In our conclusion to Stewards of Eden, Richter reaffirms our biblical commitment to environmental stewardship. She then offers practical steps to becoming an environmentally conscious steward in your daily and church life.
1. Get informed through national organizations! Richter recommends:
Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/
Nature Conservancy: https://www.nature.org/en-us/
The Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.org/
Defenders of Wildlife: https://defenders.org/
2. Vote your informed conscience! Richter recommends Sierra Club Magazine: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra
3. Vote with your finances! Buy organic/recycled. When shopping for animal products, look for labels that include "grass-fed" and "free-range". Buy "reduced packaging".
4. Live with restraint. Buy smaller, buy less.
5. Learn how and where to recycle responsibly.
6. Compost, compost, compost! (Note from Kara: It's easier than you think! I often drop mine off at a local farm.)
7. Make sure your school/church/office is recycling. For paper products, check out www.shredit.com
8. Find your local wildlife rehabilitator. Make a donation. Get their number. You could save an animal's life!
9. Address your energy consumption! Change your lightbulbs to LED. Caulk your windows. Request an audit. Did you know you can rent solar panels? Do you remember how nice a clothesline can be?
10. Attend to your automobile! Buy smaller, fewer, and with better gas mileage.
11. Join a community supported agriculture group (CSA). By buying from a CSA, you support local farms, environmentally responsible agriculture, and keep your family healthy.
12. Give up your chemical lawn service and be restrained in your pesticide use. Check out www.gardensalive.com
13. Plant native trees and plants. Indigenous plants need less water, are resistant to pests, and attract wildlife.
14. Think about water consumption in your landscape. Water your lawn at night, watering during the day is wasted due to evaporation. Think about using rain barrels at the base of your drain spouts.
15. Read Nancy Sleeth's, Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth. Available on Amazon.
16. Support environmental missionary efforts around the globe. Check out Plant with Purpose (www.plantwithpurpose.org) or Red Island Restoration (www.redislandrestoration.com)
17. Are you a pastor or church member who wants to start a "green team" at your church? Get trained in energy conservation. water use, planting native, and so on. Be the person your fellow church members can learn from. Blessed Earth offers a 12-part DVD Bible Study: Serving God, Saving the Plant. You can find it here: www.blessedearth.org
Want more of Sandra Richter?
Check out her other works here: https://seedbed.com/author/sandrarichter/ and here https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-L.-Richter/e/B00OEHYZFG%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share