A weekly, curated blog that offers original articles, reflections, some fun eco-hacks, and general information for readers interested in creation care and environmental stewardship.

No more heavy bottles

New “green” products are being developed all the time. One such relatively new item that I finally decided to try are the laundry detergent sheets.

I used Earth Breeze, which I ordered through Amazon. Packing is similar to the once familiar packets of women’s nylon hosiery, and they weigh next to nothing.

Instructions are included for figuring out how many/much to put in a load of wash, depending on the size.

It is available in scented and fragrance-free.

I first tried it with towels and sheets. The result was perfect. I still to try with regular clothes, but for now I sold.

Not only do I not have to carry in a heavy jug from my car, I also find I have more space on my laundry room shelf.

In my inbox Thursday I received a link to a story from USA Today newspaper that carried this headline: ‘Developers are trying to build hundreds of thousands of homes in Arizona. New report warns there isn't enough water.’

As a relative newcomer to Arizona I find it very challenging to get an accurate picture of the problem. There are facts and figures available, but by the time they have been politicized—shaped to support a particular narrative—it is challenging for the ordinary citizen of this state to know if we are in trouble or not.

Do you feel comfortable that you know enough to make wise decisions? Whatever the full truth may be, the unarguable challenges ahead will undoubtedly become part of everyday life for Arizonans at some point.

Do we know enough? Are you interested in a conversation group on this subject? If you are, I am happy to join. Please email me at mary.trainor@stphilipstucson.org
MPT+

Legal standing for animals?

Noted philosophy professor Martha C. Nussbaum has a new book coming out January 3—and it is sure to stir up lively conversation. I have ordered my Kindle version and cannot wait to plow into it upon receipt.

The book is already getting good press, including a recent article inThe New York Times Magazine. The headline grabs one’s attention: “Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? Martha Nussbaum Thinks So.” The book is dedicated to the author’s daughter, an animal rights attorney, who died in 2019 at age 47.

If you have a Times subscription, you can search for the article. It was in Talk, December 6. So that you may get a taste for the book, here is a quote in the magazine’s QA presentation. This selection gets at the root of my questions about her approach:

“Let me ask about animals and legal standing. One criticism of giving increased legal standing to individual animals is that, for people, being part of the legal system implies some degree of both social responsibility and accountability, neither of which animals can have, at least not to nearly the same degree. Does that argument hold water? Look, the criteria for standing involves there’s an injury, and you’re injured as a particular being. You don’t have to have accountability. It’s the injury that gives you standing. Standing just means a lawyer can represent you in court. So we’re talking about lawyers who would represent the animal’s interest. The problem comes when there is no “you” to be the agent of the animals’ good. When the animal is suffering—if you’re beating your dog and the laws aren’t being enforced, there isn’t anyone who can intervene and say, “I’m going to go to court as the ally of that animal and sue for enforcement of the laws.” In the case of animals who are localized, and not just domesticated animals—animals in our cities—there should be a department of animal welfare that would exercise a similar function.”

Blessings, MPT+

Enough water?

I moved to Arizona just four years ago, and have become aware of the ongoing concern about water. Living most of my life in Southern California—including its low-desert communities in times of drought—I am somewhat familiar with deserts needing water.

Lately I have read about an unincorporated community that has water trucked in from the city of Scottsdale, one of Arizona’s wealthiest cities. But those services will stop as of January 1, and it may not be too far off to imagine that the Rio Verde Foothills community will not be “verde” too much longer.

How does something like this happen? Here’s a link to an Azcentral story that offers some background.

The question this raises for most of, however, is, “Can this happen to us?” what with the shrinking Lake Mead and dwindling Colorado River, a provider of water to seven states, as well as water to Mexico. Here’s a source.

***

What I can say from my California experience is that no one actually took seriously the possibility of running out of water. By no one, I mean no one I knew, including my family, readers of either of the two daily newspapers for which I worked, or me—who lived in Palm Springs during a major drought. Even as I put a brick in my toilet tank to reduce water needed for flushing, even as I installed the low-water use showerhead, never did I ever think there would be no water.

So I’d love to have feedback from Tucsonans on this matter. Please email me with your thoughts, beliefs, fears, or faith.

Meanwhile, please read the article on this same page that offers some help with reducing your water use.

Blessings, MPT+

Recycle trees? That’s right.

When you discard your annual Christmas, do you really know what happens to it?

The City of Tucson makes an extra effort to assure your tree is returned to the environment in an enduring way.

Read here about the program, and plan your after-Christmas trip. Oh, and they recommend checking with your neighbors to consolidate your trips.

News on age-old bond

Last week, on CBS’s Sunday evening magazine program “60 Minutes,” viewers were treated to a segment titled Survival of the Friendliest.

And, yes, it’s about dogs. And, yes, Anderson Cooper leads us through some things we may already know about the affinity of humankind to dogs, and vice versa.

But the segment also includes some astounding newer revelations about our canine companions. Chromosomal and genetic patterns are shared, apparently leading to new medical treatment options for dogs and us. Check it out here.

MPT+

Stop Throwing Away Your Mesh Orange Bags and Do This Instead.

Tips for an eco-friendly holiday

If you Google or otherwise search for “eco-friendly Thanksgiving” you will find a plethora of ideas. Here’s a link to just one of them that includes suggestions you can either use or adapt to your circumstance.

A NEW OFFERING

Much of Saint Philip’s programming and formation for the 2022-2023 program year is built around the themes of creation care and environmental stewardship—both of which can feel overwhelming. This web page is testimony to the church’s commitment to creation. Each week you can find a new Currents blog post, an article such as the one below, and a link to a growing list of resources on this subject.

Please feel free to let us know of any resources you have found particularly helpful. You may send them to Mtr Mary Trainor, who curates this page. Her e-address is Mary.Trainor@StPhilipsTucson.org.

Farewell to canon for creation care

Dear Friends,

In 2019, I sat down with The Rev’d Canon Pam Hyde and heard her describe a vision for what a Canon for Creation Care could do in Arizona. I was all in, and am impressed at what she has built. She is now answering a new call, and while I am sad for our loss, I am overjoyed at the new capacity she will have for bringing healing to our world. The Creation Care Council will be carrying on the work she has begun, and she will still be a clergy member of our diocese, with the ability to visit, preach, and teach in a way that fits with her new schedule.

I will let her describe this transition in her own words:

“For the last three years, it has been a true privilege to serve on Bishop Reddall’s staff, developing and leading our diocese’s new ministry of creation care.  Recently, however, my parents created a new family foundation and have asked me to serve as the president of the board of that foundation.  After much prayer and discernment, I have agreed to take that position, leaving my position as the Canon for Creation Care on the diocesan staff.  My departure date will be June 1st.

I’m grateful for this ministry of creation care that God has called me to, which has been a part of me for most of my life and which will continue after I step down from my position with the diocese.  I look forward to discovering the ways that God will lead me in my call as I move on to dedicate my daily life to a ministry of giving.  God has a marvelous way of weaving together the ways of serving that he calls us to!

I wish to extend my gratitude to Bishop Reddall for calling me to be her first Canon for Creation Care, to the members of the diocesan Creation Care Council for serving with me to build up this ministry, and to everyone in the congregations of the diocese who has taken up the call to be caretakers of God’s creation.  May God nourish and sustain you all as you continue to grow in service to the world he created and so dearly loves.”

I invite you to join me in praying for Pam as she enters this new phase of her ministry.

Faithfully,

+Jennifer

Tree Equity Score

Do you know the Tree Equity Score for your neighborhood?  

You can learn by going to the City of Tucson’s Tree Equity page where you will find more information about how this is measured. You can also look at a map of Tucson neighborhoods with coloring to indicate how well they are doing.

Essentially, the score indicates neighborhoods in greatest need of improved tree canopy, which in turn relates to water wellness. Check it out. https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/pages/milliontrees-tree-equity

SpeciaL Pilot—

a great beginning

Turning virtually useless plastic into building blocks and other items of ongoing use and value? That’s a special pilot project in the City of Tucson, under the watchful eye of Ward 6 and its council person, Steve Kozachik. The pilot is nearing its end date of December 31.

The following is from Kozachik’s online newsletter:

“What we’re doing is our small part to address what is an international pollution issue. Across the pond in the United Kingdom, they’ve been holding public outreach regarding a plan to prohibit the use of single-use plastic items. Just ban them. That’s single use forks, spoons, plates, tablecloths, straws, stirrers, cotton swabs – in fact some of those items were banned in the UK back in 2020. Now they’re talking about expanding the list and requiring the use of only biodegradable alternatives. Scotland imposed the ban earlier this year, and Wales approved it to begin in 2023.

“CNN reported that every year over 4 billion single-use cutlery items and over a billion plates are used in England alone. Less than 10% of it gets recycled. Internationally over 331 million tons of plastic waste is produced annually with the same roughly 10% getting recycled. The stuff sticks around for years contaminating the environment. That’s what we’re playing a role in addressing. Most plastic is produced using fossil fuels. Consider that each trip you make to our roll-off to toss in your plastic, you’re being a part of a global solution.

“Here’s a current program update. With 2 full weeks left (pilot ends December 31)” I’m sure we’re going to surpass 35 tons collected. That’s a testimonial to the community for their engagement with this project. And we hit 1,500 people having signed up for ByFusion updates. That’s 3x what we had set as a goal.

“Our focus is on using your plastic for construction-grade blocks. I’ve shared several pictures of city projects we’ve already completed. Those will increase in number and in complexity once we kick off the larger program. In New York City they’re using granulated plastic as a filler in their asphalt mix. I’ve asked our transportation people their thoughts on that as a possible use. In NYC they’re still studying the process to see how it compares in terms of cost and durability. So far, they’ve got about 2,400 tons in testing. That’s over 200,000 plastic bottles saved from the landfill. Each week I add a new angle on plastic and its impacts, and possible uses. We’re close to making decisions on how we scale up our pilot program.”

For more information about the pilot project and ByFusion, the city’s partner in the pilot, click here.

Best place to start

One of the best first steps to conserve natural resources starts in our own homes. Take water, for example. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household loses more than 10,000 gallons of water annually as a result of leaks. Leaks! That amount of water would wash 280 loads of laundry, provide 600 showers or meet the average family’s water use for a month. An abundance of information about leaks, how to find them and fix them, is available at smarthomewaterguide.org. It’s really worth checking out.

Becoming better stewards

Saint Philip’s Christmas Eve bulletin will reflect our parish’s desire to be more ethically conscious of the impact we have on the environment. We are gingerly and thoughtfully using the resources God gives us to produce something of lasting beauty and not something that will be tossed aside.

Most years, Saint Philip’s prints around 1,800 Christmas Eve bulletins. We worked to consolidate them a few years ago to save paper and achieved some savings, but the cost and waste are still quite high. We also print hundreds of bulletins each Sunday that have a lifespan of one morning.

The Christmas Eve bulletin will not only be a thing of beauty because of how it looks, it will be a thing of beauty also because of what it protects and preserves. It is designed to last, not to be discarded. On Christmas Eve alone, we use the equivalent of 4 whole trees worth of paper that are thrown away. In one year, Saint Philip’s uses 35 or so whole trees that are subsequently discarded.

Our Sunday bulletins are also being reimagined to be more beautiful and lasting. Their lifespan will be years—not hours. If we use them for five years, we will save around 175 trees worth of paper.

God uses Creation to speak. And we, too, can use the stuff of Creation to speak with God and honor the love he shows us by showing our commitment to be stewards—not just consumers—of all we’ve been given. 

God chose a kairos moment to come among us. We, too, may choose to act in this kairos moment—this decisive time in our relationship with him and Creation—to do our part as a community of faith. No single community will make all the change needed to address the scope of the environmental challenges we face. But each community is charged to do something—to act faithfully.

May the work we undertake this year inspire us to a deeper commitment to faithfully preserve and nurture all that we have been handed as stewards and followers.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert

Composting is here to stay

Do you know? Almost 30 percent of all refuse taken to landfills is some type of organic waste. These materials do not decompose in landfills because air and water are excluded. But we can create a quality soil conditioner while helping our community in its waste reduction efforts. Humus, a component of compost, when mixed with water, becomes Humic Acid which converts nutrients, minerals, and trace.

And, yes, composting of organic waste is a needed effort in a desert climate, even with its sandy soil.

Saint Philip’s
Starting in January, Saint Philip’s will begin collecting used coffee grounds and used paper filters for composting. They will be available to church members and friends. Once some guidelines are developed, the news will be published here.

Below is some excellent information and resources on the why’s and how’s of desert composting:

City of Tucson
https://www.tucsonaz.gov/es/foodcycle-compost-program

Tucson Organic Gardeners
https://webcms.pima.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/File/Environment/Waste_and_Recycling/Home_Composting_In_The_Desert.pdf

University of Arizona
https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1632-2014.pdf

***

 RESOURCES

National Church resources
General Care Information—https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/

Background on church’s position—To learn more about Episcopal climate change advocacy at the United Nations, or to get involved, visit https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/cop26/.

Resources for loving formation—https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/loving-formation/

Resources for liberating advocacy—https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/liberating-advocacy/

Resources for life-giving conservation—https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/life-giving-conservation/

Creation care & eco-justice glossary—https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/eco-justice-glossary/

Diocese of Arizona
General—https://azdiocese.org/creation-care/

Resources for prayer and study—https://azdiocese.org/creation-care/resources-for-prayer-and-study/

Books
Stewards of Eden: What Scripture Says About the Environment and Why It Matters. Sandra L. Richter; Amazon link