IN THEORY:

Pope Benedict XVI recently said the world’s “insatiable consumption” has damaged Earth and that caring for the planet is vital to humanity. Benedict, who is earning a reputation as the “green pope,” last year moved to restore 37 acres of forest in Hungary and plans to install solar panels on the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. Do you feel the same urgency for environmentalism, and, if so, what are you and your flock doing to help heal the planet?

“Ensure environmental sustainability” is No. 7 of the eight Millennium Development Goals to which our parish is committed.

This goal is to integrate the principles of sustainable development into international policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources; to achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020; and to reduce by half the 1.1 billion people without consistent access to safe drinking water.

We have encouraged and adopted simple lifestyle changes such as recycling, curtailing consumption of nonrenewable resources and having a comprehensive approach to water and energy use. We host a Goodwill donation center on our campus. Members of this congregation have participated in park, beach and bay clean-ups, and others have been advocates with our government representatives for clean water and clean air.

We pray regularly for access to the riches of creation to be shared equitably among all people, for an end to the waste and desecration of God’s creation and for communities and nations to find sustenance in the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

The Very Rev’d Canon Peter D. Haynes

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

One of the ways Temple Isaiah participates in “repairing the world,” is fighting pollution by collecting waste in recycle bins or cans around our facility, and the proper disposal of hazardous wastes. We can recycle and throw all trash in the proper disposal rather than on the roads or on the ground.

Many businesses and people pose a threat to polluting the Earth by not disposing garbage properly. Paint thinners, hair spray and household cleaners can be dangerous to our health. Garbage must be disposed of in a sanitary way.

Clearly, the best way of managing hazardous wastes is not to produce them in the first place. Yet this is difficult in our world.

A hazardous waste can be defined as a material that is potentially dangerous to human health or the environment.

It may be toxic, capable of causing illness or other health problems if handled incorrectly.

One method for reducing hazardous waste is high-temperature incineration of trash and garbage. It is better than landfill use, because landfills merely store the toxic material and the waste smells, and the stench remains to pollute the landfill.

Two examples of disturbing thoughts of smells are as follows: When one visits the hospital, the hospital should be a friendly environment, but one has to proceed with caution because of the smell of the toxic waste in containers there. Also, in restaurants, try eating a meal when the help is waxing the floor or cleaning the table with cleanser.

There is more to cleaning up our planet than replacing gas and oil with solar energy. They cost a lot of money.

We can help in other ways, too, by using a little more common sense and little more effort in the way we act.

Rabbi Marc Rubenstein

Temple Isaiah

Newport Beach