Pope Francis issued a call for action on the environment. He wants to add Care of Creation to the existing acts of mercy, which are traditional Catholic works that include caring for the poor, and essentially living a life of peace, love, and charity. The pope correctly makes the point that environmental changes disproportionately impact the needy and marginalized. Therefore, when we care for the environment we care for the poor and sick. He talked briefly about needed political and economic changes, but he also exhorted individuals to modify their lives in small ways in order to lower wasteful consumption and to care for the earth. This is how I believe we should work toward change in the world. Instead of focusing on the corrupt spheres of politics and big business, let’s focus on our day to day lives. Here are some things we are doing in our household to care for our common home.
- Drive less. We’ve managed to cut our driving from a peak of 100 miles per day, down to an average of about 20 miles per day. It was a combination of decisions over a couple of years, and driving less was a key factor in our choices.
- Use less electricity, gas, and water in our home. We upgraded to a tankless hot water heater. When we replaced our A/C we got the most
Rain Barrels efficient unit we could buy. We’re replacing all of our lights with LED bulbs. We use fans instead of running the A/C. We wear sweaters instead of running the heat. I set up rain barrels to help us water the garden rather than using city water. If I could only convince my teenage son that he doesn’t need to take 35 minute showers. 🙂
- Garden. We grow a lot of fruits and vegetables. We compost our kitchen scraps. We often buy locally grown foods, and we should buy more locally raised meat. All life is precious, and animal abuse in factory farms is wrong.
- We don’t use chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Nitrogen pollution leads to dead zones in the waterways. Pesticides kill indiscriminately and often harm beneficial insects, not just the “pests.” We let the lawn grow naturally, but if bugs are an issue, you could use minimal pesticides around the entryways to the home.
- Recycle. Most cities have recycling programs. Recycle plastic, cardboard, metal, and glass. There are also recycling centers that will take electronics, batteries, and CFL bulbs. Our family of five only generates one bag of trash per week. The rest is composted or recycled.
- Simplify. This could be a blog post all its own. The general idea is to consume less. Let’s quit buying and accumulating stuff we don’t need.
- Dry clothes on a line.
- Other small things that can add up.
- Get paper bags, or take your own cloth bags, when we go shopping.
- Don’t leave the water running in the bathroom.
- Collect cold shower water for the house plants.
- Don’t flush every single time.
- Turn off the lights. Turn off the computers. Power off and unplug appliances that aren’t used.
- Run the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer when they are full.
I’m reading through this list and it strikes me that some may view it as inconsequential. After all, the problems we face are much larger than one person can solve. That is true, but that does not mean we should continue to abuse our world. To paraphrase Gandhi, we should do what is right, and let the results take care of themselves.