Prayer
God of blessings, the universe sings of your glory.
Deepen our gratitude for all you have made and awaken in us a renewed
commitment to care for the earth and each other.
Inspire leaders with openness to listen to those most affected by climate change
and with courage to act urgently and wisely,
so that our common home may be healed and restored
and all people, and generations to come, may delight in it.
Adapted from the COP27 Climate Summit prayer from the EcoJesuits
Knowledge
Goin’ to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo. The Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo, Zoo. So much fun for everyone at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Do you remember that little ditty from the olden days? Yesterday I joined the Creation Justice Circle of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati for a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo for a Sustainability Tour. Wow! So much great information and a good shot in the arm to see there are really smart people that are years ahead of society in general in recognizing the need to be truly green.
The Zoo has determined the top three areas where they can have the most impact:
It is obvious by simply driving by the Zoo that their solar panel game is on fire. When the second parking lot solar array is complete, they will have 2/3 of their energy needs from just those panels. In addition, and not so obvious, are the panels perched on many of the rooftops around the zoo to power restaurants, restrooms and other buildings.
The water systems at the zoo are impressive. The Zoo has large water rainwater catchment systems to help relieve the city overflow and sewage systems, which, when hit with a big storm often overflows and send sewage into the rivers. Also, the water in many of the habitats is filtered and reused.
As for waste, the zoo has a bio-composter on site for people waste. They use very little plastic in the food service as well. And even sort through trash to make sure their compostable items get sent where they need to be. Their biggest challenge now is dealing with animal waste. I learned today the one elephant creates 200 pounds of dung every day! That’s a big challenge.
Action
Look into booking this adventure for a parish, family or other group. If you are not in the Cincinnati area, though, you’re missing out. The Cincinnati Zoo is ranked as the ‘greenest zoo in the US.”
Striving for NetZero is difficult for most organizations, especially in older buildings. But we
return to the question, “What is mine to do?” How can you reduce your own carbon footprint? It can be as simple as turning off the lights every time you leave a room, consuming fewer animal products, and/or reducing your food waste. Whatever it is that is yours to do, do it with gusto, and invite others to do it too.