Resources for a Healthy Earth
Resources for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
Collected by the Bellarmine Chapel Healthy Earth Team
Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.
~Pope Francis, Laudato Sí: On Care for Our Common Home
EarthDay.org - The official site of Earth Day, featuring activities one can do at home and in the community,
advocacy efforts underway, virtual Earth Day events, and more.
Collected by the Bellarmine Chapel Healthy Earth Team
Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope.
~Pope Francis, Laudato Sí: On Care for Our Common Home
EarthDay.org - The official site of Earth Day, featuring activities one can do at home and in the community,
advocacy efforts underway, virtual Earth Day events, and more.
Family-Friendly Activities
Green Umbrella - Green Umbrella, Cincinnati’s local environmental non-profit coalition, has collected an excellent list of resources for families to learn and act environmentally despite COVID-19, including links to interactive activities hosted by the Zoo, Imago, Gorman Heritage Farm, and more!
Caring for the Environment - A 3-page guide created by Loyola Press for families interested in integrating Care for Creation into their families’ spiritual life. Submit your email on the link above and receive the PDF.
Creation Justice Ministries - Educational resources for kids and families related to care for creation and the Christian faith. Created by the National Council of Churches.
Earth Day Digital Resources for Families - A list of many partner organizations of Earth Day, with a major collection of the resources they have available to help kids be citizen scientists and climate advocates!
Sadlier Printable Resources - Compiled by Sadlier, this list includes 10 coloring sheets and other activity books you can download and use with your family that connect our Catholic faith to care for creation.
Local and National Parks - The Healthy Earth Team has visited National, Ohio, Hamilton County, and Cincinnati Parks’ websites to see what is available to you. You can access all of that here.
Green Umbrella - Green Umbrella, Cincinnati’s local environmental non-profit coalition, has collected an excellent list of resources for families to learn and act environmentally despite COVID-19, including links to interactive activities hosted by the Zoo, Imago, Gorman Heritage Farm, and more!
Caring for the Environment - A 3-page guide created by Loyola Press for families interested in integrating Care for Creation into their families’ spiritual life. Submit your email on the link above and receive the PDF.
Creation Justice Ministries - Educational resources for kids and families related to care for creation and the Christian faith. Created by the National Council of Churches.
Earth Day Digital Resources for Families - A list of many partner organizations of Earth Day, with a major collection of the resources they have available to help kids be citizen scientists and climate advocates!
Sadlier Printable Resources - Compiled by Sadlier, this list includes 10 coloring sheets and other activity books you can download and use with your family that connect our Catholic faith to care for creation.
Local and National Parks - The Healthy Earth Team has visited National, Ohio, Hamilton County, and Cincinnati Parks’ websites to see what is available to you. You can access all of that here.
Daily Life
Carbon Footprint Calculator - There are many carbon footprint calculators out there, which help measure the total amount of carbon you/your family are creating in a given year, drawing comparisons to others nationally and globally. Two of the best are this one from the Global Footprint Network and this one from the Environmental Protection Agency. The process of filling out the calculator helps you assess where you might reduce your footprint as well!
Support a CSA - CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, and means you pay a farmer upfront and then receive a box of local, organic produce from them each week. There are several in our area that you might consider supporting, including Coop Cincy’s Our Harvest Cooperative Farm and Moriah Pie/Mustard Seed Farms.
Grow a Garden - Growing a garden can be a great way to eat healthy, organic food, and it can increase pollinators in your area too! There are lots of good website out there with gardening tips. Here are some of the best:
Go Wild! - Restore habitat for wildlife in your own yard. The average lawn offers little for bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators. But it’s easy to plant flowering shrubs and native plants that provide food; add a water feature such as a birdbath; and mount nesting boxes for birds, bats and bees. Why not try for recognition by the National Wildlife Federation? Your yard can become a Certified Wildlife Habitat if you supply four essentials for wildlife: food, water, cover, places to raise young. (It goes without saying you would also eliminate chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.) Learn more:
Stop Food Waste - According to Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming (ed. by Paul Hawken), “A fundamental equation is off-kilter: people who need food are not getting it and food that is not consumed is heating up the planet.” The Ignatian Solidarity Network offered a challenge for Lent called the Fast on Food Waste. You can still join the effort and receive suggestions, information and reflections to help you reduce your carbon footprint at Ignatian Solidarity Network Lenten Food Waste Challenge
Consider Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency at Home - Just two of many resources:
Other Ideas - You can find a handout with more ideas created by the team here.
Carbon Footprint Calculator - There are many carbon footprint calculators out there, which help measure the total amount of carbon you/your family are creating in a given year, drawing comparisons to others nationally and globally. Two of the best are this one from the Global Footprint Network and this one from the Environmental Protection Agency. The process of filling out the calculator helps you assess where you might reduce your footprint as well!
Support a CSA - CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, and means you pay a farmer upfront and then receive a box of local, organic produce from them each week. There are several in our area that you might consider supporting, including Coop Cincy’s Our Harvest Cooperative Farm and Moriah Pie/Mustard Seed Farms.
Grow a Garden - Growing a garden can be a great way to eat healthy, organic food, and it can increase pollinators in your area too! There are lots of good website out there with gardening tips. Here are some of the best:
- Growing Vegetables for Beginners (The National Gardening Association)
- Attracting Pollinators to the Garden (Ohio State University)
- Growing Garden Vegetables (University of Maryland)
- Growing Vegetables in Containers (University of Texas)
Go Wild! - Restore habitat for wildlife in your own yard. The average lawn offers little for bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators. But it’s easy to plant flowering shrubs and native plants that provide food; add a water feature such as a birdbath; and mount nesting boxes for birds, bats and bees. Why not try for recognition by the National Wildlife Federation? Your yard can become a Certified Wildlife Habitat if you supply four essentials for wildlife: food, water, cover, places to raise young. (It goes without saying you would also eliminate chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.) Learn more:
- Cincinnati Zoo - Build a Better Home for Wildlife
- Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas Tallamy
- The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife by Nancy Lawson
Stop Food Waste - According to Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming (ed. by Paul Hawken), “A fundamental equation is off-kilter: people who need food are not getting it and food that is not consumed is heating up the planet.” The Ignatian Solidarity Network offered a challenge for Lent called the Fast on Food Waste. You can still join the effort and receive suggestions, information and reflections to help you reduce your carbon footprint at Ignatian Solidarity Network Lenten Food Waste Challenge
Consider Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency at Home - Just two of many resources:
- Green Living Basics - TheSpruce.com
- Energize Ohio - The Ohio State University Extension
- Sustainergy Cooperative
Other Ideas - You can find a handout with more ideas created by the team here.
Advocacy
Speak out against the powerful political and economic forces that exploit the environment, animals, the land and poor people as a source of profit. You can do this through direct activism and/or by supporting organizations such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the Nature Conservancy and countless others.
Locally, the City of Cincinnati has an Office of Environment and Sustainability. “Updated in 2018, the Green Cincinnati Plan presents a comprehensive set of recommendations to advance the sustainability, equity, and resilience of our city. The Plan will help map Cincinnati's path to 100% renewable energy, starting with a proposal to build the largest city-owned solar array in the country. The development of the plan was guided by a Steering Committee comprised of government, corporate, academic, non-profit, faith, and community organizations appointed by the Mayor.” You can find the Green Cincinnati Plan here.
Several advocacy opportunities include:
Speak out against the powerful political and economic forces that exploit the environment, animals, the land and poor people as a source of profit. You can do this through direct activism and/or by supporting organizations such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, the Nature Conservancy and countless others.
Locally, the City of Cincinnati has an Office of Environment and Sustainability. “Updated in 2018, the Green Cincinnati Plan presents a comprehensive set of recommendations to advance the sustainability, equity, and resilience of our city. The Plan will help map Cincinnati's path to 100% renewable energy, starting with a proposal to build the largest city-owned solar array in the country. The development of the plan was guided by a Steering Committee comprised of government, corporate, academic, non-profit, faith, and community organizations appointed by the Mayor.” You can find the Green Cincinnati Plan here.
Several advocacy opportunities include:
- Pledge to Vote Earth - Sign the pledge to vote for candidates committed to responding to climate change.
- Sierra Club - Has local chapter, involved in many local, statewide, and national efforts to reduce our reliance on carbon and protect the environment.
- Friends of the Earth - Doing substantive national level advocacy on a number of issues.
- The Nature Conservancy - Also has an Ohio chapter, focused on conserving wildlife.
- Sunrise Movement - A movement of young people to stop climate change, pivotal in the recent Climate Strikes happening around the world.
- Jesuit Office of Justice and Ecology - Represents the faith perspective in advocating for environmental justice.
Prayer
Connect an “Earth ethic” with your Catholic faith, to encourage what Pope Francis calls an “ecological conversion.”
Connect an “Earth ethic” with your Catholic faith, to encourage what Pope Francis calls an “ecological conversion.”
- Ecological Examen - an Ignatian examen created by the Jesuits and the Ignatian Solidarity Network, in the spirit of Laudato Si’, with guided images and reflection questions
- Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home - Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter addressing our combined social and ecological crisis. The Prayer for Our Earth at the end is very beautiful.
- USCCB Care for Creation - The US Bishops have collected Bible verses and prayers that can help deepen the connections between care for creation and your prayer life.
- Jesuit Resources from Xavier University - Another excellent compilation of prayers connected to care for creation.
Education
There are many excellent resources out there, here is just a small sampling of some of our favorites.
Videos and Films
Articles
There are many excellent resources out there, here is just a small sampling of some of our favorites.
Videos and Films
- Planet Earth II - this amazing 6-part series, narrated by David Attenborough, is available on Netflix and other streaming services. The project includes a podcast, activities for children, newsletter and other resources.
- Nature on PBS - an excellent ongoing documentary series focused on wildlife and natural history.
- An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power - 2017 sequel to Al Gore’s original film, An Inconvenient Truth, focused on our responses to climate change.
- Healing Earth - an online textbook created by Jesuit leaders in ecology from around the world
- Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming - includes a list of the top 100 measurable ways to reduce and reverse climate change, created by Paul Hawken, with many contributing scientists.
- This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein - focuses on the connections between climate change and the leading social movements of our day.
- Super, Natural Christians: How We Should Love Nature by Sallie McFague - focuses on the ways we can take a long loving look at nature and build real relationships with natural entities.
Articles
- EarthBeat - a project of National Catholic Reporter - includes stories of the climate crisis and faith in action
- National Geographic - countless excellent articles and programs on the environment and climate change. Must join to see all. The March, 2020 issue of National Geographic includes a cover feature article: The End of Trash: Can We Save the Planet by Reusing All the Stuff We Make? The April, 2020 issue (50th anniversary of Earth Day) imagines Earth Day 2070 and offers two views: An Optimist’s Guide (How We Saved the World) and A Pessimist’s Guide (How We Lost the Planet)
- Catholic Relief Services - A Catholic Response to Global Warming provides a brief overview of the main reasons care for creation is a Catholic issue.
Other Resources and Organizations
- Earth Hour - A global movement committed to building awareness of the human impacts upon nature.
- 350.org -- “An international movement working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.”
- Catholic Climate Covenant - “Catholic Climate Covenant inspires and equips people and institutions to care for creation and care for the poor. Through our 18 national partners, we guide the U.S. Church's response to climate change by educating, giving public witness, and offering resources.” (The partners include the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Health Association, congregations of religious men and women, and other national organizations.)
- Global Catholic Climate Movement - “Global Catholic Climate Movement works within the Catholic Church to better care for our common home. Our founding document is Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change and ecology, Laudato Si’.” Through this effort, individuals, parishes and other Catholic organizations pledge to make an “ecological conversion” resulting in life changes to address the harm to our planet and its people. Bellarmine has made this pledge and was recognized through the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as a Laudato Si parish.
- NASA - NASA provides cutting edge science and real world information about the climate crisis through astounding visuals and graphics.
- Interfaith Power and Light - a national organization connecting faith communities around care for creation and reducing climate change.
- Ignatian Solidarity Network - Join them for livestream talks, advocacy alerts, and practical activities to connect our faith to care for creation.
The Bellarmine Chapel Healthy Earth Team meets on the 4th Monday of the month at 6 PM. All are welcome! Contact our Director of Social Mission, Tim Severyn, at severynte@xavier.edu to join. Many thanks to Laurie Roche for her compilation efforts and to Liz Keuffer for formatting these resources for the website!