WAYS OF TENDING AND NURTURING OUR EARTH
(As suggested & compiled by Women In Conversation
Of Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish and beyond!)
February 2022
WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL CAN DO:
At home, in general -
Re-use plastic bags whenever possible, wash used ones
Install solar panels
Drive a hybrid car, if able to purchase one
Install sensor lights for exterior house lighting
Use solar garden lamp posts if possible
Use long-lasting light bulbs. (Energy efficient light bulbs reduce greenhouse gas emissions.)
Flip the light switch off when leaving the room
Use non-toxic chemicals so that they don’t get into waterways
Turn off faucet while washing face, brushing teeth, etc.
Recycle all trash into correct containers
When laundering -
Combine clothing in loads more liberally to save water
Use "Tru Earth Eco Strips" instead of plastic bottles of washing detergent.
Convert washing machine and dry from gas to electric
In the kitchen specifically –
Re-use plastic produce bags
Forego using paper towels for floor spills; use a dedicated floor sponge
Use cloth bowl covers for left-overs to reduce use of plastic wrap
Reduce or eliminate beef in the diet (for inspiration, read “Buffalo for the
Broken Heart,” by Dan O’Brien)
Separate food waste from other garbage, add to compost for garden or bin
IMPORTANT WEBSITE ABOUT THIS: California tackles food waste with largest recycling program in US | California | The Guardian
When clothes shopping –
Buy from thrift or consignment stores
buy only articles made of natural fibers: cotton, linen, wool, silk.
(rayon & microfiber are not natural. Cloth "made from bamboo" is usually rayon; an instance of industry turning a natural material into a synthetic!)
When grocery shopping –
Re-use plastic produce bags or use net bags
Buy yogurt in large containers (lasts beyond expiration date)
(for individual sizes, invest in small re-usable containers)
Learn how to make smart seafood choices at www.fishwatch.gov.
Buy less plastic and bring a reusable shopping bag
When shopping, in general –
Give your business to the local small business, rather than the big companies with power and control
Some specific guides to shopping consciously:
Ethical/Green shopping guides
Clothing, household goods, food, etc.:
https://www.changetheworldbyhowyoushop.com/kitchen
https://www.thehonestconsumer.com/
https://betterworldshopper.org/
https://www.fairtradeamerica.org/shop-fairtrade/fairtrade-products/
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/online-ethical-marketplaces
Clothing only:
http://www.birds-of-a-thread.com/ethical-womens-clothing
UK and elsewhere:
https://thegoodshoppingguide.com/
Articles with links:
https://flygrn.com/blog/sustainability-ethical-shopping-apps
https://goodonyou.eco/most-ethical-and-sustainable-clothing-brands-from-us-and-canada/
Websites with links to many fair-trade and eco/green clothing brands:
https://goodonyou.eco/
https://earthhero.com/
Individual companies to try:
Zero Waste Cartel https://zerowastecartel.com/
Ten Thousand Villages https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
Additional local and great resource:
The Ecology Center in Berkeley (https://ecologycenter.org/store/ (Both of things to buy and for info and connection on this journey to save our earth.)
When eating at a restaurant –
Bring your own container for leftovers
When doing errands –
Walk or bike, if possible, to your destination to reduce use of fossil fuel
Use public transportation when possible, if not walking
In the garden –
Spread coffee grounds and eggshells to feed lemon tree, etc.
Plant drought tolerant native plants to attract birds & butterflies
(East Bay Wilds Native Plants Nursery)
Water plants from water caught in small buckets at sinks & shower
Save vegetable cooking water for the garden
For continuing appreciation of and connection to the Earth’s gifts –
Walk for enjoyment
Take close-up photos of flowers – enlarge them for framing and gifting
Learn about trees (and wildflowers & birds & insects) by:
Sitting still in Nature, observing
Webinars, some suggestions:
The two Yale School of Forest Forum webinar offerings (Links to recordings on the title)
"Celebrating Old Growth: A Conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer, Robert Macfarlane, and David Haskell,” September 18, 2021
“On Trees” A Conversation with Peter Wohlleben, Jessica J. Lee, and Sumana Roy. January 11, 2022
Reading - some suggestions:
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass; Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Old Growth: some of the best writing about trees from Orion magazine. (2021)
Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree.
Al Gore’s “The Inconvenient Truth”
Hiking - some suggestions:
Tilden Park (Berkeley), Fitzgerald Park (near Half Moon Bay)
Trails above Montero and Pacifica
Point Lobos (near Carmel)
Marin Headlands
Muir Woods
Joaquin Miller Park
One’s neighborhood!
Drawing, painting, sculpting, creating art from natural materials
With investments –
Study your investments and make changes to socially responsible stocks and funds.
As a grounding principle (literally and figuratively) –
“… the best way to care for our earth, is to care for each other! By caring for and staying in touch with others, it frees up the energy taken by worry, and perhaps loneliness, so that we can now use that energy to return loving care to our earth. Planting or tending gardens refreshes the soul of all who notice the beauty. It refreshes the gardener and helps the bees and pollinators to find diverse plants/food, pollinating our crops, and then feeding us! The circle is indeed a circle, as the "win: win" of helping, being helped, and back to the ability to help some more. continues.
So, when you don't feel like you have the bandwidth for much more, go dig in a garden, or pull weeds for someone who finds it difficult to kneel to do
that. Being Catholics, we have lots of practice with kneeling!” (Marie Retherford)
WHAT A GROUP CAN DO:
To impact Nature –
Make a specific plan to plant trees
Collectively keep a log of “carbon footprint” by utilizing a Footprint Calculator that some organizations utilize: Cool Climate Network - https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator. (Or as WIC can design our own way to track our carbon footprints.)
Volunteer for cleanups in the community
To invest responsibly -
A parish, for example, could study their investments and make changes to socially responsible stocks and funds.
In a sweeping pastoral, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines called for church institutions to press their banks to phase out fossil fuel holdings and to deny donations with ties to the fossil fuel and extractive industries.
To engage in Collective Activism, some current suggestions for safe and at-home participation:
a) California Environmental Justice Alliance: to work for clean air in the Richmond area, especially that affecting children and families of color with respiratory problems.
b) Climate Change Lobby: To support congressional legislation for price carbon
c) Third Act—(for people over 60)—“making good trouble”- works on different campaigns to protect democracy by supporting “voter rights"
d) Elder Climate Action: This is a way to stay active by using our handy cell phones! Quick, easy, and effective!
e) California Food Policy Advocates:—To advocate for policies to support children and families to eliminate bureaucratic and legal obstacles so they may access healthy and fresh foods for schools and homes.
f) Far🕊mworkers Union— To support policies to protect farmworkers from toxic chemicals and poor working conditions as they work to bring food to our tables.
To pay attention to how and where we spend our money. A suggestion:
Create a guide to earth-friendly, sustainable, fair-trade, ethical brands and websites for products that don’t pollute or create other problems.
