Thursday, January 08, 2009

By SUE NOWICKI
snowicki@modbee.com

last updated: March 15, 2008 02:59:26 AM

If you celebrate Lent, the weeks of spiritual preparation between Ash Wednesday and Easter, you might be doing one or more of these disciplines: fasting, praying and giving.

Although fasting is often associated with abstaining from food, it also can take other forms. Some people give up something that they like a whole lot -- certain TV shows, mystery books, card games, etc.

Giving up something that's harmful to the environment is a relatively new idea. The Catholic Stockton Diocese in 2004 established an Environmental Justice Committee. It was formed partly in response to the late Pope John Paul II's frequent statements that the ecological crisis is a moral crisis and that Catholics everywhere have a duty to care for creation, and partly in response to a report from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops calling for environmental responsibility.

Betsy Reifsnider of Sacramento is the coordinator of the diocese's committee. She oversees committee action that sends suggestions to parishes on how individuals can "reduce their carbon footprint," testifies on energy issues and lobbies at the state Capitol.

She also puts feet on her beliefs.

"My husband and I drive a (Toyota hybrid) Prius," she said. "He walks to work. I do some telecommuting each week. We've had our local water utility do a residential water audit, which is free of charge. They come in and check your faucets and toilets for leaks. They look at your irrigation and give you a lot of advice.

"We have low-flow toilets and efficient shower heads in our home. Our house is very energy efficient. We also try as much as possible to buy locally grown food. We go to our natural food co-op and go to farmers markets because one of the best things people can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to buy locally so the food doesn't have to be trucked. I also try to buy organic as much as I can."

This Lent, she is participating with her parish in a fast from water. It doesn't mean that she doesn't drink water, but that she refrains from wasting it. Eliminating the purchase of bottled water, she said, is the No. 1 thing people can do for the environment. Few of the bottles get recycled, for one thing, and the energy cost of producing the bottles and shipping the end product is high.

Instead, she said, buy a water bottle "like you would use for hiking" and refill it. Her parish sold 300 of those bottles so far during Lent.

"When you think that the majority of the world's population doesn't have clean drinking water -- something like 25 million people die each year from contaminated water -- one of best things people can do for Lent is figure how much money they're saving by not buying bottled water and donate it to organizations that are working to provide clean water to poor people around the world," Reifsnider said.

She said March 22, the day before Easter, is World Water Day and urged people to donate to organizations that are helping provide wells and other water to those who need it the most. One Web site, www.un.org/waterforlifedecade, provides information on work done through the United Nations. Another, www.crs.org, is a Catholic organization that lists well-digging projects.

Father Joseph Illo and three other people on staff at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto are giving up their cars for in-town driving during Lent. Three are instead using scooters, while one is hopping on a motorcycle.

"This is my first year of giving up the car for Lent," Illo said.

He also is giving up meat. While Catholics once were required to eat only fish during the entire Lenten season, that practice has changed to eating fish on Fridays. But Illo goes beyond that requirement.

"Meat's per-calorie cost to the environment is several times that of vegetarian food," he said. "Think how much the environment is spared each Friday of Lent when 1 billion Catholics eat a salad rather than a quarter-pounder for lunch."

It's not only Catholics who give up environmentally unfriendly practices for Lent. Carolyn and Ralph Grzecki, pastors of Unity Church of Modesto, stayed earlier this month at a hotel in Unity Village, Mo., that Carolyn Grzecki called "totally green."

And the two "have gone to using one car at least three times a week during Lent to cut down on the emissions," she added.

Pastor Phil Munsey of The Life Church in Mission Viejo said if Christians aren't environmentally aware, they will fail to leave a meaningful legacy for generations to come. The author of "Legacy Now: Why Everything About You Matters," said many Christians mistakenly view the green movement as a liberal issue instead of embracing God's command to care for creation.

But the movement seems to be gaining ground across denominational lines.

"I think each year (going green for Lent) will continue to grow," Reifsnider said.

Bee staff writer Sue Nowicki can be reached at 578-2012 or snowicki@modbee.com.

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