Our Planet Earth
Our journey to care for our planet earth!
Featured Articles
Stress, Anxiety, and Ecotherapy
Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ (2015) emphasized caring for human beings and Mother Earth, as they are inseparable from ecological care. He called for an "integral ecology" that connects environmental protection with social justice, human rights, and the dignity of all individuals, stating that "everything is connected.” Our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is so much a part of this care.
See Full Article· 4 min readNeonictinoids in the Environment
Pesticides can be categorized as herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides. Neonictinoids (or neonics) are defined by Courtney Lindwall from the Natural Resource Defense Council (June 11, 2025) as a class of synthetic, neurotoxic insecticides that are used on agricultural crops, lawns, gardens, golf courses, and in flea and tick pet treatments. They were developed in the mid-1990’s, and are now the single most popular insecticide in the United States.
See Full Article· 6 min readSpring Has Sprung!
Spring is the most popular season in the United States, but it can also bring tornadoes, late snowstorms, flooding, and gusty winds that can create dust storms. Groundwater levels rise in the spring from rainfall and winter melts. Daffodils bloom first, followed by Forsythia bushes, Bradford pears, dandelions, redbud trees, cherry blossoms, violets, trillium, tulips, spring beauties, and more. It’s a beautiful season where everything is coming to life.
See Full Article· 6 min readRecent Articles
Climate Migrants
The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) said, “Climate refugees also referred to as climate change refugees and climate migrants are individuals who have been displaced from their homes due to natural disasters and climate change. This includes floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, desertification, droughts, rising sea levels, and more. These events not only affect the safety of individuals, but can also cause food, water, and other long-term resource shortages that push people from their homes”. They also said, the term “climate migrant” is more accurate than climate change refugee because, much like internally displaced persons, climate migrants are not recognized as refugees under international refugee law. This means they do not have the same protections and rights when seeking asylum as people who have fled their home country to escape persecution based on religion, race, nationality, or political opinion.
See Full Article· 5 min readTen Eco-Commandments for Earth Citizens
For nearly three years, this column in The Message has consistently given good reasons to be less consumer- driven and more eco-friendly. It has promoted “Laudato Si’” to all people and to all religions in the world, as requested by Pope Francis - including through his “Ten Commandments for Climate Change” (See What can we do section).
See Full Article· 4 min readThe Sun
Rhett Herman, Ph.D., physics professor at Radford University in Virginia (Scientific American, 10/26/1998, How fast is the Earth moving) says, the Earth revolves around the sun in 365 days at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph, and rotates on its axis, at the equator at 1,000 mph. In addition, the sun is a yellow star made of hydrogen and helium, 93 million miles from earth, and its volume would need 1.3 million earths to fill it (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
See Full Article· 5 min readEarth Day and the Catholic Church
Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day, saw, in the 1960’s, a deteriorating environment and Anti-Vietnam War protests. Both gave him the idea for a “teach-in” about environmental issues on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day. It’s estimated that 20 million people participated in this event, according to “The History of Earth Day, Adirondack Council.” The first two websites under “What can we do!” give ideas for Earth Day on April 22, 2023.
See Full Article· 5 min readRighting Wrongs Through Legislation
Historically, we’ve learned much about righting wrongs to promote environmental protection. Two notable authors are Aldo Leopold (“A Sand County Almanac”) and Rachel Carson (“Silent Spring”). Both were helpful in passing legislation like:
See Full Article· 4 min readRethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Restore
There are simple and economic ways to live an environmentally sensitive and thoughtful lifestyle. For instance, we could rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle and restore. Applying these five R’s will reduce our carbon footprint, promote healthy environments, increase soil fertility, and improve Earth’s air, water, and land.
See Full Article· 4 min read