St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

 

When we drink water from water bottles and recycle these bottles, did you know people in poor countries receive the gift of our waste! 

 

Did you know, less than 9% of plastic is recyclable. Around 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills every single day, and Americans alone send more than 38 billion water bottles to landfills every year (this means, they are not recycled. 

 

How can you change this statistic? We at St John's understand the importance of sustainable water bottles. During the first week of Advent we gifted you reusable water bottles in hope accompany you in making a difference.

 

 

 

"cry of the poor"

 

Did you know, Americans toss 1.6 billion disposable pens annually, which ends up in the landfills of poor countries. Reflect on the many times you replaced pens in the workplace, at home, school, etc. How many pens have you contributed to the world issue of plastic waste? 

 

It is easy to comfort yourself in saying you only used 10 pens or even 30 in a year, but if you multiply that by billions of people who use pens, we end with 1.6 billion pens in landfills.

 

St John's during the second week of advent are gifting you 100% recyclable pens so you can try it at home and in your workplace or school. Maybe you can help others transition to eco friendly pens. 

 

"throw away culture"

Although California wants to reduce the production and usage of disposable straws, the US wastes 50 million straws per day. Think of all those fast food visits and straws that are used once, especially plastic straws wrapped in plastic. Scientists estimate 7.5 million straws pollute US coastlines & between 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws on coastlines around the world. 

 

We understand the need for straws, especially when in public venues. This is why we are gifting our parishioners reusable straws to accompany you in reducing the waste produced each year, as well as understanding the JOY that exists with God's creation in the sea. Remember, earth is our common shared home, as are the generations that follow us.

 

"sustainability"

Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to photodegrade. They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals ingest them. Americans throw away 100 billion bags annually, that's the equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of crude oil! 

 

The fourth sunday of advent we are gifting parishioners reusable bags to use the next time you go grocery shopping. Let us show love for our common home this advent season.