Category: Caring for Creation

by The Rev. Stephanie Allen

We gathered after church on Sunday, September 24 to reflect on what has been done, to hear what is going on in the wider diocese, and to brainstorm what Nativity might do in regards to environmental stewardship going forward. After the discussion, two potential projects emerged that we could begin immediately.

1. Holding another energy audit. The last energy audit was held about 8 years ago, and there are potentially more things we might do to lower our energy costs and be better stewards.
2. Creating a tree seedling garden using the same methods as our partners in the Haiti Reforestation Project and giving the trees away. 

Some of the potential project ideas included:

• Creating a checklist or point system for other churches to use in their creation care and goal to have zero waste.
• Findings ways to continue to advocate for environmental stewardship and environmental justice.
• Discussing a second solar panel array.
• Considering installation of E.V. chargers in the parking lot. Especially given that we have solar energy, this would be both hospitable and low-cost project for members and visitors to the campus who have electric vehicles.
• Contemplating partnerships with other churches and the Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle group.

Are you interested in helping with the two projects mentioned above? Or would like to take the lead on any of the other projects that were identified? Email The Rev. Stephanie Allen

Becky Showalter

Thanks to much work and gnashing of teeth by Nancy Reed and Rene Garces, Nativity has calculated its energy usage for 2021 and thereby our own carbon footprint!  Even with our solar panels, we used half again more electricity than we produced – over 13,000 kWh.  Based on that value, our carbon footprint is approximately 100,000 lbs of CO2 per year. 

We are happy to announce that, with the help of the diocese, we will fully offset Nativity’s carbon footprint through a donation ($3500) to Haiti Reforestation Partnership to plant 3500 trees!  Those trees will pull carbon out of the atmosphere AND will increase the quality of life for vulnerable mountain communities in Haiti for years to come.  It is a win for us all!

If you are able, we welcome you to join the church and offset part or all of your footprint as well!  Haiti Reforestation Partnership plants over half a million trees per year and is only limited by funding – offset your 2021 usage or make a monthly donation to offset your current carbon footprint!  Visit www.haitireforest.org to learn more or to calculate the carbon footprint for your family.

We all have our part to play in making this world a better place, and in protecting creation for current and future generations. We hope you will find where you fit in this effort.  Together, we can make a difference.  <3

So now that you know your carbon footprint (see previous blog post), what now? Before we think about how to offset our effect on the environment, we should brainstorm on ways to reduce it!
There are so many things that can be done:
1. On an individual level, there are big ideas like adding solar to your home, purchasing an electric or plug-in hybrid car, or switching out older, less energy-efficient appliances.
2. Then there are smaller ideas like imagining how a carpool could work for you, using less plastic overall (there are so many plastic-free alternatives these days for shampoo, conditioner, cleaners, Ziploc bags and more), washing clothes on the cold setting (or at least colder), and using a programmable thermostat in your home.
3. What you eat and what you wear can make a huge difference in reducing your carbon footprint – eating lower on the food chain (vegetables), eating local, reducing food waste, composting, and going thrifting instead of taking part in the fast-fashion industry all make a difference.
4. As part of our larger community (but still on an individual action level), you could sign up for programs that will source your electricity from green sources, such programs include Arcadia or Duke Energy’s Renewable Advantage.
5. You can also contact your local municipalities and simply ask if they have climate change goals – if so, express interest in what they are and if not, push for them.
6. At your place of employment, are there changes that they could make, such as changing from Styrofoam to paper, adding water bottle filling stations, adding EV charging stations, or adding solar.
We can’t do all the things we think of, at least not right away, so pick a couple on this list, or other ideas you might have, and add them slowly so that they become habits. Then pick a couple more, and then a couple more. I saw a quote the other day by author Rob Hopkins that said, “If we wait for the government, it will be too late . . . if we act as individuals, it will be too little . . . if we act as communities, it might just be enough . . .” Individually, we can’t change it all, but as communities we are powerful. Go out and be the change. Let’s do this as the community of God!  

Becky Showalter

Last week, we talked about what environmental footprints* and carbon footprints are. This week we are going to concentrate on how you calculate your carbon footprint? Here’s what you’ll need for a basic estimate – annual electricity and gas bills (average monthly usage) and vehicle(s) annual mileage and average mpg for your vehicle(s). Not so hard! Got to www.haitireforest.org/calculator and calculate it now!

A typical U.S. household of four has a carbon footprint of 48 metric tons CO2e per year. By state, New York has the lowest average at 32 metric tons per year per household, while Wyoming and North Dakota average 300 to 400 metric tons per household. North Carolina comes in near the average at 44 metric tons per year. Have you done your calculation yet? How do you compare? No guilt! Just information. Knowledge is power!

Nativity is also working on calculating our own Carbon Footprint too! Stay tuned.

*If you’re interested in calculating your global environmental footprint as well (how much land does it take to support you), check out this website.  https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en

Becky Showalter

The words “Carbon Footprint” and “Environmental Footprint” are thrown around almost interchangeably these days in news articles and discussions, but what do they actually mean and how do they relate to each one of us?  Bottom line, they are slightly different ways to frame how lightly (or heavily) we are living on our island planet, on God’s creation . . . read on to understand a bit more!

Environmental footprints and carbon footprints are linked but subtly different.  Environmental footprint, also known as Ecological footprint, is a way of expressing how much of the earth’s biocapacity (expressed in surface area) is required for our lifestyles – the portion of the environment (i.e. land) needed to produce the goods and services we use, and to absorb our waste.  Basically, if everyone lived like you, how much of the planet’s surface would be needed to sustain that lifestyle?  Our goal, of course, should be that when the global population is added up, the area needed to sustain us should be equal to, or less than, ONE planet (since we don’t have another!).

Carbon footprint is a more direct calculation – how much heat trapping gas does our lifestyle create?  This is mostly related to how much fossil fuel is burned to support our lifestyles – driving, food production, transporting of goods, movement and heating of water, energy production, construction of roads, building, infrastructure, etc.  To a lesser degree, it is also be related to how we dispose of waste (composting or not).

Both footprint types are important, and in both measurements, North Americans, not surprisingly, have larger footprints than is sustainable.  On the Environmental Footprint front, globally, we have moved from needing “ONE” planet to sustain us is 1969 to needing 1.7 planets to sustain us in 2018 – definitely the wrong direction!  From a carbon footprint standpoint, the United States produces 17 tons of CO2 per capita as compared to Mexico at 3.6 tons, the UK at 7.8 tons, China at 6.6 tons and Kenya at 0.5 tons.

Truthfully, only a portion of either footprints are in our direct control.  However, as Christians and responsible citizens of this world, we should continue to always look for ways to be better stewards.  Are there ways we can be more aware?  Are there things we can do?  The answer is a definite yes!  Look for the blog next week where we discuss some ideas of what we CAN do!

Nativity is working on calculating our Carbon Footprint!  Calculate your own Carbon Footprint at www.haitireforest.org/calculator or others that can be found on the web!  Knowledge is power!

End of the Year Note from the Executive Director, Michael Anello:

Folks, I am astonished!

I called the Haitian Embassy in DC to schedule a January meeting about our reforestation work. The receptionist on the phone was fun to speak with, and we chatted in Creole.

To explain my eagerness for a meeting, I told her about the trees along the Jacmel Road that CODEP has planted. Sure enough, she has an aunt who lives in Léogâne.

“I know those trees,” she said. “We all know about those trees. You mean that you are the people that planted them? That’s incredible.”

This wasn’t the first time. A few weeks ago, I read in The Haitian Times about a woman who has designed shoes for a Nike program that will raise money to combat poverty in Haiti. Her design builds from the August uprisings. The shoes are the colors of the Haitian flag and AUGUST is painted on the tongue of each shoe.

As an impulse, I called her. Sure enough, she is Haitian-American and her mother comes from Léogâne . “Everyone knows those trees. It is good to learn about CODEP and what they have done.”

Yes, our trees are known far beyond the patches of land that they shade. The Jacmel Road snakes up and over the steep central mountains connecting Léogâne with Jacmel. All along the road are trees. Some are clustered in places like a checkerboard pattern. Elsewhere, they are scattered lightly across valleys providing shade for homes and gardens. One concentrated tract of trees is large enough to be seen from space!

The trees are astonishing. Our story is astonishing. Tell it to everyone you know.

Michael Anello, Executive Director

The Haiti Reforestation Partnership Project’s Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/HaitiReforest/