Columbans around the world see how the massive extraction of natural resources is the root cause of many other injustices: species extinction, climate change, and community displacement, to name a few. Examples of extractive industries include coal and oil drilling, fracking, cash crop plantations, and even hydroelectric dams and profit-driven renewable energy.
What extractive industries do is turn God’s glorious creation into a cheap commodity, violating the sacred relationship between God, humans, and all creation (cf. Gen 9: 8-17).
As people of faith, we believe that we must create a new way of producing and consuming that acts in harmony with nature and prioritizes the dignity of marginalized communities. This new economy must be about life over death, generosity over exploitation, and the common good over profit.
The resources and articles on this webpage will help you better understand the pervasive and often hidden impacts of extractive industries. They will invite you to listen and respond to the cries of our wounded earth and vulnerable communities.
Host an Environmental Justice Workshop
Learn how your community can stand in solidarity with the exploited earth and marginalized communities
Download our consumer examination to better understand the connection between the stuff we buy and extractive industries
Tell the Senate: Protect Environmental Defenders
Ever years, dozens of people are killed defending the environment from extractive projects. Tell the Senate to protect them.
Our faith calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable and persecuted. One way we can do that for the courageous people who defend our common home, especially indigenous communities, is by praying a "Novena for Earth Defenders."
Our country has to think creatively about how we can responsible steward the gifts of our planet and live in harmony with God’s creation. We can no longer afford to do is ignore the realities before us and place profits over people, the interest of a small few over the good of everyone.
The God of creation is calling each of us to reconnect with the natural world and reexamine how our lifestyles impact its wellbeing. The Columban Creation Covenant is a guide to help you do just that. By filling out the Columban Creation Covenant, you are making a commitment to the natural world. "How will I reconnect with God's creation?"
This examination will help you identify how the extraction of the raw materials needed to manufacture your purchases impacted workers, nearby communities, and the earth. It will help you imagine new ways to purchase responsibly.
Las cosas que compramos pasan por un largo proceso antes de llegar a nosotros. Este proceso comienza con la extracción de la materia prima y luego avanza por los niveles de producción, distribución, consumo y, finalmente, desecho. El proceso se conoce como una “cadena de producción.”
Two years ago, on June 18, 2015 Columban missionaries welcomed and celebrated the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’. The full title translated into English is
Copyright © 2024 Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Washington, D.C.