New Material about Ecology from the JPIC Office

The second part of the 2009 JPIC Course at the Antonianum dealt with the Integrity of Creation.  After the course, the International Animation Committee for JPIC discussed ways to promote concern for these issues in our life and ministries.  One idea that surfaced was to prepare two studies, one on Environmental Justice, and the other on Care for Creation in the Daily Life of the Friars Minor.  This letter serves as an introduction to both documents, which were prepared by the JPIC Office in Rome.

The first text, Environmental Justice, deals with the relationship between ecology and justice.  It begins with a reflection on Francis and our Franciscan spirituality.  It shows how our founder and our charism inspire us to be concerned with the current environmental crisis in which we find ourselves.  It then explains the concept of environmental justice, and offers four situations from around the world where Franciscans are dealing with these issues.

The second text, Care for Creation in the Daily Life of the Friars Minor, is a kind of environmental audit.  It invites us to reflect on our “ecological footprint”.  The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems.  It compares human demand with planet Earth’s capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste.  The present document deals with nine areas that will help us to consider our impact on earth and its resources.  It invites readers to choose at least one of the areas where their fraternity or ministry can make concrete decisions to begin to address ecological questions in daily life.

Download: Environmental Justice
Download: Daily Life Ecology