471 Global Warming, Part 4
“I loved your global warming columns Clothman. As a Christian I know I should be doing my part to take care of God’s creation but I don’t know where to start. Can you give me some tips?” -Laurie
Absolutely Laurie, I’m excited so many are asking this question. Regardless where one comes down on the global warming controversy; there is no doubt that all Christians should be actively caring for the earth. Here are some practical things the Clothfamily does.
*Our Perspective. We stopped thinking that we are separate from creation. The earth wasn’t created for humans, it was created for God’s glory and we were created from the earth. So taking care of creation is taking care of us.
*Jesus’ Perspective. We realized that evangelism is part, but not all there is to the gospel. Jesus spent most his time teaching people how to live on earth, not how to get to heaven after they die. Besides, who will listen to our evangelistic presentation when we’re literally doing no earthly good?
*Pursue Truth. We try to distinguish God’s truth from human agendas. Our faith can become so entangled in social/political agendas that we forget it is the Spirit who leads us into all truth, not talk show hosts, news programs, political parties or even churches.
*House Temperature. We turn the thermostat down in winter (put on extra clothes) and up in summer (take off clothes – some, not all). We turn the heat down when no one’s home or we’re sleeping and use chilly summer night air to cool the house. We also use window blinds to keep summer heat out.
*Lights. We replaced our incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent lamps (CFLs). They last much longer and use a fraction of the energy. We turn lights off when leaving a room and use more natural light.
*Reduce and Reuse. The three arrows in the recycle triangle stand for reduce, reuse and recycle. We think of creative ways to reduce and reuse, like making bags for grocery shopping and packing lunches. Clothwoman often buys cool second hand clothes that we wear until they actually get holes. I’m saving the earth by not shopping.
*Recycle. We recycle tons of stuff from newspapers and cans to cell phones and milk jugs. Note: rinse out old milk jugs and cans or your garage will smell like the neighborhood recycling center.
*Water. We run only full loads of dishes and clothes. We wash clothes in cold or warm water. We also turned down the temperature and insulated our hot water heater, installed low-flow showerheads and I shower just once a month.
*Automobiles. I admit I can’t seem to drive 65mph on Montana’s wide open roads; however, I do keep our cars tuned up and check the tire pressure often. Clothwoman rides her bicycle to work year-round and we donate our older cars to the poor instead of trading them in.
*Faith and Fun. We are environmental but we try to not be wacko. Faith keeps us from fearing the future and fun keeps us from turning into prunes.
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