I would say that it all started forty-seven years ago with the first Earth Day celebration, but that kind of short-sighted view of history might miss the bigger picture. It was 47 years ago that people around the world "officially" started setting aside a day to think about and take action with regard to creation care and stewardship, but I feel like that day and those continuing practices have been taking place throughout history with human beings working in relationship with the land, and trusting this relationship, to a degree, to yield a bountiful harvest among other things. I believe this is a remarkably old idea; the Bible's opening chapters tell the story of a man and a woman working in a garden, naming the animals, and being entrusted with the care of creation, so again, it seems that this practice is not new as much as it is one of the most ancient practices of the world.
Each year Jamie and I try to think about ways we can "lower our footprint," live a little more simply, and do our part to care for the environment. We always have done this with a thoughtful focus not only on our own lives but on those of future generations as well. But now, with the arrival of Sylvia in our life, these steps have a more immediate and tangible inheritance being considered. What kind of world are we stewarding for our daughter's generation, and her grandchildren's grandchildren?
Here are a few practices we have historically engaged in as well as some new ones for 2017. It is my hope in sharing them, that there may be one or two you would want to start as well.
1) Consume less energy in the home. This takes various forms in our home, but one of the simplest is that we strive to turn off lights when we are not in the room. We also have devices that operate by remote like our TV plugged into a power strip, so we can turn off the power strips and reduce "phantom charge" as these appliances are constantly using a trickle of electricity any time they are plugged in. We have also converted many of our lights from incandescent to CFL and then to LED bulbs. Doing this is not only good for caring for the environment, but it also saves money.
2) Walk and spend time outside when possible. You know what else saves money? Walking instead of driving when possible. Thankfully, Jamie and I live in the middle of a town where we can walk just about anywhere we need to go locally. By doing this we are not only saving money on gas, but we also are getting regular exercise. And there's so much cool stuff to see outside!
3) Buy locally. Since 2013, Jamie and I have been members of a local CSA called Mountain Harvest Farm. The farm is run by a former Peace Corps worker (who also happens to be friends with one of my teammates at Nuru), and her husband. Buying locally means that we are supporting local businesses, the food we eat does not have to be shipped hundreds (if not thousands) of miles for us to enjoy, and as funny as it might sound, it tastes better too!
4) Plant a garden. Since 2007, we've had a little truck patch outside the house where we grow corn, beans, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, collard greens, brussels sprouts, and sundry other foods. Similar to buying local food, growing your own food tastes better. There's nothing quite like being able to pick and eat a tomato right off the plant. Also, as Sylvia grows, spending time in the garden with her will help her develop an understanding of our relationship with the land.
5) Buy renewable energy certificates. A little over a month ago, thanks to a friend's post on Facebook, we discovered Arcadia Power. This company allows you to purchase renewable energy certificates. We made the switch to paying our electric bill through Arcadia Power, and have seen very little difference in our monthly bill while we are investing in renewable wind energy. Switching to Arcadia from your current provider only takes about five minutes, and you can either switch to 50% wind power for FREE (you read that correctly), or go to 100% wind energy for typically $5-10 more than your current bill. Intrigued? Check them out!
6) Use an electric or reel mower. The year we got married, I bought a high-powered gas mower, and it was plagued with problems over the five years we kept it. Four years ago, we transitioned to a reel mower, and while we love it, our travel frequency made cutting grass (particularly in the spring) a bit more labor and time intensive. My friend Stu told me about his electric mower, and offered to let me borrow it and take it for a test drive. After that experience, we drove to Home Depot and invested in an E-Go Mower. That mower doesn't need gas, and it cuts better than any mower I've ever used!
7) Repair or replace heating and cooling units. With the addition of Sylvia to our family, we decided to take a look at replacing our furnace and air conditioner. I called Grogg's Heating and Air Conditioning, and they came to the house and gave us an estimate for replacing/repairing. During the visit we found out that our furnace was nearly 50 years old, and our air conditioner was nearly 30. We also learned about how much units have improved in efficiency over the last 30-50 years and we have invested in replacements from Grogg's. In addition to having more high efficiency units, Jamie and I have also practiced keeping the set temperatures a little higher in the summer and lower in the winter to both save money and reduce energy use.
These are just a few of the practices we have in place in an effort to practice good stewardship, and I thought I'd share them as an encouragement to you on Earth Day. In my view, stewardship is a daily practice, but days like Earth Day help us each to stop and consider ways we can make improvements. May we each continue in the longstanding tradition of stewardship, and may this Earth Day find you celebrating family and this wonderfully created world in which we live!
So since it was earth day yesterday, I thought I would share a few practical ways you can practice better stewardship.
1) Practice Sabbath. It's good for your soul, and it's good for the earth to take one day each week and chill out. There will always be more work to do, so take a break one day each week and live simply.
2) Walk, ride a bus, or a bike. Of course this is sort of a no brainer, but it needs to be mentioned. If you live in town, even a small town like Morgantown, there's bound to be a bus route nearby. BIking and walking are great exercise too, and they sure beat sitting in traffic for a long time on warm spring afternoons.
3) Carpool. Here's a nifty idea. Next time you are going to a big event with other people you know, and you can't really walk or ride your bike, go together. Are you really that busy that you can't just enjoy the company of others, and let go of the independence that driving your own car offers you? Here's some great places to carpool--church, The Pittsburgh Zoo ;), sporting events, concerts, lectures, dinner, coffeeshops, and parties at friends houses. to name a few. Save $ and save on your footprint by carpooling.
4) Give the electric a rest.. Turn off lights when you aren't in a room. Set your entertainment center up so that it is on a power strip that is turned off when you aren't going to use it. (DId you know that stereos, TVs, etc. are using power all of the time so your remote will work when you point it at em--eliminate that waste of power from the "phantom charge.") You can also save a lot simply by switching to Compact Fluorescent bulbs. (Look at that One Billion Bulbs savings link down the sidebar). Switch out your bulbs, and join our group!!!
5) Give the heating and cooling a rest. Our ancestors didn't have a constant indoor temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop it to 65 or lower in the winter, and raise it to 71 or higher in the summer. You will reap dividends in savings, and you will help reduce energy waste. I'd even recommend getting a programmable thermostat. Then you can save even more because you can program it to shut off when your home is empty.
6) Get a reusable bottle. There's a lot of debates out there about Nalgenes vs. glass or metal bottles. Here's the deal. Regardless of what you use, if you aren't buying previously bottled water, you are reducing the amount of plastic that needs produced (most of which ends up end landfills!). So start using a reusable bottle, and make sure you keep it clean!
7) Recycle!!! It's not that difficult, and most towns are starting municipal pick-up. You will be amazed at how little waste you produce when you start recycling. It's kind of fun to take stuff to the recycling center too and see how much waste is being prevented.
That should do for now. I might write some more at a later time--we can all use frequent reminders, right? The most important thing to remember with all of these steps and more is that we do these things as an act of worship. We practice stewardship remembering that this whole world belongs to God, and when I take steps to care for it, I show my appreciation for the Maker of all things.
Happy belated Earth Day!
And also, if you have some practical tips you would like to share, leave em as a comment on here. If you start one of these practices, like joining my CFL group, let me know!