How many miles do I drive in an average year? (The more miles you travel, the more benefit to owning a hybrid or electric vehicle)
Does my residence have a garage with an outlet? (Yes – electric & plug-in hybrid; No – hybrid)
How far do I typically travel from home per trip? (closer to home – electric & plug-in hybrid; farther from home – hybrid).
Do I live in an area where there are plenty of charging stations available away from home? (Yes – electric; No – plug-in hybrid & hybrid).
The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have set an ambitious goal to significantly reduce the Institute’s emissions of greenhouse gases by the year 2040.
While leadership and staff work toward this institutional goal, the Justice Team and the Climate and Sustainability Director are offering suggestions for how individual sisters, associates and companions, co-workers, volunteers and friends can limit their environmental footprint on Earth, our Common Home.
If you have any examples to share of how you are living more sustainably, please contact justice@sistersofmercy.org. We welcome photos as well as written descriptions.
By Catherine Walsh, Features Writer – Flooding and landslides caused by torrential Christmas rains in the southern Philippines moved Sisters of Mercy there to spring into action to offer help to those affected. Amid the relentless rain, Sister Helen Libo-on, a local leader of the sisters, called Sister Virgencita “JenJen” Alegado, a fellow leader. “I told her, ‘JenJen, we are in trouble here!’”
By Sister Ana María Siufi – The Conference of the Parties, COP27, was held in November in Egypt to review and move ahead with agreements on climate change. I was part of the Mercy Global Action (MGA) delegation, along with Sister Angela Reed (MGA director), Cecilie Kern (from the MGA office), and Sister Magdalene Musau from Kenya. The experience was challenging and educational.
By Sister Eileen Dooling – When considering the offer to write this blog, it dawned on me how little I knew about Saint Francis: a wild youth, disowning his father and his inheritance, conversing with a wolf and surrounded by birds. There had to be more than sentimental stories to have such a Franciscan legacy and a popularity among the people. And so began my homework!
By Marianne Comfort, Sisters of Mercy Justice Team member – This summer, many of us were pleased when President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. After months— no, years—of advocacy by a broad array of groups, Congress had finally passed significant investments in the transition to a clean energy future. And at a time when there seemed little to celebrate with legislation, it could be easy to see this as a victory.
On September 24, we will celebrate the 195th anniversary of the day Catherine McAuley opened the doors of the House of Mercy on Baggot Street. This began her ministry of serving the poor, the sick, and those in need of education. Today we Celebrate Mercy in Justice with two reflections from two Sisters of Mercy!
