Skip to main content
Main Menu Toggle
Peace & Justice » HOME Team: Honoring Our Mother Earth

HOME Team: Honoring Our Mother Earth

The H.O.M.E. (Honoring Our Mother Earth) Team for Creation Care is an action ministry committed to educating, advising, and working to answer the call of Pope Francis outlined in his inspiring encyclical, Laudato Si'.  H.O.M.E. engages Ascension and St. Edmund parishioners, along with our wider community, in being loving, responsible stewards of God's gifts.  To learn more about the platform https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/
 
History of our group:
The St. Edmund Green Team, as a subgroup of the Peace and Justice Committee, started in October 2014. St. Edmund was the first Catholic parish in Oak Park to do a comprehensive energy audit. The group advocated for Archdiocese divestment from fossil fuels and filed an annual report to the Human Concerns Commission.
 
Ascension's Creation Care Ministry was created at the launch of Laudato Si’ in 2015 and functioned under the umbrella of the long-standing and vibrant Ascension Peace and Justice Committee.Over 20 members, led by Gina Orlando, fostered parish support, an impressive Advisory Committee, and many successful and ongoing initiatives. The group is proud to associate with the Interfaith Green Network and won a state award from Faith in Place several years ago for its Green Team Creation Care.
 
The St. Edmund and Ascension team members have united in their common cause!
 
Current Committees:
Chemical Reduction 
Community Garden
Education and Publicity 
Environmental Book Club  
Native Garden 
Prayer 
School Green Club 
Solar 
Zero Waste 
In response to Pope Francis’ call to environmental sustainability in the spirit of Laudato Si’, we’re creating worksheets for each of the seven Laudato Si’ Action Platform goals.  Journey with us!   
Goal #4 Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles
 
Pope Francis has asked all Catholics and all Catholic organizations across the globe to begin their own 7- year Laudato Sí journey. The goal is to transform our lives toward environmental sustainability in the spirit of Care of Creation. The Maryknoll Affiliates have been developing monthly worksheets that reflect each of the 7 goals of the Laudato Sí Action Platform (LSAP). The January worksheet focuses on the 4th goal, the Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles.  You can find all the LSAP worksheets on the Ascension website.  The worksheets can also be found on the Catholic Climate Covenant webpage "We are All Part of God's Plan(et)"  by clicking on this link: Goal 4 Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles.  Ascension-St. Edmund's HOME Care of Creation team encourages all parishioners to begin their Laudato Si journey.
Goal #3 Care for our Common Home:
 
Pope Francis has asked all Catholics and all Catholic organizations, at all levels across the globe, to begin their own 7- year Laudato Sí journey. The goal is to transform our lives toward environmental sustainability in the spirit of Care of Creation. The Maryknoll Affiliates LS Working Group has been developing monthly worksheets that reflect each of the 7 goals of the Laudato Sí Action Platform (LSAP). The third worksheet has just been published and focuses on Ecological Economies and Circular Consumption. You can find all the LSAP worksheets here on the Ascension website. The worksheets can also be found on the Catholic Climate Covenant webpage "We are All Part of God's Plan(et)." https://godsplanet.us/maryknoll-affiliates-lsap-goals-worksheets.
 
Ascension and St. Edmund's HOME Care of Creation team encourages all parishioners to begin this journey responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.
Goal #2 - Respond to the Cry of the Poor
 
This month we will review the second goal of Pope Francis' Laudato Si encyclical, "Respond to the Cry of the Poor." This goal is a call to promote eco-justice and defend all forms of life on Earth.  Actions include projects to promote solidarity with special attention given to vulnerable groups most affected by environmental disasters such as impoverished communities, refugees, migrants, and children.  In this month's worksheet, we’ll also look at ways we can better support all forms of life right where we live – in our own neighborhoods.  We’ll focus particularly on reducing pollution and increasing resiliency in local bodies of water.  We’ll also look at what it means to have an ecologically healthy neighborhood, and why acting locally on this matter helps people and life across the globe. Please click below on October 2022 for the second worksheet.
SEPTEMBER 2022:    
 
Goal #1 – Respond to the Cry of the Earth  

“The Response to the Cry of the Earth” is a call to protect our common home for the wellbeing of all, as we equitably address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability. Actions could include the adoption of renewable energies and energy sufficiency measures, achieving carbon neutrality, protecting biodiversity, promoting sustainable agriculture, and guaranteeing access to clean water for all.” www.laudatosiactionplatform.org
 
In this worksheet, we’ll look at some ways to reduce personal dependence on fossil fuels, conserving energy where we can while changing to renewable energy sources.  This will help reduce air, water and land pollution, climate stress and biodiversity loss.  This will also help us share our Common Home and its resources more equitably with all of its inhabitants, including those who will live in the future. Are you ready?
 
FOCUS AREAS for Goal #1
•    Electricity:  Reduce fossil fuel generated electricity; and switch to renewables such as solar and wind.
•    Natural gas and heating oil:  Reduce use of natural gas and/or oil; terminate completely where possible.
•    Transportation: Reduce fossil fuel use in transportation.

SPECIFIC ACTIONS for Goal #1
Pray - Begin including prayers for Creation and Creation Care in your normal routine. 
Act - 3 short term, 3 longer term actions

SHORT TERM ACTIONS
1.    “Button up” your home or apartment – use shades & curtains to help the sun heat your home in the winter and to keep it cool in the summer.  Fix drafts, improve insulation and weather stripping. Heat no higher than 68 degrees and cool no lower than 78 degrees.  Use cold water to wash clothes, line dry when possible.  Sign up for community solar.
2.    Cook, dry and heat with less natural gas, opt for electricity instead where possible.
3.    “Green driving” – obey speed limits, don’t idle your car, combine trips, walk, carpool or bike. 

LONGER TERM ACTIONS
1.    Replace major appliances – electric heat pump heaters instead of gas furnaces, electric dryers instead of gas dryers, electric stoves instead of gas stoves. Replace gas water heaters with electric (ask about heat pump technology and ‘tankless’ heaters). Consider geothermal and “passive” heating and cooling measures.
2.    Install solar panels if practical.
3.    Replace gas or diesel autos with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicles.

Advocate
1.    Never pass up a chance to fill out a customer questionnaire, suggest more environmentally practices, thank the company for good environmental habits that you see. 
2.    Write to your political leaders asking to help change our society away from fossil fuels, and increase our ecological resilience (for example, safer biking, better public transportation).
3.    Ask your pastor and parish to include prayers for Creation in the liturgy, such as in the Prayers of the Faithful which encourages action.
 
Honoring Our Mother Earth Environmental Green Team is an educational, advisory and action ministry. HOME engages Ascension parishioners in Pope Francis’ encyclical on integral ecology and Catholic social teaching, Laudato Si’. We care for our common home and the disadvantaged in many small and big ways, locally and globally. The Zero Waste initiative continues to ask each of us to be mindful to sort accurately and reduce our waste at school, church, work and home. To be a member of the HOME team we ask for some volunteer time and energy on any of our initiatives. You are most welcome! Gina Orlando — [email protected] or 708-524-9103.