Living the Columbia River Pastoral Letter

A project of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church

Goal: To live the message of the Columbia River Pastoral Letter and better care for God's creation by transforming our parish, our people and our public policies.

Objectives:

1. Transform St. Philip Neri's facilities and day-to-day activities into environmentally sustainable models.

Examples to achieve this objective:

a. Conduct a complete, professional inventory of church grounds and facilities (i.e., examine lighting, windows, insulation, paper use, maintenance practices and fundraising events)

b. Reduce energy consumption through inventory recommendations

c. Minimize dependence on fossil fuels by tapping renewable energy sources (i.e., solar)

d. Create a bioswale for parking lot runoff

e. Consider installing a green roof

2. Educate St. Philip Neri's community on its efforts to put the Columbia River Pastoral Letter into practice, and encourage community members to "live the letter" within their homes.

Examples to achieve this objective:

a. Conduct initial & follow-up survey of parishioners' interests and habits in environmentally sustainable practices in the home

b. Conduct informational fairs on sustainable practices

c. Promote sustainable practices through the cooperation with targeted businesses/utilities

d. Invite speakers on sustainability to parish functions

e. Educate parishioners on implications of "living the letter" from both urban and rural perspectives

f. Hold Christian-oriented "Voluntary Simplicity" courses during the Lenten and/or Advent Seasons

3. Advocate outside of the St. Philip community to promote public awareness and new public policies that support sustainable practices within the Columbia River Watershed.

Examples to achieve this objective:

a. Trainings/meetings with other faith communities

b. Work with Metro Alliance for the Common Good to move sustainability efforts up on their overall priority list

c. Develop a political strategy to support local laws to promote sustainable efforts. An example might include supporting sustainability legislation (i.e., incentives to purchase alternative-energy vehicles) in the 2003 legislature and holding a gathering to talk with parishioners about the issue. Sponsor a "Lobby Day" for parishioners to travel to Salem to support the legislation

d. Develop a media strategy to target religious and secular media to tell the St. Philip sustainability story