Ideas for Earth Day!

Tuesday, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, but it has just been fully embraced within the last few years, according to one newspaper article I recently read.
How should Christians (born-again Believers) respond to Earth Day? I fully believe that all Christians, no matter if you are Evangelical, Charismatic, or a mainline denomination, should be setting the example of stewardship in regards to the Lord's creation, which includes....EVERYTHING on this earth.
Let's begin with the very first Bible verse that most children memorize after John 3: 16:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". Genesis 1:1, NIV God created everything in nature! Because He did, doesn't it belong to Him??

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it..." Psalm 24: 1a

"The heavens are Yours, and Yours also the earth; You founded the world and all that is in it." Psalm 89: 11.

"How many are your works, I Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small." Psalm 104: 24 & 25

"To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." Deuteronomy 10: 14

"For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is his, for He made it, and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95: 3-5

There are many more Bible verses that talk about the earth's creation. I chose to list the ones that I usually teach my own children or have highlighted in my personal Bible. These verses show me that because God created all this wonderful "stuff"...we should be good stewards in managing what He has made! Just like I teach my children to take care of their bodies because they are made in the image of God, don't we need to also take care of the many things in our world that He has made? I am not saying you must sign up and join the "tree-huggers" or your local environmental group. Those things are good, I suppose, and have done some good in our local communities, but, really, where are the Christians and churches? Are we leading the way in "reducing, re-using and recycling?" I think not. I think most of us are trying, but I think we need to do more in taking care of the earth the Lord has made.

Here is an example:
My church has a fellowship cafe located at one end of our lobby, where people can purchase coffee, lattes, muffins, croissants, cereal, etc. between services. It is also open for a little while after the 11 a.m. service. I was most impressed, when we were first thinking of joining this church, back in 2005, when we were "just visiting", to see that they had a stainless steel garbage can labeled "recycling"...this was for the Styrofoam cups and bowls they use to serve the cereal/coffee in! YEAH...this is a sign of good stewardship in the local church body. The youth center recycles all soda cans, pizza boxes, etc. This is good stewardship! And it is just a simple thing to employ. Some people even bring their own coffee mugs (the traveling kind) which are even more "earth-friendly" as you can reuse them. Food and beverages are not allowed in our sanctuary. This is strictly enforced. There are trash receptacles outside each entrance to the sanctuary, as well as greeters. They will remind you of the policy. This keeps our "house of God" free from litter. This is very important for when you have visitors....don't we want to make a good impression to the unsaved/unbelievers who walk through our doors? This really impressed me on our first visit and has stuck in my mind.

What are some things you can do with your family/children to promote "taking care of God's Creation?" Here are a few tips:

• Reuse packaging. Plastic yogurt tubs and deli meat containers are perfect for storing leftovers in. Simply wash them out with warm, soapy water, let air dry and store with your other plastic ware. When I have empty glass jars such as jam or mayo jars, I wash them in the dishwasher after getting the label off (see household hints post) and use them as funky iced tea glasses. They are a huge hit at our deck parties! Or I save one for my indoor plants to use for watering. It also cuts down on having to buy new glasses for beverages!
  
• Keep your car tires properly inflated. My 2007 Nissan Sentra comes with a "tire pressure" indicator. It lights up when my pressure is low. This is awesome! You can save on gas and sometimes extend the life of your car!
• Wash your clothing in cold water! This is actually best for colored clothing ("darks") anyways, and extends the life of denim! I save hot water wash for whites. Line dry as much as possible. Where we live, we don't have lines but I bought a plastic folding rack and stick it on the deck in good weather to "air dry" cotton shirts, jeans, etc. Most of my daughters' clothing is the cotton kind that needs to be air dried anyways so....then to get the soft feeling back, simply toss on low heat for 10 min and they will soften up. I do use my dryer for most stuff (sheets, towels, hubby's shirts/pants, most of my own clothing) but we have a gas drier so it is a bit more energy efficient. Electric dryers cost more to run and use alot of electricity!
• Take care of your "stuff"; buy less! Only buy clothing that is high quality and you will see how much longer it lasts. For example: I buy swimsuits from high end clothing stores for my youngest. They are much pricier but last 2 years...and after 2 summers of swimming they usually look good enough to pass down to younger cousins. Same with jeans: why buy the cheaper kind from stores where most of the clothing is made in China, when you can get them for more money at better quality stores but they will last longer??? Look for clothing that uses organic cotton. (A good children's line is found here).
  
• Donate to charity: pass down gently used clothing to your local nonprofit agency or a homeless shelter. We bring many items to our local Salvation Army thrift store and when my youngest outgrew her baby items I donated them to a local pregnancy center. We also pass down good quality items to younger girl cousins....they are always so appreciative, too! My oldest daughter likes to pass down to her younger sis or the next door neighbor preteen girl! This is good stewardship of the blessings the Lord has given us.
• Keep faucets off when you are brushing your teeth! My children are good at this...better than my hubby and me! Keep showers as short as possible. Turn it off or down (we have an attachment on our shower head for this purpose) while shaving your legs. My oldest thinks this is how you do it because it is how I taught her (she is still working on the "take a shorter shower part!!)
• Only contract with a garbage collector who participates in a recycling program. We have a new one who picks up our recyclables once a week. We recycle all food boxes, cardboard, newspapers, catalogues, magazines, bottles, cans, etc. Anything that can be recycled! Which is alot nowadays.
• Refuse to buy Styrofoam. Use pretty, inexpensive plastic picnic ware rather than paper plates and cups. Target sells very nice "deck dishes"...they are fun, and the kids know it is really spring when I get those out!

Those are just a few ideas. Plant a tree on Earth Day! Pick up litter in your neighborhood. Donate to a wildlife organization. Donate time or money to your local park agency. I always tell my husband: if I hadn't gone into special education I would want to be a national parks worker! Since I am not, I try to donate to our local mountain/trail club and I try to be a good steward when "on the trail".

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2: 15

"Do not pollute the land where you are....do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites." Numbers 35: 33a, 34

What will you do for Earth Day?
What tips do you have?