Mercy & Stewardship

This year, Earth Day falls on a day Mount Mercy students have their spring vacation so, Environmental Awareness Club has decided to have “Earth Week” this week (April 11-15). The following are some of the events planned:

Pack-It-Up Day: On Tuesday, April 12th,  we are asking all students and faculty to take home any recyclable products they bring into school and recycle them at home. This day is designed to show participants the amount of trash that is actually recyclable. If you do not have a recycling bin at home, contact your local recycling company today!

Lights-Off Day: On Thursday, April 14th, we are asking all teachers to use natural lighting instead of artificial lighting. (If it is too dark outside, another Lights Off Day will be scheduled after break.)

Earth Week Contest: Do you want to win an eco-friendly prize pack? Enter by answering this question: How many trees are cut down each year to create paper products? Submit your entry in the main office by Thursday.

Seven students from Mount Mercy Academy attended the Environmental Youth Summit last weekend. The Summit is a leadership conference that helps students plan a project that is focused on the environment. In 2009, Mercy students started a composting project. In 2010, ‘Project X’ (a xerioscaping project) began. This year, the students decided on ‘Mercy Recycling Magic.’ A new recycling center is planned for the school cafeteria where returnable and non-returnable plastic bottles and aluminum cans will be discarded. The recycling center will also have a place for batteries and electronics.

Left Picture: (Front Row – left to right) Jonay Robinson ’13, Jordyn Huss ’14, Caitlin Cole ’13, Jess Sawyer ’11, Alyssa Juda ’12, EYS Facilitator  (Back Row) Mrs. Joyce Stevenson, Anna Ormond ’12, Leah Domiano ’12

Right Picture: a rough draft of the design of the recycling center

Mount Mercy’s Environmental Awareness Club (EAC) has a mission of educating others about various issues. During a February meeting, EAC members learned about water issues in Buffalo and made posters to teach fellow students about conserving water. The pictures are of some of the many posters that are around the school. For water-saving tips, visit this site: http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/saving/cut-energy-costs-10000001206325/index.html

Pictures by Katie Farr (posters by other EAC members)

*statistics from the United Nations

Thanks to the MMA soccer team who helped Environmental Awareness Club clean up litter at Cazenovia Park on October 20th. We collected over 12 bags – our largest collection yet!

Students of Mount Mercy Academy‘s Environmental Awareness Club will be doing a creek cleanup at Cazanovia Park on October 20th.  Full details can be found on our Facebook page.

Earth Day is April 22nd, a day that we do not have school. Environmental Awareness Club will be organizing two simple (but hopefully impacting) events the week of the 12th to celebrate Earth Day.

The first will be “Lights Off Day” on Tuesday, April 13th. On this day, we are asking all teachers to turn off the lights in the classroom and use as much natural light as possible, weather permitting. This is similar to Earth Hour, which took place March 27 (www.earthhour.org). The goal of this event is to show the amount of energy wasted on a daily basis and how other energy is greener and easier to use.

The second will be “Pack It Up Day” on Thursday, April 15th. On this day, we are asking everyone to take home any recyclable products he/she brought into or bought at the school for lunch. The goal of this event is to show the amount of recyclable products are thrown out every day and what we can do to try to stop ourselves from being so wasteful.

Our overall goal for these projects is to help educate others about these two issues which, if the education is applied every day, will help protect all future generations of the planet.

This year’s Lent Peace and Creation Calendar, with earth-saving suggestions and ideas can be downloaded and printed HERE.

The time of Lent is a time for fasting accompanied by prayer and meditation.  As we address the problem of climate change, we may consider “fasting from carbon” by using less energy, personally, as families and as organizations.  We can discern the negative impacts on global warming and God’s creation and ways to eliminate harmful practices.

Some practical ways to fast from carbon might be:

• Change at least one light bulb to long-lasting bulbs.
• Carry a cloth bag to the grocery store, don’t use plastic
• Be aware of using less water in showers, washers, etc.
• Use as little hot water as possible.
• Avoid drinking from commercial water bottles
• Plan for “greening” your property with a new tree or bush.

By Jane Deren

As we breathe the very air which sustains us,
We remember your love, God,
which gives us life.
Fill us with your compassion for Creation.
Empty us of apathy, selfishness and fear,
of all pessimism and hesitation.
Breathe into us solidarity
with all who suffer now
and the future generations who will suffer
because of our environmental irresponsibility.
Move us into action
to save our earth
and to build your sustainable Kingdom.
Amen.

By Teilhard de Chardin

I live at the heart of a single, unique Element,
the Center of the universe,
and present in each part of it:
personal Love and cosmic Power.
To attain to him and become merged into his life
I have before me the entire universe
with its noble struggles, its impassioned quests, its myriad of souls to be healed and made perfect.
I can and I must throw myself into the thick of human endeavor,
and with no stopping for breath.
For the more I bring my efforts to bear on the whole surface of reality,
the more also will I attain to Christ and cling close to him.
God who is eternal Being-in-itself,
is, one might say, ever in process of formation for us.
And God is also the heart of everything;
so much so that the vast setting of the universe
might be engulfed or wither away or be creation’s dust,
which is vitalized by a halo of energy and glory,
to be swept away, the substantial Reality
wherein every perfection is incorruptibly contained and possessed would remain intact;
the rays would be drawn back onto their Source and
there I should still hold them all in close embrace.