From our Sustainability Captain

The Christmas season is a time in which we often like to show appreciation and gratitude to those we love, particularly through gifting items in the spirit of bringing joy. As we approach this Holy time, reflecting on the value of material goods and the inherent overconsumption that occurs over the Christmas period, should be placed at the forefront of our minds and in its place we should consider alternative ways to incite happiness to those around us, taking the burden off our planet, thus aiding humanity in shifting to a more sustainable future.

Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ Encyclical addresses sustainability; ‘The Catholic Church views climate change as a moral issue that must be addressed in order to protect the Earth’, “Our common home.” He adds that the idea of infinite or unlimited growth “is based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the Earth’s goods.” He admits, however, that not all is lost and that human beings, “while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves,” by choosing what is good.

As a Catholic Community, Brigidine has the opportunity to fulfil this call to action through our conscious choices of gifts over the holiday season. Some alternative gift ideas include:

• gifting experiences, such as tickets to a movie or show
• Spotify or Netflix subscriptions
• houseplants or flowers
• donations

Some ways for students to give joy to parents:

• car wash ‘voucher’
• breakfast in bed
• restaurant voucher
• choose a night to cook dinner for the family

Thank you!

Emily Smith, 

Sustainability Captain