USCCB's environment program gets a renovation

Social justice news
September 2003

Campaign for optional priestly celibacy grows
Outbreak of peace in Liberia exposes humanitarian crisis
Report finds unions help all workers
USCCB's environment program gets a renovation
USCCB 'recommits' itself to farm workers
U.S. poverty spikes between 2001 and 2002
WTO patent rules deny medicines to the poor
You call this a recovery?

USCCB's environment program gets a renovation
Pop Quiz: What does Catholic social teaching say about the environment?

It’s not a topic on which most Catholics are well-versed. The Environmental Justice Program (EJP) of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops hopes to change that, most recently by updating its Web site to attract more visitors and be more user-friendly.

One special feature planned for the site's new web pages is a "Good News" section with stories from parishes, dioceses, and Catholic schools or other organizations on their efforts to clean up, restore, or maintain the environment in their local area, including related educational programs. This new feature and others are scheduled to go up on a redesigned EJP Web site in the next few months.

While the distress of the environment is a global issue, EJP director Walt Grazer saysthe office’s "strategy has always been to go local.

Since large-scale national and global environmental problems can seem overwhelming, EJP encourages Catholics to dig in to improve their own figurative backyard, Grazer says. "The environment is still a brand new issue for many people, and it's much easier to get them involved on the local level."

That's why EJP wants to know what your parish or school is doing to pitch in—from educational programs to hands-on action. Is there a pressing environmental need in your community: a polluted river? a wetland in need of protection? Even neighborhood clean-ups and beautification with flowers and trees help the environment. Send news of your project to dmisleh@usccb.org—Tara Dix

For more information:
Environmental Justice Program

Background on environmental issues

U.S. Bishops’ statement: “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good”

For an example of what one parish is doing, see St. Philip of Neri Parish in Portland, Oregon:

Back to page top