"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2:15
This week's Lenten focus is Care for the Earth. There are tons of ways this could be done. Gladly, lots of the easiest ways we've already implemented, such as switching to reusable grocery bags, composting, recycling, and so on. This week, though, I wanted to make it hurt a little. Here are some excerpts from TearFund about the week's focus:
"Many of our lifestyle choices are as a result of changing times and advancing technology which have made far more goods and services available to us than ever before. There are many benefits, but have we also come to expect an unsustainable level of speed, convenience and comfort as a result of this?
This week's Lenten focus is Care for the Earth. There are tons of ways this could be done. Gladly, lots of the easiest ways we've already implemented, such as switching to reusable grocery bags, composting, recycling, and so on. This week, though, I wanted to make it hurt a little. Here are some excerpts from TearFund about the week's focus:
"Many of our lifestyle choices are as a result of changing times and advancing technology which have made far more goods and services available to us than ever before. There are many benefits, but have we also come to expect an unsustainable level of speed, convenience and comfort as a result of this?
When looking at the level of emissions generated from personal car usage and the impact it’s
having on climate change, there comes a point when we must ask ourselves whether necessity, comfort or even laziness rank above flooded homes, displaced people or hungry children in our hearts and in our minds? It makes you think when you look at it from a different perspective."
According to the US EPA, "The combustion of fossil fuels. such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods is the second largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions."
According to the US EPA, "The combustion of fossil fuels. such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods is the second largest source of CO2 emissions, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions."
With this in mind, my goals for this week are four-fold:
1. Reduce (drastically) my use of the car by walking when possible and either eliminating regular errands or combining them so that I only have to make one trip "to town." I'll log how I do and report back.
2. While I have greatly reduced the amount of disposable items we use around here, I do still stock plastic baggies. I try to use them sparingly, but, still, they stare at me accusatoriallly whenever I open their drawer. This week, I aim to either sew or purchase some reusable baggies. (My local fabric store doesn't seem to stock the waterproof fabric I'd need for the liners, so I may have to resort to ordering them).
3. Using www.DoNotMail.org, I will attempt to unsubscribe and thus reduce the amount of junkmail that makes its way to our house via snail mail.
4. Pray this beautiful prayer, courtesy of TearFund: "Father, help us to see how our lifestyle affects your creation and to remember people who are suffering because of it. Please give us insight, wisdom and the courage to face the truth – no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be. Help us to turn positive actions from this weeks’ fast into habits. Encourage us when our actions seem small and remind us how important they are, and how connected our lives are to our global neighbours. Enable us to make wise choices and give us grace in our daily lifestyle decisions. Let our sacrifices be worship unto you. Amen."