Love the earth. Here's a few ways...

We all love mother earth and care about her health and keeping her ecosystems robust and functioning for the health of all of us..right?  

Not too many people would disagree.  But, stuff gets in the way.  There are other pressures too. Many industries that are polluters also happen to be big players in our social, political and economic considerations.  

Not to mention the millions of people employed either directly or indirectly by those industries. We’re conflicted.  We may also feel powerless in the face of this mire of competing interests. Where do we start?  We’re too small to make a difference or be of any help. 

Here are some ideas to help out that actually pack a lot of power in our effort to save the health of our little blue planet. 

First… love it. Love our planet.  As far as we know, there’s nothing else like it in the universe. The very fact that we can be living and experiencing is because of the existence of this unique planet spinning in space. That’s reason enough to be grateful to it and for it. 

What do we do when we love something or someone.  We treat it with respect, kindness and attention.  We pay attention to the little things that person or pet needs.  The little things are the big things.  It is only in practicing the little things that we then gain insight about the bigger things. 

So that’s first. Just love and be grateful to her.   You’ll know how to behave and what to do when you come from love. 

Next, as you pay attention to the little things you can do to show your love, share what you’re doing. Tell neighbors, friends and post on social media.  There are those who feel so overwhelmed who appreciate the tips you share with them.   

Here’s something we’re doing at our church.  This writing is October of 2021, so we’re moving back to in person church services.  Our particular practice is to share communion every Sunday.  (Protestant sects don’t necessarily share communion every Sunday, but ours does). 

So, we need to think of how to share communion in person with Covid precautions in mind. 

I’d visited a church where a Covid remedy for communion was  individual tiny plastic containers that hold both the juice and the wafer.  Very clever. In years past I’d applaud this free market, inventive solution to a need in the market place.  But now, no.  Because now I’m aware that As much as we like to think that plastics are recycled, it just does not happen on a wide scale.  So, I asked the diaconate not to use that remedy. 

As a group, we we’ll discuss a number of ways to share without compromising health. I’m thinking we might hit upon a remedy that many churches might adopt. Then other institutions and businesses may modify such a remedy to their respective gatherings/meetings, etc. 

So, that’s one thing. 

One other fronts 

It’s not easy but I make the effort to use only durable plastic.  Yes, I confess! I have the drawer !- the one with the Reynold’s wrap and the plastic roll and even ziploc bags of two sizes, the sandwich bags. Here, I beg your forgiveness for my hypocrisy and ask you to read further. 

I wash and re-use Ziploc bags until they’ve formed a hole or lost their zip! They are a useful product.  Here I could probably also use durable plastic, though, and even glass.  It’s the transportable convenience of the bags that makes them so handy.  Without them, We’d forever be returning each other’s Tupperware containers.  Our pantries would either be bare of containers or a Fibber McGee’s closet busting with containers without matching lids and vice versa. 

And in the area of school lunches, most moms don’t want to ask their 6 or 7year old to keep track of a durable plastic and bring it safely home safely home from school.  We’re just glad our children are back home safely. Plus, we don’t want them burdened with any more responsibility than necessary at those young ages; they have plenty to think about - playing and learning and navigating through life. 

But, a 12  year old’s concerns  about the planet and the oceans presents the perfect time to put them in charge of graduating from little kid convenience of throw away plastic  to adult awareness of reusable  . You’re now partnering with your child in an endeavor he/she wants to take part. It’s essentially a small rite-of-passage on the way to adulthood.

Of course at this age your  kids probably  buy their pizzas and burgers and fries at school or nearby take out.   If the school isn’t using only paper or reusable durable plastic dishes, you and your family might present the school with the challenge to do so.  Aha, you say, what about the paper being thrown away.  I have only one word answer - biodegradable.  There’s no more evidence that paper is any more recycled in trash collection than plastics are. But, the biodegradability of paper at least doesn’t threaten wildlife. 

We still have a long way to go to get all the systems in place that properly reuse our human made products. So while we’re haranguing our representatives and corporations and voting at booths with our ballots  and cash registers with our dollars , these are just a few steps we can take. 

Please comment on the ways that you show love to our mother earth so we can incorporate them into our routines.

Thank you!

Carla