All Organic, All the Time
December 2, 2008
The New York Times has a piece on pediatrician Alan Greene, who recently completed a self-imposed challenge to eat ALL organic, ALL the time, for three years. It’s an interesting anecdotal report on the effects of such an experiment, at least. Sadly, the article doesn’t highlight the benefits of organically grown food that aren’t related to human health, such as the health of the animals and of the natural systems that support agriculture. But it does link to Dr. Greene’s children’s health website, a helpful resource itself. Read the article here.
A Mother’s Instincts
December 1, 2008
Audubon Magazine has a concise, empowering piece on Lois Gibbs in its November-December issue. Gibbs was the mother of children affected by the Love Canal toxic waste scandal of the 1970s, when a community that had been built on a chemical waste dump site in western New York suffered birth defects and chemical-related diseases from toxins and carcinogens leaching up through the ground and into their homes and yards. Fighting for her children’s health in that context launched her into a life of transformative environmental justice. She founded an organization, now called the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, which has successfully convinced high-profile corporations to alter their environmentally destructive practices and materials. Most of the organization’s actions focus acutely on reducing toxins that are destructive to creation and that pose a threat to the health of children.
At a time of year when we, as Christians, are talking a lot about mothers and children and Mary’s bravery regarding Christ’s birth, it’s exciting to read about another woman whose willingness to do right has helped creation.
Sabbath Keeping
November 21, 2008
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” — Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV).
Do we remember the Sabbath day? In the midst of tasks undone, schedules to keep, people we’ve meant to see, and of course work to be done, where do we have time?
Family obligations, church obligations, financial obligations, raising kids, making friends, taking care of the car, buying basic necessities, and, of course, what about that one last thing we’ve been meaning to do? It would be great to have an extra day to do that, wouldn’t it?
I know, I long for that extra day, but do I long for it as much as I long for the Lord? Have I caught on to God’s vision for my day to day? Do I even remember that the Sabbath day is holy?! Not just good and right, but holy?
Do I realize that God’s commandment for Sabbath applies to my whole life, not just me, but my wife (and, when I have children, to them as well)? Really it’s even meant for my community: meant for the animals in my care, the strangers in my midst, the visitors to my home. Sabbath is meant to be an expression of Christian grace to my local community, in my local context. The Sabbath day is highly personal and highly intrusive. It is holy.
It is meant to bring us closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is meant to be that well-spring of water in the midst of our spiritual wilderness. It is meant to be tasted and tried and found good. It is meant for man, and it is also meant for good. We are not to neglect the good things that the Lord has given us, but we are very much to stop from our day-to-day busyness, our tasks, and the contemplation of our earthly riches.
It is meant to draw us to the Lord, and to matters of His heart, not ours. It is meant for our reflection on our earthly relationships, our relationship to the broader Creation, and our relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is meant to be spent with others (though sometimes spending it on our own is good, too) and in the abundant world that the Lord has provided for us. So take a Sunday, if you’re a minister a Monday, and spend time with your family, with creation, and in fact all that is entrusted to you.
Let us Sabbath together before the Lord.
Alexei Laushkin, a graduate from Claremont McKenna College, works for the Evangelical Environmental Network. He and his wife live in Alexandria, VA.
Blog Highlight: The Wonder of Creation
November 20, 2008
RBC Ministries, publisher of the popular Our Daily Bread devotional
booklet and producer of the Day of Discovery television program, has a
new sub-site on its website dedicated to the wonder of creation and to
a theology of nature that includes a strong call to evangelicals to
care for creation. The author and host of “WonderOfCreation.org” is
Dean Ohlman, an advocate of evangelical involvement in creation care
for twenty years. The new resource is, according to Dean, a sort of
hybrid blog and website that encourages input from visitors. One
unique aspect of the site is the “Wonder Kids” page that provides tips
on getting kids outdoors and helping them develop a biblical worldview
regarding the stewardship of the creation. You can check it out at
this URL: http://www.wonderofcreation.
Family-friendly Famer’s Markets
November 19, 2008
I’m a busy mom. And with two kids constantly clinging to me, getting out to do anything is difficult. Grocery shopping is the worst. Managing a high-energy three year old and an infant who insists on being carried all the time while I push a shopping cart usually just isn’t worth the effort. Add to that the dirty looks I get from strangers if my children make any noise whatsoever, and the choice is clear: Children and grocery stores are a bad combination. I’ll go to the store at midnight as long as I can go without the kids. Finding food for the family at the supermarket is not a family affair. Read more
Be A Deep Green Family
February 21, 2008
Being green is not a fad, not a fashion. It’s not about politics or posturing. It’s about caring for creation in a way that’s deeply rooted in faith. Here are ten ideas for your family:
* Give Thanks
Thank God for his beautiful creation, and ask for his help to care for it.
* Go Deep
Read what God’s word says about caring for creation and the people who depend on it at CreationCare.org.
* Recycle
Everyone in the family can help. Paper, cans, bottles, jars. Batteries, chemicals, paint. Find out what you can recycle at your curbside, and for everything else, go to Earth911.org.
* Get out!
Spend at least an hour a day outside. Turn off the TV, computer, and video games and encourage your kids have more “green time” than “screen time”. For ideas about what to do once you’re outside, go to DeepGreenConversation.org!
* Save energy
Turn off lights when leaving a room, buy EnergyStar appliances, and turn the thermostat down in winter, and up in summer. Use your ceiling fans. Find more energy-saving tips here at PowerIsInYourHands.
* Do a home energy audit
Let the kids help do a home energy audit, based on your last 12 months of utility bills. Then get recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient with Yardstick and Home Advisor.
* Garden for Wildlife
Invite creation to your yard by creating a backyard wildlife habitat. Suggestions for plants and garden plans that attract butterflies and birds to your yard can be found at ABNativePlants.com.
* Combine trips
Poll the family before heading out in the car to see how trips can be combined. Keep a list of all your errands in one place, and don’t leave until you have a few.
* Light the way to a new energy future
Use compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps and save real money, while reducing pollution from power plants. Recycle your old lamps rather than throw them away – go to LampRecycle.org to find out how.
* Read up
Become a supporter of the Evangelical Environmental Network and get four issues of Creation Care magazine each year, to keep you up-to-date and down-to-earth. Visit CreationCare.org for more information.
Finally, inspire others – log on to DeepGreenConversation.org to post ideas, ask questions, or encourage others to be deep green.
