Why Green?
If you are living in Britain in 2008 then you can't help but have noticed that there is a rather large campaign to get you to become more 'green'. From 'save your 20%' to 'kill the car' we are being constantly bombarded with the message that our current lifestyles are bad and that we MUST change. There are 2 problems that strike me with all this - people are unsure as to what changes to make and how to go about making them, and are unsure about why they should change in the first place. That is why I am going to be writing a 'green' piece for the mag every issue. My plan is to give you a few changes to make each quarter, so that you can make small but significant changes to the way that you live your life that will positively impact the whole planet.
Firstly - why change? There are many reasons why helping the environment is a good idea, and I can only go into some of them here; but firstly, as Christians, we are called to be good stewards of all that God has given us. He gave us this beautiful planet to live on, to use, and to protect. Read the Genesis creation stories: Adam tended the garden - he looked after it and nurtured it, God did not give him the right to destroy it.
Secondly, we are called to care for others, a calling that should be played out by our whole lives. We routinely care for each other at church, for the community we live in, and for our own country in prayer and deed, but how do we care for the whole planet? Many of us sponsor children abroad or send money to disaster appeals, but how about preventing a few of those disasters? Climate change is responsible for the increased rate of floods and droughts in many areas of the world (including this country last year) in the opinion of climate experts world-wide.
Thirdly, protecting the environment can be good for our own pockets. Many 'green' ideas actually save you money, and even those which involve an initial outlay of cash generally save money in the long-term.
So, to those 'green' ideas. Each issue I will suggest a theme for you to use to examine your lifestyle & make changes. Over the quarter you should be able to make small adjustments to the way you live & practise them until they are habits for (a greener) life! I hope and pray it will be that simple for you. For further help & advice ask me at church, or email me at the address below - happy greener living!
Theme: Light
In these dark months start by considering your use of light & lights in general. Here are some starting points for your thoughts, but be creative!
1.Turn off lights when you're not in the room - simple, effective, saves money.
2.Switch to energy efficient bulbs - change them over gradually as the 'go', switching bulbs round so that the energy efficient ones are in the areas where they get used most - like hallways and landings. Though initial cost is slightly higher than old-style bulbs each one can save you £60 over its lifetime.
3.Stand-by lights - many appliances have these & each one costs you money! Get into the habit of switching off things like TVs, computer monitors, stereos etc that have a standby light when you're not using them, and look round a room in the dark to check for those that are less obvious - like multi-plugs. Turn them all off and you could save even more money a year - enough to sponsor a child through World Vision?!