Practical Steps to Reduce Your Footprint

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Practical Steps to Reduce Your Footprint

• Justice, Stewardship and Creation

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Foundation of Creation Care Ethic

• Scripture
• Creation as Revelation
• Church Teaching
• Science as Teacher
• Soul Craving

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Scriptural Tradition

• Genesis 215 Human is put into the Garden to
  serve abad the Garden, not to cover it with
  asphalt. HUMANS ARE CO-CREATORS
• God makes covenant with four legged, not just
  Noah and family.
• Isaiah Vision of Ecological Harmony Isaiah
  116-9
• Pauline Mystical Body of Christ Colossians
  115-20 1 Cor. 15
• Breaking open the seals in Revelation resonate
  with climate change impacts.

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Creation as Revelation

• St. Augustine stated that the twin poles of
  revelation are scripture and creation
• Consequence of our disconnection from creation is
  a form of autism Thomas Berry
• St. Columbanus Understand the creation if you
  wish to know the Creator
• St. Irenaeus For even creation reveals the One
  who formed it

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Catholic Teaching

• Lack of Attention
• Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
  Global Warming not mentioned
• Popes only recently addressed the issue
• Catholic Bishops didnt address this until June,
  2001
• Why?

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Catholic Social Teaching Anthropocentric

• Justice only about humans my seminary training.
• Lived in an increasingly urbanized universe where
  lived under the illusion that we are in control
  of nature.

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Catholic Vision

• Sacramentality of the World
• Divine is revealed in both Immanence and
  Transcendence
• Communitarian Sensibility
• Augustine Twin poles of revelation are
  scripture/Tradition and Creation What Jay
  McDaniel calls red grace and green grace

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World Heating Up

• Last year was the hottest recorded ever since
  record keeping began in 1850.
• Five of the hottest years in the last 7, 10 of
  the hottest in the last 14
• 20 of the 21 hottest years in recorded history
  were in the last 25.
• Every glacier in the world in retreat
• Ice shelves the size of states broken off.

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Other Facts

• Average American uses over 44,000 lbs of CO2 per
  year, as opposed to 21,500 lbs. for Germany and
  21,300 lbs. for Japan.
• In 2005 18 billion left Michigan to pay for
  fossil fuel. We import 100 of our coal and
  uranium, 96 of our oil and ¾ of our natural gas.

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Alienation from Creation

• Humanity is a part of and not apart from
  creation.
• Industrial revolution and urbanization have given
  humanity a false sense of autonomy and disconnect

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Climate Change A Plea For Dialogue, Prudence and
the Common Good

• Global Climate Change is about the future of
  Gods creation and the one human family. It is
  about our human stewardship of Gods creation and
  our responsibility to those generations who will
  succeed us. If we harm the atmosphere, we
  dishonor our Creator and the gift of creation.

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Climate Change A Plea For Dialogue, Prudence and
the Common Good

• Prudence we know that when a problem is
  serious and worsening it is better to act now
  rather than wait until more drastic action is
  required relation to precautionary principle
• Common Good The ethic of solidarity requires
  us to act to protect what we hold in common, not
  just our own interests
• Priority for the Poor The real inconvenient
  truth is that those who contribute least to
  climate change are those who suffer most from it
  John L. Carr June 7, 2007

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Justice

• Mountain top removal poisons Appalachian poor.
• What is response to the voiceless? Poor?
  Four-legged? Future generations?
• What does it mean to take care of the needs of
  the present without sacrificing needs of the
  future i.e. consumption
• Who is my neighbor? How do I love my neighbor?

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Nature and the Soul

• Biophilia Edward O. Wilsons term for love of
  nature and creation.
• According to Robert Kennedy Jr. American
  Character formed in experience of nature.
  Quintessential American character is Natty Bumpo.
  Formed in nature and acquires a natural wisdom.
  Experience of Divine found in nature.

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Nature and the Soul

• As Jacob Needleman states, If one steps out on a
  starry night and observes ones inner state, one
  asks if one could hate or be overwhelmed by envy
  or resentment. Is it not true that no man or
  woman has ever committed a crime while in a state
  of wonder? - A Sense of the Cosmos

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Response

• Begin with social analysis and theological
  reflection
• Call to simplicity of life no longer justified
  only as a theological virtue for the few carbon
  footprint
• Begin to infuse vision of creation care into the
  life of our community of faith renewal of Ember
  Days

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Response

• Join with others to create new supportive
  environment for this journey history of
  evangelical virtues.
• Support businesses and others who get it
• Track impacts Be the good news we preach
• Advocate

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Interfaith Power Light Walking the Talk

• National IPL movement 24 states
• Helps congregations reduce carbon footprint and
  save
• Now number over 200 congregations across Michigan

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MiIPL Mission

• Involve communities of faith as stewards of Gods
  creation through the promotion of energy
  education, energy efficiency, renewable energy
  and related sustainable practices.

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 1) Stewardship Way to save money without
  sacrifice of personnel or programs

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 2) Justice -- saved on energy frees resources
  to be directed toward feeding the hungry, paying
  a just salary, advancement of congregations
  mission EJ dimension i.e. mountaintop removal

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 3) Equity Congregations in inner city and rural
  areas inhabit oldest, most energy inefficient
  buildings. Serve areas of greatest human need.
  Fewest resources. MiIPL helps to level the
  playing field

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 4) Health Promotion of Sustainable Products
  such as T-8 lighting and day lighting, and Low
  VOC paint result in healthier environments for
  congregants and the planet

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 5) Interfaith Collaboration We all breathe the
  same air JFK. MiIPLs Board consists of
  Muslims, Christians and Jews. Shared wisdom
  model.

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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 6) Security World on potential peak oil.
  Addiction to fossil fuel feeds wars and
  insecurity for all. MiIPL, by reducing demand
  and promotion of renewables promotes energy
  independence

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M. King Hubbert, Chief Consultant (General
Geology), Exploration and Production Research
Division, Shell Development Company
Hubberts Needle
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Energy Stewardship 7 Blessings

• 7) Prophetic Global warming potentially
  greatest moral challenge of the 21st century
  species depletion, disease, impacts on the poor
  and coastal areas. Without action prophetic
  words are only hot air. This process provides
  opportunities for prophetic witness.

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MiIPL Services

• Creation Care Teams
• Energy Assessments
• Evenings of Energy Education
• Workshops and annual Conference

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MiIPL Services

• Online Shopping Cart-TCP Lighting, water
  conservation and programmable thermostats
• ABC Warehouse ENERGY STAR appliances
• Discounted Prices
• New partnership with ASHRAE
• ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

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St. Elizabeth Story

• Began with audit in 1997
• Audit showed us what steps we could take, how
  much it would cost and how fast it would take to
  get us payback.
• Begin with Building Envelope outside of house

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Water Conservation

• Put in low-flow shower heads and low-flush and
  dual flush toilets
• Put in aerators in sinks.
• Put conserva-tops in school bathroom
• Installed handles and shut-offs to water that was
  continuously flowing in urinals.
• Johnson Controls zoned out the controls so that
  heat only went to rooms that needed it

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Energy Efficient Measures

• Put in energy efficient lights T-8, Compact
  Fluorescent lights, LED exit lights, CFL floods
  in Church
• Put in T-5 lights in office

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Church Lighting

• Replaced 40 120 watt incandescent lights with Par
  38 19 watt lights with 1.5 inch extenders
• Result in 50 more lumens and 4 kilowatt
  differential when lights are turned on

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Window Treatment Program

• Put solar net and low-E glass on Church window.
• Solar net reduced solar glare by 93
• 3X more efficient than if we had replaced windows
  at 15,000 less cost
• Use of dead air space as well.
• Replaced windows in the Rectory.

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Heating and Cooling

• Put in New Boiler in 1997 for 50,000. Saves us
  7,000/year. It has now paid for itself.
• Put in new Air Conditioning System in the Church.
• Put in insulation in the Rectory attic
• Replaced boiler in Rectory with Munchkin Boiler
  rated at 93 efficiency

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Result

• Reduced peak energy demand by 60 in five years
  1997-2002 even though we had an operational
• As a result Wyandotte Municipal Utility reduced
  their demand charge by 300/month
• Energy Efficient measures financing mechanism for
  on-site solar

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Solar Power

• Installed solar attic fan.
• Put in solar collector solar/thermal to heat
  hot water in the rectory

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Solar Attic Fan Cheap Solar

• Cost 400 dollars or less
• Payback in as little as 2-3 years.
• Needs no other incentive
• Reduces heat in summer and moisture in winter

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Solar Hot Water Exchange

• Anti-freeze is circulated by PV no fossil fuel in
  operation
• Water pre-heated in exchanger and stored in one
  tank
• Original tank draws water as needed.

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Solar Electric

• Put in 1.12 kilowatts of solar panels
• Put in 400 watt wind turbine
• Michigan has wind in the winter and little sun.
• In summer much sun an little wind

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Solar Electric
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Storage

• Because Michigan had no net metering law with
  original installation we installed a Stand
  Alone system.
• Sixteen AGM batteries store the electricity.

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Inverter Changes DC into AC Power
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Fruits of Energy Independence

• Save 20,000/year in energy costs.
• Better Quality of life. Renewable energy is
  quiet
• Seven circuits are running off of the grid
  power for most of the first floor including
  office, living room, hall, bedroom and lights
  throughout the basement.
• Had power during the blackout television,
  computer, lights, etc.

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Land Use

• Farmers Market After last Sunday Morning Mass
• Organic Garden for the Parish
• Organic Lawn or Native Planting
• Incorporate into Religious Ed. Program

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St. Elizabeth and Personal Footprint

• Sustainable Living Class Raw Food, Canning,
  Root Cellar, Still, Hoop House Construction, etc.
• Family Farms Cooperative Free Range, Grass Fed
  and Raw
• Organic Lawn and Garden

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Advocate

• Learn Where your food comes from
• Support local St. Elizabeth and Family Farms
  Cooperative
• Educate Parish about GMO and rGBH
• Connect with Environmental NGOs Sierra Club,
  Michigan Environmental Council,
• Michigan Catholic Rural Life Coalition

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Rule of Thumb to Lower Your Footprint

• Begin with an Assessment
• Change Behavior i.e. lower thermostat
• Do the Envelope First Caulk/weatherstrip
• Change lighting
• ENERGY STAR Appliance
• ENERGY STAR Furnace and Cooling
• Get renewable system
• Buy RECs for the rest Carbon Neutral

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Steps We Can Take

• Individual Steps
• - Calculate your carbon footprint - e.g.
  www.myfootprint.org, www.nativeenergy.com,
  www.driveneutral.org
• Get audit done on your home if the utilities in
  your state provide it.
• Check your state legislature on energy efficiency
  and renewable energy

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ENERGY STAR Change-A-Light

• Take a pledge to change one light
• Campaign culminates nationally on October 4th
• Pledge through website shopping cart purchase
  or separate check

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One way to Involve Neighbors

• Global Warming Café www.empowermentinsitute.net
• Partnerships between the faith community, NGOs,
  business and government Mayors Climate
  Protection Program
• Sierra Club Cool Cities Program
• www.natcapsolutions.org

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Congregational Steps

• Get folk together Stewardship Commission,
  Justice and Peace, Education, etc.
• Have event at congregation i.e. Lighten Up
  video or Global Warming Café
• Follow Up with Program to reduce carbon footprint
  among congregation i.e. Cool Congregations from
  Iowa IPL, Earth Ministry material such as Cry of
  Creation.
• Lighting fundraiser, bulletin articles,
  environmental fair, visits to state
  representative, etc.

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Cool Congregations

• Work with MiIPL to Measure your Carbon Footprint
  at your Household
• Call Kevin McGuckin MiIPL Director for more
  information at 1-877-IPL-MICH 475-6424.
• Carbon Calculator can get baseline of energy use
  in your household.
• Hold each other accountable and celebrate your
  victory.

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SHOP IPL

• You can get energy efficient products at reduced
  rates through the Shop IPL Shopping cart at the
  MiIPL website. Go to www.miipl.org and click on
  the link. The password for a 10 discount is
  shopipl
• Get the Easy Energy DVD through MiIPL.
• Get the ENERGY STAR for Congregations Workbook.
• Get the Self-Audit for Your Facility through
  MiIPL

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Lighting Fundraiser

• Technical Consumers Products, the worlds largest
  manufacturer of energy efficient lighting, offers
  opportunities for high quality lighting for
  parish fundraisers. Three options are available.
  
• If you have a school can invite Too Cool event.
  

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Portfolio Management Workshop At Sacred Heart

• When Thursday, March 5 from 830 a.m. until noon
• Where Sacred Heart Seminary Gymnasium
• Who Invited Pastors, Facility Managers, DREs,
  Christian Service Coordinators, Creation Care
  Ministry, etc.
• Who Present Steve Bell from EPA ENERGY STAR, Bob
  Fegan from MichCon, and many vendors who will
  help you lower your footprint.

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Affiliate with Other Congregations

• Voices For Earth Justice
• Interfaith Power Light
• Power of Lilliputians in speaking truth to power

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Pressure Church and State Leadership

• Write to Sr. Monica or Paul Long at MCC about
  MCCs stance on Climate Justice or CAFOs.
• Ask them to educate the Curia on these issues
  they do in-service on behalf of the bishops of
  Michigan
• Collaborate with Michael Hovey at the Archdiocese
  of Detroit Justice and Peace Office to have your
  voice heard.
• Support Catholics Working in Alliance for the
  Common Good in this Endeavor.
• Join the Michigan Catholic Rural Life Coalition

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Support Governors 45 by 2020 Plan

• Call Your State Senator and State Rep to get
  Legislation Update.
• Go to Michigan Environmental Council Website to
  track upcoming legislation.
• Go the Michigan Public Service Commission or the
  State Energy Office to Track Legislation
• Call Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow and tell
  them you support a National Renewable Energy
  Standard.

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Call to Huge Conversion and Simplicity of Life

• For the campaign against climate change is an
  odd one. Unlike almost all the public protests
  which have proceeded it, it is a campaign not for
  abundance, but austerity. It is a campaign not
  for more freedom but for less. Strangest of all,
  it is a campaign not just against other people,
  but also against ourselves. George Monbiat

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And, of Course, Plant Trees
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FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Address MiIPL, 138 Goodell St., Wyandotte, MI
  48192-3216
• Phone [phone] IPL-MICH or (734)
  552-0104 Fr. Charles cell
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail info_at_miipl.org
• Web Address www.miipl.org