It's not easy being green--or is it?

For most of my life, all 35 years of it, I have thrown away glass, plastic, aluminum, paper, etc. And I have thrown them away in large quantities, too, since I'm naturally a "thrower" and an "organizer." (I feel like I should be announcing this at a "Wastefuls Anonymous" meeting.)

In the last three years or so, I have started to contemplate my responsibility as a caretaker of God's good earth. And I think it really started to bother me, in a good way, when a Christian naturalist pointed out that if we don't keep God's creation well, if we don't care about the rainforest or even the woods and natural habitat around the corner, people who don't know God might be less likely to see him in His creation. Whoa. (Read Psalm 19 and you'll be reminded that this is definitely a bad thing!)

I won't get into all the particulars, but the problem is vast, and sometimes, ironically, we as Christians seem to be the worst at being "care-full" of God's creation. Me included.

So, go figure, moving to this new city, and gaining a new husband who recycles and reuses, has been a very happy thing for me when it comes to conservation and stewardship. We are so far from perfect in this area, really, but I have to say it feels good to pile up the recyclables and put them in their prospective containers. To think of all the stuff I dumped before...the landfills I filled with junk.

So here is what recycling looks like for us.



Every other Wednesday, when they pick it up, it's nigh to overflowing. And yes, we always have trash pickup, too--just a lot less trash than I once generated.

And here is step #2: reusable grocery bags. Check this beautiful bag out at envirosax.com.


And look how it folds up to fit in your purse or bag!!



Then we have our ugly burlap style variety...



But they work in a pinch, when I remember to bring them in the store! But for those times I do forget (which are hopefully becoming fewer) I take those plastic bags home and use them in bathroom and office trash cans. Which is the part where we "reuse."

These small steps won't save the world or the whales, we admit. But if everyone took them, they might make a serious dent in the caretaking of God's creation. And truth be told, they're not even inconvenient.

One last note: I believe to be good caretakers we need to be "good appreciaters" of God's creation. That's why we plant flowers like these, to enjoy their beauty, and in so doing, to enjoy the beauty of our Creator and our relationship with him.

Care to post on your efforts to be conserve and be caretakers?