7: Waste

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the water.”

– Psalm 24: 1-2

I’m going to be completely transparent with you. I am not too excited about this chapter. It sounds boring, it sounds difficult and I don’t have as much conviction about it as I do other things (possessions, spending, clothing, etc.) Prayer request: That the Lord will open my eyes to see how important this really is.

The goal of the chapter is to reduce our amount of waste and live a greener life. We are wasters. We are consumers. We are not taking care of God’s creation like we should, because for some reason I believe that I am more important than the animals, the forest, the ocean, the soil, the air that God so carefully constructed.

So, here are the Alderman’s seven habits to a greener life:

– Allow only 5 minutes showers

– Turn lights off when leaving a room (something I am TERRIBLE at and husband says so all the time)

– Unplug electronics, chargers, etc. when not in use

– Recycle what we can

– Eat out only at local restaurants

– Use reusable bags while shopping

– Do not use plastic baggies/utensils for lunches

As I was reading through the chapter about gardening and composting and using only one car, I literally thought to myself, “What difference are these things really going to make?” (I’m obviously not a hippie/earthy type, eh?) Then I got to the end of the chapter where the author specifically addressed that question, and her response was exactly what I needed to hear.

“If we believe it is part of our task as earthkeepers to recycle, then we ought to recycle, whether or not it will change the world. Do the right thing. We should fulfill our calling to be caretakers of the earth regardless of whether global warming is real or there are holes in the ozone layer or three nonhuman species become extinct every day. Our vocation is not contingent on results or the state of the planet. Our calling simply depends on our identity as God’s respons-able human image bearers.”

Let’s do the right thing.

xo xo

You might also enjoy: 7: Possessions, 7: Possessions // Week 1

February 26, 2013 | Categories: Faith | Tags: 7, earth, faith, waste | 3 Comments