Ideas from PECA Member Communities

Listed below are just a few Earth Care ideas promoted by our member faith communities. We thought you might find some of these resources useful, too.

Quick links:

Find a Farmer’s Market Near You

Shop locally - this is one way to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, plus it supports local businesses. Here is a listing of farmers Markets in Placer County with their locations and days/hours of operation. Check out the PlacerGROWN Directory, for more options including Farm to Tap Breweries, Farmstand, Local Farms, Farmstands, Plant Nurseries, Wineries, You-Pick Farms, CSA Subscriptions, and On-line Sales.

Rocklin
Rocklin Blue Oaks Town Center
6636 Lonetree Blvd, Rocklin, CA
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
June – October – SATURDAYS

Auburn
Auburn Old Town Certified Farmer’s Market
150 Auburn Folsom Road, Auburn, CA
7:00 or 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
OPEN YEAR ROUND - SATURDAYS

Lincoln
Fowler Ranch Farmers’ Market
3111 Lincoln-Newcastle Hwy., Lincoln, 95648
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
OPEN YEAR ROUND – SUNDAYS

Lincoln Hills CFM
965 Orchard Creek Ln, Lincoln, CA
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
June – November - WEDNESAYS

Granite Bay
Granite Bay Quarry Ponds Town Center
5550 Douglas Blvd, Granite Bay, CA
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 or 12:30 p.m.
June – October – SUNDAYS

Roseville
Fountains at Roseville
1198 Roseville Pkwy, Roseville, CA
8:00 or 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
OPEN YEAR ROUND – TUESDAYS

Colfax
Colfax Farmers Market
55 School Street, Colfax, 95713
4:00 – 7:00 pm
May – October – WEDNESDAYS

Tahoe City
Tahoe City Farmers Market
Commons Beach, 400 N Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA
8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
May – October – THURSDAYS

Make it a Green Holiday!

Care for Our Common Home Laudato Si at St Teresa of Avila Parish tabled during the holidays to promote less wasteful gift-wrapping practices. Their inspiration came from data provided in an article in the December 2023 issue of America: The Jesuit Review by Michael O’Brien:

Suggestions from the Care for our Common Home team:

  • Give the gift of services (facial, car wash …) or experiences (movie, lunch, …)

  • Give hand made items

  • Wrap items in comics, burlap, scarves, fabric, or bags that come with purchases (repurpose!)

  • Decorate your home using items found at home or in nature (pine cones, greenery, berries, …)

Photos from the tabling event at St. Theresa of Avila Parish (December 2023).

Statistics offered by Michael O’Brien:

  • About $960 billion: the record amount of U.S. spending between Nov. and Dec. 2023, predicte by the National Retail Federation

  • $8.3 billion: the amount spent on “unwanted Christmas presents” in 2022

  • $171 billion: the value of holiday gifts estimated to have been returned to U.S. retailers in 2022; 22% of the returned items end up in landfills. Online shopping has led to substantially higher rates of returns.

  • 25%: the increase in household waste generated between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day - about 1000 extra pounds of trash per household.

  • 120 million: the number of trees cut down every Christmas season across the world, almost 1/3 of them in the U.S. alone.

  • $12.7 billion: the amount Americans spend on gift wrap each year, mostly during Christmas - about 4.6 billion pounds of paper, half of which ends up in landfills.

  • 75%: the reduction in energy use of L.E.D. Christmas lights compared with incandescent bulbs. U.S. consumers use more energy to power their Christmas displays than many small nations use for all purposes in an entire year.

Plant a Tree!

Planting trees in urban areas helps alleviate the problem of urban heat islands, a phenomenon which worsens in a time of rising temperatures. The Roseville Urban Forest Foundation (RUFF) sponsors tree-planting events throughout the year in the Roseville area (the Sacramento Tree Foundation does something similar in the Sacramento area). RUFF provides the trees and the tools for the planting (end even dig the holes), all you have to do is show up! Upcoming events are posted on their Events web page; if that date doesn’t work for you, contact RUFF to find out the dates of their future events. A group from Saints Peter and Paul did an event in October 2023, and a group from Sierra Foothills Unitarian Universalists plans to do the same on April 13, 2024. Below are some photos from the October event courtesy of Saints Peter and Paul.

Creation Care Practices

Brought to you by the Earth Care Ministry at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Voluntary Simplicity

Can you make a practice of living lightly on the Earth? Voluntary Simplicity, as a practice, has been explored by both the Creation Team at SS. Peter & Paul and the Green Sanctuary Team at Sierra Foothills UU. Click below for their resources.