Caring for Creation
This is the first in a series of ideas to help us be better stewards of our planet. Some ideas are very simple, but every little bit counts when multiplied over many people. We welcome your ideas and feedback. Please email your ideas to Lovat Watts at lovatw@verizon.net
Caring for Creation task group: Lovat Watts, Burt Rothenberger and Angela Emerich
Visit the Natural Resources Defense Council web site for tips on greener living.
Here are some things we all can do now:
FACT: The average U.S. citizen consumes 100 times as much of the world's resources as the average person in the world's poorest countries.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Use less. Turn out unneeded lights, combine errands and buy local produce to save gasoline (that it takes to transport food from far away places).
FACT: It is far more efficient to make new items out of recycled material than new material. For example it takes 60% less energy to make new paper from recycled paper than from a newly cut tree.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Buy recycled products that are marked as such on the packaging. And recycle paper, glass, cardboard and plastic.
FACT: Desktop computers are energy hogs.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Switch to a laptop. Laptops are 90% more energy efficient than desktops, they run on rechargeable batteries, and have energy saving features like low-energy displays and automatic sleep mode.
FACT: Birds and other animals can get stuck in the plastic that holds soda cans and other bottles together.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Cut between each plasitc circle before disposing of it and preferably recycle it.
FACT: An estimated 34 pounds of junk mail per person is sent in the US every year.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Stop your junk mail. If 100,000 people stopped their junk mail we could save an estimated 150,000 trees a year. Visit the Federal Trade Commission to learn how to stop junk mail.
FACT: 97% of the water on Earth is salt water. Of the 3% fresh water, two thirds is locked up as ice leaving 1% as fresh water on the continents. In the USA 50 gallons of water are consumed per person per day.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Don't leave the tap running while you brush your teeth. Turn it on and off as needed. For a family project measure how much water you use when you keep the tap running, multiply that by the number of people in your family and you'll get an idea of how much water you will save. Visit the U.S. Geological Survey web site to calculate how much water you use in your home.
FACT: The USA is very dependent on oil, a non-renewable resource.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Manintain your car in good working condition and inflate your tires correctly. This will make your car more fuel-efficient.
FACT: We buy 5 billion batteries a year that are not biodegradable and are full of toxic heavy metals, which have the potential to leak into landfills.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Use rechargeable batteries. Each rechargeable battery can replace between 50-300 throwaway batteries.
FACT: Every year we throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Recycle aluminum cans. If your trash hauler does not recycle then call your township to find the nearest recycling center. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough electricity to power your TV for three hours.
FACT: Every year we could circle the earth with the disposable cameras we throw away.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Use a regular camera with a rechargeable battery.