Our World, Our Responsibility

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Paris

Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy

Jewish Ghetto - Venice, Italy

Sandy Beach Oahu, Hawaii

Venice, Italy

Wasserkuppe, Germany

It matters not whether we live in Europe, Asia, Hawaii or LaSalle County, Illinois: we all have a responsibility to take care of the area we live in and the areas far removed from us.

After all, if the world is our home, then our home is everywhere. We often fail to realize how our actions affect the world. Americans have one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. What does this mean? It means, simply, that Americans use more of the resources per person than almost anyone else in the world.

Source: New York Department of Environmental Conservation (www.dec.ny.gov/education/54052.html)

Global Footprint Network

Breakdown of a typical individual's carbon footprint. (Source: Carbon Footprint)

One measure of our impact on the environment is our carbon footprint

The carbon Footprint is not the only measure of our impact on the environment: however, it makes up approximately 55 percent of the world’s Ecological Footprint. This makes the carbon Footprint the single largest driver of our planet’s ecological overshoot, which occurs when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what nature can regenerate.

United States of America Carbon Footprint

This overshoot has become the focus of scientists, environmentalists, large corporations and government officials. Even the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church is concerned. He just published an Encyclical about it which has angered some government officials.

At current consumption rates, we will eventually run out of resources, and some ecosystems will collapse even before the resource is completely gone. Something has to be done!

© Global Footprint Network, 2011

ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’OF THE HOLY FATHER

FRANCISON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME

The Holy Father, in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’ published in May of 2015, urges all individuals worldwide to take care of our common home (the world.) He states that “Recognizing the reasons why a given area is polluted requires a study of the workings of society, its economy, its behavior patterns, and the ways it grasps reality.” He goes on to say that there is not one answer to the problem. We must seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.

The pope says that we need to acknowledge that different approaches and lines of thought have emerged regarding this situation and its possible solutions. Since there is no one path to a solution, people must be willing to work together to find the best solution. Some people say that the pope should mind his own business, and he is. He is doing his job as a citizen of our Common World.

The pope is essentially saying that we have an environmental problem, and we must find a solution. He suggests that the key to finding this solution is education or knowledge of the problems and solutions. The next step is to collaborate to share ideas on how to solve our problems. This is what the citizens of Utica have been doing.

Chicago Tribune Photo

Utica residents called in experts to discuss the proposed mining in LaSalle County and its potential impact on the environment and economy in LaSalle County

We must educate ourselves on the environment and on the activities that man participates in that affect this environment. The task ahead of us is daunting, but have no fear. We are going to move slowly by taking one issue at a time. Our starting point will be LaSalle County. Our immediate problems have been experienced first hand and there is a wealth of information available to us: personal experience internet, library, newspaper articles, magazine articles, books, videos, and personal interviews.

What does La Salle County Look Like?

The U.S. Silica sand mine in Ottawa, Ill. — Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 20, 2013

The Northern White Sand silica sand mine in North Utica. Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune, Nov. 20, 2013

A view of property in rural Utica that is a proposed site of a controversial silica mine, Ancell Sands, at left, right and top left, owned by Oak Brook-based Woodland Path. — Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune, Nov. 20, 2013

Farms

West side of Ottawa

West Side of Ottawa

West Side of Ottawa

Ottawa

Exelon Nuclear Power Plant in Grand Ridge, Illinois10 Miles From Ottawa

Central School 2009 (Ottawa)

Ottawa High School 2009

Ottawa Silica Sand

Ottawa Silica Sand

Yard West Side of Ottawa

Yard West Side of Ottawa

Red fox

Yard West Side of Ottawa

Eagles Starved Rock12 miles from Ottawa

Factory West Side of Ottawa

As you explore this unit and become proficient as environmental analysts ask yourself what you can do to improve man’s impact on the environment.

The Jobst family in Klesberg, Germany installed photovoltaic panels to create their own electricity and to sell it as well. The energy comes from the sun and does not harm the environment. Could we do this in Ottawa?

References

Carbon footprint. The Encyclopedia of Earth Published: July 14, 2010,Updated: April 5, 2013. Author: Maggie L. Walser Topic Editor: Sidney Draggan http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150926/

Francis. Laudato Si [Encyclica on Care for Our Common Home]. Vatican Website. May 24, 2015. Accessed June 15, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

Garcia, Alex. Northern White Sand silica sand mine in North Utica. Digital image. Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 June 2015. <http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-focus-on-fracking-in-illinois-20131123/>.

Garcia, Alex. Property in rural Utica. Digital image. Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 June 2015. <http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-focus-on-fracking-in-illinois-20131123/>.

Garcia, Alex. U.S. Silica Sand Mine. Digital image. Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 June 2015. <http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-focus-on-fracking-in-illinois-20131123/>.

Garcia, Alex.Public Hearing in North Utica. Digital image. Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 June 2015. <http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-focus-on-fracking-in-illinois-20131123/>.

globe picture. Clip ART. Used with permission from Microsoft

picture of Pope Francis and creation. Franciscan Action Network. https://www.google.com/search?q=pope+francis+signs+encyclical+images&biw=1920&bih=943&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ftObVc_0AsapNsTPgwg&ved=0CDIQ7Ak#tbm=isch&q=franciscan+action+n

U.S. Carbon footprint.http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/trends/united_states_of_america/