how elizabeth and i plan on greening up the burgh...

may i get on my soapbox for a moment?

i have be called a 'tree-hugger' once or twice in my life. i recently read an article in christianity today, where a fellow environmentally concerned christian was asked if he claimed this title. he responded, "no, i'm a people-hugger."

if you read the article about pittsburgh's soot problem, you know that how we choose to live affects others. reports are showing that this pollution is causing an increase in heart disease and respiratory ailments, such as asthma. the post-gazette reports that "each ton of boosts heath costs $100,000 annually." there are enough people who can't afford health care right now. we don't need to make things worse for them. this also translates into crazy weather around the world - rain where it is not needed (the Northeast), droughts where rain is needed (Africa), raising temperatures, unusually strong and frequent storm systems (do you remember hurricane season '05?), etc. we end up with situations like new orleans and darfur.

i do not want to start a conversation about whether global warming exists. we could speculate about that all day and have done nothing to fix the problem. frankly, i don't care. the fact is that God has called us to live responsibly and not overconsume (do you remember the story about the man who built another barn because his first one was full - see luke 12:13-21, or all the warnings Scripture gives about wealth - see 1 Timothy 6:6-10?). He has also called us to be stewards of this earth (see Genesis 2:15), not just to take care of His creation, but in order to love and respect those around the world.

any way, here are some things elizabeth and i are currently doing and have planned to do in order to keep our area of pittsburgh green (warning - some of this is a little disgusting):

1. we recycle... everything... from plastic bags from the grocery store to cereal boxes!
2. we use fluorescent lighting... they last longer and use less energy.
3. we turn things off when they aren't being used. this includes the power strips that we have appliances plugged up to. you wouldn't believe how much energy is wasted due to appliances that are on 'stand-by' mode.
4. we try to do laundry only when we can fill the washing machine.
5. we wash our clothes in cold water.
6. we try to keep our apartment at a reasonable temperature.
7. we try not to flush our toilet unless absolutely necessary - i will leave it at that.
8. we have fuel efficient cars and will use public transportation. we ride bikes when we can.

those are just a few of the things we do. if you have any other suggestions, i would love to hear them!

okay, i am off my soapbox.

cheers,
jw

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