Our “Crafty Sunday” in May provided a chance for us to showcase the Center for Creative Reuse as well as a lot of fun for those who attended! If you should notice any fruit-studded headbands around, you’ll see some of that creativity on display. We greatly appreciate the hard work Amy Grella performed! We also want to say a special “thank you” to Judy Delestienne’s granddaughter, Sophia, and to Abigail Boisvert for their yeoman work in cleaning up.
Kudos to the Christian Ed. Committee for choosing a green theme for this year’s VBS! ReNew: The Green VBS will take place August 1-5.
Thinking about updating your yard? The sustainability website Earth911 (https://earth911.com) has some tips for planting a bee-friendly garden:
1. Go native with your flowers. Aside from hardiness, they have the added bonus of generally being well-suited to the climate.
2. Choose a variety of plants that will provide blooms year round.
3. Use only natural fertilizers and herbicides. This actually goes for anything you plant. It will protect all those, human and otherwise, who use your yard.
4. Skip pesticides and avoid plants that have been treated with Neocotinoids. This may be an issue with big box stores.
Finally, we appreciate the efforts of our “mother” committee, Mission, in their new effort to help us Mind the Gap and Mend the Gap:
Minding the Gap- The New York Times climate desk reports on a growing body of evidence showing that climate change is tied to pregnancy risks, affecting black mothers most. “Not only are minority communities in the United States far more likely to be hotter than the surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the ‘heat island’ effect, but they are also more likely to be located near polluting industries.” Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. presents some of the most compelling evidence so far linking climate change with harm to newborn children. Low birth rates are more common as temperatures rise, and heat waves are associated with more premature births. The closer a mother lives to a power plant, the greater the risk of pre-term birth. Minorities may be less able to afford to live in leafy communities which keep temperatures down, and to have access to medical help. All of this, and more, adds up to a significant difference in outcomes.
Mending the Gap- Communities of faith are increasingly involved is standing up for cleaner air and water. BHCC belongs to the Pa Chapter of Interfaith Power and Light (https://paipl.us), which is a good source of information. Closer to home, the Environmental Health Project (https://www.environmentalhealthproject.org) serves Southwestern Pennsylvania. Pediatrician Dr. Ned Katyher has been a speaker at Adult Ed.