Green Committee

                                                    

Our Mission

We are a group open to parishioners and students, which works to serve the Lord as stewards of the earth. Our goal is to educate on environmental issues of today and to work towards a "greener" parish. Our activities include setting up recycling for the parish, holding seminars for discussion, and creating educational, environmental projects for the youth.


Bridget Burns, an International Studies junior, established the group in 2011. She is hoping to bring this aspect of her faith to St. Thomas More and needs willing leaders to step up and help! If you are interested in becoming a part of the Green Committee, please contact her at bridgetburns@ou.edu.

Also, check out the Green Committee on Facebook!

News and Upcoming Events

  • Our first meeting of the spring semester is Wednesday, Feb. 6th from 6pm - 7pm at the Soreghans' home (302 Park Dr., Norman 73069). It will be a potluck, so join us and bring your favorite dish! Contact Lauren Stewart for more info:  lstewou@gmail.com or 405-204-9492
 
  • On the In All Things blog of America magazine, Fr. James Martin, SJ, contributing editor at America has offered the following prayer reflection about Hurricane Sandy:
    A Prayer in the Storm
    God of the Universe, at the dawn of creation, your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. You created the oceans and rivers, and all that dwell within them, and at your word the wind and the waves were born. The seasons follow your plan, and the tides rise and fall on your command. In both calm and storm, you are with us. On the Sea of Galilee, when the disciples began to fear, Jesus showed that he was Lord over the waters by rebuking the storms, so that all would know that even the wind and the waves obey him. Creator God, we ask you to calm the wind and the waves of the approaching hurricane, and spare those in its path from harm. Help those who are in its way to reach safety. Open our hearts in generosity to all who need help in the coming days. In all things, help us to remember that even when things seem dark and stormy, you are in the boat with us, guiding us to safety. Amen.

Service Projects

The Green Committee is committed to becoming faithful stewards of God's creation by actively participating in projects that enhance recycling, conservation, and clean-up.  We are trying to increase the visibility and impact of our efforts.  If you have ideas about service projects or want to be included on upcoming projects, please contact us through our Green Committee Facebook page or by emailing Bridget Burns. 

Thank you to our volunteers who help make recycling possible in our parish!
*Paper Recycle Schedule* 
Feb. 22-24:  Renee Porter
Mar. 1-3:  Scott Sennello 
Mar. 8-10:  Kayleigh Stumpf
Mar. 15-17:  Lauren Stewart
Mar. 22-24:  Renee Porter
Mar. 29-31: Easter Weekend (Lisa Schmidt)
Apr. 5-7:  Scott Sennello 
Apr. 12-14:  Jason Anthony
Apr. 19-21:  Lisa Schmidt


Links and Additional Resources

  • Benedict XVI and Catholic Ecology
    We have come to renew our covenant with God and with one another in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We have come to help protect God’s creation. We have come as followers of Jesus to commit ourselves anew to one another and to heal injustice and poverty. We have come to stand together against all threats of life. We have come to discover some new beauty every day in God’s creation; the sunrise and sunset, birds, flowers and trees, rainbows in the sky, the stars, the many forms of life in the forest. We have come to listen to the music of the universe--water flowing over rocks, the wind, trees bending in the wind, raindrops pattering over the roof.We will remember always that God speaks to us through the beauty of his creation, and we will try our best to answer God’s call to reverence all that he has created.
  • Take the St. Francis Pledge.  The St. Francis Pledge is a promise and a commitment by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations and institutions to live our faith by protecting God’s Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change. To join the Covenant, you commit to act on each of the five elements of the St. Francis Pledge.
  • Measure your Carbon Footprint.  There are a number of carbon footprint calculators out there--this is a fun, visual one.  A carbon footprint is amount of carbon released into the atmosphere (to warm this planet) caused by your everyday lifestyle. The average American produces over 20 tons of CO2 in their daily lives through transportation, heating and lighting their homes, food choices etc.  The world average per person is less than 4 tons of CO2 (data from Encyclopedia of Earth: http://www.eoearth.org/article/Carbon_footprint). As climate changes it is our responsibility to make a bigger change in our own lives and how we act, because the impact of climate change will  unequally fall on the poor

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