Florida Catholic | For God’s Green Earth

For God’s green earth

Environmental conference to bring together religious and scientific views on climate change and other issues.

FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF REPORT

Published: 04.04.08

Fast Track

What: “Caring for God’s Creation: A Catholic Response”

When: Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Where: Christ the King Parish, 821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa

Cost: $15 per person. Lunch included.

To register or for more information, contact Sabrina Burton Schultz, 727-344-1611, ext. 325, or sab@dosp.org.

ST. PETERSBURG | The St. Petersburg Diocese will host a daylong conference designed to promote environmental stewardship as key to Catholic social teaching. The conference, “Caring for God’s Creation: A Catholic Response,” will take place April 19 at Christ the King Parish in Tampa.

Sabrina Burton Schultz, diocesan director of life ministry, said environmental stewardship is nothing new in the church and Florida’s bishops have urged the faithful to act on behalf of protecting and caring for God’s creation.

“Our bishops have written a good deal on this,” she said. “The more I talk about it, and the more I go to parishes and the more I read, (I realize), ‘Hey, this isn’t just for Al Gore to talk about. This is more than a political issue; this is a faith issue. … Our church has something to say about this.’’”

The conference is dedicated to education and opportunities for change. Those attending can learn about the effect of climate changes in Florida and across the world, discuss how the church sees the topic in view of its social teaching, and discover practical, environmentally supportive practices that can be used in parishes, businesses and in the home.

The conference brings together several local and national experts. Presenters include:

• Walter Grazer, special adviser to the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, who has worked with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The environmental expert and author will talk on Catholic social teaching and its application for people in the pews.

• Philip van Beynen, Ph.D., assistant professor of geography at the University of South Florida, who has done extensive research on climate changes in Florida.

• Roberta Fernandez, president of Environmental Advocacy, a company that helps businesses and governments address environmental issues. Fernandez is working with the city of Tampa to implement the U.S. mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement there.

• Sister Paula Gonzalez, Ph.D., a Sisters of Charity religious sister known nationally for her work as a futurist and environmentalist.

• Mary Ann Holtz, a justice and peace educator and activist of almost 30 years, who has studied climate changes and the oil crisis and their combined implication for the future. Holtz will give 20 practical steps people can take to lessen their negative impact on the earth’s environment.

Schultz said Catholic interest in the changing physical state of the earth is nothing new, and that the U.S. bishops addressed the issue of global climate change in a 2001 document.

“It connects climate change to Catholic social teaching and the common good,” she said of the document. “It talks about our responsibility to protect the environment for future generations, but it also talks about how environmental crises are going to affect the poor and vulnerable first. And, indeed, it already has.”

Schultz said organizers designed the conference to combine a faith approach, a solid scientific base and a call to action.

“Our goal is not to alarm people, but to challenge them, to move them to see this as a faith issue and change their behavior,” she said. “We’re hoping everyone who cares about the environment will come.”

Van Beynen said his talk will have nothing to do with faith, and that he is being asked to bring a scientific perspective. The USF professor is considered an expert on Florida climate changes and his research covers thousands of years. Natural climate changes will be examined in his talk, as well as the unusual changes seen more recently in Florida’s climate.

“(My presentation) will move into the causes of the present global warming of the last 150 years and the impact: What is going to happen to glaciers, sea level, to coral” and more.

Holtz studies environmental concerns from a research and faith perspective. She came to the realization about 18 months ago that the earth has reached a critical stage, she said, noting that the depletion of cheap oil resources, combined with global warming, means people have only 10-20 years to implement changes.

Holtz isn’t trying to throw anyone in despair, she said. She believes that the power of the Holy Spirit, with action from God’s followers, can save the earth. But first, people have to know what is going on and what they can do.

“The conference, we hope, will reach a lot of parishes and make (people) realize that we can make a big improvement if we work together,” she said. “Our challenge now is to make people realize how wonderful this conference is going to be.”

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