The Earth, The Church, You, and Me
Here are some thoughts in response to last month’s newsletter article on the Earth Care church and what Sixth Presbyterian can do at home to fight global warming. My suggestions for our House Committee and the Session:
- Investigate the initial cost against savings over time of a tankless water heater and low-flush toilets.
- Consider installing LED light bulbs in the remainder of the church (the sanctuary lights are much appreciated).
At home, some additional practices and procedures to simplify your life and add to what you already do to help save our planet:
- Consider using a push lawn mower instead of a gas or electric mower, which would be good exercise and not harmful to the environment. Secondhand and new push mowers are for sale and the blades can be sharpened by folks who will also sharpen your kitchen knives. Do you have a gardener for your property? Pay a teen or low-income adult to cut the grass. Your gardener can concentrate on other aspects of beautifying your property. The same reasoning applies to electric leaf blowers versus leaf rakes.
- Next, consider hanging your laundry out-of-doors in the warm weather. Estimates of the cost of using electric dryers are 10-20% of your electric bill. The advantages are:
- It’s good exercise: carrying wet laundry, hanging it, and taking it off the clothesline is a workout.
- Laundry, especially sheets, will smell fresher. Sunshine kills bacteria and mites.
- You will benefit from the fresh air, Vitamin D, and the beauty and serenity of the out-of-doors.
- Does your city, borough, or township prohibit the use of clotheslines? Fight it! Educate, petition, or organize your family and friends. Get on the agenda and attend city, borough, or township meetings.
- Do you use your home computer? Do you unplug it when it’s not in use? Would replacing your computer with a smart phone work for you?
Do you have ideas that you could share with me person-to-person on how I can better my practices and procedures to personally fight global warming? Yes, I do practice some of these suggestions; check with me if you are interested.
—Sheila Kier, Deacon
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