The Boston Pilot: US Catholic dioceses are leading the 'green revolution' championed by popes
by Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News
Many Catholics, increasingly aware of the environmental impact of fossil fuels, are at the forefront of a "green revolution," heeding the call of several popes to explore and implement alternative.
As the 2023 Season of Creation (Sept. 1-Oct. 4) begins, OSV News discovered what some Catholic dioceses and organizations are doing to become better caretakers of the earth. In the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, the Laudato Si Corporation -- a green energy initiative to generate renewable energy, managed by Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens' Progress of Peoples Development Corporation -- is quite obviously inspired by Pope Francis' landmark 2015 ecological encyclical, "Laudato Si'."
…Across the Potomac River in Washington, the mission of Catholic Energies, launched in 2016, is apparent from its name. A program of the Catholic Climate Covenant -- a nonprofit formed with the help of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that, with 20 national partners, guides the U.S. church's response to climate change -- Catholic Energies and its partner Mission Energy began with simple energy efficiency projects.
Dan Misleh, the covenant's founding executive director and visionary behind Catholic Energies, told OSV News he knew that "if we could help Catholics facilities reduce their energy cost, then we would have their attention."
A strategic adjustment was soon required.
"We started with energy efficiency, thinking that that would be the road to making this happen," Misleh recalled. "But a lot of Catholic institutions were asking for solar ... so we just sort of shifted over to what the market was demanding."
Dan Last, CEO of Mission Energy, told OSV News he found their joint customers were positively zealous. He said the initiative has since grown to 40 projects in 14 states and Puerto Rico. Misleh added that current ventures include the Diocese of San Diego, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa.
"Solar was, 'We want to do this. This is a thing that we are committed to doing,'" Last recalled. "It was just a different mindset."
Longevity and return on investment is an obvious attraction.
"Solar is there. It's there for 30 years; 40 years; or longer," Last explained. "It's going to continue to provide benefits. It's going to continue to insulate these organizations from price shocks, as we saw after the (Ukraine) war began last year, and some of the uptick in pricing all over the country."
Saving both money and the planet are major plusses -- but Misleh identified an evangelical reason, too.
"This is what young people are looking for. They want to see their Catholic Church demonstrating that they are concerned about their future," said Misleh. "If we want to retain or draw back young people into our faith, this should be one of the things that we ought to focus on."
And for those still hesitating to "go green," Last has a final word of encouraging advice: "It's easier than you think it is."
Read the full article here: https://thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=195476