Thinking globally and acting locally to combat the environmental threat

We in St Joseph and St Benildus Parish have often shared our feelings of powerlessness in the face of the impending global threat posed by climate change and environmental degradation. But as Christians we always felt that we should respond in some way. 

After all, creation is a gift of the Creator God, who is present in the world, sustaining life in all its abundance and beauty. 

We feel it is better to light a candle than to continue to curse the darkness.

Under the leadership of our former pastoral worker, Cecily Maher, an Eco-Action Group (EAG) was formed. Under the guidance of Eco-Congregation Ireland, the group has made huge progress over the last two years and has demonstrated that much can be achieved at local level to reduce our carbon footprint and make our parish and local community much more eco-friendly. 

Cecily has recently submitted an application on behalf of the EAG, to Eco Congregation Ireland for a very high-level award in recognition of their achievements. (Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) encourages churches of all denominations to take an eco approach to worship, lifestyle, property and finance management, community outreach and contact with the developing world). 

Cecily outlined the various projects undertaken by the group. Perhaps the greatest achievement of EAG was the establishment of the Biodiversity Corridor Development Group (The ‘B’ Corridor) in Waterford City in 2024. This is made up of representatives from local Residents Associations, St. Joseph, St. Benildus and St. Mary’s Parish Eco-Action Group, Waterford Trees for Life, Waterford City and County Council Biodiversity Office and the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

The ‘B Corridor’ runs from St. Joseph and St. Benildus Church, Newtown, Waterford to St Mary’s Church, Ballygunner, Waterford and includes the Special Area of Conservation of the Lower River Suir. 

Its aim is to protect the biodiversity of this area and to encourage further life to flourish.

In 2024, the group hosted a community information walk along the corridor route and held a gardening day in the grounds of St. Joseph and St. Benildus Church, where we prepared the soil for the development of a small pollinator-friendly demonstration garden.

There is also a group of volunteers, encouraged by the EAG, which meets on Monday mornings to pick up litter in the Dunmore Road area. Members of the group have promoted awareness of Fairtrade in local schools and how buying Fairtrade products can enhance the lives of small farmers in developing countries.

We have encouraged the Parish Pastoral Council to make every effort to create an eco-friendlier environment in our parish. Since last year, the members of the Council have been carpooling to and from the meetings; so rather than 12 cars being used, we have three cars parked at the church. Other efforts to lessen our carbon footprint include emailing minutes of Council meetings rather than printing paper copies.

The Council engaged a company to place solar panels on St Mary’s Church in Ballygunner. The light bulbs in St Mary’s have also been replaced by LED lights.

The parish is now focused on minimising paper use by prioritising digital formats for paper-based communications; for essential printing, we are encouraging lower-impact practices, such as double-sided printing and toner-saving settings, while also promoting the reuse of paper where possible.

EAG collaborates with the Parish Liturgy Committee to infuse environmental themes into our liturgies during the Season of Creation in September each year. One of the highlights of the Season was a river ritual wherein an open-air ecumenical prayer service was held on the banks of the River Suir. The river flows through the parish. 

It finished with the distribution of locally sourced snowdrop bulbs. These were to be planted by all who took part in the service as a symbol of hope and renewal.

Last summer, the EAG organised a series of walks in local scenic areas. The objective was to explore different habitats, such as woodland areas, river walks and coastal areas. They incorporated a short meditation into the walks at the halfway mark, where people paused to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings. These walks are happening again this summer and are advertised on the parish newsletter and Facebook page.

On a global level, the EAG cooperates with the St. Joseph, St. Benildus and St. Mary's Ishiara Partnership Project, supporting a rural community based in Northern Kenya. The partnership is concentrating on two areas of development for some time now: a) water harvesting and b) sponsoring the secondary education of students in Ishiara. 

The partnership has just completed the construction of a 10,000-gallon water storage tank in Ishiara at a cost of approximately €25,000, which will provide auxiliary water for 176 families during the dry season.

The Ishiara Community has educated and inspired us with the ecological initiatives that they are undertaking in their parish, including creating carbon sinks, a kitchen garden, and a food forest.

The work of the EAG was audited by two representatives from ECI and was highly commended. 

Cecily’s report demonstrates that much can be achieved at local level to combat the threat of climate change and environmental degradation.