Earth Day Sunday April 22

Okay, I have had this burning in my mind for quite a while. AND YOU.... can be my captive audience. I feel very strong about the environment crisis. I had some knowledge from grade school/high school .... where we learned reduce, reuse, recycle. In the great state of NY (where I grew up) recycling is not an option - it is required. YEAH! Go NY! But, in the Summer of 2005 I took 6 hours of credits from Miami University on Environmental Education. It was very eye opening.
PS. 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

Psalm 96:1, 11-12: "Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth . . . Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

Deut. 3: 74-81Let the earth bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.Y
ou springs, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;Praise and exalt him above all forever. I believe that if anyone should have a strong conviction about taking care of the environment Christians should. God created us. That is why we feel that we should take care of our bodies - mind - soul - etc. God created the world. Why wouldn't we be expected to be good stewards of the beautiful world God created for us to enjoy?? If I made something amazing and gave it to you to use/enjoy - I would be disappointed if you carelessly misused it. Enough said on that.

Do you recycle? PLEASE - look into it if you don't. Think about the fact that everything you throw in your trash gets shoved in the ground. Here is a rough estimate of how long it takes garbage to break down:
- cotton, rags, and paper 6 months
- organic matericals 6 months
- aluminum cans 500 years
- plastic 500 years

The earth is only so large. At some point - we will run out of landfill availability. Your great-great-great grandchildren will be disappointed that you were not intelligent enough to recycle. And they wiull suffer because of your choices. They could have to live on a former landfill with toxic fumes seeping out of the ground.

- The United States contains 20% of the world's population. BUT - we consume 80% of the natural resources. Check out your ecological footprint. (I know this is a repeat. But, it's worth it.) http://www.myfootprint.org/

-Each perosn throws away approximately 4 pounds of garbage every day.

- Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year.

- 84% of all household waste can be recycled.

-One gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 billion gallongs of water. Dispose properly!

-500 million automobiles on earth burn an average of 2 gallons of fuel a day.

-Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.

- It takes 90% less energy to recycle aluminum cans tahn to make new ones.

- 5 billion aluminum cans are used each year.

One might ask: What can I do?

- Recycle
- Turn off the water while you brush your teeth
- Fix leaky faucets
-Turn off lights during the day / or when not in the room
- DON"T LITTER!!!
- Carpooling / Combine errands into one trip
- Isulate/weatherize your home
- Use AC only when necessary at home and in car
- Keep car tuned
- Keep tired well inflated to get better gas mileage
- Don't top off at the gas station
- Don't throw "stuff" in the trash. Drop it off at a thrift store. "One man's junk is another man's treasure!" Better in someone's house than in a landfill.

Well, my confession is that although I argue a good point - I am not a purist. I drive an SUV - a stinking gas guzzler. If I had it to do over - I wouldn't buy it. But, now it is worth nothing (with 160,000 miles) and it has been paid off for many years. So, I am stuck between my "Dave Ramsey" philosophy and my environment conscience. Also, the fact that I live in America doesn't help my environmental concern. EVERYTHING that I buy is wrapped in plastic or package 3/4 times in plastic. This is not good. Unfortunately, everything is not recyclable. So, do I seek out a local meat market where prices would be significantly higher yet would probably be wrapped in brown PAPER or do I shop at the local grocery store for the cheaper prices and then - throw the plastic away?? Okay. I hope this made you think. I could talk about industrialization, the rainforests, everglades, ozone layer..... I have lots to say but I tried to narrow it down.

From Thoreau’s Walking: " I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the
woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.Ü In my afternoon walk I would fain forget all my morning occupations and my obligations to society. But it sometimes happens that I cannot easily shake off the village."

“We are the generation of choice. We still have a choice to halt the destruction, the ravaging of the earth. We are the generation that could stand in harm’s way and be those who preserve God’s creation for future generations.”The Reverend Joan Campbell, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ