John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is a devout Catholic. He has invited the last three Popes to address a joint session of Congress, and his longstanding wish has now been fulfilled. Pope Francis accepted Speaker Boehner’s invitation, and will visit the Capitol to address a joint session on the morning of September 24th.
In his encyclical letter, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis challenges all of us to reflect upon the impacts of our lifestyle choices and of public policy decisions on both the natural world and the social environment:
“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”
In June, Pope Francis released an almost 200-page encyclical, or circulated letter, with a decidedly green focus titled Laudato Si’ or Be Praised. For all those fighting climate change, this was cause for celebration as well as time for reflection. Below, local sustainability leaders of faith—Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant—express how this encyclical will impact their lives, practically and spiritually. Pamela Todd, member of Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest Gina Orlando, member of Ascension Catholic Parish in Oak Park Margot McMahon, member of St. Giles Catholic Parish in Oak Park Cynthia Klein-Banai, member of West Suburban Temple Har Zion in River Forest Richard Alton, member of Euclid Avenue Methodist Church in Oak Park.
It has been nearly a year since the publication of Naomi Klein’s best-selling book “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate”. It was released on September 16, 2014, just five days before the People’s Climate March in New York City, at which a gathering of 400,000 people demonstrated their frustration over the lack of action on climate change mitigation.
The nation’s capital was the venue for Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s annual international conference and lobby days, held June 21-24. Nearly 900 people attended the conference portion of the event, participating in training sessions, workshops, presentations and social events on Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 800 of them swarmed Capitol Hill where they attended over 500 scheduled meetings with members of Congress or their staffers. Volunteers from communities around Illinois teamed up to sit down for lively discussions in all the active Congressional offices representing the state.
Mac Robinet is deeply concerned about climate change. A physicist by training, Mac worked for 37 years at Argonne National Laboratory performing research in the field of health physics. He has lived in Oak Park for 50 years, and served for six years on the Energy and Environment Commission where he became involved in the issue of renewable energy and community aggregation for the purchase of electrical power. The aggregation issue became contentious last year when the Village Board contracted for the so-called ‘brown energy’ option when they chose our municipal electricity provider.
World Environment Day (WED) came and went without the kind of local fanfare that usually surrounds events like Earth Day. The Chicago Botanic Garden was the exception. It put on a #WED2015 extravaganza on June 6 that featured a full day of lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions and entertainment at stations throughout the Garden. Celebrated every June 5, WED raises awareness around pressing environmental issues. The United Nations General Assembly first established the day in 1972. This year’s theme, “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care,” encouraged people around the globe to share their dream and make a pledge in support of the environmental Sustainable Development Goals.
John Hubbuch's op-ed "The only thing we have to fear ..." (Wednesday Journal, 11/11/14) was right on the money when he said that the cable TV, social media and news worlds are reinforcing creating a climate of fear. It's true that on a minute-by-minute basis, the American media present a myriad of hypothetical scenarios and one-off crimes that are frightening, yet highly unlikely. Turning off the TV or putting down your smart phone is one way to stay sane.
Call for Volunteers ONE EARTH FILM FESTIVAL, the Midwest's premier environmental film festival, seeks smart, fun-loving volunteers to build our 4th annual event. If you love film, care deeply about environmental issues, and want to expand your social circle while contributing to an important cause, here's your chance!
