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Lenten discipline: Faith communities raise their environmental awareness

By Jill Schramm / Minot Daily News - February, 2010

WESTHOPE ­ St. Andrew’s and St. Mark’s Catholic churches in Westhope and Bottineau are turning down the heat and installing fluorescent light bulbs for Lent.

Those are just two of the ways that parishioners are exercising discipline to protect the environment during the Lenten season.

This is the second year that Prairie Climate Stewardship Network has invited individuals and communities of faith to participate in a carbon fast for Lent. The North Dakota-based, nonprofit network encourages climate stewardship by people of faith in keeping with a responsibility to be stewards of creation.

More than 30 faith communities have come on board.

“Caring for the environment is a big part of Catholic social teaching,” said the Rev. Paul Schuster, pastor of the Westhope and Bottineau churches and president of the stewardship network. The Catholic faith teaches that how one cares for the environment is a reflection of a person’s concern for people, he said.

The stewardship network notes that by 2020, up to 250 million people could face water stresses, and rain-fed agriculture in some countries could be reduced by half due to climate change. Many of the effects will be felt in Asia and Africa, increasing the poverty on these continents.

“Those who have benefited least from the prosperity of the Industrial Revolution and its fossil energy consumption will suffer the most from its climatic consequences,” the network reports. “The choices we make in how we use energy and how we manage the land all have consequences. Yet, all of us will not be equally affected by global climate change. People living in poverty will be worst affected by climate change, and the poorest of the poor will be worst hit.”

Members of the churches in Westhope and Bottineau plan to do their part during Lent by choosing ways that they as individuals or families can fast their carbon use. It might include hanging clothes to dry rather than using a dryer, using computers less, avoiding foam and paper products or walking more and driving less.

Regardless of how people choose to participate, the intent is to raise awareness, Schuster said.

“We take so much for granted. A lot of this comes down to personal responsibility,” he said.

As churches, the Catholic congregations in Westhope and Bottineau are working jointly to conserve energy in their buildings, including switching incandescent light bulbs for fluorescent ones and keeping the heat setting a little lower. They also aim to limit their use of disposable products.

“So much is not landfill use but the amount of energy it takes to produce some of these disposable items,” Schuster said. “There are times when we still use that kind of material, and that’s one of the things that we need to understand. Coal and oil and fossil fuels will continue to be a part of our future. The question is how do we use them wisely.”

Environmental stewardship is one of the Lenten options being suggested this year to parishioners at Little Flower Catholic Church in Rugby.

“One of those issues that we need to look at is our impact on creation, and we all need to review that just like we need to review a lot of other things in our lives,” said the Rev. Tom Graner of Littler Flower. “It goes a little above and beyond giving up your favorite food. It just makes us think. There’s more to it than giving up a luxury or a pleasure.”

Last year, 33 faith communities participated in the carbon fast. The communities include churches and individuals working within their communities and institutions, said Renee Gopal of Ashley, who coordinates activities for Prairie Climate Stewardship Network.

The network has been involved in various climate conferences in the state as well as promoting the carbon fast. Anyone interested in the carbon fast who would like flyers or bulletin inserts can obtain them free from Gopal by calling 647-2532 or go to (www.prairiecarbonfast.org) for more information.

Gopal said the network has engaged Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and others from across the state in taking an active interest in the environment.

“There are some very simple things we can start doing right now in our family units and our homes that do make a significant difference when we pool them all together collectively,” she said. “This particular challenge with global climate change is about all of us. We don’t have to wait for somebody else to solve the problem. We have to realize that we hold the key, too.”

Ways to fast carbon:

­ Switch off electrical equipment instead of leaving them “on standby.”

­ Give up bottled water.

­ Select the air-dry option on your dishwasher.

­ Reduce travel miles.

­ Commit to line-drying your clothes whenever possible.

­ Selected the cold wash and rinse cycles when washing clothes.

­ Eat less meat and seafood and buy locally or naturally raised meat and seafood.

­ Avoid using unnecessary disposable goods.

­ Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs and other energy-efficient devices.

Source: Prairie Climate Stewardship Network