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Tia Banda, Malawi “Malawi depends largely on hydroelectric power for energy in both its industry and domestic uses. Persistent droughts and erratic rains caused by climate change have reduced water levels in Lake Malawi; as a result, Malawi is experiencing extreme blackouts that last a minimum of 24 hours. This affects all production in micro-enterprises and causes unwanted deaths in hospitals.” Look beyond the power bill. The way electricity is generated in your area will have consequences for generations. Find out how electricity is produced in your region. BLOG Power generation varies by country and within countries. In South America, for example, Chile gets 45% of its power from renewable sources, while Argentina gets only 2%. Regions within the United States also vary widely — the state of Georgia has gotten 50% of its energy from renewables, while West Virginia has gotten less than 1%. These numbers demonstrate that the story of how your power is generated can be either a story of progress or a story of harming our common home. What is the story in your area? Your power bill may include information on how electricity is generated. If not, contact your utility to request the information. If the percentage of renewable power is less than 100%, encourage a rapid transition to clean energy. Here are some ideas: Write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper, describing how much of your local energy is dirty, why that matters, and what you’d like to change. Get a group of neighbors together to meet with the utility, your local elected representative, or both. Investigate whether clean-energy alternatives (such as RECs, or renewable energy certificates) are available in your area. Replace part or all of your electricity with solar power.

Amb Crispin Grey-Johnson, Gambia “Fuel poverty is the bane of our lives here in The Gambia. Daily power outages affect every aspect of our lives. We cannot conserve food or run our businesses. Our children cannot study properly; security is a problem; our hospitals cannot function properly and the list goes on. Resolving the power situation must be our number one priority and the focus must be on renewables.” Conserve. Neither the blessing of abundant power nor the dirty fuels that often make it possible should be taken for granted. Set large appliances like refrigerators and water heaters on the lowest possible setting. Turn off anything that has a switch when you’re not using it. BLOG Appliances generate a lot of waste in the typical home, office, or parish. Changing how these appliances are used to reduce their energy consumption is a good way of protecting creation. Make sure that your water heater and dishwasher are on the most efficient settings. Turn off lights, television, computers, printers, routers, and anything else with a switch whenever these items are not in use. All members of your household or office must participate in the new practices in order for them to be effective. A conversation about our faith’s call to protect creation is an opportunity to reflect on the values you share while making plans to conserve energy. To guide your conversation, say a prayer like this: Let us bless God, whose might has created the earth and whose providence has enriched it. God has given us the earth to cultivate, so that we may gather its fruits to sustain life. As we thank God for this bounty, let us learn also, as the Gospel teaches, to seek first God’s way of holiness: then all we need will be given us besides.

John Hawkins, England “When Mozambique was decimated with floods in 2000 it was called a natural disaster. Some of us in London thought differently. Our prayers were filled with a determination to make a change in our choices about energy use, reducing our contribution to climate change for the sake of God’s creation.” Install LEDs. Increasing energy efficiency is the first step in stewarding the resources we’ve been given. Replace extinguished bulbs with efficient, long-lasting LEDs. BLOG Most of the buildings we encounter in our day-to-day lives are artificially lit. Changing the type of light bulb we use is a small act that, cumulatively, makes a big difference. LED bulbs generate light through light-emitting diodes, rather than burning a filament, as in conventional incandescent bulbs. As a result, they are much more efficient. In fact, the average LED light bulb uses about 75% less energy than a conventional bulb. Avoiding excess energy in turn reduces the fuels burned to produce it. Making the transition from incandescent or fluorescent bulbs to LEDs is an easy but impactful way to save energy and protect the climate we all share.

So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Gen 1:27-28)