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Last paragraph of Laudato Si

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A Prayer For Our Earth, from Laudato Si’

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Child-friendly version

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Everything is Connected (with prayer from Laudato Si')

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101 - Care for our environment

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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Watch the Stewardship of Creation youtube clip Stewardship of Creation
Explain the problem and how the Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents (MDF) with Caritas helped to fix the problem.

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Watch this amazing 3 minute clip about our Earth. Draw the part that stands out the most to you. Earth clip

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Message for the Fifth Anniversary of Laudato Si

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CAFOD: Climate Change Animation for Primary Schools

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Charting the recovery of wildlife in the aftermath of Australia's catastrophic bushfires through stories of hope and resilience. Narrated by Hugo Weaving, the film provides an urgent message to safeguard our environment.

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For decades we've been told that we can do our bit for the environment by recycling our waste.

But as Four Corners revealed in 2017, much of Australia's recycling operations have been effectively a sham with mountains of waste being stockpiled with nowhere to go.
"Society wide we bought this myth that recycling will solve the problem and we don't need to worry about the amount of plastic being produced." Greenpeace spokesperson
Now, in this revealing investigation from PBS Frontline, the actions of the American plastics industry are laid bare.

The story shows how, in the face of pressure to reduce plastic consumption, recycling programs were created to lull consumers into believing that the plastic waste problem was being solved.
"It's a win-win situation. You get recycling going, that has its benefits and it improves the image of the material." Industry insider
Industry insiders reveal how 'Big Plastic' has used the idea of recycling to draw attention away from the industry itself, allowing it to expand exponentially.
"For the last 40 years, the conversation in this country has been about the recycle part of "reduce, reuse, recycle.'... It was not an accident. It was created. It was manufactured." Environmental scientist
The program shows how over decades clever marketing campaigns were created to persuade consumers they should carry the burden of plastic pollution, by recycling, rather than expecting industry to reduce the amount of plastic it manufactured.

Environmental groups say even they were taken in.
"I think we were naive. I think we were overly optimistic about the potential of recycling, and perpetuating that narrative led us astray." Greenpeace
Industry insiders expose the cynicism at the heart of the strategy.
"There was never an enthusiastic belief that recycling was ultimately going to work in a significant way." Former plastics industry executive
The program shows how tactics brought in decades ago are still fooling consumers.

"At the bottom of all these plastic containers is this little chasing arrow-the little recycling symbol with a number...there are no curbside programs that would accept any of these tubs." Environmental scientist

Plastic pollution is now considered a major global crisis and there is mounting pressure on the industry to act. Some activists think the battle in America is only just heating up.
"One thing that's different is the actual ecological context is different, that we're really bumping up against ecological limits... For the oil and gas industry, the stakes are higher so we're heading towards a real battle. This is it. This is the big war." Activist
Plastic Wars, a PBS Frontline production presented by Craig Reucassel goes to air on Monday 10th August at 8.30pm. It is replayed on Tuesday 11th August at 10.00am and Wednesday 12th at 11.20pm. It can also be seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners

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For decades we've been told that we can do our bit for the environment by recycling our waste. But as Four Corners revealed in 2017, much of Australia's recycling operations have been effectively a sham with mountains of waste being stockpiled with nowhere to go.

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Many of us are trying to live more sustainably, but do we ever look to the past for tips?

"When I was growing up and in my young days we lived a green life without realising it," 81-year-old Anne Thompson says.

"It's just the way things were ... you lived a lot more frugally and there weren't the disposable items available to buy at reachable prices, so you made do."

So what were our grandparents doing that we could learn from?

Little Green Pod interviewed several women about their past way of life to see what tips we might be able to use today. We've combined their thoughts here.

Have you picked up a sustainability hack from a grandparent? Email life@abc.net.au to add your tips.

Reduce food waste by getting creative with leftovers

Food waste is a huge problem. One-third of the average Aussie household rubbish bin is full of it.

But not so long ago every bit of food was used.

Leftovers were always put to good use, such as using old bread to make bread and butter pudding.

"Leftover roast leg of lamb was minced in the mincer," Anne recalls.

"My mum used to clip it on the side of the table and mince the meat, and that would be made into a curry or shepherd's pie the next day."

Our nannas also recommend getting creative with what you already have in the fridge and cupboards.

"Have a look in your fridge today and see what's there and how you can make do with making something out of what you already have ... it's actually fun," Anne says.

"You don't need to be dashing to the supermarket all the time."

Can't avoid food waste? Consider composting it.(Pixabay: Ben Kerckx)

Growing your own food is also a great way to cut back on waste.

And if you've got too much of something, swap it with your neighbour to share the love!

Fix don't throw: repairing, sewing and revisioning clothing

Sock got a hole? Don't throw it out, say these nannas.

Dressmaking was a skill not all of us possess, but it was a necessity for previous generations.

Repairing items saves on waste and prevents more consumption.

Making your own clothes is also a way to have something unique.

"We made our own clothes if we wanted something a little different and pretty," Anne says.

There might be someone older in your family who can show you how, but we also have free online videos to help us these days.

Life before plastic proved we don't really need it all

We're getting better with our shopping bags, especially since supermarkets in many states banned their single-use options (as of December last year, there's been an 80 per cent drop in consumption nationwide).

But we're still offered plastic bags to put our fruit and vegetables in, something these grandmas say is unnecessary.

They used paper bags for their shopping and would like to see that option again today.

In the meantime, they suggest putting a few different vegetables in the one plastic bag and unpacking when you get to the checkout. Or avoiding them altogether.

"There's no need for a plastic bag for every fruit and vegetable," Anne says.

Walking more and driving less is good for you and the planet

Some of these women didn't have cars in the family until they were young adults, and even then, they would still walk or ride to school.

"When I got my first job I used to ride my bicycle nine or 10 kilometres to work in England in the freezing cold!" Anne says.

If that's not possible for you, these ladies suggest opting for public transport or carpooling!

Buying less stuff could bring you more happiness

The nannas say we're too focused on having things, rather than having relationships.

Ruth Holmes's tips for less consumption is only buying what you have the money for - and hand-me-downs.

"We never got anything unless we could afford to pay for it," she says.

Then you treated that purchase with care, mended it when needed and handed it down when you were done with it.

Use less water

Keeping an eye on how much water we use can help the environment.

Some of our grandmas touched on how they would just do a spot wash - sometimes in a bird bath! - each day, then taking a proper bath once a week.

Although you may cringe at that idea today, we can learn to take shorter showers and be more mindful of the water we use.

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Avoid chemicals and microplastics by cleaning with household items

Some of us are already harnessing the cleaning power of items like vinegar and bi-carb around the home, but did you know about using these items for cleaning yourself?

Anne's mother used to rinse her hair with vinegar which she says acted as a conditioner.

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Six sustainability lessons we can learn from our grandmas - ABC Life

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Many of us are trying to live more sustainably, but do we ever look to the past for tips? "When I was growing up and in my young days we lived a green life without realising it," 81-year-old Anne Thompson says. "It's just the way things were ...

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While the world wrestles with the COVID-19 pandemic, there's another important global issue that's not going away: climate change.

It's a daunting problem and requires global solutions and actions.

But just as we've seen with flattening the COVID-19 curve, if enough people make a change it starts to add up to something significant.

So we've created the ABC Science Carbon Counter to show the savings in CO2 emissions that can come from individuals making simple changes, and the cumulative impact if all Australian households did the same.

There are some easy wins here and some might surprise you - here are the top five.

Shower less

OK, we are NOT saying you should shower less often! But a few tweaks to your showering habits are a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint.

The biggest savings for the least effort comes from cutting your shower time if you have long showers, say, for thinking, relaxing or waking up.

Cutting your daily shower from eight minutes to four minutes saves up to 350 kilograms of CO2 a year.

If we all did this, we could cut Australia's emissions from household energy use by 8 per cent.

Another easy win, if you haven't done it already, is to install a water-saving shower head.

These reduce the amount of water hitting you each minute in your shower - by around 40 per cent on average - so they save water and therefore the energy required to heat it.

Tweak your electricity use

Buying energy-saving appliances and changing to LED lighting are important steps towards reducing your household emissions. But there are also a couple of simple things you can do with your existing appliances.

No-one wants to be too hot or cold at home, but would you notice if the temperature setting on your air conditioner was changed by just one degree?

Probably not, but that one-degree difference cuts your air conditioner's energy use by about 10 per cent. So dial it up a degree in summer, down a degree in winter.

Make just one change...

Find out how much CO2 you could save with one lifestyle change

Read more

Based on the figures for an average air conditioner in Australia - being used for six hours a day for 180 days a year - you could save over 200kg of CO2 a year. And if all households in Australia made the same change it would be equivalent to a 5 per cent reduction in household electricity emissions.

Another easy win around the house is turning off a second fridge, as they're often older models that aren't as energy efficient as today's fridges.

A typical 15-year-old fridge releases about 400kg of CO2 per year - and that's what you could save if you got rid of it, or switched if off when not in use.

Of course, if you're keen to do something bigger, installing solar panels will mean that a sizeable proportion of your energy is generated from the Sun. Plus you could also be feeding renewable energy into the grid for others to use.

Give kangaroo a try

Beef and lamb are the greenhouse gas heavy-hitters in many people's diets, because of the methane that cattle and sheep produce.

We're often told to eat less red meat as a way of reducing our footprint (and for health reasons as well).

Swapping from beef or lamb to another source of protein such as chicken, pork, duck, fish or eggs will reduce your food footprint.

If you like your meat but want to reduce your emissions try kangaroo. Despite being a red meat, it has just one fifth of the emissions of beef and a quarter of that from lamb.

This is because the kangaroo's stomach produces very little methane (a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than CO2) in comparison to cattle and sheep.
Swapping to lentils or plant-based meat alternatives will reduce it even more.

Don't waste food

Australians throw out about 118kg of food at home each year, on average.

When it breaks down in landfill, that food waste creates about 250kg of greenhouse gas.

Your planet

Stories and interactives exploring our environment and seeking solutions to climate change.

Read more

So making the effort to ensure that nothing goes to waste is an easy way to reap greenhouse gas savings.

And this is especially important if you live in a smaller town, where none of that greenhouse gas is captured. (In places with more than around 50,000 people, about half of the greenhouse gas is captured at the tip).

Anything you can do to put less food in the bin will cut your emissions, and there are plenty of options to get more organised and efficient.

These include: planning meals; checking the pantry before shopping; making a shopping list; and using the freezer to manage leftovers or other ingredients before they go off.

Even just cycling or walking to the local shops can make a difference.(Getty Images: Michael Moeller/EyeEm)

The overall goal is not to waste food. But if you do, then composting food waste is a great idea as it only results in 2 to 4 per cent of the emissions it would create in landfill.

Drive less and fly less

Driving and flying are significant sources of carbon emissions.

But even just walking to the local shops instead of hopping in the car can make a difference.

If all car owners in Australia walked five times a week instead of driving one kilometre to the local shops we'd save over 2 million tonnes of CO2 a year.

And this year because of COVID-19 many of us have been doing a lot less driving!

Watch Fight for Planet A on ABC iview

This three-part documentary aims to empower and motivate Australians to take action on climate change.

Read more

If you've been working from home instead of driving to work then your savings could be even more significant.

Say your commute used to be 10km one way, five days a week. If you're working from home, you're now saving 1344kg of CO2 per year.
This article is part of Your Planet: A season of stories from the ABC exploring our environment and seeking solutions to the climate challenge.
If every car owner in Australia made a similar change we'd reduce our emissions from transport by 44 per cent. (Not everyone can work from home but this gives an idea of the impact we can have if we work collectively.)

And as for flying - this year has taken our travel plans and dumped them on their head. While it's no compensation for cancelled travel plans, you can see how much CO2 you've saved by NOT flying this year by using the ABC Science Carbon Counter.

While you're there, find how much you could save with some other simple changes like showering less, composting more and tweaking that air conditioner setting.

Want more science from across the ABC?

Science in your inbox

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Five (really) easy ways to cut your carbon emissions

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While the world wrestles with the COVID-19 pandemic, there's another important global issue that's not going away: climate change. It's a daunting problem and requires global solutions and actions. But just as we've seen with flattening the COVID-19 curve, if enough people make a change it starts to add up to something significant.

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St. Francis of Assisi: Go and Rebuild my Church HD

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Story of Saint Francis of Assisi  | English | Story of Saints

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Sustainable Schools NSW aims to connect environmental educators with relevant resources, interactive lessons and a like-minded community to help spread the important message of sustainability to future generations.

Sustainable Schools is managed by the Australian Association for Environmental Education NSW. n N

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Sustainable Schools NSW aims to connect environmental educators with relevant resources, interactive lessons and a like-minded community to help spread the important message of sustainability to future generations. Sustainable Schools is managed by the Australian Association for Environmental Education NSW. n N

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The "greenest school" in Australia - SchoolNews - Australia

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In July 2015, perthnow.com.au called Coolbinia Primary School " the greenest school in Australia". The school's cross curricular coach, Dr Elaine Lewis works to incorporate the Western Australian Curriculum Outline 's cross curriculum priorities, in the context of the school's commitment to the students' education, their community, and their world.

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Keep Australia beautiful is excited to announce that the Litter Legends Campaign will be back next year!!! The Litter Legends Campaign is an exciting global schools project to implement a project to reduce litter and improve recycling in their school and community with Eco-Schools in the driver's seat.

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Green-Schools | Working Together For A Sustainable Future

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Green-Schools is Ireland’s leading environmental education and award programme, working with primary and secondary schools across the country.

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Wipe Out Waste school program - Behind the News

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Save the planet, one wrapper at a time.

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Erskine Park High School Waste Audit  2019

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Are you ready for a climate challenge? | Fight For Planet A

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Fight For Planet A: Our Climate Challenge

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Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge explores how we can all reduce our individual and collective carbon emissions. This three-part documentary aims to empower and motivate Australians to take action on climate change.

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 5000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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For over 30 years, I've encouraged schools to get involved in school gardening programs because there is no better way to create the next generation of gardeners. At Elwood Primary School in Melbourne, students are involved in a program that combines gardening and the kitchen. This gives children a unique experience.

Josie Charles is the garden specialist with responsibility for planning and maintenance of the garden. She also plans and conducts weekly garden classes in which students learn about growing produce for a kitchen.

The students are separated into different groups to perform their gardening tasks - today it's autumn jobs, making compost and making pea frames.

Josie believes the project is about getting kids involved in the process of growing food. "What really distinguishes this program is that it's part of the Stephanie Alexander kitchen garden foundation which fully integrates all the things we do into the children's curriculum.

"It's about growing, harvesting, preparing, and sharing which really gives the children an idea of where the food is coming from, what time of year it grows and how it tastes when you pick it yourself. The joy of actually picking food and eating it and sharing around the table is a really important part of the program," Josie said.

The kids really love getting their hands dirty. "But they also get this incredible knowledge. I have so much feedback from parents about children being more active in the kitchen. Parents are saying - my child never ate green things and now he's making salad," Josie said.

"We don't ever say things are healthy. It's all about tastes and textures and how the children feel about it," she said.

The children have been working in the kitchen garden and have harvested some wonderful produce, including eggplants, for the t table. I can't wait to see what they're going to make with it.

Giovanna Ghelardini makes up the second half of the teaching team. As the kitchen specialist, she's responsible for planning the menus based on the food the children have grown.

"We are having fried rice, a vegetable and parmesan cheese quiche and salad platters. Every week we have salad platters. And then we've got rhubarb so we're going to make some cinnamon topped rhubarb muffins," Giovanna said.

The dishes on the menus are seasonal because most of the food the students cook is from the garden.

"At the start of the program many of the children would not eat lots of green and especially the herbs. But now I can lay out six or seven different herbs and they know every one of them and how to cook them. Kids are even cooking dinner for their parents at home," Giovanna said.

"A lot of the children ask for the recipes so they can make the dish for mum and dad at home. A few of the parents have come in and thanked me. The best thing for me is showing children that they can have a wonderful vegetarian meal, by growing their own produce. They realise that wonderful produce doesn't come from the supermarket, but from the earth," Giovanna said.

I have enjoyed the experience of coming to the Elwood Primary School to meet the children, see the garden and enjoy the cooked produce.

There are over 20 of these programs running in schools around Victoria and the plan is to have nearly 200 running in schools Australia-wide by 2012. It proves that there's nothing better - from garden to the stomach.

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For over 30 years, I've encouraged schools to get involved in school gardening programs because there is no better way to create the next generation of gardeners. At Elwood Primary School in Melbourne, students are involved in a program that combines gardening and the kitchen. This gives children a unique experience.

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It's the bright, bendy item of kitchenware that can keep your leftover avocado from going brown, stop your cheese going mouldy, keep your home-made sauerkraut fermenting happily and even keep bread fresh in the freezer.

The beeswax wrap - a simple square or rectangle of cotton with a waxy sheen - is becoming increasingly common in Australian kitchens.

Here's our round-up of how to use, care for and revive them.

What are they?

Beeswax wraps are made by infusing pieces of cotton with a mixture of food-grade beeswax, pine rosin and oil, usually jojoba or coconut. The waxy coating makes the cloth waterproof, but breathable. While you can make wraps without the rosin, it's the key ingredient that makes them "sticky", like plastic wrap.

While some wrap makers come from beekeeping backgrounds, Freyja Tasci, founder of East Maitland-based Apiwraps, who has been making and selling wraps for six years, was inspired while studying a colonial poetry unit at university. "I read that drovers wrapped their food in oilskin. When I thought about the feel of an oilskin jacket it just made sense to me that it would be a great way to keep food.

"My babies had food allergies and I was carefully buying organic fruit and veggies but they would spoil if I didn't use them right away - the celery was especially problematic, going limp in the fridge without plastic wrapping. I started experimenting and was astonished at how well the waxed cotton worked."

These days, you'll find wraps in a range of sizes and designs at markets, online retailers and health food stores, but if you're interesting in making your own, Sydney-based zero-waste blogger Liz Macdonald of Face Down Waste has an excellent post outlining how to make a wrap using rosin. Classes in wrap-making are also popping up more often.

Using them: From snack packs to ferments and the freezer

As well as covering cheese and other food for keeping in the fridge, you can use wraps to carry snacks and sandwiches on the go, keep bread on the counter or in the freezer, and wrap up greens for the crisper.

"If you're transitioning from plastic wrap, you may miss that clingy effect. To mimic this, spend a few extra seconds pressing your hands into the wrap to warm the wax and help it stick," says Liz Macdonald, when we asked for her tips on using wraps.

Genevieve Wang of Kiko & Wild, who screen-prints the beeswax wraps and produce bags she sells with colourful bees, budgies and fruit, has similar advice. "Don't be afraid to scrunch the wrap up to make it more malleable and easy to use, especially during the colder months."

Wrapping tips and techniques

Macdonald uses two techniques for wrapping food. For a simple burrito method, "wrap the item like you would wrap a burrito. I store loaves of bread on the counter this way for up to a week. The weight of the loaf holds the fold down."

For smaller items, she uses the dumpling method.

"Lay the wrap on a clean surface in a diamond shape, with one corner pointing towards yourself. Place your leftover avocado or tomato cut-side up on the wrap. Pull the top and bottom corners together to meet, fold them over twice and pinch the fold together. Now pick up the left and right corners, overlap the first fold and pinch again to seal the package. You'll end up with a fully enclosed chamber, like a dumpling, with a small handle. This technique helps avoids mess since the wrap doesn't press directly onto the cut side of your food."

Small wraps can also be folded to make neat snack packs - Wang has a step-by-step tutorial with pictures on how to do this.

With cheese, the key is to exclude air. "When you wrap your cheese carefully making sure it has no air or moisture trapped inside it will keep indefinitely without drying out or sweating and starting to spoil. It's important to wash your hands before handling the cheese," says Tasci, who demonstrates how to wrap everything from cheese to sandwiches on her YouTube channel.

Tasci also uses wraps to keep bread, and biscuit and pizza dough, in the freezer.

"Make sure you wrap up really tight with no air trapped inside - press the corners or creases in to mould them directly onto the contents. Make sure the Apiwrap is overlapping and sealed down well, using the warmth of your hands to seal it. It's not necessary to double wrap, however the Apiwrap does need to be overlapping sufficiently to seal well. We keep foods for several months without any freezer burn issues."

As well as covering cheese and other food for keeping in the fridge, you can use wraps to carry snacks and sandwiches on the go, keep bread on the counter or in the freezer, and wrap up greens for the crisper.

If you make your own bread or ferments, wraps are your friend, too. "We love veggie ferments in our house. Since beeswax creates a waterproof barrier that isn't airtight they protect the fermenting veggies from external yeasts, while allowing the pickles to breathe," Tasci says. "It works equally well for keeping your sourdough mother or kvass while it's busy growing."

Care and repair

The life of a wrap will depend on how much you use it and how often you wash it - a wipe down or brush off is often enough - but they should last for at least a year if you give them a regular refresh.

"If you see the wax starting to crack in the creases it's time to give them a 'warming'. you can do this in mild weather by putting your Apiwrap on a baking tray in the sun [for a few hours], or by holding it up and warming it with a hairdryer," Tasci says. "As the wax softens it will soak into the cotton again and be as good as new."

If you do need to wash your wrap, most wrap makers suggest cold or lukewarm water, not hot (so you don't wash any of the wax out of the wrap).

Don't use your wraps on hot food or highly acidic foods.

When older wraps start to lose their stickiness, even after a refresh, you can still use them, as Macdonald does, for buying food on the go. When they do finally wear out, you can turn them into rags, then finally compost them.
More tips on caring for your wraps from Freya Tasci here and from Liz Macdonald here.

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It's the bright, bendy item of kitchenware that can keep your leftover avocado from going brown, stop your cheese going mouldy, keep your home-made sauerkraut fermenting happily and even keep bread fresh in the freezer. The beeswax wrap - a simple square or rectangle of cotton with a waxy sheen - is becoming increasingly common in Australian kitchens.

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The Waste-Free Lunch Challenge

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Faith in Place | Faithful People Caring for the Earth

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Since 1999, Faith in Place has worked with over 1,000 houses of worship throughout Illinois to protect our common land, water, and air. With outreach staff working across the state and offices located in Chicago, the North & West Suburbs, Lake County, and Central Illinois, Faith in Place inspires faithful people to care for the Earth through our four program areas: Energy & Climate Change, Sustainable Food & Land Use, Water Preservation, and Advocacy.

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Inspiring faithful stewardship of all creation

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The Story of Blessed Earth
A dozen years ago, Dr. Matthew Sleeth was at the peak of his career, an ER physician and chief of staff of his hospital. He and his wife, Nancy, had all the things in life that were supposed to make you happy-two adorable children, jobs they enjoyed, and a beautiful house on the coast of Maine-but they had no faith community and did not believe in God.

Matthew believed in science and what could be seen and measured. When a series of bad things happened in their family-the drowning of Nancy's brother in front of their kids, a disturbed patient stalking Matthew, and their son's best friend losing his dad in 9/11-Matthew woke up to the reality of evil. His textbooks didn't list "evil" in their table of contents, so he began looking for answers in other places.

One slow Sunday morning in the ER, Matthew went out in the patient waiting area to look for something to read. He saw an orange book. It was a bible. He had never read a bible before and thought it might be interesting. So he stole it.

In the Gospels, Matthew came face to face with Jesus. One by one, the family all read the bible and became believers. Matthew 7 especially spoke to them: take the plank out your own eye before you worry about the speck in your neighbor's eye. So the family worked on bringing their lives more in line with the teachings of Jesus, getting rid of more than half of their possessions and moving to a house the exact size of their old garage. Some of the greatest transformation grew out of keeping a weekly Sabbath together, a day of holy rest and renewal. Along the way, the family found that the more they "gave up," the richer and more meaningful their lives became.

The Sleeths wrote several books, including Serving God, Saving the Planet, Almost Amish, and 24/6: A Prescription to a Healthier, Happier Life. In 2008, he founded Blessed Earth to teach at churches, schools, and retreats around the country. Dr. Sleeth was invited to be the monthly guest preacher at The Washington National Cathedral, and 2,500 groups in 45 countries and all 50 states participated in Blessed Earth's Hope for Creation simulcast. Newsweek and Christianity Today have listed the Sleeths among the top fifty Christian leaders in America.

In 2012, Blessed Earth launched The Seminary Stewardship Alliance, which now has more than 40 member schools. In 2015, they started their first state chapter, as well as their first regional office. Thousands of churches and schools across the world now use Blessed Earth's curricula to inspire faithful stewardship of all creation.

Blessed Earth is based in Lexington, Kentucky, where the Sleeths live near their grown children, Clark and Emma, who serve with their spouses in missions and ministry.

Sign up for the Blessed Earth newsletter here! Once a month you will receive resources to inspire your stewardship of all creation!

Sign up here to receive a weekly Sabbath encouragement and reminder via text message!

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Blessed Earth - Inspiring Faithful Stewardship of all Creation

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The Story of Blessed Earth A dozen years ago, Dr. Matthew Sleeth was at the peak of his career, an ER physician and chief of staff of his hospital.

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Greenfaith - Interfaith partners for the environment

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Greenfaith - Interfaith partners for the environment

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GreenFaith Leadership Programs - GreenFaith

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GreenFaith inspires, educates and mobilizes people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership.

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National Religious Partnership for the Environment

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National Religious Partnership for the Environment

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National Religious Partnership for the Environment

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National Religious Partnership for the Environment

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Caring for God's Creation is an inherent part of religious life. From mountaintops to forests, green pastures to still waters, stars in the sky to lilies of the field, we experience the gift of...

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The forum on religion and ecology at Yale

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The forum on religion and ecology at Yale

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The Forum on Religion and Ecology is the largest international multireligious project of its kind. With its conferences, publications, and website it is engaged in exploring religious worldviews, texts, and ethics in order to broaden understanding of the complex nature of current environmental concerns.

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Welcome to Earth Ministry

Earth Ministry transforms faith into action for the well-being of communities and the environment. We organize people of faith to advocate for strong environmental policies and provide strategic guidance to religious communities working toward environmental justice.

Our Greening Congregations program was the first in the country to help houses of worship implement sustainable practices, and our Faithful Advocacy program is on the cutting edge of empowering clergy and lay leaders to speak out on public policy issues. Earth Ministry's Washington Interfaith Power & Light (WAIPL) project organizes an interfaith religious response to climate change, and is part of a national Interfaith Power & Light network that is 40 states strong and growing.

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Earth Ministry transforms faith into action for the well-being of communities and the environment. We organize people of faith to advocate for strong environmental policies and provide strategic guidance to religious communities working toward environmental justice.

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Creating a school garden

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Food Garden

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When tourists come to Australia they often visit the Opera House the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Great Barrier Reef. But when Prince Charles arrived to tour Australia this week, he chose to visit a food garden made by primary school kids. So what was so special about this school's food garden project?

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Building a school garden

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Video for adults

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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Vatican Releases Video on Pope's Encyclical

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Website

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Charting the recovery of wildlife in the aftermath of Australia's catastrophic bushfires through stories of hope and resilience. Narrated by Hugo Weaving, the film provides an urgent message to safeguard our environment.

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War on Waste

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After watching the ABC's War on Waste series last month, students from North Adelaide Primary were so inspired they started making some big changes to their school and community.

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25 Educational activities - abc

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Posted by Ara Sarafian |

Tuesday 18 April 2017, 01:38 PM (EST)

Every year, Australians generate millions of tonnes of waste in food, fashion, packaging and more. In the last 20 years our population has grown by 28 per cent, but the amount of waste we produce has increased 170 per cent.

In the 1960s, Australians were considered among the best in the world when it came to dealing with waste. Many recycling programs - especially those involving paper and newspaper - were pioneered in Australia. And the launch of the Keep Australia Beautiful campaign in the late-1960s and 1970s put the issue of waste at the forefront of the national consciousness.

What has changed?

Here are 25 educational resources to help students take a critical look at household, retail and farming waste, helping them have an active role in the issue!

RECYCLING

1. What happens to the rubbish we throw away?

In this game, students meet four students who use or dispose of their plastic lunch bags in different ways. Predict where the bags might end up, find out how they could affect the environment and come up with solutions. (Years 3, 4)

2. How does recycling work?

Discover why plastic is harmful to the environment and how recycling helps to reduce its impact. Watch as Jon Dee, co-founder of Planet Ark, discusses the problem with plastic and sorts a bag of household waste to identify what can be recycled. (Year 4)

3. Recycling Topic

This Topic has more than thirty resources to help kids learn about recycling. There are both primary and secondary resources for geography, science and even the arts. (Years K-10)

LANDFILLS

4. Reducing landfill waste

In 1994 South Australia introduced a waste levy to manage landfill waste. Find out how it affected waste disposal and a local landfill site. (Years 7, 10)

5. What happens when a landfill site is full?

Find out about some of the problems and solutions related to managing waste in a local area when the landfill site is full. (Years 5, 6)

6. Avoiding landfill

This game teaches kids about options for dealing with waste by getting them to reduce an average pile of rubbish. It helps students think about the consequences of sending large volumes of rubbish to landfill sites. (Years 5, 10)

E-WASTE

7. Solving the problem of e-waste

The rapid rate of technological change has meant that Australia is one of the world's largest producers of e-waste (electronic waste). Watch how various community groups are working together to find a solution to this growing problem. (Years 9, 10)

8. E-waste, recycling, and sustainability

What happens when you try to recycle e-waste? Learn about the physics of recycling. Find out where e-waste comes from, and the recycling and sustainability challenge it poses. (Years 9, 10)

RE-USING WASTE

9. Turning rubbish into animals

Recycling can take many forms. Watch this video to discover how one artist in tropical north Queensland uses rubbish found on beaches to create beautiful and thought-provoking artworks. (Years 4, 7, 9)

10. Trash to treasure with Joost the waste-buster

Joost Bakker is committed to eliminating waste. Find out about his recyclable house, pop-up cafes and some of his other projects, and hear his big plans for safeguarding our future. (Years 5, 9)

FOOD WASTE

11. Using the food we don't eat

In Australia there has been a trend of throwing out food. Find out what can be done to connect those who need food support with organisations that commonly dispose of food that's still edible? (Year 9)

12. Food wastage

Global population is set to reach over nine billion by 2050, which will increase demand for food by 70 per cent. Find out what you can do to consume food more responsibly and sustainably, and how we might rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. (Years 4, 9)

13. Food for thought

This animated clip explains the problems facing food security (sufficient access to safe and nutritious food). It also suggests some solutions, such as waste management practices and emerging technologies. (Years 7, 8, 9)

COMPOSTING

14. Preparing compost for pumpkins

Dirtgirl prepares some compost for her pumpkins. Find out her secret compost ingredient for growing big healthy pumpkins. (Years F, 2)

15. The life in dirt

Learn how to make compost! Soil is a "life-support system" for plants. Find out what it's made of and what lives within it. (Years 4, 6)

16. Reducing your impact

See the changes the Barrie family made to their house after an energy audit revealed their carbon emissions were four times the national average. Learn how composting can help reduce the impact on climate change. (Year 10)

SUSTAINABLE GARDENS

17. Sustainable school gardens

Pull on your gumboots and prepare to get muddy! Together with Costa Georgiadis and Gardening Australia, we're digging sustainable school gardens and finding the best ways to grow your own food! (Years 4, 5, 6)

18. What on earth is vermicast?

Learn about vermicast (worm manure)! Worms gobble up our organic waste material, which would otherwise go to landfill, and turn it into good healthy soil. Find out the environmental benefits of this. (Year 4)

GOING GREEN

19. Going green at school

What does your school do to be environmentally friendly? In this article, read about ten examples from schools around Australia with gardening, recycling and sustainable-transport programs.

20. Sustainable gardens

Find out about gardens and how to grow your own food with the many great resources in this Topic. Learn how to set up a school garden and find out some great tips to get a successful harvest. (Primary and Secondary)

21. Sustainable resource use

This Topic contains a bunch of resources that explores how different people, communities, companies and cities are using resources sustainably. (Primary and Secondary)

REUSING HOUSEHOLD WASTE

22. Where does wastewater go?

Visit a wastewater treatment plant with comedian Peter Rowsthorn to find out where your wastewater goes after it's flushed down the drain. See how it's cleaned before it is released back into the environment. (Year 7)

23. Cash for cans

In this video, hear from Western Australians who would like the state government to introduce a 10-cent refund on cans and bottles - to encourage people to recycle. And find out why not everyone is happy with this proposal. (Year 4)

24. Putting a cap on bottled water

In the past, nearly all the water we drank came straight out of a tap, but not anymore. Some environmental groups have been pushing for plastic bottles to be banned. Learn about the battle between conservation and convenience. (Years 9, 10)

25. Reducing plastic bag use

Boomerang Bags came about when a group of people in a small community decided to do something to reduce plastic bag usage. Find out how they're making something useful from unwanted and discarded items. (Years 4, 7)

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25 educational resources to help kids with the war on waste

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Posted by Ara Sarafian | Tuesday 18 April 2017, 01:38 PM (EST) In the 1960s, Australians were considered among the best in the world when it came to dealing with waste. Many recycling programs - especially those involving paper and newspaper - were pioneered in Australia.

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How does recycling work

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Composting for schools with Costa Georgiadis

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Education resources for schools teachers and students - ABC Education

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ABC Education has 4000+ educational games, videos and teaching resources for schools and students. Free Primary and Secondary resources covering history, science, English, maths and more

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Plastic Packaging

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A US Supermarket chain has been criticised for selling pre-peeled mandarins in plastic containers. It got a lot of people talking about the amount of unnecessary packaging that covers our fresh food these days. Here's a look at the problem and some kids who've found a way to help.

CARL SMITH, REPORTER: It's something you do every day.

Open up the lunchbox, unwrap your food and throw away the packaging.

But all that waste can really start to add up.

In fact, in just one year the average Aussie throws away 200 kilograms of packaging.
Environment groups say that adds up to almost 2 million tonnes across Australia every single year.

That's one of the reasons why people were outraged when they saw this photo from the US of a peeled mandarin in a plastic container. Many said it was really wasteful given the mandarin's peel was already a natural packaging!

And some even posted their own examples of unnecessary packaging.

After the backlash the company took the mandarins off its shelves and even tried to have a bit of a laugh about it. But many reckon other companies are guilty of the same thing.

So some conservation groups are calling on those food companies to start thinking about the environment, above convenience, and ditch the excess packaging.

JO HENDRIKS, KESAB: I think we've lost our minds and that we really need to think about what we're buying. A lot of the so called convenience food is really light stuff that can easily blow out of our bins or blow around and get washed into the waterways.

And there's a way you can help too.

These schoolkids have made the switch to something called 'nude food'.

KID: Nude food is a food without a wrapper, so you could put it in a reusable container.

KID: All year 5s in our school have been doing the nude food challenge, it's where we have nude food for about 3 days and at the end of the day we go through our rubbish to see how much landfill we produce.

And there a lot of ways these guys have thought of to reduce the amount of packaging they take to school.

KID: A packet of chips, you could put it in a plastic container.

KID: Some fruits, they already have a natural wrapping, so with fruit you can just leave it or if you want to cut it up just put it in a Tupperware container.

They say everyone can help the environment by thinking a bit more about what they buy, and what it's wrapped in.

KID: It's good because it helps the environment

KID: It reduces landfill, so if you keep on putting it in wrappers, all the wrappers will go to landfill which is massive hole in the ground.

KID: It reduces the amount of rubbish that we have, and if that rubbish doesn't get put in the bin it blows around and can end up in the ocean, and some animals like turtles can think it's a jellyfish and eat that and that can be bad for their body.

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A US Supermarket chain has been criticised for selling pre-peeled mandarins in plastic containers. It got a lot of people talking about the amount of unnecessary packaging that covers our fresh food these days. Here's a look at the problem and some kids who've found a way to help.

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Microplastic oceans

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What Are Microplastics And How Are They Harming Our Oceans? Plastic Pollution - Behind the News

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What is upcycling?

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How humans are turning the world into plastic

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Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic

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A catalyst for change | Jordyn de Boer | TEDxHelensvaleLibrary

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Boomerang Bags presents the Bag Monster in an initative to promote the use of reusable bags, reducing plastics and fostering sustainable behaviour among local communities. For more information about the initiative, and to get involved visit www.boomerangbags.org or find us at www.facebook.com/boomerangbags.

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Boomerang Bags is about connecting communities, making bags, diverting waste, starting conversations, fostering sustainable behaviour, and having a bit of fun!

You and your local community can be involved in any or all of this process. Find your nearest community to volunteer or donate materials, or start your own boomerang bags community!

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Boomerang Bags is about connecting communities, making bags, diverting waste, starting conversations, fostering sustainable behaviour, and having a bit of fun! You and your local community can be involved in any or all of this process. Find your nearest community to volunteer or donate materials, or start your own boomerang bags community!

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Each year over half of our household garbage is made up of food and garden waste. Most of this organic waste can be recycled by composting it.

By turning food scraps and organic garden waste into compost you can:

Improving soil quality and garden vitality by releasing rich nutrients into the soil.

Suppressing plant diseases and pests, this reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilisers and manures helping you save money.

Reducing the amount of organic waste going to landfill therefore preventing greenhouse gas emissions and leachate which can pollute land, groundwater and waterways.

Helping soils retain moisture - you do not need to water that often.

Helping absorb and filter runoff, protecting streams from erosion and pollution.

What to add in your compost bin:
Vegetable and fruit scraps, vegetable oil, prunings and lawn clippings, tea bags and coffee, grounds, vacuum dust, shredded paper and cardboard, used potting mix, egg shells, flowers.
What not to add in your compost bin:
Meat and bones, dairy products, diseased plants, metals, plastic and glass, animal manures, fat, magazines, large branches, weeds that have seeds or underground stems, sawdust from treated timber, pet droppings, synthetic chemicals.

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Each year over half of our household garbage is made up of food and garden waste. Most of this organic waste can be recycled by composting it. By turning food scraps and organic garden waste into compost you can: Improving soil quality and garden vitality by releasing rich nutrients into the soil.

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A reusable alternative to single use cling wrap

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Reduce Cling Wrap: DIY Beeswax Wraps. Film #10 with Morag Gamble, Our Permaculture Life

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When Angie and I started making Beeswax Wraps from the 5 kilos of left over organic beeswax we had sitting in our attic for nearly 3 years, we had no Idea what was about to happen. What started as a humble weekend project met us with a demand we never saw coming. Thanks to so much amazing feedback and support from our family, friends, and now our customers, our little weekend adventure soon became Beeswax Wraps Australia.

Starting a business together had been a dream of ours for some time, but it had to be a perfect combination of meeting customer needs and somehow making the place we live in better and more sustainable. It had to be something we could both be proud of.

To have such an amazing and multifunctional product that not only everyone seems to want and need, but is also something the planet needs, is eco-friendly, sustainable, helps us to reduce waste and improve global bee populations is a blessing beyond even our own wild expectations.

We feel so strongly it is all of our responsibilities to embrace more sustainable choices to ensure a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations.

Thanks to your support, our fantastic product can now be found in a growing number of shops, markets, and homes around Australia and of course online at beeswaxwraps.com.au.

Please stay tuned for new exciting products and innovations such as cut to size beeswax wraps, where you can cut your beeswax wrap off the roll to the custom size you require.

Thank you for your support!

Big Love

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When Angie and I started making Beeswax Wraps from the 5 kilos of left over organic beeswax we had sitting in our attic for nearly 3 years, we had no Idea what was about to happen. What started as a humble weekend project met us with a demand we never saw coming.