THE GREEN ISSUE

Open-door policy: Rob Marco’s school bus is being converted into a sustainable stand-alone living space. (photo by Michael Persico)

God and Country

The Vatican opened the door to Rob Marco’s dream of living as an eco-hermit.

by Cassidy Hartmann

As everyone eventually learns, opportunities to screw up only multiply with age. So in the spirit of maturation, the Vatican recently added seven “social sins” to its list of no-nos for which all good Catholics must repent. Among the new offenses are excessive wealth, drug abuse and—perhaps most notable for “green pope” Benedict XVI—polluting the environment.

Yes, the Catholic Church has jumped on the green bandwagon. And so far this doesn’t appear to be just lip service from an institution known for hypocrisy. Vatican City, with its retrofitted solar panels and plethora of foliage, is already the only carbon-neutral sovereign state in the world. (The Holy See is now officially more progressive than the U.S. government.) And since that consequential announcement back in March, faith and environmentalism have had the potential to coincide more than ever before.

For Rob Marco, a 28-year-old Roxborough resident pursuing a master’s degree in theology at Villanova, the opportunity to incorporate eco-friendly practices with Catholic teachings was no mere sign of the times. It was more like the answer to a prayer he hadn’t yet put into words.

Last month Marco quit his job as a caseworker and began the Urban Hermitage Project—a plan to shed life’s material excesses and construct a sustainable one-room home out of recycled materials.

“The Vatican really opened the door for this project,” says Marco, who’d considered joining a monastery before deciding to pursue an eco-hermetic existence on his own. Inspired by the hermits of ancient Egypt as well as Richard Withers, the first hermit to be recognized by the Philadelphia Archdiocese (who purportedly lives in a small Philly rowhouse), Marco says the project is the perfect way to combine his years of research on sustainable living and his desire to simplify his life to leave more time for writing and prayer.

“The environmental movement had never included God—they’d always been kept separate,” says Marco. “My goal is to show they work together.”

The original plan was to build a freestanding structure for less than $1,000. But that was before the mini school bus came into his life.

After seeing it parked with a “for sale” sign in his neighborhood, Marco purchased the bus for $1,500 and is currently converting it into a sustainable living space. He’s created a blog (natureformandspirit.blogspot.com) to document the process.

A “gray water system” will filter rainwater through layers of soil and clay for use in the sink and shower. Drinking water will endure a more complex filtration process involving UV purification. Solar panels (the only other significant purchase Marco plans to make) will provide heat and electricity. And a composting toilet will sit right around where the passenger’s seat used to be.

“This is obviously not for everyone,” he says, smiling. “But it does make me feel hopeful about my future because I’m not as dependent on the government, on a large income, on a lot of things that are just so unsteady right now.”

Marco plans to move into the bus by October—he just needs someplace to park it.

“I’d prefer not to be [parked] on the street,” he says. A backyard would be ideal. No one’s offered yet, but Marco isn’t worried—he’s confident the right place will present itself.

In addition to his pursuit of eco-piety, Marco plans to devote the next year of his life to writing a book exploring another unlikely pairing: spirituality and mental illness. Marco has bipolar disorder—a condition characterized by mood instability. After years of experimentation, he’s found a combination of medications that allow him to function close to normally, but his experiences with the disease have overlapped with his inner spiritual life in interesting, sometimes perplexing ways.

“When people have religious experiences, they can afterward be interpreted as mental illness episodes,” he explains. “That’s a real problem. It delegitimizes any spiritual experience. [It says], ‘Based on our norms, you are not normal—you need to be fixed.’ They could be being talked to by God. Why would you want to fix that?”

Marco’s disorder is exacerbated by stress, so he believes simplifying his life will help decrease his symptoms (he’ll also continue the meds). But he’s quick to point out—through the existence of the Small House Society and other movements toward simpler lifestyles—that the benefits of a less wasteful and therefore less burdened existence are available to everyone. Even those unwilling or unable to go to the lengths he has.

“This wouldn’t work if it didn’t make people happy,” he says. “Having less makes your life so much richer because it makes you appreciate what you actually have.

“Americans are living in a way that’s not sustainable. Our resources are becoming more scarce; we have to make do with less.”

Maybe more Americans should take lessons from the pope. Just don’t hold your breath for news of the first papal compost toilet. On that one Marco may be on his own.

Freelance writer Cassidy Hartmann is a frequent contributor to PW.