Bending the Arc

The Earth Day Fair returns to Founder’s Hall at the motherhouse of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) at 320 County Rd K in Fond du Lac. On April 27, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the public is invited to interact with Earth-focused exhibitors and participate in various planned activities. 

Get all the event details!

In celebration of Earth Day, CSA hosts Common Ground, a film that unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save or health, and stabilize America’s economy - before it is too late.

Watch the trailer here:

Request a screening and get more information at https://commongroundfilm.org/
 

Trillion Trees Pledge

On Earth Day (May 22) 2024, Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in celebration of Earth Day today and Forest Appreciation Week this week, announced that the state is increasing its Trillion Trees Pledge planting goal from planting 75 million trees by the end of 2030 to planting 100 million trees by the end of 2030. Gov. Evers and DNR also released the Wisconsin Trillion Trees Pledge 2023 Annual Report today, which shows Wisconsin has planted more than 32 million trees since Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #112 in 2021 committing Wisconsin to the Trillion Trees Pledge, bringing the state more than 40 percent towards its goal just three years into the pledge. Read the full press release.

Access to Solar

On April 23, Gov. Evers announced that Wisconsin is receiving a grant of $62.4 million from the Biden-Harris Administration to help fund solar systems for low- and moderate-income households across Wisconsin. Read the full story.

Funding New Energy Innovations

On April 24, Gov. Evers announced that the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin awarded $7.8 million from the Energy Innovation Grant Program to 28 projects that will expand access to clean energy and invest in the adoption of innovative technologies and processes. Learn more.

Federal Funds Go to Conservation and Restoration

On April 25, Gov. Evers announced that the Wisconsin Department of Administration is set to receive a total of $4.6 million through President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.The award will be directed towards two habitat conservation and restoration projects. Read the full release. 

What will happen next? Consider subscribing to press releases.
 

Catholic Climate Covenant’s 2024 Earth Day program focuses on the growing problem of plastic pollution and complements the secular Earth Day theme of “Planet vs. Plastics”.

Do you know?

• The United States is the world’s largest plastic polluter; every year we produce 35 million tons of plastic waste.
• Every 15.5 hours, Americans throw away enough plastic to fill the largest NFL stadium in the country, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, and the pile grows larger every year.
• Plastic piles up in landfills, litters our communities, pollutes beaches, and breaks down into microplastics that get EVERYWHERE - including inside us?!
• Less than 9% (some say only 5-6%) of plastics actually get recycled in the U.S.
• The production of plastics is a huge source of greenhouse pollution and is expected to overtake emissions from coal-fired power plants by 2030.

In this short video from Environmental Health News, learn how our throwaway culture is connected to plastic pollution and why it has become such a huge problem.  

We must deal with the plastic crisis if we are to control the climate crisis, to improve the health of our air and oceans, and to protect the Earth’s biodiversity and human health. You are encouraged to learn more and avoid adding to the plastic waste crisis whenever and wherever possible.  Learn more by participating in Catholic Climate Covenant’s 2024 Earth Day program - Healing Our Throwaway Culture: A Focus on Plastics. The one-hour program will help your community learn about how plastic production, consumption, and disposal are impacting human and planetary health, and give you strategies for personal, community, and systemic actions. The Earth Day program can be used any day that fits your community’s schedule. Learn more.

In 2022, 175 nations agree to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024, prompting a major step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, use and disposal. Read more. The fourth session of negotiations started earlier this week in Ottawa, Canada. Follow this and insist that our U.S. government supports a strong UN Plastic Treaty with mandatory, ambitious, scientifically based, and enforceable control measures and obligations to ensure results and accountability. 
SIGN AND SHARE THIS PLASTIC POLLUTION PETITION

Consider making some personal commitments.

Laudato Si' Action Platform invites Catholic Religious women and men to participate in an inspiring event, “Voices of Faith and Hope: Global; Catholic Religious in the Heart of Climate Action,” hosted by the religious sector of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of International Union of Superiors General (UISG).

The event is May 22, and they are looking to feature diverse and powerful stories from religious around the world. Selected stories will be presented as part of the event, providing a platform for sisters to share their journey and inspire others.

SHARE YOUR STORY HERE

Event Details:
Title: Voices of Faith and Hope: Global Catholic Religious in the Heart of Climate Action
Date: Wednesday, May 22
Time: 6:30 AM Mexico City, 8:30 AM New York, 1:30 PM London, 2:30 PM Rome, 3:30 PM Nairobi, 8:30 PM Manila
Hosts: Laudato Si' Action Platform and International Union of Superiors General

Stories that are not selected for live presentation may still be featured on our blog or social media channels as part of the Laudato Si' Week celebrations and beyond.

Please submit your responses by May 10. They will contact you shortly after to notify you of their decision. This is an opportunity to share your story with a global audience and to highlight the critical role of our faith in the ecological movement. 

CSA is a registered “Green Team” with Faith in Place, an affiliate of Interfaith Power & Light. Faith in Place champions justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; fight for those most impacted by environmental injustice; and believe the environmental movement must be rooted in justice. They offer several free programs, events and resources on their website.

If you missed last week’s virtual earth vigil, you may watch the recording.

Did you know that the City of Fond du Lac is a designated Bird City? Fond du Lac’s Bird City Wisconsin designation is an honor the city achieved in 2012 and has renewed annually since then. This recognition reflects the importance that the Fond du Lac community places on protecting its avian wildlife and the habitat on which they rely. To be recognized as a Bird City, a community must meet criteria spread across six categories: habitat creation and protection, community forest management, limiting threats to birds, education, energy and sustainability, and the official recognition and celebration of World Migratory Bird Day.

Bird City Wisconsin provides highly visible public recognition to municipalities that understand that healthy communities are the sum of many parts, including birds. Bird City Wisconsin supports its communities, including Fond du Lac, in their efforts to protect and manage green space, educate their citizens, build and erect nesting structures, landscape with native plants, and reduce threats to birds like collisions and outdoor cats. Bird City Wisconsin also supports cities’ efforts to generally make urban areas both friendlier for birds and places where people want to live and work.  

Annually, Fond du Lac celebrates World Migratory Bird Day with events during the last week of April and the first week of May.

Birding in Fond du Lac
Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m., Fond du Lac Public Library, McLane Room
Steven Thompson, local bird photographer extraordinaire will share his favorite photos of birds and the best places to bird in Fond du Lac to capture your own stunning images.

CSA Earth Day Fair
Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Visit the Bird City exhibitor table and sign up for a guided bird walk on the CSA escarpment at 2:15.

World Migratory Bird Reception
Thursday, May 2, 5 p.m., THELMA Sadoff Center for the Arts
Bird art on display by members of the THELMA Visual Artists. Tom Schultz, National Geographic Illustrator will give a presentation about his work and Bill Volkert, WI naturalist will be reading from one of his published books.

Guided Bird Watching
Friday, May 3
6 p.m. walk at Camelot Business Park
Saturday, May 4
7 a.m. walk at the Greenway Arboretum
10 a.m. walk at Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
1 p.m. walk at Lake Winnebago shore and boardwalk

Build a Bird: Glass Fusion Workshop
Saturday, May 4, 2 p.m., Trista Holz Studios (13 E. 1st St.)
Work with local artist Trista Holz to learn how to stack and fuse glass into your own beautiful work of ornithological art!

Local Galleries Featuring Bird Art
All May
Gallery & Frame Shop (94 S. Main)
Sumercé Artisans (52 E. Division)
Trista Holz Studios (13 E. 1st St.)

No one should be allowed to gamble with water – but that’s exactly what financial speculators are trying to do by trading water futures on the stock market.  Allowing financial speculators to profit off and drive up prices on a resource is dangerous.  

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ro Khanna just re-introduced legislation to ban water futures trading.  Ask your representatives to co-sponsor. 

Take Action Here.

U.S. Senator John Barrasso (Wyo.) recently introduced a bill that seeks to block the Biden Administration’s proposal to advance protections for old-growth forests. This bill is an attack on our climate-critical trees and forests and must not pass. Logging will continue to destroy our nation’s oldest trees.

The Biden administration's proposal, called the National Old Growth Amendment, will safeguard mature and old-growth trees across federal lands -- allowing them to continue to store carbon, provide clean water and support wildlife for centuries to come. Read more.

The Barrasso bill will do the opposite. By blocking the National Old Growth Amendment from going into effect, the bill will give the timber industry access to logging in our old-growth forests.

For the ecosystems they support, old-growth trees are gifts that keep on giving. For the timber industry, a tree's value grows until backhoes, bulldozers and saws cut it down.

We're counting on Environmental Action supporters like you to help save America's oldest trees and keep pristine wildlife habitats intact.

Stand up for our oldest trees.
 

Back in 2017, Walmart launched “Project Gigaton,” an ambitious project to eliminate one gigaton (1 billion metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by 2030. For reference, that’s the equivalent of taking more than 211 million passenger vehicles off the road for a whole year. This is also close to the amount Japan releases in one year as of 2021.

In February, Walmart announced that Project Gigatron had met its goals-six years early. More than 5,900 suppliers, responsible for around 75% of Walmart’s sales, participated. Companies big and small committed to taking steps to reduce their emissions in one or more of six areas: energy use, product design and usage; packaging; transportation; and waste.

The Walmart Sustainability Hub has been called the “village” for Climate Change aware companies that want to save the planet. The website offers “toolkits” of resources and information for each of the Project Gigaton pillars (Emission, Energy, Agriculture, Waste, Packaging, Deforestation, and Product Use) to help suppliers get started or advance their existing work. They also include a focus on worker dignity and safety.
A March 30, 2024 Fortune article details how the project works and the secrets to Walmart’s success. Read the full story

Walmart says, “Although we have achieved our 1 gigaton goal, we will continue Project Gigaton — because as a society we have a long way to go. Building a net zero emissions future will require a massive transition in our world’s energy and transport systems, materials and infrastructure… We hope Project Gigatron will continue to set the standard for corporate climate action - because a more sustainable supply chain is a more resilient one. A more resilient supply chain isn’t just better for our business, it’s better for people, communities and the planet.”

We hope so too, Walmart! Thanks for leading the way.
 

UNANIMA International plans a parallel event alongside the first ever UNGA Sustainability Week (April 15-19, 2024).

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President is calling for all stakeholders to #ChooseSustainability, highlighting that “impactful transformation remains central to the ongoing efforts to advance all three dimensions of sustainable development - social, economic, and environmental - to achieve peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.”

UNANIMA International invites members and friends to join the parallel event they are organizing called, “Holistic Approaches for a Sustainable Future: Centering Individual, Collective & Planetary Well-Being” on Tuesday, April 16th 12-2 pm CT. This is a hybrid event. 

Read the full concept note here.

Please Register

Faith Climate Action Week is 10 days in April during Earth Month - April 19-28, 2024.

This year's Faith Climate Action Week focus film, Common Ground, is a powerful follow-up to Kiss the Ground. Common Ground provides hope for future generations with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system. The film explores how regenerative agriculture can help heal the soil, our health, and the planet.

“By fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, Common Ground unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy – before it’s too late.”

CSA JPIC is hosting a FREE in-person screening of the documentary on 
Tuesday, April 23 at 6 pm 
in Founders Hall in the CSA Motherhouse.

This event will not be livestreamed.

REGISTER HERE 

Then on April 24 at 11am, join the Interfaith Power and Light webinar conversation with Gabe Brown - Regenerative Farmer and Advocate from the Common Ground film.

Register for the webinar

The second annual ‘International Day of Zero Waste’ on March 30 highlights the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices.

The second annual International Day of Zero Waste on March 30 highlights the need to increase waste management globally and recognize the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices. We need to view waste as a resource, recovering materials as much as possible and reducing extraction of limited natural resources. Zero waste initiatives help achieve Goal 11 and Goal 12 of the UN’s Sustainable Development agenda. These goals address all forms of waste including food loss and waste, natural resource extraction and electronic waste.

2024 ‘Water for Peace’ theme hopes to create a positive ripple effect.

Rooted in the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, World Water Day celebrates freshwater and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is all about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. This year’s theme is ‘Water for Peace’, which focuses on the critical role water plays in the stability and prosperity of the world. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have limited or unequal access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, out of 153 countries that share rivers, lakes and aquifers with their neighbors, only 24 countries report having cooperation agreements for all their shared water.

Explore resources to learn more and promote engagement.

Matthew 25: Ministries in Blue Ash, Ohio helps the poorest of the poor and disaster victims throughout the United States and around the world. They accept monetary donations and product donations of misprinted, slightly damaged, over-stocked or gently used supplies from corporations, organizations and individuals nationwide.

Since March 2023, Matthew 25: Ministries has been accepting donations of empty plastic pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies. Their pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment. Learn what is acceptable and how donations are handled here: m25m.org/pillbottles/

Looking for other ideas to reuse your pill bottles at home? A search on Etsy will provide ideas for reusing your bill bottles to hold anything from Q-tips to M&Ms, match sticks to paint brushes.

Of course, we are all challenged to avoid single use plastics whenever possible, and start converting our household items to plastic-free packaging. What’s the problem with plastics? Aside from an aggravating reminder of our wasteful society, plastic is a growing hazard to our health and the environment. Read this short article or any of the ones listed below:

1. Sam Meredith, "Just 20 companies are responsible for over half of 'throwaway' plastic waste, study says," CNBC, May 18, 2021.
2. Hannah Ritchie, Veronika Samborska and Max Roser, "Plastic Pollution," Our World in Data, last accessed February 19, 2024.
3. Justine Calma, "Amazon generates millions of pounds of plastic waste," The Verge, December 15, 2020.
4. Steve Mufson, "Amazon plastic use soared in 2020, environmental group says," The Washington Post, December 15, 2021.
5. "2023 Global Brand Audit: The Coca-Cola Company is once again the top global plastic polluter," Break Free From Plastic, February 7, 2024.
6. Holly Thompson, Steve Blackledge and Matt Casale, "The Whole Foods Plastic Problem," PIRG, March 2, 2023.
7. Jenn Engstrom, "Statement: Amazon to phase out single-use plastic padded shipping bags," PIRG, July 19, 2023.
8. "Costco makes new commitments to reduce plastic use," PIRG, October 12, 2023.
9. "Chick-fil-A's new chicken sandwich shouldn't come with a side of plastic waste," PIRG, August 16, 2023.

Follow PIRG's Beyond Plastic page for ongoing updates and action ideas. 

International Forests Day is March 21. This year’s theme is Forests and Innovation - New Solutions for a Better World.

Learn more about the Collaborative Partnership on Forests’ vision for meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Register today for an 8-week course that offers an in-depth study of the essential teachings of Thomas Berry on Monday nights starting March 4.

Explore a new story perspective on the Ecozoic Way. Herman Greene, a close friend and leading scholar of Thomas Berry, will lead the course. Session topics include:

1. Thomas Berry:  The Man, His Times, and Influences on His Thought
2. The Ecozoic Era:  Moving on from a Terminal Cenozoic to an Ecozoic Era 
3. The Great Work:  Moving from our Modern Industrial Civilization with its Devastating Impact to that of Benign Presence
4. Reinventing the Human at the Species Level
5. The New Cosmology
6. Call for Ecozoic Societies
7. Essential Understandings for the Great Work
8. Applying Thomas Berry’s Teachings: Reform of Religion and Law

Learn more and register here. Early bird registration of $240 ends Feb. 26.

Every hunting season in Wisconsin, hunters release hundreds of hound dogs in packs to chase and harass black bears and other forest creatures. Besides harming wildlife—including protected species, like wolves—hound hunting hurts the dogs, who can be injured or killed in bloody fights with the animals they pursue. This brutal practice also threatens the safety of humans who visit the forests where it happens.

Wisconsin legislators have recently passed a bill allowing hound hunting to extend into the spring months of May and June, when black bears have just emerged from hibernation and are out with cubs, wolves are at den sites protecting their pups, and animals are most vulnerable.

With your help, we can stop this bill from becoming law and let the wildlife of Wisconsin’s Northwoods focus on raising their young in peace.

Tell the governor to veto this cruel bill now!

Laudato Si' Movement monthly prayer guides are designed to inspire you to pray, contemplate, reflect and act for creation. In it, you will find:

• Step-by-step instructions on how to use this prayer guide for an encounter;
• Intention of the month and Laudato Si' quote;
• A prayer to give thanks to the Holy Trinity;
• A reflection to embrace integral ecology by Prof. Dr. Telmo Pedro Vieira, Laudato Si' Animator from Santa Catarina, Brazil;
• Illustrative images of the song of creation and the cry of creation;
• And for February… the invitation to embrace Lent through a Lenten calendar guide. 

Monthly Prayer Guide

PDF version