I am a tree hugger. I grew up spending summer vacations at the Delaware shore, picking up trash in between bodysurfing and building sandcastles. On our way back to Ohio from the ocean, we would disappear into the woods of north-central Pennsylvania for an additional week or two at grandma and grandpa’s place, where we would climb trees, explore the mountains, and wander the banks of the Susquehanna River.
I grew up in the era of the crying Native American “Keep America Beautiful” TV commercial and heard overtones of caring for the Earth in Bible verses from the early pages of Genesis on Sunday mornings. Our household was filled with crafts reclaiming newspaper, aluminum cans, and glass jars. When we couldn’t reuse them, we recycled them. We were what you might call early adopters. Some of my earliest childhood memories are sorting newspapers and magazines on sweaty autumn days for the Boy Scout troop fundraiser.
Throughout the years, I’ve been known to carry a cloth napkin with me, dry my hands on my shirt in a truck stop bathroom, and only frequent fast food places that would allow me to use my own reusable cup. This was part of my personal plan to reduce consumption.
Last year, I received an aluminum travel straw for Christmas and this year one of my gifts to myself was a set of bamboo toothbrushes. If I forget my reusable bag at the store, I’m the guy that carries 13 items in my arms, rather than using a plastic bag. These little things can make a difference throughout a lifetime.
Please don’t take my words as a self-righteous declaration that I have this all figured out and have mastered the “living green” lifestyle. Nope. I am still regularly possessed by the demon of convenience, as I grab a large drink in a single-use cup and drive to work, even though I live a short nine properties away.
Please know that I also do not write this in an effort to guilt or shame you and your choices – quite the opposite. I write to celebrate the small victories that I’ve enjoyed and to challenge us as a community of faith to make intentional decisions while we step further into caring for creation and loving our neighbor.
| 1 million | Number of plastic water bottles sold worldwide each minute. |
| 50 | Percentage of plastic produced each year designed to be used only once. |
| 450 | Years it takes for a plastic bottle to completely degrade. |
This needs to change. Sasha Adkins recently wrote “Reclaiming Life In A Disposable Culture” for Sojourners magazine. Her pointed words connected many dots for me. She contends, “[the] more we normalize short-term utility as the main criterion for evaluating the things around us, the more disconnected we become from a sense of the inherent worth of creation. The more we cultivate this habit of the heart of seeing things as disposable once they no longer serve us, the less able we are to find the beauty and value in our relationships with each other, or even the intrinsic value in ourselves once we are no longer “productive” (sojo.net).
Our attention to and care for creation is a crucial connection to the value we hold for ourselves and others. It is also wrapped up in the mandate in Genesis that we are to work and care for the earth (Genesis 2:15).
As you know, Lord of Life recycles. We don't do it perfectly, but we try to reduce, reuse, and recycle. We encourage you to bring your own cup and water bottle. These are a few small steps we can make toward being intentional as a community in caring for the earth.
As we step into this new year, we’re going to explore additional ways to be good stewards of creation. If you would like to be part of the conversation, please be in touch with me. Together, we can make a difference!
Looking forward with hope,
Pastor Lowell