Last Sunday, we began Advent, a season of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  Advent is also the start of the liturgical year for the church.  Holidays and seasonal transitions are important times for reflection on what is important in our lives and defining a new path.

Consumerism is a major cause of the environmental issues that we face.   Recycling is great, but Reducing is best.  At this time of year, we are bombarded with advertisements encouraging us to buy gifts and spend money on material things.  All of these tangible thing take energy and resources to produce which have long term impact on the environment.  

Looking for ways to simplify your Christmas?

• The Catholic Free Press will be running an article on alternative gift ideas.
• Complement your Advent wreath with a food donation. Put a food item in a box each day of Advent and donate the box to the food pantry on Christmas eve - https://passionatepennypincher.com/?s=reverse%20advent 
• Give a “One Less Gift” certificate - http://www.missminimalist.com/one-less-gift-a-holiday-gift-exemption-certificate/ 
• Non-toy gifts for Children - https://nourishingminimalism.com/blog/18-non-toy-gifts-for-children/

Our parishes can also define a new path in year ahead and lead by example on decreasing energy use which both save money and reduces pollution.   The easiest first step is to have free energy assessment by Mass Save - https://www.masssave.com/.  A portion of our electric and gas bills are set aside to fund energy efficiency improvements.   This applies to institutional accounts like parishes and schools as well as to residential accounts.  A Mass Save assessment can be done for no charge every 2 years and new rebates and other promotions are introduced from time to time.  

If you would like some help having an energy audit at your parish, please reach out to the Diocese of Worcester Environmental Stewardship team at environmentworcester@gmail.com.