Be environmental says Pope

Mother Nature Network reports on Pope Benedict XVI's environmental decree for 2010:

"An objective shared by all, an indispensable condition for peace, is that of overseeing the earth's natural resources with justice and wisdom," [he said]

The Vatican has a mixed history of environmentalism that Ecotravel News has previously written about. It has created its own airline, gone carbon neutral, had the Pope declare people need to be more environmental from the plane, and made toys out of old Christmas trees.

Read the full story: Pope urges lifestyle changes to save environment

Photo by Franco Origlia / Getty Images

Vatican to make toys out of x-mas tree

Reuters reports on the Vatican's Christmas tree.

This year the tree is from Austria and over 108 feet (33 meters) tall; the tallest tree ever to grace St Peter's Square.

And this tree will be recycled into children's toys as another way of the Vatican's continuing intentions of going green:

Last summer Ecotravel News noted that the Pope urged Australians to change their lifestyles to help save the environment.

The Vatican has also gone carbon neutral and recently installed solar panels on its roof.

Read the full story: Big Vatican Christmas tree to be recycled into toys

Pope urges lifestyle changes to help environment... from his plane

Australia's The Sydney Morning Herald reports on Pope Benedict XVI's visit and urgent message to Australians (that he delivered from his plane before he landed) to save the environment by changing ones lifestyle.

This is just another ironic event (because as we all know that airplanes emit high amounts of carbon that is causing the climate to change) in the Pontiff's tenure.

Ecotravel News has previously pointed out that the Vatican has started their own airline and also have more honorably gone carbon-neutral.

The catholic leader has good intentions but he needs to start following his own advice too, even though the SMH does point out that Australia is becoming less energy-efficient.

Read the full story: Help to save the world, Pope tells Australia
and the sister story of: Nation of climate sinners

Vatican to be carbon neutral

Although the Vatican started a new airline recently, it is interesting to see a report in the International Herald Tribune about the Catholic nation's carbon offsetting program. A "denuded" forest in Hungary was donated to the Vatican by the Klimafa company, who will plant enough trees that they claim will absorb all the carbon emitted from the nation-state's "various activities."

"In so doing, the Vatican announced, it would become the world's first carbon-neutral state. 'As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, recently stated, the international community needs to respect and encourage a "green culture," ' said Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Planting forests is only "a partial solution, and a temporary one. [It] will only compensate for a small fraction of emissions, even if you cover all of Hungary in young trees," said Laszlo Galhidy, forestry officer for the environmental group WWF Hungary, although he praised the [Vatican] project as a useful step."

Read the full report: Vatican agress to a carbon offset scheme

Vatican adding another detriment to environment

If the Vatican hasn't done enough to ruin the environment with their so-called "godly" edicts such as spreading overpopulation to the extreme by saying birth control is a sin, now they are adding an airline so pilgrims can pray at holy sites that much faster.

Hey, but the carbon emissions spewn out from this "holy" plane will let these souls get to heaven so even though they add to the already polluted skies and global warming, the final goal of death can be that much more torturous. The agony of dying from cancer is noble as long as you will know you will be uplifted in the end into the arms of the Lord.

Congratulations Vatican for adding to the earth's decline, may your souls rest in peace knowing how you helped ruin the world.

Read the Reuters report: Vatican airline takes to the skies