Creation Care

It’s part of our faith as Christians to affirm that we aren’t separate from the earth - we’re part of the created order.
We have an incarnational faith. We come from the earth. Our baptism is of earth & water.
Eucharist is of earth & bread and wine. In death we return to the earth from which we were formed.
As Christians we affirm that in Jesus, God became incarnate - became a part of creation.
When we take this seriously we are called to love and care for this world.   

Confront the Climate Emergency Petition

We are Earthlings and therefore Earth Keepers. 
Here are some ideas for actions you can take in your daily lives to respect, repair, and nurture God's Creation:

Forest Focused

• Pray. Give thanks for God’s incredible gift of creation, then ask for guidance in caring for it. 
• Research issues affecting the health of earth’s forests, rivers, air quality, lands, etc. Find out what’s hurting our planet and what can be done to repair harm and reduce or eradicate harm now.
• Spend more time in nature. If you don’t have a forest at your doorstep, visit your local community garden or park. (Be sure to walk or bicycle there)
• Contact your representatives about making choices that will restore, rehabilitate and further preserve our planet, natural resources and all animal life.
• Care for plants in your own home or grow a pollinator or food garden on your deck, balcony or in your yard.
• Take part in events happening in your community (or organize your own) - like beach or park clean-ups, recycling, reduction of emissions by biking/walking, etc…
• Use your local Library, or purchase second-hand books.
• Kick the paper habit - reusable cloth handkerchiefs, shopping bags, cloth napkins (make your own from second-hand fabrics)
• When you have to buy paper, look for 100% recycled.
• Ask to be removed from catalogues or paper mail you don’t need.
• Clean up trash when you see it outside.
• Eat your leftovers or turn them into new meals; Compost food scraps.
• Utilize reusable gift wrapping (scarves and unique fabrics can be part of the gift!)
• “Green” your coffee/tea routine (make sure products you use are from sustainable sources and practices - especially those that affect forests and forest eco-systems)
• Instead of a birthday gift or flowers for the bereaved - send a donation to charity or plant a tree or shrub in the person’s honour.
• “Green” arts and crafts and paper (reuse scraps, repurpose found items/recyclables, if purchasing - look for 100% recycled)

Refreshing our Rivers

• Care for the water body nearest you, whether it’s a stream, lake, river, creek, or the ocean. Most likely, there is trash in it or nearby. Collect and dispose of the items correctly. Then spend time enjoying the environment. Pray, give thanks, meditate, ponder what more can be done, listen and look for life, soak up the blessings of God’s magnificent creation.
• Research issues affecting fresh water habitats, pick what interests you and get involved with repairing, conserving, maintaining and nurturing. Hold political leaders and big companies accountable.
• At home and on the river, use biodegradable cleaning products and toiletries. Everything we use gets washed down the drain and back to the rivers.
• Venture to go beyond “meatless Mondays” and choose a broader plant-based diet more than once a week. Believe it or not, it takes about 600 gallons of water to make a hamburger patty due to the amount of water used to grow feed crops and water cattle.
• Use less electricity. Turn off lights when not in use and unplug chargers and appliances. Air-dry laundry, air-dry dishes, and make sure windows are closed for air conditioning and heating. Energy production requires water to cool thermal power plants and for extraction, transport, and processing in fuel production.
• Don’t dump down the storm drain. Motor oil, car wash detergent, paint, dog poop, and all types of trash can end up in your local river, lake, or ocean.
• Eliminate single-use plastic. Carry your own reusable shopping bags and your own containers for bulk foods, choose items packaged without the use of plastic, bring your own containers to restaurants, use reusable water bottles and fill them at home instead of buying plastic water bottles from the store, get coffee in reusable mugs, refuse straws, and pack meals in reusable containers and lunchboxes.
• Use less water! Take shorter showers, and turn the water off while you shampoo, brush your teeth, and while you soap up your hands or dishes. Make sure dish and clothing washers are full and then air dry them.
• “Green” your laundry routine (eco products, make your own, hang-dry)
• Fight for clean water in places that don’t have it.
• Use grey water (water plants with reclaimed water from washing hands, dishes or cooking)
• Do not flush! Dispose of chemicals/medications responsibly (ask your pharmacy)
• Avoid the use of pesticides or chemicals on your lawn or garden.

Sky & Mountain minded

• Use less electricity in general. And, consider using less light after sunset. Excessive light pollution keeps all of us from seeing the wonder of God’s night sky. Consider visiting one of the Dark Sky Preserves in Canada or a similar place in your region of the world - to truly experience the wonder of the heavens.
• If you’re planning to travel, offset the carbon that will be expended by supporting an organization that makes investments in eco-friendly practices such as planting trees, solar and wind power, etc. Search “carbon offset” for more info and ideas.
• Use “green” transportation locally - walk, ride your bike, use public transit, buy electric vehicles if possible
• Consider everything you have to buy… how was it manufactured - did it cause air pollution? Was it made locally or at least in your own country? Did it have to travel by plane, barge, cargo truck to reach you?
• Buy second-hand first if/when possible.
• Properly inflate your tires.
• When planning travel to mountainous destinations avoid peak seasons and choose less popular locations to reduce your impact. 
• Choose eco-friendly modes of transportation when possible and/or off-set your carbon footprint.
• Support sustainable practices in all areas of your daily life. Consume less, Reuse, Recycle & Upcycle! Buy local and second-hand.
• When you do visit our majestic mountain regions - make sure you don’t leave anything behind or take anything with you. Be respectful of nature.
• Encourage others to join you in your efforts.

Nurturing Biodiversity

• Leave the leaves! Depending on where you live, if you have the ability to leave Fall leaves on your property - do it! Doing so replenishes the soil for the following spring while providing food and materials birds, insects and other animals need to flourish. And it helps promote a healthy biodiverse environment in your own yard/neighborhood. Rake in early spring if need be, when buds begin to emerge. Compost the excess and/or utilize around the base of shrubbery and trees.
• Mow your lawn less frequently. Taller grasses serve as vital shelter for many species.
• Plant native varieties that are indigenous to your location. Do a little research beforehand to become familiar with invasive species.
• You may be surprised to know that many "weeds" commonly found in our yards are incredibly beneficial to a variety of animal species and other plants (even the grass). For example, dandelions provide some of the first food sources for bees in early Spring before other flowers are available and in Fall when other flowering plants are beginning to become scarce. And this common and often weeded plant can indicate spots in the soil/your yard that need additional nutrients that it provides which can actually improve soil quality when left alone.

A submission by Maria Garcia: "Recycling & Donating Household Items"

A submission by Ms. Platt & Jessica, Jocelyn, Adam, and Madalyn: "Guide to Going Green at Home"

Please note that St. Anne's does not endorse the above websites or their associated products, but is glad to highlight the helpful information in the articles, that these students found through their research efforts.