A Positively Poetic Priest

Hooray! I have made it through the 50 Acts of Green Challenge. I have had a lot of fun learning more about what it means to care about God's creation and how I can make a difference by what I use. I hope some of this inspired your own journey and research and perhaps you will make some changes in your life to help the environment. Today marks both a movement in the church and in the world as we come to the Day of Pentecost.  I know I will continue to look for small acts of green I can do to help protect and conserve our environment. Franklin has natural beauty surrounding it on all sides and I hope that it will be here for generations to come. It is the people of this area who protect and impact the environment and I think as long as we can see that cause and effect relationship, we will continue to work for the good of all creation. Earlier this season, my fiance bought new tires for his car. While we were discussing the new tires and our logistics for him to be out of his car for...

As I have been doing this research and figuring out what kinds of changes to make, I came across this statistic: 2 billion single-use plastic razors are thrown away each year. Plastic razors are not that large, so they don't take up a huge amount of space, but that is a lot of plastic being thrown away and ending up free in the environment each year. I have never used single use plastic razors, for most of my life I have used Gillette's Venus razors and refilled the heads. I've had the same two handles for quite a long time. However, even the refillable heads are disposable and adding plastic and metal waste to landfills.  So I decided to look into some other options. I researched electric razors and safety razors, as the alternatives to disposable plastic razors. It seems that while electric razors are good in many ways, safety razors come in as the top environmentally friendly option. The handles are usually made of recyclable materials, the blades are recyclable. They do...

Between the pandemic keeping me at home more and my focus on environmental impacts lately, I have noticed so many devices in my life have digital screens. The coffee maker (which I don't use, but it sits in the kitchen), computers, tablets, phones, televisions, my bike computer, all have digital screens. For people who have newer appliances than I, their washers, dishwashers, dryers, fridges, all have digital screens. Since we have created computer screens, we are so in love with them, we have to have them on everything!  While I am not a complete Luddite, I do question if all of these digital screens are necessary. I know the creation of computers and screens require precious metals and minerals. They requires lots of production power and waste. They break easily and they are harder to recycle than mechanical devises. Most counties, at least in my area, only have one or two electronics recycling collections a year, and even then you have to pay for them to take your stuff. I have ...

I have talked in this blog series about a number of different kinds of bags. Plastic bags, reusable bags, compostable small bags, cloth bags and so on. Another type of bag I have really loved using are produce bags. The ones I have are reusable net bags in which all kinds of produce can be put. It keeps the produce away from plastic bags and allows them to breathe. There are also specific kinds of cloth produce bags for storing certain kinds of produce and nuts. These bags are more specific because they are designed for each item taking into account how much air each item needs or if the bag should also be moist.  While many grocery stores are asking people not to use reusable bags right now, there will be a time that reusable bags will be allowed back into stores. Until then, stock up! Clean out your reusable bags, make sure you have enough of each kind, and put them in your car for the day the announcement is made! One small act of green, plastic use diminished!

"Rags to Riches." Its a phrase we normally use to describe people who started out poor in life and made their way to some semblance of fame and riches. However, I have also noticed, that using rags around the house can help you save money on cleaning supplies, as well as help save the environment, both also ways rags can lead to riches.  When I moved into my apartment in Houston I had a steady income for the first time. In college and in seminary, I made whatever I had or could get cheaply work. It really didn't matter how good or bad it was. In Houston, I went to the other end of the spectrum and choose convenient disposable cleaning supplies. It didn't matter whether they were good for the environment or not, I could finally afford a Swiffer and all its accouterments.  As I have lived in Franklin making slightly less money and being more focused on my environmental impact, I have changed my cleaning habits again. However, this time I have been much more intentional ...

Week 4 Word Ecclesiastes 7:1 – 8:17 (NRSV) 7 A good name is better than precious ointment,    and the day of death, than the day of birth. 2  It is better to go to the house of mourning    than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone,    and the living will lay it to heart. 3  Sorrow is better than laughter,    for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad. 4  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning;    but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5  It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise    than to hear the song of fools. 6  For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,    so is the laughter of fools;    this also is vanity. 7  Surely oppression makes the wise foolish,    and a bribe corrupts the heart. 8  Better is the end of a thing than it...

Not every act of green makes an impact right away. Some acts take longer to come to fruition than others. Specifically I think of this act of green I have been doing for the last forty five days, posting about caring for creation. Championing the cause of caring for the Earth is in itself an act of green. Educating others and sharing your passion helps others understand and move forward on their own journey of caring for our planet. Only together can we bring the Earth back into a sustainable pattern. However, since so many people do not think about creation or their environmental impact on a daily basis, it takes education on the part of those who do in order to spread the word.  This may be a beginning for you. You may have only made one change in your life towards helping the environment. Yet, when you share that change with others and how it has impacted you, you can help others make changes in their lives as well. Together we can spread the word and help creation recover from ...

In this time of stay at home restrictions, I have heard a lot of people say they are cleaning out closets and boxes they hadn't looked in for quite a long time. As busy as our lives are, we have a tendency to store up things we totally forget about in the rush of other things in our lives. Taking time to clean out cabinets and closets and boxes is important and can actually help save the environment.  If you find usable items in your cabinets, closets, and boxes that you aren't using, you can donate them or sell them for other people to use. This saves new production of those items and helps reduce, reuse, and recycle. This helps the environment in all sorts of ways. It gives the items a new life and allows you some more space in your life. If you have some extra time in your life, clean out your closets and drawers and help the environment. One small act of green, new production waste saved!

The last week. This is the last week of the Easter season, and thus the last week of my 50 Acts of Green Challenge. I have thought a lot about what it takes to live in an environmentally friendly way, and yet, I have only begun to scratch the surface on things that can be done to help the environment. There are more ways than I could address in 50 days, and everyone is going to have the ways they can do better than others. This week will finish up some categories I have been talking about, and throw a few miscellaneous things in that I have been working on this particular season.  Today, in the same vein as the last few days, my act of green is to buy items made out of recycled products. Its a extra bit of effort every time you go to buy something, but when you buy items made out of recycled materials, you are helping the process of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycled materials are no longer single use. They are helping save the environment from landfill waste. Everyone sort of ag...

In learning about how to be more environmentally friendly, I have learned a lot about new materials and new ways of recycling old materials. There are wonderful companies out there creating products and processes from recycled plastic and paper and metal and glass. A new material I have learned a huge amount about in the last year or so is Bamboo.  Bamboo is a wonder plant. It grows so fast, you can literally watch it grow. It has strong roots and is naturally renewable, because it will regrow from the base when you cut the rest of it off. It has a special anti-bacterial agent which makes it helpful when making into kitchen utensils. It is strong and a lovely carbon sink since it takes in a lot of carbon dioxide and creates lots of oxygen. You can build everything from knitting needles to kitchen utensils to houses with it. It can be very sustainably grown and harvested and used, which makes it extremely environmentally friendly.  Since learning about the properties of bamboo,...

Thousands of items fill landfills which are still usable or would be usable with a couple of minutes of repairs. Our society has really latched on to the idea of disposable items and very quickly will throw things out and buy a new one. However, many things in our lives can be still used if we only learned how to sew a few stitches or replace a small part, or knew a local friend or neighbor who could help do so. So many things could be mended or fixed, however, people want things that look brand new. Honestly, its our scars and mends that make us stronger. When we heal and return to working order, we have learned something, we have a new ability to deal with whatever it is, and we have new character. I don't always like when people anthropomorphize everyday objects, but things that are fixed or mended, do have more character and we have more of a relationship with them.  Whenever possible, when something breaks or tears or stops working, see if you can fix it yourself or find someo...

In doing this 50 Acts of Green Challenge, I have learned a quite a few things. Many things I have already shared, facts about what it takes to produce many of the products we use on a daily basis and how much water is really used for normal everyday activities. One of the things I have realized is that being environmentally friendly takes an attitude of being intentional and slowing down to notice small things. I know that because I have started to hang dry a lot of my clothing, my laundry process takes longer and takes more time and effort from me. I have also come to realize I have stayed on top of my laundry better and that I don't despise it as much as I used to now. In getting to know a lot of the companies I buy from better, I feel more informed and feel more trusting of the products I use in my house. Its amazing what doing a small act for the world each day can do. Today's tip is to buy quality items which will last. This goes with Tuesday's topic of buying from env...

With the rise of online shopping, there is the greater ability to buy in bulk than ever before. Some of us perhaps have accidentally bought in bulk (I've heard stories about 25 bunches of bananas instead of 25 bananas, 8 lbs of cheese instead of 8 oz of cheese, and my own mishap of buying 6 cases of fruit snacks instead of 6 boxes, whoops), but there are many benefits of buying items in bulk, especially when you know you will use them.  Buying food items in bulk costs down on packaging costs, since bulk items tend to use less cardboard and plastic packaging, and will result in less plastic bags! Buying in bulk cuts down on your own transportation costs, since you don't have to go to the store multiple times. Buying in bulk can even cut down on food waste, since you are more likely to use exactly what you need instead of a whole package of something. Buying in bulk can also help you save money, and can help you reuse glass containers by using them for storage for bulk items.  W...

Week 3   Word Ecclesiastes 5:1 – 6:12 (NRSV) 5 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil.  2 Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. 3  For dreams come with many cares, and a fool’s voice with many words. 4  When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling it; for he has no pleasure in fools. Fulfil what you vow.  5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not fulfil it.  6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake; why should God be angry at your words, and destroy the work of your hands? 7  With many dreams come vanities and a multitude of words; but fear God. 8  If you see in a province the oppre...

Consumer purchasing power is a very strong power indeed. When a large number of people united to buy or boycott a specific brand or company, that purchasing power can have a huge affect on the company. People tend to think it doesn't really matter whether what they buy is made environmentally friendly or not, but when groups of people together decide to tell a company what they care about, it can change the whole culture of a company.  In economics, consumer purchasing power can change with inflation and prices, with supply and demand issues, with the general economy. There are indexes to measure types of consumer purchasing power and whether consumers have more or less power at any given time. However, the real end game is that if enough dedicated people use their purchasing power to let a company know what they want, the company will either have to make changes or suffer from lack of sales.  Becoming more environmentally friendly is one of the many messages consumers can tel...

I thought today was a great day for me to talk about unplugging. Monday is my scheduled sabbath day. Sometimes I get Saturdays off from work, but regularly there are things I must do on Saturdays. Mondays are the days I try to sleep in, relax, and do some general unplugging from the world.  There are two types of unplugging that I think are important when it comes to creation care. The first is unplugging devices when you are not using them. Unplugging things you aren't using saves electricity. Granted, not everything that is plugged in sucks down a lot of energy when you aren't using it. Most recent electronic devices are created with internal shutoffs so that they don't drain a lot of energy when they aren't charging or accidentally left plugged in. However, especially some older model things, can drain a lot of energy even when you aren't using them. Stereo equipment, DVD players, old microwaves, computers on standby, printers, coffeemakers, etc., etc.  They all ...

Spring brings so many wonderful things when it returns year after year. Flowers, warmer weather, pollen, and longer days of sunshine. The longer periods of sun and natural lighting allow us to turn off the lights more frequently, especially in rooms with windows! Natural lighting is better for human eyes anyway. Humans have a long standing love relationship with light. We need natural lighting in order to see, to give us nutrients, to enjoy the weather. We love light so much, we have a tendency to fear the darkness, though there are lots of good things about the dark as well.  The easiest thing to do to save electricity is to turn off the things which are using it. Especially when you are not using those devices! Lots of people have the tendency to leave on the lights when they walk out of a room. Its so easy to do, why can't you remember??? Thankfully, there are now available options for lighting which take very little electricity. LEDs are very effective energy users and their ne...

Paper takes a lot of water, tree pulp, and energy and produces a lot of chemically bound wastewater. In the United States we use a lot of paper products. Magazines, books, newspapers, toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, etc. Some of these items are created in environmentally friendly ways and some of them are not. Not all these paper products are produced in exactly the same way, but they all involved a lot of water, pulp, and energy. While I have talked about environmentally friendly toilet paper and alternatives to paper towels and other kitchen paper products already, I want to talk about books today.  I love books. I have more books than I want to admit to. I love the way a book feels in your hand and the ability to write in a book and wear the pages when you come upon passages you love and read over and over again. However, I do realize that the production of all these books is sucking a huge amount of energy, water, and trees into use that could be saved.  Part of ...

One of the many things which changes rapidly is our weather. Everywhere I have lived people have said some variation of the following, "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes, it will change." I am not sure I have actually chosen to live in weather diverse locations, but having been to all fifty states, I can tell you that most people think this about their weather. In the few places where weather is predicable and steady, they have no thought of the weather at all.  The long term weather patterns, our climates, and their recent changes due to human environmental impact is one of the things pushing people to be more environmentally sensitive these days. As the weather and long term climates outside of our houses change (and not always for the better!) we are starting to realize we have made as much of an impact on our environment as it makes on us.  One of the many things we can do to help our impact on our weather is to change our indoor weather. Our indoor hea...