• Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
The Texas Catholic
The Texas Catholic

Dallas, Texas

Today is Thursday, March 30, 2023
  • Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Instagram
Home
Uncategorized

What to do? Pope’s practical tips for environment

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Pope Francis released Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home on June 18. (CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters) See POPE-BOSNIA June 6, 2015.

Pope Francis released Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home on June 18. (CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters)

By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home” is a call for global action as well as an appeal for deep inner conversion.

He points to numerous ways world organizations, nations and communities must move forward and the way individuals — believers and people of good will — should see, think, feel and act.

Here are some of the pope’s suggestions, with references in parentheses to their location in the encyclical:
— Do not give in to denial, indifference, resignation, blind confidence in technical solutions. (14, 59)
— Have forthright and honest debates and policies; issues cannot be dealt with once and for all, but will need to be “reframed and enriched again and again” by everyone with plenty of different proposals because there is no one way to solve problems. (16, 60, 185)
— Reduce, reuse, recycle. Preserve resources, use them more efficiently, moderate consumption and limit use of non-renewable resources. (22, 192)
— Slash pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Transition to cleaner and renewable energies and replace fossil fuels “without delay.” (26, 165)
— Promote green construction with energy efficient homes and buildings. (26, 180)
— Protect clean, safe drinking water and don’t privatize it with market-based fees for the poor. (27-29, 164)
— Keep oceans and waterways clean and safe from pollutants; use biodegradable detergents at home and business. (30, 174)
— Be aware that synthetic pesticides and herbicides will hurt birds and insects that are helpful for agriculture. (34)
— Leave room for wandering and migrating species by creating “biological corridors;” don’t let dams, highways and construction lead to their extinction. (35)
— Protect biodiversity, especially wild forests, wetlands, coastal areas, mangrove swamps. (39)
— Promote smart growth. Create livable communities with beautiful design and plentiful green spaces for everyone, especially the poor. Tackle noise and “visual pollution,” and save cities’ cultural treasures. Design spaces that help people connect and trust each other. (44-45, 113, 143, 147)
— Put an end to “mental pollution.” Think deeply, live wisely, love generously. (47)
— End the tyranny of the screen, information overload and distractions. Watch out for media-induced melancholy and isolation. Cultivate real relationships with others. (47)
— Get down from the ivory tower and stop the rhetoric. Get to know the poor and suffering; it will wake up a numbed conscience and inspire real action. (49)
— Stop blaming problems on population growth. The real threat is excessive consumerism and waste. (50)
— For genuine change, put the common good first. Special interests manipulate information, offer “superficial rhetoric, sporadic acts of philanthropy and perfunctory expressions of concern.” (54)
— Sweat it out. Increasing use and power of air-conditioning seems “self-destructive.” (55)
— Even if it doesn’t fix the world, beautification and goodwill gestures inspire and remind people that “we were made for love.” (58, 113, 212)
— Get back to nature — “the caress of God” — to recharge. Be more attentive to its beauty and wonder and revisit places that left you with happy memories. (84, 97, 215, 233)
— Be consistent. Pro-life, environmental and social justice movements are all connected. Protecting vulnerable species must include the unborn, endangered animals and the exploited. (91, 120)
— Use technology to solve real problems and serve people, helping them have more dignity, less suffering and healthier lives. (112)
— Believe in a happy future, a better tomorrow. Slow down, recover values and the meaning of life. Putting the brakes on “unrestrained delusions of grandeur” is not a call to go back to the Stone Age. (113-114, 225)
— “Business is a noble vocation.” Create jobs that allow for personal growth, stability, living out one’s values. (124-128)
— Listen to, protect lands of and involve indigenous peoples. The disappearance of cultures is even more serious than losing a species. (145)
— Create neighborhood networks and improvement programs. Create welcoming spaces that help people connect and trust each other. Do something nice for your community. (148-150, 152, 219, 232)
— Make public transportation a priority and a more pleasant experience. (153)
— Provide essential services to rural areas. (154)
— Accept and care for the body God gave you. Value sexual differences and your own gender. (155)
— Join, implement and police global agreements on sustainable development, caring for the ecosystem, limiting greenhouse gases, handling hazardous wastes, ozone protection. Nix the “ploy” of trading carbon credits. (164, 167-171)
— Politicians: don’t be afraid of long-term goals and upsetting people with measures that affect levels of consumption, financial risks. Citizens: put pressure on your representatives. (177-180)
— Less is more. Stop needless consumption. (193, 203, 222, 211)
— Harness purchasing power. Examine what you buy and know that boycotts make a difference. (206)
— Plant a tree. Take mass transit. Car pool. Turn off the lights when you leave the room. Chilly? Wear a sweater. Little things add up. (211)
— Moms and dads: teach kids to use things properly; to respect, take care of others; to ask permission politely; to say, “Thank you;” to control temper; to ask forgiveness; share. (213)
— Find happiness in simple things: get-togethers, helping others, honing a talent, enjoying art and music, praying. (223-224, 226)
— Say grace before meals. (227)
— Love your enemies. (228)
— Practice “the little way” of St. Therese. (230)
— Go to Sunday Mass; receive the sacraments; encounter God in everything; rest on Sundays. (233-237)
— Sing as you go. (244)
— Pray. (246)

  • Tags
  • Laudato Si'
  • Pope Francis
  • The Texas Catholic
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
Next article Pope speaks as a pastor in call to protect earth
Previous article Enthusiasm for papal encyclical runs high

Related Posts

Sharing Faith Through Music News
Friday, March 24, 2023

Sharing Faith Through Music

How to successfully accompany young Hispanic Catholics Uncategorized
Wednesday, March 22, 2023

How to successfully accompany young Hispanic Catholics

Kevin, un monaguillo que  da lecciones de inclusión Revista Catolica
Sunday, March 5, 2023

Kevin, un monaguillo que da lecciones de inclusión

Texas Catholic Classics

A look at the five Dallas law enforcement officers who gave their lives while protecting citizens during a mass shooting in downtown Dallas in July 2016.

 

How a child with special needs inspired a high school volleyball team, community and a family who heeded God’s call to protect life.

 

After a young runner collapsed at a Dallas marathon, grace and providence unfolded for those involved in the valiant effort to help her.

   

In the summer of 2016, 50 students and 25 chaperones from Dallas Catholic high schools traveled to Nicaragua for a 10-day mission trip.

 

Early on a November morning, Kenndrick Mendieta bounded from the gym at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep toward the campus’ athletic fields as clouds lifted on a fresh new day.

 

Subscribe

Get the award-winning Texas Catholic delivered to your door. Use the menu below to subscribe now.


Subscription length




 

Photo Gallery

Click here to find your favorite Texas Catholic photographs.

The Texas Catholic Newspaper

Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Michael Gresham, Editor

3725 Blackburn Street
Dallas, Texas 75219
(214) 379-2800

Our Affiliated Sites

Texas Catholic Youth

Revista Católica

Legal and Other

Contact us

Terms of service

Privacy policy

Site map

Site powered by TexasCatholicMedia

© 2013-2019 The Texas Catholic Publishing Company. All rights reserved.