Earth Day

                        

Earth Day is April 22 and was started to create awareness and appreciation of the planet and environment we live in.  This event is not only for the one day....it is a celebration for every day.  We, as Christians, should be the biggest advocates of Earth Day.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) We believe in God as the creator of the earth and of all things...we love God and want to serve Him in obedience...therefore, shouldn't we desire to worship God by being mindful of our choices and actions to be better stewards of His beautiful creation that He has graciously entrusted us to live in?  We are called to be good stewards of all that God has blessed us with...our bodies, our money, our time, our homes, our families, our jobs, and His creation that He gave us to live in (the earth, the environment, the animals and the people).  I encourage us all to be mindful this year and think of at least 1 way that we can make a change to show more respect to God and His land.  Being "green" not only cares for the earth and environment, but it also cares for our health and the health of our families.  You might be thinking, "Our earth is so polluted already.  There's nothing I can do to help or change things."  Be encouraged that one person and small changes can make a BIG difference.  If God has asked us to take care of all that He has entrusted us with, let's choose to act with respect to Him!


Here are some tips on living "green": 

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
2. Reusable Shopping Bags- give up paper and plastic bags and take your own reusable bag when you go shopping. Once you empty your groceries from them at home, put them by the door so you remember to keep them in the trunk of your car.
3. Stop Buying Bottled Water- use a reusable water bottle. I recommend Klean Kanteen www.kleankanteen.com. My husband & I carry ours around everywhere. I love them! They are clean and safe and come in different colors and sizes. They also have bottles for infants and sippy cups for toddlers. I do not recommend consuming too much from plastic, but if you get a plastic reusable bottle I recommend getting one with the number 1, 2, 4 or 5 on the bottom. Numbers 3, 6 and 7 can pose more health threats.
4. Take Shorter Showers & Conserve Water Use in the Kitchen
5. Use More Natural, Biodegradable Cleaning Products- make your own at home or support companies that are making a difference environmentally. (Seventh Generation, Method, Sun and Earth, Mrs. Meyer's)
6. Reusable Wrags- give up paper towels and replace with reusable wrags that you can throw in the wash.
7. Use More Natural Products for Body- this is healthier for the earth and your skin. Natural products don't have the pesticides and toxic chemicals in them and use "greener" packaging. (Desert Essence, Kiss My Face, JASON, Arbonne, Avalon Organics, Juice Beauty, 100% Pure, Yes to Carrots, and so many more!)
8. Reusable Containers- use reusable containers for lunches and to store food in the fridge.
9. Energy- unplug chargers when not in use, turn lights off when not in the room and use energy saving bulbs, turn down the thermostat
10. Food- plant a garden, support your local farmer's market, buy organic, reduce meat & dairy consumption (not only is it great for your health and environment, but it helps in eliminating the horrific abuse that animals go through BEFORE they actually get to the slaughter house. This is never how God intended us to treat His animals! I encourage you to read Farm Sanctuary, by Gene Baur. Environmentally, it takes 1,800-2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.)

I highly recommend Sara Snow's, Fresh Living book. It has great tips and resources for living "green".
There are so many more ways to living "green" and respecting the earth that God has entrusted us with...I would love to hear some of your tips! :)