Seeing Green

Our church recently added a new feature to our website. We now have daily devotions written by various members of the congregation. Sometimes the devotions follow the topic of the most recent sermon and sometimes they are on totally unrelated subjects.

I was asked to write a 5 day series of devotions based on the Sunday School lessons I taught about Creation Care. My devotions started posting this Monday. If you would like to read them you can follow the links below.

Day One Green is the New Black

Day Two This is My Father's World

Day Three Use it Up or Pass it On

I'll post links to all five devotions in the series on my sidebar at the end of the week.

America Recycles Day

As promised I have a very special post for today.

My own recycling mentor, Linda, is guest posting on my blog.

She has recently launched her own blog, How to Be Green in Greenville, and wrote this great post on the positive impact recylcing can have not only on our planet, but on your own life.

So I hope you enjoy her post and go check out her blog for more great recylcing and green living tips and encouragement.

Lately I have been reading some very negative view points about recycling and how it really doesn't save much of anything. Some nay sayers comment on how much contamination goes into recycling facilities and ends up costing more time and effort than its worth. For example, a contriband plastic bag or shredded paper gets caught in the machine, and it causes the facility hours of work to free up the trapped waste, costing the facility more money than they will ever receive.

Other negative views state that the companies that sell us products packaged in all these containers that need to be recycled, are footing the responsibility to us, the consumers, to clean up their mess. They say, "don't recycle," then maybe these companies will take more responsibility for their messes.

I say this. A lot of people can spend a lot of time griping and arguing about many details pertaining to recycling. One could spin endlessly trying to decided, "should I, or shouldn't I," and never get a black and white answer. Like everything, the system is not perfect. There is contamination in recycling facilities, and people do waste a lot of time and money dealing with the "glitches".

I don't think, however, that these negative friends are taking into consideration the ripple effect that recycling can have on a person's life. By choosing to take action, and to "just start," despite all things that point to why you shouldn't, you will make a difference - for the planet, for yourself, and for others.

Personally, I can attest to this. Our recycling has had profound effects on our lives. We became more mindful of the waste in our lives, and of our own indifference. We live, as Americans, a very shallow, consumeristic lifestyle that says, "it's ok if it's not just right, or too old, or broken, or just outdated - throw it out. You can always get something else". Just seeing the mountain of "trash" that would have been going into our trash cans, was enough to give us pause. "Where is all of this cardboard coming from?" We had no idea that we threw out so much cardboard. "Are we really buying all this stuff?" Lots of children's things are packaged to death, with lots of excess cardboard.

Another example of this was with the cans. "Why are there so many cans? When did we stop eating real food? What does "fresh" taste like? What does our money support if we are not buying locally? Are our eating habits supporting unethical practices abroad?"

Well, I could talk a lot here about this road, but I will keep it short as not to sound too preachy. That's not my intent. Here is a little of our road. Recycling led to less spending... led to realization of consumeristic lifestyle... led to putting God back into first place in our lives... led to releasing our money to God... led to giving like never before... led to relief of poverty over seas and locally ...led to greater desire to give... led to realizing how our actions impact the poor globally... led to wanting to change more...led to composting...led to gardening... led to desire to can our own food... led to greater thankful perspective on the bounty that the earth provides us all... I could go on.

The point, recycling is so much bigger than the actual act. It's that, plus a lot more. Then, when you add the other two Rs of Reduce and Reuse, the impact is even greater. December will be the end of our year of buying nothing new. Another result of the road afore mentioned. Our spending is unrecognizable. We reuse more, and we reduce our trash just by buying less- less packaging.

Yes there are problems with recycling. Yes you could argue that it's not worth it when you throw in all the glitches. But when you look at the global picture of the change that occurs within yourself and your actions, and the impact that you have on friends, family, and biggest of all, your children, there is no question that it is effective, transformative, and in fact, DOES make a difference.

And if you don't buy any of that, buy this---It's just the right thing to do. We don't trash our homes, why would we trash God's earth, the very thing that gives us life and sustains us?

Please join with people all over our great country and make November 15th, America Recycles Day, the day that you begin your journey on your own road. See for yourself what a difference you can make!

Get Started!!

Saturday November 15th is America Recycles Day!

If you have been considering joining the recycling bandwagon this would be a great time.

Start reducing, reusing and recycling along with a bunch of other Americans on November 15th.

And don't forget to check back here for a special weekend post about recycling on Saturday too.

Lessons From Ditto-Land

This week we hired a babysitter and I spent one day out working with Brian to help him finish a construction project he was doing. It involved painting. Brian does not paint.

Anyway...working with Brian means two things. Huge fountain drinks from Motomart and Rush Limbaugh....two things I avoid when I'm on my own.

The fountain drinks are ok. I love the little pellet ice, but I could live without the soda. The Limbaugh on the other hand...ugh! I don't disagree with what he says necessarily, in fact I agree with a lot of it, but its just that arrogant, know-it-all attitude that drives me crazy. But this time he actually had a story that did interest me quite a bit.

He was talking about how these high gas prices are hitting everyone hard and he played a sound bite from an interview with a gentleman who was lamenting all of the changes he has had to make in his life because of the outrageous gas prices. This gentleman said that now his wife takes the subway to work everyday, they don't let their teenage daughter drive her car around just for fun anymore, he walks to work and they just keep their car in the garage and use it for emergencies.

Hello! You lived close enough to walk to work? Your wife had mass transit available to her? Your daughter was just driving around for no good reason? This is why we need billions of gallons of oil a year! This is why we have cities full of pollution! This is why our environment suffers! Here are three people who did not even need to drive cars at all who were driving them every day just because they could!!!

What is wrong with walking, taking the subway, staying home? This is not a sacrifice. This is common sense. This is good stewardship of your own resources. This gas crisis is a good thing if it teaches people these truths.

Note: This was not the point Rush was making by the way. He was saying that Democrats enjoy the oil crisis because it mostly adversly effects the working middle class in the Red states. Whatever.

The Four R's

Last night Ryker announced that we were going to have a Four R's week next week.



By "we" I assumed he meant at school, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the fourth 'r' was. Recess?



Oh no, I was quite mistaken. This is a plan he wants to implement at home. And the fourth 'r' is for 'rot'.



Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot



They've added an "R". Did you know that?



So here are the rules for Four R's Week in the Grove household.



1. No littering. (no problem)



2. Don't leave the water on while you brush your teeth. (never do that anyway)



3. No using the gas fireplace. (it's May...hello)



4. Recycle everything that you can. (working on it)



5. Don't put any trash in the dumpster until next week. (alrighty)



6. Only 2 TV privileges for kids a day...5 for parents. (no word on how much a 'privilege' is)



7. No fishing unless you ask your mom and dad first. (Cainan's contribution)



8. No vacuuming. (if you insist)



9. No cooking on the stove. (I love the 4 Rs)



10. Go to the bathroom outside. (ummm...wait a minute here)



11. No baths, 'cause that uses like 500 gallons of water. (hold yer horses now)



12. Make sure all visitors understand the rules. (and can find the outhouse, I guess)



Note: "No computer" was a consideration for rule #13 but was ruled unconstitutional before it even made it to the paper.



I'll have to keep you posted on how it turns out. :)

Enough is Enough

OK. I'm all for recylcing and creative repurposing and all of that. But sometimes you can just go a little too far. Click to see what I mean.

101 Fun Uses for Dryer Lint

(I do admit to reusing my dryer lint for one of these purposes. You guess which one.)

What Do Prominent Christian Leaders Think About Creation Care?

Martin Luther

"God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

"Now if I believe in God's Son and remember that He became man, all creatures will appear a hundred times more beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon,and stars, trees, apples, as I reflect that He is Lord over all things."

John Calvin

"The creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite and the most abundant furnishings. Everything in it tells us of God."

Rick Warren

"We cannot be all that God wants us to be without caring about the earth."

Billy Graham

"The growing possibility of our destroying ourselves and the world with our own
neglect and excess is tragic and very real."

Pope John Paul II

"When concern for economic and technological progress is not accompanied by concern for the balance of the ecosystem, our earth is inevitably exposed to serious environmental damage, with subsequent harm to human beings. Blatant disrespect for the environment will continue as long as the earth and its potential are seen merely as objects for immediate use and consumption, to be manipulated by an unbridled desire for profit."

Greenville Recycling Advisory Board

The Greenville Recycling Advisory Board is a group of earth conscious individuals from Bond County that research recycling possibilities in our area and make recommendations to our local city governments about how to bring more recycling opportunities to Greenville. They meet in an effort to stay informed about the latest in local recycling and strive to make realistic recommendations about the future of recycling in Greenville.

If you would like to join the Greenville Recycling Advisory Board and make your voice heard just show up to a meeting and join in. The next meeting will be:

May 26th at 7:30 pm

Bond County Courthouse

They will be showing the very interesting video, "The Story of Stuff" which shows the complete cycle of production, comsumption and disposal in our world today. Please attend and add your two cents to the pot.

Serve God, Save the Planet

I just read a great book by J. Michael Sleeth entitled Serve God, Save the Planet. Sleeth is by all definitions an environmentalist. However, he is well aware that that title brings certain negative connotations with it. He prefers to use the terms “Creation Care” and “Earth Stewardship” when describing his work and his passion. For some of us, myself included, the fact that the Democrats and Hollywood are for environmentalism makes me want to be against it. But after reading this book and looking at what the Bible has to say about it I have a different perspective. Let me give you a little background.

Dr. Sleeth was a successful emergency room doctor when he became convicted about certain environmental issues. He was a Christian and had been recycling, etc. for all of his adult life, but as he examined his life he realized just how little he had really been doing. He was living in a 5,000 square foot home with a 3 car garage filled with SUVs, a lawn tractor and a boat. He was taking out 3 large garbage cans full of trash every week and consuming tons of energy a day with a clothes washer and dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, etc. As he and his family began to focus on God’s will for them and for the earth they decided to make a change…a BIG change.

The Sleeth’s now live in a house that is exactly the size of their old garage. They no longer own a clothes dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, or motor driven lawnmower. They drive small hybrid cars and bicycles. They eat only locally grown organic foods and turned their entire backyard into their own garden where they grow and preserve as much of their own food as they can. They recycle and/or compost everything. They now take out one Wal-Mart sized bag of trash every 3 weeks. He no longer works in the ER, but travels around the country speaking about Creation Care and starting Christian environmental groups on college campuses. He is also an author and travels as a doctor on humanitarian missions around the world.

His book is excellent and really gave me a lot of food for thought. I won’t go through everything here but I’ll give you some of the highlights. The book asks the questions:

“How can I live a more godly, equitable, and meaningful life? How can I help people today and in the future? How can I be less materialistic? How can I live a more charitable life? What would happen if I led a slower-paced existence? How can I become a better steward of nature?”

Here are his answers (kind of):

On Materialism:

• “The earth was designed to sustain every generation’s needs, not to be plundered in an attempt to meet one generation’s wants.”
• “The consumer lifestyle demands an enormous amount of work, worry, strife, and struggle by instilling a deep sense of longing and discontent. If all of us were suddenly happy with our homes, for instance, how many decorating magazines could be sold, etc.?”
• “At the end of a materially rich day, consumerism says, ‘Buy more’. At the end of a spiritually rich life God says, ‘Well done by good and faithful servant.’”
• “It is not our spiritual longings but our material desires that keep us from a right relationship with God. (Rev. 18:13)”
• “How much time have I spent admiring what God has wrought, and how much time am I spending admiring my possessions?”
• “We buy things for many reasons: to cheer ourselves up, out of guilt, to reassure ourselves of our worth, because we cannot discipline our children or ourselves, and to try to make our lives more meaningful, easier, or interesting.”
• “Simplifying means having less, wanting less, being satisfied with what you have or less than what you have. It does not mean boredom.”
• “Spiritual concerns have filled the void left by material ones.”
• “Each time we divest ourselves of possessions, we have fewer earthly things that bind us. This lack of attachment to things, brings us priceless freedom and allows us to hear His call.”
• “When I worry about what the world thinks, I disconnect from the power of heaven.”
  

Wow! This section really spoke to me. I have been struggling with this lately, especially with the kids. They have a sense of entitlement that scares me and their begging for things and discontent with the thousands of things they have is awful. I really started examining what we are doing that has promoted this kind of behavior and mind-set.
Christmas has been especially hard for me. Not because I want things that I don’t need but because I don’t want anything and I don’t want to get anything for anyone. To think about spending hundreds of dollars on things that are totally and completely uneccessary is about to make me sick. Of course there are thousands of things that I want but there is absolutely nothing that I need. Food is about the only thing that I actually need and Brian and I are blessed to be able to provide that for ourselves. Of course I want to buy things for people because I love them and I want to show them how much I appreciate them and value them in my life. I just wish there were another way to do it. One thing I have promised myself is that I won’t try to push these views on anyone else or refuse gifts that are given to us, etc. But we are definitely paring down our Christmas shopping. We have spent money that we don’t have on Christmas every year since we have been married. This year we don’t have any more money and we have more people to buy for, so common sense says, “Buy less.” That is what we are doing, but it is hard not to get things for people that they really want and we know they will enjoy. Anyway, it is a step in the right direction.

On Creation Care:

• “God created the world to sustain all living creatures, and in turn to sustain humanity.”
• “Being pro-stewardship is not a case of valuing forests more than people; rather it means valuing human possessions less, and God’s world more.”
• “God created the earth, and if we do not respect the earth and all of its creatures, we disrespect God.”
• “We say that trees exist to make oxygen, or to give shade, or to be made into paper, and we assign them no further mystery. In other words, nature has purpose and value only insofar as it fulfills our material needs. The Bible says the tree is there to glorify God and to give God pleasure.”
  

Creation Care also includes caring about other people and future generations. The people who live by subsitence farming in Africa or South America are doing nothing to harm the environment and have no means to protect the environment either. The damage that we do effects them, but when we work to protect our environment and heal it we are helping and protecting them too. God cares equally about all people and so should we. The fact that we cannot see them and will never meet them should make no difference. Unborn generations deserve a healthy planet just as much as we do.

On Energy Use:

• “Our generation consumes five times more energy than our grandparents’.”
• “When people’s live become dependent on a substance we call it an addiction.”
  

Dr. Sleeth says that our dependence on oil is an addiction. How else can you explain the Christian’s eagerness to monetarily support a government that forbids religious freedom, declares the world to be flat, sees democracy as a capital crime, and oppresses women. Every man, woman and child in America today is sending about $700 a year to just such a government. We are so addicted to oil that we don’t care where it comes from our how we get it, we just know we have to have it.

On Helplessness:

• “In one respect, it is consoling to believe that the problems of the world are too big for us as individuals. If they are too big or too complex for us to solve, we are relieved of any responsibility. Powerlessness can be comforting.”
• James 4:17, “Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
• “As the 30 million evangelical Christians—and all those who consider themselves people of faith—grow in their understanding that God holds us accountable for care of his creation, we will begin to see positive changes on an unprecedented scale.”
  

We’ll never see our need for change if we compare ourselves to people who behave more selfishly than we do. But if we compare ourselves to a family in Haiti who makes $540 a year and eats only two meals a day and has one bicycle for transportation than we realize just how selfish we really are.

The End Result:

Brian and I are discussing the changes that we need to make in our home. Changes that will promote spirituality over materialism, help to keep the world God created for us healthy and clean, and give us more time to spend together worshipping God and serving Him. They aren’t going to be easy. Christmas is just one step we are making toward change. There are many more steps to come, and harder battles to fight, like the TV battle (Dr. Sleeth calls TV “mental junk food that separates us from the Creator”), but we will cross those bridges when we get to them.

If this article has peaked your interest in Earth Stewardship you can find Dr. Sleeth’s book Serve God, Save the Planet on Zondervan.com. He also gives several practical tips on how to reduce your energy usage, recycle, simplify your life etc. He also supplies a worksheet that will allow you to estimate the energy usage (in gallons) of your household.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We have always recycled aluminum cans. But the past two years in school Ryker has learned a lot about recycling and is very interested in it. So now it is his job to collect the cans from the kitchen, crush them, and store them until we can take them to the recycling center. He then gets the money for the cans. Once my grandpa got wind of this he started giving him all of his cans too and then Aunt Susan and Uncle David joined in. Needless to say he has been making a pretty penny considering that they pay 65 cents for every pound of aluminum.

Cainan has become jealous of Ryker’s new found cash cow ($12.90 at the last drop off). So when we were cleaning out the garage we found 4 old batteries that needed to be disposed of. Brian told Cainan he could help him take them to the recycling center and then keep the money. Cainan was thrilled. Unfortunately they only pay 4 cents a pound for lead so Cainan only came home with $4.00. He didn’t seem to mind at all. Later that night when he had graciously shared part of his treat with Ryker, he yelled out, “Happy straw for the rich man!”