Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day is now observed each year on April 22 in virtually every country on Earth.
On Saturday, April 24th Lake Eola will host the Central Florida Earth Day 2010 festivities with speakers, artists, musicians, local growers and events for the kids.
On Sunday, April 25th the festivities will be over, Lake Eola will host a different event and Earth day planners will be focusing on next year's special events. Most of us will go to church, share a meal with our families and go about planning our work and school weeks. But shouldn't Earth day be every day, especially for Christians?
The Apocalyptic message of 20th Century evangelicals does not fit the 21st Century Christian. We cannot simply ignore our depleting natural resources simply because "the end is nigh."
Jesus would live a sustainable lifestyle. He reminds us often in His teachings that we are to be about the business of the Kingdom of God and through His Parables we can see that caring for the Kingdom includes caring for His Creation. In the 25th chapter of the book of Matthew, Jesus gives us two examples of how we are to care for the things we have been given. In Genesis we are given dominion over the Earth.
God spoke:
"Let us make human beings in our image,make them reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." (The Message)
How can we be responsible, everyday for the Earth itself and every animal that moves on it? After the festivals, the documentaries and special events how can we incorporate God's order to be the caretakers of His creation?
Try to incorporate these simple ideas in your daily life. Make changes one or two at a time and as they become part of your routine, add another .
- Replace paper towels and napkins with cloth napkins and towels
- Break the plastic water bottle habit
- Switch to bar soap!
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Return wire hangers to the dry cleaner
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Tighten you gas cap until it clicks 3 times (this is easy you can do this tomorrow!)
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Eat meat free once a week
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Register to get your name OFF junk mail lists (this saves the planet and your sanity)
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Donate your old cell phone to charity or return it to the manufacturer for recycling
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Stow reusable bags in your car for errands
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Keep your car's air filter cleaned and tires inflated
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