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Water Justice: Some Practical Ideas for Parishes

“From Flint to Standing Rock, many of today’s most pressing social issues revolve around water. Faith communities worldwide can help.”

Trinity Institute 2017: Water Justice

Oblate School of Theology, partnering with peaceCENTER, served as the only partner site in San Antonio from among 80 partner sites around the world for this international and interactive conference focused on the need for water justice initiatives in areas on access, droughts, pollution, rising tides, and flooding. With live feeds from Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City; Melbourne, Australia; London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; and The Great Barrier Reef, OST participants had their questions addressed by speakers via social media. Trinity Institute speakers included Barbara Boxer, Christiana Zenner Peppard, Winston Halapua, Thabo Makgoba, Katharine Hayhoe, Maude Barlow, David Toomey, Kim Stanley Robinson, and others.

Participants at the OST partner site included some from as far away as Australia and Ireland who are at OST for the Ministry to Ministers Sabbatical Program. OST participants discussed how water justice issues affect their own communities here in San Antonio and abroad, and made plans for how each could spread the message and take steps to address the problem when they return home. A representative from the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation committed to organize a “fracking tour” on April 1, so that participants can see how the natural gas extraction process can lead to water contamination.

“To try to define water as any one thing, especially as a commodity, is to engage in an act of hubris the consequences far exceed what we intend.”

– Dr. Christiana Zenner Peppard

Videos from Trinity Institute 2017 are available to watch on Trinity Church Wall Street’s website.

Read More About Trinity Institute 2017: Water Justice


Practical Ideas for Parishes

  • ● Coordinate an environmental clean up project
  • ● Adopt a local environmental cause and raise awareness among the parish community and local politicians
  • ● Ban styrofoam at church functions
  • ● Include environmental messages in homilies and Bible Studies
  • ● Purchase/utilize rain water barrels for landscaping irrigation
  • ● Repair/replace leaking water fixtures at parish facilities
  • ● When maintaining parish grounds, leave the grass 2-3 inches high to prevent unnecessary evaporation
  • ● On parish lawn and garden areas, use fertilizers sparingly and avoid harmful pesticides.
  • ● Open a dialogue with a sister parish to find out if there are water issues that need to be addressed in their community
  • ● Lead a parish discussion about Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home

Helpful Links

San Antonio Water System Schedule a free water efficiency audit and get conservation tips.

San Antonio River Authority- Watershed Wise – Find out about major water initiatives in the San Antonio

Texas Stream Team – The Texas Stream Team coordinates volunteer water-quality monitoring at sites all across the state.

Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond – Learn about harvesting rainwater in a variety of ways in the heat of South Texas.


 

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