What would happen if every church gave up their green lawns, and instead planted community gardens? Members of the church and community could work together, enjoy God’s creation, and be able to feed those in need with healthy nutritious food, grown with love. Is your church’s lawn feeding anyone?

I’ve turned down the road that I had started down many years ago. When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade I started an Environmental Club at my elementary school. I don’t remember a lot of what we did, I think we picked up trash and encouraged recycling, but I remember bringing in a postcard of a beautiful forest, and then pointing out areas of it that showed the destruction of nature, even in the picturesque postcard. I wanted to live in a world without the evils of modern pollution and harm.

Here’s my current view that is gradually (or not so gradually) shifting. I had been swayed from that 2nd grade attitude by the forces of the societal norms, by the busyness of life, by laziness… any number of excuses. The crux of my current stance though is this: if the environmental issues of clean water, clean air, and edible food don’t impact your life yet – ponder the lives of the poorest of the poor. It does phase them.

Our culture has brought harm, not only to ourselves but more so to the people in the third-world countries that are supplying our wants and needs. The demand for certain products is the reason for rain forests being annihilated and replanted with a single plant. Our dependence on other products cause large businesses to force poor farmers off the land that they farmed for their families, in order to plant the crop of choice, while ruining land, water, and lives. What does it cost to buy organic food? What does it cost to buy fair-trade? When you choose to not buy the better choice, does that $0.50 savings really buy off your conscience?

Better Basics for the Home

My latest book purchase was Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond. I bought it because I wanted to stop using man-made chemicals in my life. I expected to learn various cleaning methods that were natural when I bought it. Little did I expect the large section on body and beauty. Josh laughs at me, but I am absolutely amazed by what my skin felt like after for 1 day switching from using my man-made, chemically questionable soap, toner, and moisturizer to using three products found in my kitchen. I washed my face with milk, toned with a lemon slice, and moisturized with oil. It made a huge difference.  I wasn’t planning on switching over to all natural immediately, but in a more gradual manner (when I ran out of something, I’d replace it with a natural product). The face washing test has almost convinced me that waiting isn’t worth it.

I do highly recommend this book. It has so many easy recipes (and more complicated ones). I want to try my hand at them so badly, but I have to wait a month at least… we’re leaving for Florida on Wednesday, and I don’t know that I’ll have a chance to be as environmental there as I would like to be. I’m sure I’ll figure out how my eco-ways and traveling can work together better in the future. Mrs. Berthold does say that powdered milk can work for traveling…