A Positively Poetic Priest

For the first time in my life I have been given land to care for.  Its not a big backyard, and I think at one point in the last fifty years it was a playground. Indeed, I think it has been many things in its lifetime.  Before Europeans arrived, this land belonged to the Lenni-Lenape.  Over the years as Morristown grew, someone built a house on this land, which at some point was bought by St. Peter's.  I hope as I live here, I will be able to fill in this sparse history with more details, as I fill in this yard with love and plants.  Right now, with the current freeze, it is hibernating. Waiting to come alive again. 

I have grown up in a world of synthetic materials. Plastics, synthetic fibers, polyester, nylon, acrylics, latex, Kevlar, Gore-Tex, and on and on. I was told at every turn that these were the materials of the future. And yet, as we live further into the climate crisis, it seems all the production of these synthetic materials is helping the crisis grow worse. Now, I am no one's fashion model. I was partially happy about my chosen profession because of the fact that I had a black and white uniform I could always fall back on. When it came to clothes, I always chose what was easiest. So, when I was told over the years that fabrics made from purely natural fibers were too hard to handle, I believed them. Cotton needed ironing, wool was too itchy, linen wrinkled easily. No worries.  I have come to realize all this was simply not true.  It may partially be that I live in Northwestern Pennsylvania, but in the last year, I have been fully living into the wool, especially merino wool, ...

Small. Innocent. Cute. Multi-use, though not multiple use. You wouldn't think cotton swabs could be a force for environmental disaster. However, they fall into the small, single-use, non-recyclable, problem-waste category. They are small enough to get missed and end up in natural habitats and spread plastic across the globe. No good! Cotton swabs have made themselves so very useful throughout the house. Cleaning out one's ears, cleaning in small corners, applying topical medicines in hard to reach places, getting things out of hard to reach places, etc. Thus, though most of us don't think about cotton swabs very often, most of us have some hanging out around the house in case we need them.  There are some companies which have tried to make more environmentally friendly cotton swabs. They have replaced the plastic bit with paper or corn based plastic which will dissolve. They have tried making the cotton part of the swabs with all natural organic cotton, despite the fact tha...

I am very glad to see more companies in the news for jumping on the environmentally friendly train. In terms of the overall health of the planet and our future, it is a really important step and one of the most important things consumers can support. However, I have also recently learned the term greenwashing, sometime also known as green sheen.  Greenwashing is a wholly unhelpful way of doing business. I don't know about you, but the term itself conjures images of laundry commercials where a load of whites is contaminated by a lump of grass and everything turns green. Its not clean and now things are ruined. Greenwashing is similar on a marketing level. Greenwashing is when companies find ways to make their products look or sound, or even market them, as environmentally friendly, despite not being environmentally friendly. Greenwashing is a way of lying to entice people to buy products.  Unfortunately this kind of scam happens a lot in the marketing industry. When you see som...

"Rags to Riches." Its a phrase we normally use to describe people who started out poor in life and made their way to some semblance of fame and riches. However, I have also noticed, that using rags around the house can help you save money on cleaning supplies, as well as help save the environment, both also ways rags can lead to riches.  When I moved into my apartment in Houston I had a steady income for the first time. In college and in seminary, I made whatever I had or could get cheaply work. It really didn't matter how good or bad it was. In Houston, I went to the other end of the spectrum and choose convenient disposable cleaning supplies. It didn't matter whether they were good for the environment or not, I could finally afford a Swiffer and all its accouterments.  As I have lived in Franklin making slightly less money and being more focused on my environmental impact, I have changed my cleaning habits again. However, this time I have been much more intentional ...

As a cash short college student, at first I tried to get by without dryer sheets. Unfortunately, living in old dorm buildings in Western Pennsylvania, eventually the static got to me. I could almost turn on lights wherever I went with all the static electricity build up! So I gave in and started buying dryer sheets. I tried my best at the time to find other ways to use them after a run or two through the dryer, but then I started learning more about what chemicals are used in dryer sheets and how some of them can be bad for the environment. As much as I loved chemistry classes, the old adage "Better living through chemistry" doesn't always seem to apply. I then started trying to figure out what else to use. The laundry industry does have some alternatives. Most big companies offer a plastic alternative ball for the dryer, many of which are multicolored and spikey. They cut down on static and help the heat move through the load. Thankfully, there are still more eco-fr...

"The sea is his for he made it, and his hands have molded the dry land." Psalm 95:5 All the way at the beginning of the Bible, at the very start of Genesis, God lays out how human beings are supposed to be in relationship with the earth. God asks the first human beings to care for creation and to be good stewards of it. We are not simply in charge of everything around us, able to do as we please in our environment. We are to care for it and treat it well, in order that it may flourish and might be passed along to the next generations. In today's society, taking care of the Earth is seen as only something certain kinds of people do. However, taking care of our environments is not simply an environmental issue, but also a justice issue. Many times when the environment is not taken care of, it is in areas that greatly affect and damage the poor and needy, those who are already struggling. Currently St. John's and Grace have two opportunities for you to help in car...

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP 827 For the Conservation of Natural Resources) While many aspects of personal wholeness and health are internal and solely personal, Environmental Wholeness is an aspect of our lives that is many times out of our control. Having Environmental Wholeness means living in a environment where you feel safe, from daily natural elements and from abuse from other people, and where there is room for you to live, move, and grow. We can do many things to make sure the environment around us is safe and makes us feel secure, however sometimes there are aspects of our environments we have no control over. The natural world around us does many wonderful things for...

I recently wrote an article for the Pilgrim, a newsletter for friends of St. George's College in Jerusalem for those in Australia, New Zealand, and the other Oceanic Islands. It is a reflection on my experience of the land of Israel, having grown up learning about it, wanting to visit and then getting to see it for the first time in my life. If you're interested, the article is here .