Resolving to care
Creation Care resolution passed at diocesan council may be first of its kind
Possibly the first Creation Care resolution in Mississippi was passed at Diocesan Council this year. Our resolution was in support of a General Convention Resolution which passed in 2009. Here it is:
A Resolution in Support of Resolution A045 of the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
Resolved, that the 197th Annual Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi embrace the spirit of Resolution 2009-A045 of the 76th General Convention of The Episcopal Church by restricting the use of bottled water at Annual Council and at other Church-sponsored activities where safe; and be it further
Resolved, that every baptized Christian be encouraged to practice simple energy and water conservation techniques, so that, by working together, we may restore the beauty of God’s creation and ensure that this resource may again be available to all God’s children in abundance.
Reasons for the resolution are many. Here are a few:
The production of plastic bottles has an extreme negative impact on the environment.
The bottled water industry generated roughly 600 billion plastic bottles and containers in 2021. This resulted in around 25 million tons of plastic waste—most of which is not recycled and ends up in landfills.
According to the report, the waste pile is so gargantuan that it would be enough to fill a line of 40-ton trucks stretching from New York to Bangkok every year.
Fossil fuels are the raw ingredient for the vast majority of plastics, which have a heavy carbon footprint from manufacturing through to disposal.
If the plastics industry were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.
Around 85% of plastic water bottles, which can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, end up as waste. They also end up in the ocean, adding to a vast swirl of plastic waste that poses a serious threat to marine life.
The world’s oceans are polluted by a “plastic smog” made up of approximately 171 trillion plastic particles that, if gathered, would weigh around 2.3 million tons.
In the environment, plastic bottles can break down into miniscule particles, called microplastics, which make their way into our food water, posing a potential risk to human health.
Plastic can also leach toxic chemicals, affecting animals that ingest it, contaminating the animal and human food chains.
Microplastics are found in breast milk, placentas, heart tissue, and blood.
What this means for us. We are asked to restrict the use of bottled water (and perhaps all single use plastic) at church sponsored activities (and home?). We may have to do things a little differently, but it will be fine. There were no single use plastic water bottles at Council and it was fine. Remember when there were no single use plastic bottles period? It was fine!
Would you like to help? Here are four ways.
- Julia Weaver will prepare us for a Plastic Free July on Tuesday, June 4 at 5:30 via Zoom. Join at msepiscopalian.com/creation.
- Episcopal Creation Care Partner, Creation Justice Ministries offers a free ecumenical resource. Packed with information for lay and clergy, find it at msepiscopalian.com/creation-resources.
- If you are low on hope, Fr. Joe recommends we watch the free documentary: Plastic Earth at plasticearthmovie.com.
- Are you on the Diocese Creation Care newsletter list? Send your email and you will be—tracy.stebbins@gmail.com!
Imagine what good we can accomplish when all Episcopalians in Mississippi stop using single use plastic!