The Franciscan Action Network (FAN) holds at its core a deep care for creation which stems from our patron, St. Francis of Assisi. FAN sees the interconnectedness of all creation and the common origin of humanity as rooted in God’s loving design for the earth and all people. We believe in the power of building relationships among diverse people while connecting and sharing knowledge of best-practices.
In an effort to continue our work caring for creation, FAN is excited to announce a new campaign we are launching in 2020 called D-40. Modeled after the successful C40 campaign created by Michael Bloomberg to green our cities, the D40 Project will begin “greening” the infrastructure of churches, faith communities, and dioceses. FAN will build a network of faith communities committed to sharing knowledge and driving meaningful, measurable and sustainable action for a national transition to green infrastructure and renewable energy.
With the D40 project, we see an opportunity to achieve the consensus-based, best practice-sharing network like C40 where each diocese helps implement climate action, access partnership resources, and overcome technical and financial barriers. Many dioceses represent the largest landowners in the country. By working in partnership with C40, dioceses, the Catholic Climate Covenant, and other Catholic organizations, we will have access to research which analyzes key trends and identifies opportunities for further action across a global network. We plan to develop and implement a project to help dioceses become carbon-neutral and environmentally stable. Additionally, using the Living the Change campaign, we will raise awareness among the individuals within the Catholic community to take the necessary steps to reduce their personal carbon footprint.