Garden Sunday & Practicing Sustainability

Last Sunday, we finished a month-long series on Celebrating & Caring for Creation. It's been a month full of reminders, renewal, collaboration & conversation! We hiked, worshipped, read & explored scripture together. On Sunday, we spent the morning in the Sustainable Springfield garden, reflecting, feasting & being called into action. One of our Well participants blogged about the morning here.It's been a wonderful time to see where, in our  own lives, we are living into our responsibility to care for the earth & where we are falling short. It was meant to be a starting point. For those who have not been able to be a part (& for those who want a reminder), here are some of the practices that were shared & that have been helpful in getting us all thinking about how we can do our part. Looking forward to continuing to share, learn, add to this list & become better caregivers of the rich gifts of creation.

LOVING OUR NEIGHBORS BY  LIVING SUSTAINABLYWhich of these practices will you commit to?

Reduce.  Reuse.  Recycle.Use less paper. Stop your junk mail with the help of 41pounds, a nonprofit service that contacts dozens of direct mailers to remove your name from their lists. Opt for paperless online bill pay.Buy locally if possible. Shipping burns fuel. A 5-pound package shipped by air across the country creates 12 pounds of CO2 (3 ½ pounds if shipped by truck).Eat less meat. If you’re already a vegetarian, you save at least 3,000 pounds of CO2 per year compared to meat eaters. If you’re not a vegetarian, just increase the number of vegetarian meals you eat each week by one or two. Also, poultry is less greenhouse gas intensive than beef.Don’t waste food. About 40% of all the food prepared annually in the U.S., gets tossed, producing methane in landfills as well as carbon emissions from transporting wasted food.Compost. Approximately two-thirds of our household waste can be composted. Look around your communities and neighborhoods to find local gardens that may accept your food scrapes for compost. Use reusable bags. Many stores give you credits for bringing your own bags. While the amount seems small, over the course of a year it can add up. Eliminate disposable paper products. Paper towels can be replaced with rages or washclots. Replace paper napkins with cloth ones.Make homemade products like cleaners, shampoos, deodorant, bath salts and lotions. Cleaners are filled with toxins that harm your family, pets and the water ways.Buy used clothes or join a clothing swap.Buy used furniture. If its vintage or antique, even better. It’s made better and you have an excellent idea of how it will hold up.Walk or bike when you can (instead of driving).Conserve water. Take shorter showers. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water. Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush.