What's Happening

September 22, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – Many people today speak of being an ally to people in marginalized or minority groups. But Brad Frank, Director of the Office of Sustainability for the Adrian Dominican Sisters, broadens the perspective of being an ally, encouraging all to demonstrate their support and care for Earth in the face of threatening global climate change. 

Brad Frank, Directory of the Office of Sustainability

Brad’s recent presentation, “Be a Better Earth Ally,” was part of a series of talks sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters Office of Racial Equity and Cultural Inclusion. The presentations – by people of different faith traditions, ethnic groups, or cultures – aim to expose Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Brad focused much of his talk on the science behind climate change and the rapid warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s. 

“We understand that there’s a direct correlation between atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide and temperature,” Brad said. He explained that Greenhouse gases –including methane, oxides of nitrogen, and fluorinated hydrocarbons – trap long-wave radiation in the atmosphere, increasing the planet’s temperature. 

“Currently, we’re at 412 parts [of carbon dioxide] per million,” contrasted to 280 parts per million at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Brad said. At the same time, the planet has heated up. The 10 warmest years on record have occurred in the past 16 years. “It has been espoused that this rate of change in temperature and the emission of carbon dioxide is 10 times faster than anything that has occurred in the last 65 million years, directly attributed to our existence on this planet,” he said.

Brad also described the effects of climate change: an increase in the intensity and size of storms; desert expansion, evidenced by the expansion of the Sahara Desert by 10% every 10 years; thawing permafrost, which generally stores carbon dioxide; and rising sea levels, predicted to rise 10 to 12 inches over the next 30 years. These effects disproportionately affect minorities, people with low incomes, adults who have no high school diploma or equivalent, and individuals 65 and older, he said.

On a more hopeful note, Brad concluded by explaining ways in which individuals, organizations, and nations can improve the health of our planet:

• Prioritize the Global South. This strategy was adopted by the United Nations. The Global South encompasses many of the developing nations. “Much of their infrastructure is in its infancy,” Brad explained. Thus, these nations can begin with green technology, helping to reduce greenhouse gases and climate change. For their part, he said, governments and corporations in the developed world can pay for practices that lead to a higher carbon footprint by offsetting it, giving donations to countries in the Global South to build their infrastructure.

• Transition to renewable forms of energy and energy efficiency. “This is one of the hallmarks of what climatologists are pushing: removing natural gas and coal as a means of generating energy and generating your own energy” through solar or wind power.

• Reduce our overall consumption of everything. “Everything that we buy, everything that we use, has its own embedded carbon footprint,” Brad said. He gave the example of cars, which are transported to various places throughout the manufacturing and purchasing processes that cause carbon dioxide to be generated. “So, be conscious of what you buy,” he advised. “Just by being aware of it, hopefully, you have that appreciation that this is affecting other people.”

Watch the video to learn more about global climate change and how to be a better ally to Earth and the Earth community or on our public video library.
 

Chicago, September 18, 2023 – “Whatever the issue – climate, peace, or human rights – we’re all in it together. We can only do this by being in it together, the whole global community – everybody included.”

That was one of the responses of Sister Kathleen Nolan, OP, Director of the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, to her attendance at the Ninth Convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, held August 14-18, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Also attending were Adrian Dominican Associate Carol Fowler and Sisters Durstyne Farnan, OP, and Jean Keeley, OP. They were among more than 7,000 participants representing 95 countries and more than 200 faith traditions. 

Enjoying the convening are, from left, Sister Jean Keeley, OP; Pat Tomich, a friend of the Adrian Dominican Sisters; and a new Franciscan friend.
Photo by Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP

The Parliament of the World Religions is an international organization founded in 1893 to “cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and to foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions to address the critical issues of our time,” according to its website. 

The Parliament originated in Chicago in 1893, but the first of its regular international gatherings began in Chicago in 1993. The convenings took place every few years after that in various parts of the world, culminating in the gathering in Toronto in 2018 and a virtual gathering in 2021. The Parliament returned to Chicago this year. The theme was “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom and Human Rights.”

Participants attended daily plenary sessions and could attend one of about 30 workshops at every time slot on various tracks. “There were workshops on multiple topics,” Sister Durstyne recalled. “The climate was [a popular topic], and it was new to the Parliament. We heard a presentation on human rights – the right to a healthy environment, a new resolution that the UN passed in July.” 

The Adrian Dominican participants appreciated the daily vegan lunch provided by the Sikh community. In addition, they browsed booths staffed by people of various religious faith traditions and organizations and took the opportunity to speak to them. 

Members of the Sikh community perform a quiet chant during the vegan lunch they provided every day.
Photo by Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP

Sisters Durstyne and Kathleen stayed with Adrian Dominican Sisters living in Chicago, including Sister Jean. “That was another way for us to engage other Adrian Dominicans,” Sister Durstyne said. “When we have an opportunity to share with our Sisters, that also engages them, and they engage us.”

The four Adrian Dominican participants took the opportunity later to reflect on their experience. 

“I liked the huge diversity in the people we saw, experienced, and listened to,” Carol said. “The atmosphere there was so welcoming and hospitable, the way people treated one another and wanted to learn from one another. …This was a golden opportunity to try to understand other faith traditions.” 

The Adrian Dominican participants took advantage of that opportunity. For example, Carol said she learned a lot from “listening to speakers from the Islamic tradition and how closely aligned we are in 95 percent of what we believe.” 

Sister Jean attended a session led by Indigenous peoples. “[They] had an enormous circle in the assembly hall, and we passed the microphone and spoke about what we were grateful for and our passions,” she recalled. 

But, along with the diversity of faith traditions and cultures, the Adrian Dominican participants also noticed a sense of unity, particularly in matters of justice and peace. “There were core values of peacemaking, listening, dialogue, and trying to understand,” Carol said. 

“Whatever the issue – climate, peace, or human rights – we’re all in it together,” Sister Kathleen said. She noted the Parliament’s Global Ethic, which recently included a call to sustainability and care for the Earth. That fifth ethic makes the connection between the Earth Charter and the UN Declaration on Human Rights. “People are beginning to realize that everything is connected,” she said.

“That seems to be the message, that the churches need to step up – especially [in the area of] poverty,” Sister Jean said. “There’s so much emphasis on fixing our air conditioning or paving the parking lot [but] there doesn’t seem to be a wider vision.”

Sisters Durstyne and Kathleen experienced a particular challenge for people in the United States and other developed nations. “There are limits to what we can and cannot do,” Sister Durstyne said. “We, especially in the United States, need to learn this.” In one workshop, she said, she heard of the commitment by noted Catholic scholar and environmentalist Thomas Berry “to another way of living besides living extravagantly, so much out of fossil fuels and [their] emissions.”

“The idea is that wealthy nations are obligated to lighten their impact on the poor nations,” Sister Kathleen said. “Nobody lives in a vacuum and has the right to everything. We have to learn that if we’re willing to share resources, there’s enough for everyone.” 

Carol recommended that anybody interested in attending the next convening – the date and place have not yet been set – should consider doing so. “It offers you the opportunity to get out of your mindset and have a completely different experience,” she said. “The focus was very much on what we can do in the here and now. It was a terrific experience.”

Read more about the recent convening of the World Parliament of the World’s Religions in an article in the National Catholic Reporter.