PATHWAY3.

CLIMATE, CRISIS, CHOICES: THE CALL TO CONVERSION IN LAUDATO SI

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Pope Francis reminds us as we continue on our journey this Lent to become better stewards of our Common Home: “We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single human family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which we can hide, still, less is there room for the globalization of indifference”

(LS 25)

“We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it” (LS 229)

Food waste is estimated at between 30-40 % of the food supply. From an economic, environmental, and social standpoint, keeping food out of landfills is imperative. We waste 40% of the food we buy each year while 1 in 7 Americans go hungry, and the global agriculture industry emits 1/3 of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. American food production costs 10% of the nation’s total energy budget, 50% of its land, and 80% of all the US’s freshwater consumption is dedicated to the production and distribution of food. Americans throw out $218 billion of food annually. That’s more than enough food to feed the 42 million Americans who are food insecure every year. That food waste goes straight to landfills, producing harmful greenhouse gasses, impacting the environment both directly and indirectly as all the resources, like water, labor, and energy, used to grow, produce, and transport that food also ends up wasted.

It is a time to nourish our body and mind in a more sustainable manner, in such a way to minimize food waste, get more from our food, and the money we spend on groceries. Let’s get started!

- To create a strategic plan to reduce my water and food waste and reduce my groceries expenses

- To learn what action I can take to reduce my water and food waste

-To contribute to my community by reducing waste

-To become an agent of change in my family, parish, and working environment

Please join together as a family to write 10 actions you can take in order to reduce food and water consumption on a daily basis.

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Please write 10 activities you as a family might be doing that waste food and water. On the following page, mark the solutions you think will be the best approach to solve your current issue.

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Reduce my beef and lamb consumptionBecome vegetarian or veganPurchase sustainably sourced seafoodReduce food waste or compost. Throw any food scraps I have in a compost pileLearn more about my virtual water use. This is the water you use indirectly through the products you buy and from the decisions you makeEat locally grown foods

A "Best if Used By/Before" date indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
A “Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used for infant formula.
A “Freeze-By” date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.

Let’s learn how to store food properly!

Store bananas, apples, and tomatoes by themselves and store fruits and vegetables in different bins, and wash berries just before eating to prevent mold.

Inside the fridge: grapes, kiwi, lemons, oranges, apples, berries, and cherries. Almost all vegetables and herbs. Melons, apricots, peaches, plums, avocados, pears, and tomatoes (after ripening at room temperature).

Outside the fridge: bananas, mangos, papayas, and pineapples can be stored in a cool place. Potatoes and onions should be stored in a cool dark place. Basil and winter squash should be stored at room temperature, but once cut, store squashes in the fridge.

Water

Reduce the number of times I flush my toilet. Unnecessary flushing of the toilet can waste up to 270 gallons of water per yearUse foaming soap. This allows users to only use water for rinsing instead of for soaping up and rinsingTake showers instead of having bathsIf your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the shower head with a water-efficient modelConsider reusing grey water from the laundry on the gardenLaunder full loads, when possible. Wash with a full load and you can save 3 gallons of water each wash

Food

Avoid keeping water running when washing fruits and vegetables. Washing them in a bowl conserves waterCompost kitchen wastes (organic matter) instead of using a sink garbage disposal system. Sink garbage disposal systems consume almost 30 gallons of water each week to send waste down the drain and it increases the load on water treatment facilitiesCreate a strategic plan. Reducing food waste starts before you go to the grocery store. Take a look in your refrigerator before you go shopping to evaluate what perishables you have that need to be used. Plan your meals and snacks for the week around what you already have and what will be going bad soon. Then make a list and stick to it. Buy only what you need until your next shopping trip to avoid buying too much food that might not get eaten before it spoilsFreeze your food. Freeze what you can to avoid throwing out fruit, vegetables, yogurt, milk, meat, fish, and prepared dishes like soups. Vegetables like green beans, broccoli and asparagus can be blanched before freezing for a side dish that cooks quickly when you need itConsume your leftovers. Leftovers don’t do any good sitting in your fridge. If you don’t like reheated leftovers, try to repurpose your leftover food into new meals. Get creative!Reuse your coffee grounds. Coffee grounds make excellent fertilizer for plants. The grounds are high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are nutrients that plants craveLook at the date-labeling in your products. There are a wide variety of phrases used on labels to describe quality dates. Please see below:

A "Best if Used By/Before" date indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
A “Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used for infant formula.
A “Freeze-By” date indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.

Let’s learn how to store food properly!

Store bananas, apples, and tomatoes by themselves and store fruits and vegetables in different bins, and wash berries just before eating to prevent mold.

Inside the fridge: grapes, kiwi, lemons, oranges, apples, berries, and cherries. Almost all vegetables and herbs. Melons, apricots, peaches, plums, avocados, pears, and tomatoes (after ripening at room temperature).

Outside the fridge: bananas, mangos, papayas, and pineapples can be stored in a cool place. Potatoes and onions should be stored in a cool dark place. Basil and winter squash should be stored at room temperature, but once cut, store squashes in the fridge.

Buy food by season. Please see below:

Season	Fruits	Vegetables
Winter	Blood oranges, cranberries, dates, kiwi, pomegranate, tangerines	Brussels, sprouts, squash, cauliflower, artichokes
Spring	Apricots, blueberries, lemons, cherries, limes, strawberries	Artichokes, asparagus, beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, onions
Summer	Melons, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries	Broccoli, cucumber, potatoes, pepper, sweet corn
Autumn	Apples, bananas, clementine, grapefruits, grapes, oranges	Kale, leeks, mushrooms, potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes

An excerpt Laudato SI.

"164. Beginning in the middle of the last century and overcoming many difficulties, there has been a growing conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home. An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain lifestyles and models of production and consumption which affect us all."

Share with your family about what you learned today. o What is one fact that you didn’t know that you’d like the share with them?
What can I do as a church member? o Talk to your community members and start an action plan o Start a discussion on how we can reduce water and food waste
Have Family Meals 2 times a week that are Vegetarian/Vegan
Donate Food to Food Pantries
Sign Up for Food Sharing App(s)
Share your progress with others

o Invite others to view the website: www.pathwaystosustainableliving.org/
Take Part in a Community Garden

Compost with your neighbors. Composting leftover food is a beneficial way to reuse food scraps, turning food waste into energy for plants.
Enroll with a CSA to get fresh produce (better than farmers market) – could do a workshare/volunteer too
Please visit: Villanova Engineering Service Learning for international development (VESL) to learn more about projects Villanova is currently working on to provide Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene to those in need: https://bit.ly/2I0J09g

o Contact: Iain Hunt | iain.hunt@villanova.edu | (610) 519-6528

Buy food by season and teach others about these guidelines as well. Visit:

https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/ and learn about vegetables, fruits and herbs varieties per month in Pennsylvania and all over the US.

Advocate for Lessened Lawn Care Standards in Your Neighborhood

Dispel the Idea of “Ugly” Produce

Pack your lunch. A helpful way to save money while reducing your carbon footprint is to bring your lunch to work with you.

Advocate for locally grown foods

Join EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) for business or organizations. You can join the FRC as a participant or endorser! For more information, please visit https://www.epa.gov/sustainable- management-food/food-recovery-challenge-frc#whocanjoin

Please think about the following questions and consider posting your answers to our website for group discussion (go to pathwaystosustianableliving.org and look for Resources: Discussions to post):

1 Why do you think we waste too much water and food in the US?

1- How can I contribute as individual to influence in my surrounding environment for a change?

2- How can I contribute as individual to influence in my surrounding environment for a change?

3- How can we advocate for a more water/ food consumption behavior?

A prayer for our earth. Laudato SI

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe

And in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out

Upon us the power of your love,

That we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

As brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

Help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this

Earth,

So precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

That we may protect the world and not prey on it,

That we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

Of those who look only for gain

At the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

To be filled with awe and contemplation,

To recognize that we are profoundly united

With every creature

As we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

For justice, love, and peace.

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