The Future Is Green Back to search by Marlene Sweeney As one program year ends another one begins. As one program year ends another one begins. Being a director of religious education is what writers often refer to as an “evergreen job”—there is a predictable cycle every year. Many things remain the same, yet there is always space for creativity and growth. The school calendar as well as the liturgical calendar determine many regular functions and yearly events in parish life. Most ministers welcome the season of spring; they are energized by the Easter Season. At the same time, many are exhausted by the complexity of ending programs, thanking volunteers, and beginning to plan and vision for the future. This spring I invite you to consider continuing your evergreen work with a green future. When the Vatican listed the seven modern social sins last year, environmental pollution spoke the loudest to my ministry heart. Watching hundreds of religious education workbooks tossed at the end of a program, seeing long lines of cars picking up lone children each week, gathering the trash after special events, noticing the number of weekly fliers floating around the parking lot: These things convinced me that building a “green future” needs to be added to the goals of our communal parish life. Where could we begin? Reuse, Reduce, Recycle The media highlights our nation’s call to raise public awareness of our personal consumption patterns. There are thousands of written resources and websites that educate people of all ages about how they can be better world citizens. As people devoted to religious education, we might fail—and perhaps have been failing for many years—to recognize the connection between our mission and building a sustainable future. Therefore, it is crucial that our plans for the future help our parish family make the connections between Scripture and creation, emphasizing how issues of ecology are at the forefront of what the Church teaches about social justice. This will be no small feat. Start small and think green. If you were to declare your small part of parish ministry as an eco-friendly place, what might that look like? Focusing on the three R’s—reuse, reduce, and recycle—is a good place to begin. Practical Suggestions I have been part of many children’s ministries that have begun each year with new books, new crayons, new pencils, new markers, etc.  A new year automatically meant new stuff. Meanwhile, hundreds of barely used writing tools, glue sticks, and last year’s folders were discarded. I cringe to think about the landfills to which we have added plastic paraphernalia and Styrofoam packaging. And so I wonder: What would an environmental audit of your supply list look like? What message would we give our children if we shared supplies rather than assuming that each person needs his or her personal stash? After all, how many children coming to after-school programs already carry school supplies? What learning materials and texts can we reuse? Can we use cloth bags instead of plastic ones? Can we designate shelf space for reusable items and common tools? These few substitutions can go a long way in making for less waste. Administrators often fear being seen as cheap or withholding funds from the children if they do not follow precedence. So it is important to declare your “Green Goals” and set out to educate the community in the purposeful changes you are considering. A good place to begin is to collect families’ e-mail addresses on registration forms and declare that weekly communications will be delivered only via e-mail (determining a particular day for announcements helps), thereby saving hundred of trees by eliminating take-home fliers. Some directors post their weekly updates on the parish website as well make limited copies available for pick up. These communications can also promote the green cause by offering home ideas to live green, making suggestions about local problems such as air quality (offer a ride-share phone number), and including inspiration with Scripture quotes on caring for God’s creation. An innovative idea might be to sponsor a “green festival” during the summer. An informal gathering could provide an opportunity for families to learn about the Church’s position on ecology as well as gather ideas from others. You might want to ask a few adults and children to comment on their sense of responsibility to use and share the earth’s gifts. This kind of witnessing might encourage participants to share their expertise with one another. Brainstorming and deciding on some community actions would be the desired end result. Small and Simple Steps A parish in Chicago recently was acknowledged for its “Outstanding Care for Creation” when its youth group decided to grow vegetables in plastic wading pools on the roof of their city campus.   The future will be green because of small and simple steps such as this that each of us takes to pay attention, share with others, and respect all of creation as sacred. Marlene Sweeney, MEd, MA, is a Certified Pastoral Associate in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Marlene is a writer and poet whose works have appeared in numerous books and periodicals. E-mail Marlene at mcsjames@yahoo.com. Source: CATECHIST Magazine, April/May 2009 Copyright 2010, Peter Li, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Peter Li, Inc.

If you are experiencing problems with this site contact the webmaster at plegweb@peterli.com.
Copyright 2008 Peter Li, Inc.