Greening Your Lenten Season

Lent is a time that many Christians around the world observe as a season to reflect on what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is meant to be a season of sacrifice in order to draw us closer to him by cleansing our live of those things which hinder our spiritual relationship.

This year, instead of giving up chocolate or meat, how about refraining from activities that are detrimental to our planet? In adopting greener behaviors we honor the teachings of Christ as they pertain to creation care.  We also show compassion for the poor as they suffer the greatest impact from environmental degradation.

Wondering what sacrifices you can make? Well, here are a few practices to adopt that will hopefully last well beyond the Lenten season.

1. Give up plastic water bottles! Not only will you save yourself money, but you will help to reduce the 1.5 million tons of plastic waste created, and the 47 million gallons of oil required to produce them each year. Opt for a stainless steel water bottle instead. Target carries some that cost as little as $7 each.

2. Give up plastic and paper bags!  Neither option is better than the other: they both require huge amounts of energy to produce. I'm talking millions of barrels of oil huge! Try reusable shopping bags instead. As I said in a previous post, they are so user friendly and you'll feel great knowing you are doing something small to help the environment.

3. Give up washing your car! Just kidding about that one - no one wants to drive a dirty car. However, washing your car in your driveway or on the street is the worst thing you can do for the environment. When you do this, all the runoff from both your car and the street, including motor oil, gasoline and exhaust residue, are rinsed directly into storm drains and eventually into our lakes, rivers and streams. Instead, take your car to the local car wash. They are federally required to treat their wastewater before disposing of it and are also more efficient than most homeowners when it comes to water use.

For more green behaviors to adopt during Lent, here is a great list from The Daily Green.

Is There a War on Clean Air and Intelligence?

Today, just 2 months after EPA announced plans to limit mercury and other air toxics from power plants, Senator James Inhofe announced his plans to force a vote killing the long-delayed rule.  According to him, this rule is a move by President Obama to wage war on affordable energy. He also claims that this rule, which protects families and communities, will lead to power grid instability. Utilities have already addressed this issue and confirmed that there would not be reduced grid stability.

What Senator Inhofe (who is ironically the top republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee) doesn't say is that mercury is a neurotoxin, highly dangerous for developing babies when consumed by pregnant women through certain fish and seafood. Seafood, with its Omega 3s would seemingly be a healthy food option for growing a baby right? Not if we don't get mercury emissions under control. Without this regulation, power plants do not have a limit on how much mercury they can emit into the air and ultimately into water, contaminating fish supplies and harming our families.

Why is it so important to limit mercury emissions? I'm so glad you asked. According to this report  by NIH, it was found by the CDC that almost half a million children have cord blood mercury levels at those associated with loss of IQ. This loss of IQ then leads to diminished economic productivity over the life of that individual. This is serious as this loss in productivity amounts to over $1 billion per year. So, not only is this rule vital for the protection of the environment, it is imperative for the economic stability of our country. If we really want a long term boost to the economy, we might want to re-evaluate our priorities.


Take action to ensure that our families and communities can breathe clean air!

A Love to End Pollution

I was reading this post on Mom's Clean Air Force and it really made me pause and reflect on my role as a mother.  In my mind, I feel that a mother's love can do anything. It's like kryptonite to all the troubles of this world. I love my two daughters to the ends of the universe and back and I never doubt the fact that I am a great mom. However, like most parents, I feel that there is always room for improvement. I question the food choices I make for them, although my 6 year old has enviable eating habits and enjoys fruits and vegetables more than any other 6 year old I've ever met. My 1 year old is on her way to following in her sister's footsteps as her favorite food right now is avocado. I buy organic when necessary and avoid toxic ingredients as much as possible, but am I doing all that I can? Ultimately, I know that God is in control, but to me, that doesn't equate to me not taking responsibility for my actions or for the well-being of my family and community.

When it comes to pollution however, I know I can do better, particularly when it comes to fighting.  Air pollution has serious health consequences for our kids.  Just consider the fact that children living in urban areas, many of whom are minorities, are impacted disproportionately by asthma. With healthcare in the condition that it is, we need to do all we can to stay healthy.  We might tend to believe that as individuals there are limitations to our ability to influence change, and that may be true. The cool thing about a movement however, is that it is made up of individuals all sharing the same goal, uniting to form something bigger than themselves.  That's what is so great about Mom's Clean Air Force.  Regardless of where you're from, what your social or economic status is, or whether you are Democrat or Republican, this group unites all moms (and dads) with the goal of protecting our kids from air pollution.  As the Force says in its mission, "sometimes being a good mom means being an active citizen". I know I can certainly play a larger role in my community to fight against air pollution. I hope you feel the same.

Do you think that being a good mom means being an active citizen, particularly when it comes to matters of public and environmental health?

Do you believe there is more you can do to fight against air pollution?

Then, take action now and join Mom's Clean Air Force!