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Care for Creation - from our Social Justice Ministry
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A Message from QAS and SMOW Racial & Social Justice Ministries - Figuring out how to care for our shared home can be overwhelming, so here are some easy suggestions from social justice ministry members of easy steps we can take for Earth Day which collectively make a difference:- Composting kitchen waste reduces landfill stream. Members were shocked at how quickly “just” kitchen waste added up in our 5-gallon buckets. Chicago’s new *free* kitchen waste composting service makes it easy if you don’t want a compost bin in your backyard. In the words of one member, “I have felt so small - what could my actions possibly contribute to making things better? ... It’s very simple. The scraps add up; the number of garbage bags we use each week is decreasing.” Here
is the QR code for Chicago’s food scrap drop-off at 4605 W. Lawrence. Be sure to review what is/is not accepted - Reducing your meat consumption by embracing the Lenten practice of fish on Fridays year-round, or check out a vegan cookbook from the library. MIT’s Climate Portal references a study that a pound of beef produces, on average, around 60 times as much CO2 as a pound of wheat or corn. Eating less meat is good for your health and your food budget.
- Carpooling saves gas, time and gives us time to connect with others.
- Skip the clothes dryer and hang clothes to air dry like most of Europe. This saves natural gas $$ and humidifies dry winter indoor air.
- Bicycling instead of driving is often faster than driving, and provides great exercise. One member’s Garmin Fitness watch recorded more calories burned cycling to/from the pool than swimming a mile!
- Reduce/Reuse/Recycle (less). REDUCE water use with shorter showers and shortest possible appliance cycles. Letting the lawn go dormant (no watering) in fall is healthy for root growth, and respecting nature’s cycles brings us closer to the God of Creation. REUSE plastic bags and containers from the market bring containers to restaurants to bring home leftovers. RECYCLE the rest. We hope that with time and practice to diminish the amount of garbage and recyclables.
- Composting kitchen waste reduces landfill stream. Members were shocked at how quickly “just” kitchen waste added up in our 5-gallon buckets. Chicago’s new *free* kitchen waste composting service makes it easy if you don’t want a compost bin in your backyard. In the words of one member, “I have felt so small - what could my actions possibly contribute to making things better? ... It’s very simple. The scraps add up; the number of garbage bags we use each week is decreasing.” Here
