Earth Week

Earth Day is coming up on Friday, and I plan to celebrate this whole week as Earth Week.

The first Earth Day was in 1970 and it still remains a big event in the environmental movement. Interest and participation in Earth Day has increased and spread around the world, with millions of people taking part. 

I do many things everyday in my life to help the earth: I live in a small house; I walk and bike, and work at home; I buy used stuff and buy locally (to reduce fuel used for transportation); I use the library instead of buying books; I compost, recycle, and grow my own food... 

But it’s alright to ask myself “What more could I do?”

Yes, it’s often more expensive to be environmentally conscientious, but I know that my purchasing decisions have an impact on ecosystems. The companies that produce and sell products depend on my dollars, so they will listen and react to my behavior. Also, my health and my family’s health is at risk! I need to keep my priorities straight. And I need to stretch my limits to action.

Agenda this week:

"Come on, Mom, let's go!"

1. Earth Week petition walks:
I know I will be out walking every morning with my girl Sadie!

I hope to say this prayer of petition each day on my walk:

That the Earth be cared for, I pray.
That we learn to live simply and lightly on the Earth, I pray.
That we stop poisoning the soil and seas, I pray.
That global warming is halted and reversed, I pray.
That protection of the Earth becomes the political priority, I pray.
Amen.

2. Clean the neighbor-hood: 

I also plan to take a garbage bag with me as I walk in the mornings and go down a different alley each day.

3. Buy less meat:
Industrial meat production creates nasty waste and health problems. I went mostly meatless during Lent this year, so I feel confident that I can continue that practice a while longer.

4. Research recycling, and teach:
I'm in charge of recycling at my church and it always amazes me what people put in there! (It's called "wishful recycling"-- I want this to be recyclable, so I will put it into the bin, and then it is recyclable...)

We have a co-mingle system in our town, and unfortunately, all the trash in the recycle bins causes machinery shut downs and equipment damage at the sorting plant. Also, a lot of trash slips into the bundles of recycled materials and is passed on to the mills.

Last year I wrote a paper called "Why should I follow co-mingling rules?" and today I will reprint it and pass it on to my congregation.

5. Plant more flowers:

6. Make Earth Cookies: 

I got this idea from the Almost Unschoolers blog. One correction, though: She says the earth is about 70% water, but it's the earth's surface that is 71% water, not the earth itself. That percentage works fine for these cookies which only show the earth's surface anyway!

Ingredients:

• 2-3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-c. butter
• 1-1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• food color
• 3 tsp. baking cocoa

Yield: 2 dozen cookies-

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in an egg. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.

3. Divide the dough and color three-quarters of it blue by kneading food color in with your fingers. Color one-eighth green and one-eighth brown with a few teaspoons of baking cocoa.

4. Roll balls of blue dough and add bits of green and brown for the land masses.

5. Place onto lightly oiled cookie sheets and press a little to slightly flatten. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheet for two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.