Good news for those looking for optimism in the face of climate change! Here is another small thing that gives us a chance to do good.  
 
Opportunities for hard-to-recycle packaging from beauty and skin care products can be found at major retailers.  While we have incorporated recycling paper, cardboard, milk jugs, aluminum and glass as well as composting kitchen scraps into our normal routines, there are other items that we buy and use, but are not as easily re-purposed.  Packaging and containers for cosmetics are examples of items that don’t fit into curbside recycling; those lipstick and mascara tubes, compacts and serum vials and even dental floss containers and toothpaste tubes can now be re-purposed through collaborations among the beauty industry, businesses and organizations such as PACT Collaborative.
 
PACT describes itself as “a nonprofit collective uniting the beauty industry to reduce beauty packaging waste and work collaboratively toward more circular solutions for the industry.”
PACT partners with retailers who sponsor drop off locations for empty beauty packaging; participants include Nordstrom, L’Occitaine. Sephora, and Ulta.  All locations for these retailers are collection sites for empties.  Each retailer has its own program name, but they work similarly.
Empties don’t have to be from products purchased at the collection site store, but they should be clean, unbagged, and free of liquid to avoid contamination so they can be properly recycled.  Check one of these pages for step-by-step instructions on how to make sure your empty beauty containers find new purpose -- https://www.sephora.com/beauty/pact-collective-recycling-program or  https://www.pactcollective.org/packaging-drop-off-guide
 
According to PACT, the containers will find a new use in one of several ways, they may be:
MECHANICALLY RECYCLED -into packaging, carpet, pallets, and more
DOWNCYCLED -into asphalt or other useful products
MOLECULARLY RECYCYLED -into material used to build something else
CONVERTED TO ENERGY -could be turned into electricity
 
For more options – hop online and check out solutions offered through TerraCycle,
including brands that may have their own specific recycling programs through TerraCycle. 
Check the websites of your favorite brands to see if they have their own recycling initiatives. 
If we ask ourselves “what happens to this next” as we toss things, we can build habits that do less harm and be inspired by organizations who are taking steps to make a difference.  Let’s pitch in and show our support for businesses who are acting for the good of our future and encouraging all of us to think about what we can do to make a difference. 

Maybe you heard about Plastic-Free July?  Perhaps you adopted new plastic-free habits!  I saw promotions for pledging to give up specific plastic purchases at online sites and at the Farmers’ Market and while the plastic-free campaign didn’t make it into this column for July, why not keep the movement rolling?  We can have plastic-free August, September, etc. 
Take a look at a great website, www.plasticfreejuly.org, by an international organization based in Australia. The site hosts tips on how to move beyond plastic, and there are pieces exploring:

• The reason for and impact of choosing clothing and soft furnishings made with natural fibers, cotton, wool, linen, silk, hemp,
• How to avoid home cleaning products packaged in plastic,
• Using Bar soap, including shampoo bars instead of liquids in plastic,
• Fun and inspiring stories of what other real people are doing.

One of my favorite stories reported a successful challenge in the health industry, where plastic waste abounds.  Staff at a clinic reduced the use of disposable plastic backed pads by 35% in three months with a simple, voluntary change.  Their goal is a 50% reduction. 
You might find something inspiring and interesting at www.plasticfreejuly.org.
 
Www.beyondplastics.org is another site packed with information and ideas.  There are:

• Fact sheets (e.g. How to Reduce Your Exposure to Microplastics),
• Scientific reports and studies (e.g. More Recycling Lies: What the Plastics Industry Isn't Telling You About "Chemical Recycling" March 2025 | Natural Resources Defense Council)
• Publications (e.g. In The Bag: A Guide For Dry Cleaners To Move Beyond Plastic; Hold The Plastic, Please: A Restaurant’s Guide to Reducing Plastic) 
• Advocacy and action guidance (e.g. How to Host a Plastic Free Event),
• Plus, an opportunity to attend an online college class
  • Bennington College professor Judith Enck teaches Beyond Plastic Pollution, a seven week online course beginning in September.  Enck is the former EPA Regional Administrator. 

Some interesting things I learned while perusing the Beyond Plastics site include:

• Microplastic dangers found in some tea bags,
• Access to webinars, such as Excellent Alternatives to Plastic Packaging is at your fingertips at any time,
• Why Black Plastic is bad news,
• The problems with ‘bio plastics’, ‘biodegradable plastic’ and ‘compostable plastic’ – mean, for now, it is better to avoid these in favor of materials that biodegrade naturally,
• You can reach out to a Beyond Plastics local group by emailing [email protected], and
• https://www.beyondplastics.org/plastic-free-july-2025 -- scroll this page for day to day suggestions on the journey to living plastic free.

Good luck and have fun on your journey to an (almost) plastic-free life!

Is there anything better on a hot summer day than a juicy heirloom tomato, with cool, crisp cucumber chunks, a sprinkle of salt and a splash of your favorite vinegar?  Refreshing and reviving!

As we know, every small action in defense of creation makes a difference and since most food in groceries travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches your plate, the decision to buy locally makes a positive impact on the environment by using less energy and creating fewer emissions.  But most importantly, and the thing that keeps me coming back is – it tastes better and is beautiful!  Once you enjoy a vine ripened cantaloupe, and garden-fresh green beans there is no going back!  Also, the super fresh produce picked the day you buy stays fresh longer and retains more nutrients. Go ahead and stock up for the week, stored properly, your selections will be just fine. 

Farmers Markets and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) are both great ways to support and benefit from a local food system.  No matter what day of the week you prefer to shop, you’ll find a farmers’ market to meet your needs.

Our McLean Farmers’ Market is every Friday at Lewinsville Park from 8 a.m. to noon, this is a small market, but the several produce vendors can likely supply your weekly needs for veggies and fruit, plus there are a couple bakeries, a local meat producer and other specialties, including pots of flowers and herbs ready to plant, and don’t forget to bring your week’s kitchen scraps for the compost collection!

Search Fairfax County Farmers Markets for locations around the county on different days.  The Saturday market at City Hall in Falls Church is a year-round affair with everything from prepared food to original art along with produce and fruit vendors, it is worth a family outing; the aromas and tempting displays will offer something for everyone. (The line at Mama’s Donut Bites attests to its popularity.)  Arlington also has markets on various days, including one at Westover on Sunday mornings. 

Many vendors farm in Virginia’s northern neck; others are from central or western parts of the state and some orchards come from close-by Pennsylvania.  The local market organizations have strict requirements about selling products grown and produced by the vendor.  

​Treat your senses to the joys of freshness, knowing you are supporting the earth and the farmers who bring forth these nourishing blessings. 
 
 

Compost is a familiar topic for readers of this column and whether you are a current composter or not yet, this might be a good time to review local resources, to remind current composters of their important contribution for the environment, and to share the latest plans to expand composting on the parish campus.
 
Do you remember that yard waste and food scraps comprise about 30% of what we throw away each week?  When that organic waste goes into the land fill, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas, which fires up atmospheric warming.  If composted, these organics produce a nutritious substance (compost) that enriches the soil and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizer and for watering.  
 
There are many options available for composting, such as home composting, home pick up subscriptions that then deliver the mature compost, and community composting.  You can find reams of information about each type of composting online.  For reliable information, try searching fairfaxcounty.gov and Virginia cooperative extension service.  On the EPA site, you can find all the details you’ll need to set up home composting.  (www.epa.gov/recycle/compost)  All Fairfax County Farmers Markets locations collect food waste for compost through the fall, and year round at the main collection spots.
 
Local vendors that provide curbside pick-up services include Monster Organics, Compost Crew, and Veteran Compost.  It might be fun to check out the list of acceptable materials on their sites – some things might surprise you! (e.g. hair, nail clippings, real cork wine corks and more…)  The subscription services typically include a twice a year delivery of compost for your garden.
 
At the parish, Fr. Guest has been composting his kitchen scraps and Care for Creation Ministry volunteers compost at the Senior Luncheons as well as at the annual Parish Picnic.  This work uses one of the collection services that pick up the scraps.
 
Our new venture will include St. Luke school cafeteria by engaging a collection service to collect scraps from daily lunches at the school.  The Care for Creation Ministry looks forward to starting this project for the upcoming school year.  We just love to see all that food and paper waste converted into nourishing compost for the earth, at the same time, our school children will be engaged and composting will be a normal part of their daily life.
 
Let us pray that the small act of composting will prompt us to a new way of thinking about our relationships with people, society, nature and God, and that we respect and engage with the circular nature of all creation in gratitude for God’s gifts.

6/15/25
​Do pesky mosquitoes keep you from enjoying your own backyard during the summer?
Why not just hire one of the many fogging services?  Because, fogging works by taking down adult mosquitoes that happen to be in the area at the time, but does not stop breeding. Worse, fogging kills the helpful insects needed for a biodiverse and healthy local environment.  We rely on insects who pollinate plants and trees and flowers and vegetables, they include butterflies, bees, and fireflies; fogging also harms frogs, toads and nesting birds who contribute to a balanced healthy environment.  
Our recent rainy spells have given these pesky insects a jump-start on mosquito-rich yards, but don’t start scratching yet!  Mosquito buckets reduce the mosquito population by offering just the right place for mosquitoes to breed and then use a natural bacterium that kills the larvae before they fly and bite.  This method does not harm other pollinators, pets or people and includes an escape route for curious small creatures who may wander into the bucket.
To make a “mosquito bucket of doom”, start with a 5-gallon bucket, first, use markers or paint to decorate your creation, announcing your goal of targeting mosquitoes while protecting helpful wildlife.  Add water and toss in a handful of dead leaves or grass clippings (creating a welcoming environment for the skeeters), add a piece of mosquito dunk containing bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) (found at hardware and garden shops), and a sturdy stick (as an escape route!).  Finally, choose a damp, quiet corner or edge of your property and place your bucket.
For step-by-step instructions, and to join the challenge, search Mosquito Bucket Challenge and select the Homegrownnationalpark.org site.  Making and placing the bucket can be a fun family project to kick off the summer season.  Getting everyone involved and talking with neighbors about promoting pollinators while defeating mosquitoes is a great way to remind us of our responsibility to our local habitat.  
To participate in the challenge, post a photo of your bucket using #mosquitobucketchallenge and tag #HomegrownNationalPark – you’ll be supporting bees, butterflies, fireflies, frogs, toads and birds and spreading the word about Homegrown National Parks!​









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​“The good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms.”  (LS’ 34)

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​Blooming flowers and growing plants are magnets pulling us outside to the garden.  The new growth inspires us to get out there, clear away the dead stems, pull those pesky winter weeds and dig into the fresh spring earth.
We are lucky to have a great local resource, Earth Sangha, for advice and information about our Northern Virginia native plants.  The local cultivars provide just the right habitat for our pollinators, songbirds and butterflies, and they are well-suited to our environment, needing little added water or fertilization.  They are a bit different from the mass-produced offerings found in retail outlets but are more likely to establish themselves and return to beautify our landscapes and nourish our wildlife for years.

Earth Sangha is a non-profit whose mission is ecological restoration in the greater Washington, D.C. area.  They cultivate plants grown from seeds and spores collected right here in our area.  Earth Sangha sells to individuals at the nursery and supplies stock to area governments, schools, businesses and conservation non-profits. 
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Take a look at the Earth Sangha website, https://www.earthsangha.org, and visit their nursery in Springfield.  The webpage is a wealth of information including a comprehensive list of local native plants available at the nursery, what a plant community looks like, and descriptions of the growing conditions for each plant type.  They offer trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and ground covers.  Using the website, you can plan for rejuvenating your existing planting areas and get advice for planting a new area or restoring a space where invasives have taken over.  Be sure to check out the Current Inventory page before you get your heart set on those wild columbines only to find them unavailable.
If you take the time to read the detailed articles, you will be rewarded with knowledge to help make choices that will live and grow with you for many years.

Seasonal Note:  Air conditioning season is upon us! Be sure to change your HVAC air filter.  A clean filter will help the system run effectively and save money!  

Invasive vines can smother and strangle trees, killing the tree and leaving a dead tree as a possible hazard.  And, if the tree needs to be taken down to avoid danger or damage, it can be very expensive.  We should all tour our yards on one of our lovely spring days to look for these potential dangers. 
Six of the most common invasive vines that smother and strangle trees in Northern Virginia are:

• Porcelain Berry
• English Ivy
• Asian Wisteria
• Oriental bittersweet
• Wintercreeper
• Japanese Honeysuckle

For help identifying the invasives, search invasive tree vines NOVA or go to https://www.plantnovatrees.org/tree-killing-vines.  Be careful not to remove native vines such as Virginia Creeper, which do not harm trees and are important food sources for wildlife.  The Plant NOVA Trees site is a great resource for identifying harmful invasive vines as well as the beneficial native vines that we want to keep.

Invasive non-native plants grow prolifically in many conditions and can quickly overwhelm a tree along with our desire to remove them.  When the task seems overpowering, you can buy time by clipping the vine to halt growth until the larger job can be tackled.  Cut the vine close to the root and again higher up on the trunk and remove that “window” of vine in between, this will stop growth, and the vines higher up may be left to die and fall off on their own.  Gradually, the  root can be dug out and pulled to eliminate it altogether.
 
The Tree-killing vines webpage has a colorful guide with specific advice for each non-native invasive with pictures, growing habits, control techniques, and native look-alikes.  Be sure to note advice such as “do not compost” for many, as they can re-root from cuttings, or grow from fruits. Likewise, most of these undesirables will resprout from roots that are not completely removed.
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Happy spring hunting and an invasive vine-free summer and fall to all!
I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to enliven us in our efforts to be open to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and, as taught by Pope Francis, to act together to sustain a livable world for all.  May Francis rest in the peace of Christ.

Care for Creation
March 3, 2024
Biodiversity in our backyards
 
In Chapter III, Loss of Biodiversity, Pope Francis says:  “the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles
and an innumerable variety of microorganisms. Some less numerous species, although generally unseen, nonetheless play a critical role in maintaining the equilibrium of a particular place. Human beings must intervene when a geosystem reaches a critical state.” (LS 34)
 
Did you know that biodiversity is being lost at the alarming rate of 69% decrease since 1970?*
Do you know that every human being on this planet needs diverse highly productive ecosystems to survive? 
Are you interested in being a part of regenerating biodiversity and ecosystem function? **
As a solution to the biodiversity challenge, Doug Tallamy has issued a “call-to-action to restore habitat where we live and work,…extending national parks to our yards and communities.”
He is a well-known Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and popular author and leader in conservation gardening.  Perhaps you have enjoyed one of his books such as Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape or Nature’s Best Hope.
Doug started the Homegrown National Park (HNP) movement (https://homegrownnationalpark.org/ ) as a hub for all who are interested in preserving biodiversity by creating home gardens that support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water.
The initial goal is 20 million acres of native plantings in the U.S. This represents approximately ½ of the green lawns of privately-owned properties, thus building connectivity among existing preserves and strengthening our collaboration with natural ecosystems.  
The HNP site provides a practical guide to creating ecosystem-friendly habitats in your yard and answering all the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions.  Why is reducing the area of lawn important? How do I convert my lawn to natives?, How do keystone plants regenerate biodiversity? The best way to kill mosquitoes! and What’s the Rush? 
I think you’ll find something to excite you if you spend a little time on the Homegrown National Park web page; this might be the perfect time to dive in, as the bluebirds are back in town reminding us that spring will arrive before long!
*WWF Living Planet Report 2022
** https://homegrownnationpark.org

​Care for Creation
February 18, 2024
Through the Desert, God Leads us to Freedom
 
The theme of Pope Francis’ Lenten Message is “Through the desert, God leads us to freedom”
(www.vatican.va, or search Pope’s Message for Lent 2024).  Referencing the Exodus story, the Pope says “the exodus from slavery to freedom is no abstract journey. If our celebration of Lent is to be concrete, the first step is to desire to open our eyes to reality.”1  Just as God listened, heard, understood the cry of the people enslaved in Egypt, do we hear the cry of the oppressed today, “does it trouble us? does it move us?”1  Pope Francis recommends that we keep our eyes and hearts and hands open during Lent.  We are called to be hopeful, to confront reality, to recognize what we have done to one another and the world and to proceed in faith and hope during the Lenten season of conversion.
What can I free myself from?  From food waste?  From single use plastic?  What will I turn around in my life?  Will I open my eyes to the way I use or abuse our common home?  Will I take action to support legislation to care for the common good?  Will I find ways to reduce my own demand for fossil fuel? 
As Jesus retreated from the throngs in the Gospel stories, Lent gives me a time to pause in prayer. “The contemplative dimension of life will release new energies”1 to help us look for new “ways we acquire goods, care for creation and strive to include those who go unseen.”1
Let us listen to Pope Francis and make sure our Lenten practices of prayer, abstinence and almsgiving include open-eyed practical actions. Examples of practical actions include:  praying intentionally for refugees, whether they flee war, persecution or poverty; abstaining from meat with the purpose of reducing the greenhouse gas byproducts of the industry; supporting charities that provide infrastructure for those who lack access to clean water.  These are some of my favorites, what are you passionate about, what is right for you and your family?.
LOOK FOR THE LENTEN CREATION CARE CALENDARS IN THE NARTHEX for many good ideas.
 
1 MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR LENT 2024
Through the Desert God Leads us to Freedom
February 2, 2024
  

 
This is the work by graffiti artist MAUPAL who will produce a piece for the Vatican each week during Lent.
 

​LENTEN CREATION CARE CALENDAR
Look in the narthex for copies of the 2024 Lenten Creation Care Calendar.  This resource begins the Sunday before Lent, February 11, and offers a prayer, reflection, suggested action or interesting fact for each day (for example, did you know that the solar industry employs more women than any other energy sector?).  
The calendar theme for 2024 is “Reclaiming Our Future” – the message encourages us to embrace a spirit of prophetic imagination, as expressed in the words of Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Let us act in line with our belief that our loving God works with us to renew the earth and care for all of creation.
Please help yourself to the calendars and I hope you find them helpful for your Lenten journey.