1. Our Shared Responsibility
“Honoring creation is another way to honor God who created all that is.”
--Catholic Climate Covenant
Our Common Home
Our Shared Responsibility
Presented by:
Jeff and Kelly Bohrer

2. Welcome and Introduction
Welcoming Neighbor
Ecological Conversion—A Change of Heart

3. What and Where is Your Heart on This Matter?
Purpose:
Grow in your faith
Become instruments of God
Trustees of sacred Earth
Build up prayer life

4. Overview Laudato Si Chapter Summaries Encyclical Themes
Ecological Crisis
Integral Ecology
Ecological Conversion
Collective Actions
Individual Actions – Sharing what we’ve done
Ecological Spirituality
Questions and Discussion

5. Laudato Si’ = Praise Be To You
Chapter 1: What Is Happening To Our Common Home
Overview of current climate issues including climate change, water, pollution, decrease in biodiversity, and throwaway culture.
Chapter 2: The Gospel of Creation
Traces our call to care for Creation through our faith tradition, with a focus on scripture.
Chapter 3: The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis
Explores our technocratic culture in which we believe technology is the answer to all ills; rejects notion that we are gods over nature.

6. Laudato Si’ = Praise Be To You
Chapter 4: Integral Ecology
Explores the interconnectedness of all things
Urges us to think of the populations most affected by our choices: the poor and future generations
Chapter 5: Lines of Approach and Action
Calls for a global dialogue and response, including politics, economics, science, and religion in the conversation
Chapter 6: Ecological Education and Spirituality
Urges all Christians to a deep, loving conversion that places care for creation at the heart of Christian life

7. Ecological Crisis

8. What is Happening to Our Common Home?
Impacts of Environmental Degradation (Humans and Earth)
Climate change
Water
Loss of biodiversity
Pollution
Development
Throw away culture

9. Global Disparities Ecological Debt = Differentiated Responsibility
Resources moved and used
Displacement
Exploited workers
Loss of biodiversity
Loss of traditional land
Piracy of ancestral knowledge
CO2 released
Inserting our culture, our resources, our ways
= Differentiated Responsibility

10. % of citizens of each country living on less than $2.00 per day
Climate change vulnerability index

11. National Disparities Poverty, Racism, and Pollution
“The deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people” -Pope Benedict
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.“ and… “The greatness of a nationa and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Ghandi

14. The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis
The Trouble With Technology
Modern Anthropocentrism
Practical Relativism
Leads to throw away logic of nature and human life.

15. Compulsive Consumerism

16. Reflect and Discuss
When have you witnessed how environmental degradation has impacted human lives or a whole community? How did you feel or respond?
To what extent have I become an unquestioning and complicit citizen in a country where our comforts and luxuries come at the cost of the poverty of vast numbers of people in the rest of the world – and of the exploitation of their environmental resources?

17. Integral Ecology

18. Scripture-based Care for Creation
Creation Is More Than Just Nature
Sanctity of all life
Every creature tells a story of God
“By their mere existence, they bless the Lord and give the Lord glory.” Psalm 104
Loving Communion of God, Neighbors, and Earth
A reality that promotes both human flourishing and flourishing of natural world

19. Model of Care for Creation
Moves beyond a gift to us, being stewards
Instead: we are fellow members of creation
Past, current, and future generations
St. Francis
= “Belonging”
Privileges and responsibilities

20. Integral Ecology = It’s All Connected
“Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river, and mother earth.” (Laudato Si’, no. 92)
The Whole Is Greater Than The Parts

21. Care for Creation is about PEOPLE
The Poor and Vulnerable
Future Generations
Taking Care of the Earth = Taking Care of Each Other
JUSTICE BETWEEN THE GENERATIONS:
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (Laudato Si’)

22. Reflect and Discuss What has nature taught you about the Creator?
Can you name an experience you had with the created world that helped you to pray or communicate with God?

23. Ecological Conversion

24. Ecological Conversion
A change of heart
Move from wastefulness (“what I want”) to sharing responsibility for crisis to sacrifice (“What God’s World Needs”)
From seeing “uses” to seeing “beauty”
From “convenience” to “intentionality”
From “just me” to “all current and future generations”
From “not in my backyard” to “not in anyone’s backyard”

25. Lines of Approach and Action
Do more than avoid harmful practices; use creativity to promote best practices and new solutions.

26. Collective Actions

28. Lines of Approach and Action
Do more than avoid harmful practices; use creativity to promote best practices and new solutions.
Conserve energy and politically promote things such as recycling, energy efficiency, and modifying consumption.

29. Organizations Stepping Up In AOC

30. Sharing about us…

31. Renewable Energy

32. Energy Efficiency-Low Investment

33. Water Conservation

34. Family Responsibility Individual Actions
Educating
Purchasing
3 R’s
Investing
Community Activities

35. Ecological Spirituality Ecological Virtue

36. Ecological Spirituality
Consumeristic lifestyle leads to
Violence, destruction, spiritual bankruptcy
We need
An ethic of caring that comes from knowing sanctity of life
An ecological virtue that protects God’s handiwork
“God created the world, writing into it an order and a dynamism that human beings have no right to ignore.”

37. Ecological Spirituality
Listen to Nature’s words of love
Respond to grace at work in your heart
Remember our Common origin and mutual belonging
Community actions become spiritual
Our hearts are moved to praise
Inner peace found

38. Ecological Virtue Assess impact of decisions
Learn to encounter God in creatures
Protect God’s handiwork
Actions of Solidarity
Replace
consumerism with sacrifice
Greed with generosity
Wastefulness with spirit of sharing
Giving up with learning to give

39. "We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it." (229)
"is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full."

40. Reflection and Discussion
Do my thoughts, conversations, and actions lead to a sustainable human presence – one that is just for the whole Earth community, and cultivates a deep spiritual satisfaction for me and everybody else?

41. Reflection and Discussion
What “ecological” conversion can you commit to today?
Evaluate carbon and water footprint
Make practical lifestyle changes
Examine restraints needed
Show care for all living creatures
Relocate socially, culturally, spiritually, economically in order to break down barriers and redistribute
Learn more about poverty and our differentiated responsibility
Create a personal or community creation covenant
Guidelines for how you use your money, time, travel, technology, living spaces, etc.
Use C.H.O.I.C.E.