creation care members,
welcome to those of you who are new members, it is very exciting to see so many people make a commitment to try and live in harmony with creation and to minimize their impact on the creation surrounding us. i am very glad we have this email list put together where we can share ideas, questions and frustrations with each other and also encourage and support each other as we try to make changes in our daily habits. quite often, the majority of the ideas we have for each other will be things, often small things, that we can each do as individuals to reduce our consumption of resources such as water, energy and natural resources. sometimes people challenge some of these decisions i've made in my own life, saying things like "why do you try and always shut of lights when you leave a room for a short time, does that really make a difference when compared to large energy users like those in industry or when the vast majority of americans do not make these changes?". these can be hard questions to answer, especially if you are trying to make a significant impact. however, i have come to the understanding that we should not only do it to make a global change but we should do it because it is how we have been called to live. i make these changes and try to live a certain way because i feel if i do otherwise i am not right with God, as if i were not living what i am talking. by doing so, i am caring for that which has been entrusted to me. what i do next is share these ideas with friends and family and encourage them to make these changes, for example this email group. i might not make a noticeable difference on my own but we all might make a difference together. wouldn't it be awesome to see christians everywhere making these changes in their lives and living simpler? one last thing on the large consumers: i feel that we as consumers in an economy driven by consumption make a difference every time we purchase/consume something. by supporting a company/group with our money, we are supporting their business and environmental practices and giving our approval of these practices. i try to ask myself before i purchase anything a few things, such as: -what resources went into the making of this product? -how much energy did it take to produce and transport this product? -how much extra waste packaging does it come with? -is there a way that i could get something similar used? there are many other things which we should consider as well before supporting a corporations product. i guess what i am trying to say is that we should be responsible and thoughtful in our consumption, trying to live in as much a sustainable way as possible. so, i encourage you to make the small changes in your daily lives that will reduce your personal impact on creation and to share these things with all of us. blessings, jeremy westra
