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image:google.com   May Reflection/Quote “The Anthropocene is a new geological epoch, which names an astonishing turning point in the history of our planet, since never before have homo sapiens lived in such an era, in which, overwhelmingly, humans have significantly altered all of the earth systems: the atmosphere, the oceans, the continents and ecosystems, the entire community of life on earth.” Cardinal Michael Czerny Eco-Challenge I will stop buying laundry detergent in plastic containers. I will purchase one container of laundry powder or laundry strips to try out and encourage others to do the same. Facts/Education Laundry detergent sheets are highly concentrated, low-sudsing, pre-measured detergent strips that you just toss into your washing machine. They come in eco-friendly recyclable paperboard packaging, and they live up to their eco-friendly credentials. Consumer Reports gave Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets a good rating, noting they are one of the most effective laundry strips at removing dirt, body oil, blood, chocolate and grass stains.

For Our Earth in Laudato Si’  All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.  Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.  We thank you for being with us each day.  Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. Activities to celebrate Earth Day Organize a "clean-up." Enjoy a green smoothie. Create a "pollinator" garden (that will attract bees). Plant a tree! Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Conserve Water! Garden without pesticides. Play a nature-themed bingo game. Have an Earth Day drawing competition. Make a compost heap in your back yard.

image: https://www.planetfriendlyliving.co.uk/post/top-tips-for-drying-clothes-outside     April Reflection/Quote “Learning something leaves us different than we were before we knew it.  Learning is our lifeline to the fullness of ourselves.  We wake, if ever at all, to mystery.”. Annie Dillard Eco-Challenge Commit to saving energy by drying some or all of your laundry outside on a line when weather permits. Or use a drying rack inside.  Commit to this eco challenge at least one day this month!  Invite your family and friends too! Facts/Education The dryer is one of the biggest energy users in homes or apartments.  We can reduce our carbon footprint by an average of 2,400 lbs. per year by hang drying instead.  If drying outside is not an option, consider using a drying rack inside, or a shower rod or towel bar.

Image: https://subri.kr/ 50 Easy Ways to Protect Creation Recommended by the Ecology and Environment Committee of CBCK (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea) during the Season of Creation week, 2020 and Catholic Climate Action summarized and shares them as below: 1. Avoid using single-use products such as Styrofoam, plastic cups, plastic bottles, plastic knives, plastic spoons, plastic forks, and plastic straws, etc. Use reusable shopping bags, recycle plastic containers at the grocery store No to disposable bottled water!, Yes to personal water container! Biking or walking for short distances Buy "fair trade" products made from ethical and sustainable resources No more letting unnecessary engine running when parking, even for a short time! Grow your own vegetables in a community garden, mini boxes and pots on your patio, etc. Plan and take vacations that focus on volunteering or ecological activities ......................Read the whole list, please see the attached ..........

image: https://defenders.org/coexistence-overview   March Reflection Quote: “We need a new ecological approach that can transform our way of dwelling in the world, our lifestyles, our relationship with the resources of the earth and, in general, our way of looking at humanity and of living life.” ---Father Emmet Farell Eco Challenge: During Lent pray the Litany of Repentance each week. (Provided) Facts/Education: Laudato Si is a spiritual and moral document. It’s not political. It’s spiritual and very moral, so the church has to be active, said Fr. Farell. We need to repent of all the ways we have not cared for our common home.   Litany of Repentance (Rev. James Shri Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of ChurchesGod of light, life and love, God of land, and sea and sky, Who called creation into existence and wove it into a rich tapestry, a fine mat, a web of life. Your Spirit hovered over the face of the primordial waters, and was breathed into humankind after You made us equally in Your image. Your Word was made flesh and embodied Your divine love as it took root and bore fruit in us, restoring our relationship with You. Yet we have not honored this relationship with You and the rest of Your Creation. We have disrespected the web of life. We have devalued the fine ecological mat that You wove with so much love. We have uprooted Your tree of life and sold it as logs. We have forgotten that we sweat and cry saltwater and have polluted Your oceans and rivers…oceans that cry for justice and rivers that call to righteousness. Instead of everything that has breath praising You, all creation groans in pain as trees and phytoplankton choke on carbon belched from our desire for more, and our care for less. All around we see the consequences of our ecological sin as we extract and exploit, as we defile and pillage our sister and brother creation: heatwaves and wildfires, bitter winters, droughts and floods, rising sea levels and rising ocean temperatures, more extreme cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes. God of hope and healing, may your rivers of righteousness wash away our apathy, our greed and selfishness and reveal the deep relationships You created for us with all creation. Nourish us with the water of life that restores, turning deserts of despair into oases of hope. May the waves of Your embrace transform us back into guardians of Your creation. May the currents of your justice carry us to Your lagoon of peace where all creation may enjoy life in abundance. We pray in Your name that the whole cosmos may have everlasting life. Amen.

February Reflection Quote: “The Creator of all calls us to practice a new way of living, one that is ‘good, true and beautiful.’ We commit to take action together because it is urgent and necessary.”  --Laudato Si 57, 205 Eco Challenge: When shopping for groceries or anything, for that matter, bring your bags with you.  Try not to use plastic bags at all.  Save the amount that ends up in landfills and our oceans.” Facts/Education:  Did you know that non-woven polypropylene bags, often made of recycled plastic, are durable and washable?  After 11 uses, they will have offset the energy used to produce plastic bags for stores.  Re-usable bags over time will reduce the number of plastic bags needing to be produced.   (image from Google images)

January Reflection Quote: “It isn’t that our scientific, prefabricated, computerized world isn’t affecting us. The problem is that it is. Our environment shapes us, fills us, makes us more or less real human beings. The question is, Do I live in the world or in a bubble within it?” --Joan Chittister, OSB Eco Challenge: At least one day this month, put your phone away for a few hours. Shut down your computer for a few hours. Instead, ponder the glories of creation and think of how much less energy you are using just for those few hours.   (image from Google images)

December Reflection Quote: “To be holy does not require us to be dour. It does require us to be awake to the Godness around us everywhere.” --Joan Chittister, OSB Eco Challenge: It is Advent season. Be awake to creation and find something in creation to celebrate, seeing its fundamental goodness for us. Facts/Education: “Today’s climate and ecological emergency hurts the most vulnerable, many living in the least wealthy nations, who have contributed the fewest emissions. Indigenous peoples make up five percent of the worlds’ population and protect nearly 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. We are presently more aware than ever of the link between fossil fuels, and violence and war. We can, however, dream and work for a world where each country produces the energy they need from God-given gifts of the sun and wind, rather than going to war for fossil fuels.” –The Season of Creation Guide: Let Justice and Peace Flow. 2023   (image from Google images)