Hello!
My name is Cyrile Sincock, and I am an Associate of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and a member of the Addressing Climate Change Committee of the Province.
Recently, while driving home, I saw a small sign on the side of the road advertising an EcoFest from 2:00-4:00 at the Presbyterian Church in Churchville, Maryland. The EcoFest was sponsored by the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake, an environmental group working in Harford County.
Last Sunday, June 6th, was a desperately hot day, and I was anxious to get home. But somehow, I found myself pulling into the Church parking lot. When I got out of the car, the heat was extreme, but I decided to persevere anyway and proceeded to go from booth to booth.
There were about 15 booths in all, and I stopped at each one to see what was happening and pick up brochures and information. All the booths seemed related one to another, almost like a puzzle being put together on problems facing our planet.
Represented at the EcoFest were environmental groups working in Harford County such as the Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, the One Water Partnership, the Harford Land Trust, and the Saint Kateri Habitat Program. The Harford County Climate Action Committee, and Maryland Catholics for our Common Home were also represented.
As I traveled from booth to booth, I was struck by the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers. Even though it was so hot, the volunteers had smiles on their faces as they tried to explain the abundance of information they had before them. I found myself being inspired to learn more about their individual topics. By the time I left the EcoFest, I knew that there is much I needed to learn and that I would have “to take up and read” to do so.
When I returned to my car with a free Red Maple tree to plant in one hand, and lots of pamphlets and papers, plus information on how to plant a pollinator garden and a rain garden, in the other hand, I just felt wonderful having spent an afternoon at such a worthwhile event and in the company of such sincere and loving people.
signed,
Cyrile
Addressing Climate Change Committee
P.S. Please search for events such as the Eco-Fest in your community and attend. It will definitely be time well spent.
