Virtual town hall addresses environmental responsibility in Maryland

The Maryland Catholic Conference hosted a virtual town hall Feb. 15 to discuss the responsibility of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to care for creation in Maryland.

The town hall, livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, was a local response to Pope Francis’ call to “care for our common home” in his encyclical letter “Laudato Si’,” in which he reminds the faithful of their moral and spiritual responsibilities for taking care of God’s creation.

“We are not its owners or masters, but rather its stewards,” said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, a featured panelist. “That has to be applied locally. If it doesn’t happen locally it’s not happening.”

Some of the topics discussed include protection of the Chesapeake Bay, pollution in the City of Baltimore affecting the health of minorities, environmental legislation and policies, construction practices and practical advice for residents.  

Maryland State Senator Jill Carter of District 41 conveyed the impact of climate change and pollution in Baltimore City.

In Baltimore, asthma-related hospitalization rates are double compared to the rest of Maryland and three times higher than the United States average, she said. Three out of five African American and Hispanic Americans live in communities with toxic-waste sites.

“It is the history of segregation and redlining which has created the conditions we have,” Carter noted. “In order to truly establish environmental justice, we must increase educational opportunities and give a voice to the most impacted communities.”

Robin Clark, staff attorney at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said climate change is one of the pressing challenges affecting the bay.

“It is making the bay clean up tougher,” she said. “We’re seeing more frequent and severe rain storms, as well as overall more volume of rain.”

According to Clark, a solution to mitigate the flooding people face in cities, towns and suburban areas is to plant trees and implement treatment plants in these cities and towns, which not only have a cooling effect but also an effect on water quality.

She noted that since 2010, there has been progress across the whole watershed with the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, in which nitrogen pollution has been reduced by 44 percent. The project, which attempts to improve water quality, will come to completion in 2025.  

Chris Becraft, partner at Underwood & Associates in Annapolis, said that in order to restore the ecosystem, construction practices must constantly evolve with science and design. 

As practical ways families can opt to help the environment, Russell Dickerson, a member of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change of the University of Maryland, suggested planting trees, riding bikes, replacing gas furnaces with geothermal and talking to congressional leaders to address environmental issues.

Costello applauded Archbishop Lori for his commitment to keeping Catholic schools and parishes engaged in environmentally conscious practices such as energy-efficient lighting, entering into power-purchase agreements, transforming unused asphalt lots into green space and planting trees. 

“Caring for the environment is as much about caring for our common home as it is about protecting the dignity of every human person,” Archbishop Lori said. “We remain completely committed to working with our partners to ensure we do everything possible to bring about environmental justice and to promote personal responsibility in caring for the gift God has entrusted to us to care for during our lifetimes.”

WMAR-TV news anchor Jamie Costello moderated the town hall panel and Father Raymond Harris, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Randallstown, led the initial prayer. Delegate Benjamin Brooks was also a featured speaker. 

The Maryland Catholic Conference will host another town hall on the environment with Cardinal Gregory March 9, 2022. Participants are to be announced.

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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