God created us to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life, so that we can be with Him in Eternity – and He created this beautiful home for us in which to do this! Everywhere we look in nature, we can see the beauty and perfection of God’s designs. As the Psalmist says, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). What a wonderful place to journey through as we make our way towards Heaven!
Tragically, humanity has not taken seriously its task to steward God’s creation. The earth’s environment has suffered from pollution, and it has proved a difficult task to unite the many nations around the world in a concerted effort to combat the negative effects of climate change. In his encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls on the whole human race, and Christians in particular, to embrace an attitude of change in regard to the environment and to resolve to take concrete action in bringing about this change.
At Caritas, we’re eager to answer this call. That’s why we’re implementing a Green Fleet Policy to reduce the carbon footprint for our vehicle fleets. We have formed an advisory committee who have created a Sustainable Transportation Plan, which is designed to help religious communities take action and reduce the carbon footprint for their own vehicles. It’s a small step, but if we all join together, it will make a world of difference in restoring and repairing God’s creation.
During the 2021 RCRI Conference, we hosted a workshop featuring Sr. Sharon Zayac of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL and Lorrie Lisek, President of Legacy Environmental Services. The purpose of this workshop was to introduce our Green Fleet Policy, how it works and why it matters! Sr. Sharon, an internationally-known speaker on climate change, talked about the goals outlined in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, showing how reducing vehicle carbon emissions makes a huge impact on easing the damage done to the climate. Lorrie Lisek shared her expertise and many resources to support religious orders’ efforts to gradually “green” their vehicle fleets. The rest of the workshop focused on specific elements that make up a Green Fleet Policy and diving into the reality of implementing such a policy within a religious order, sharing the tools that each congregation will need to create a successful action plan.
Our priority now is to help all of our religious clients to develop and implement a Green Fleet Policy in their own orders, making sure that it is tailored to their congregation’s individual needs and goals. To get that process started for your order, please reach out to us so that we can help you measure your fleet’s current carbon footprint (free of charge) so that we can put together a policy for your community. We’re also able to assist your advisory committee with the implementation of your Green Fleet Policy and to help get it up and running.
Caritas Vehicle Services is here to support you in your green journey! For 2022, we will offer a series of one-hour webinars to expand on the topics discussed in our initial workshop, and to provide additional resources. And we are always available as needed to answer any questions you might have!
You can be vital part of making change that can impact the lives of so many people, and the beautiful planet we live on. We at Caritas Vehicle Services hope you will join us as we embark on this exciting journey, and strive to live out our role as faithful stewards of God’s creation.
Be on the lookout for emails from Caritas Vehicles Services with registration info for the webinars!
