Something to Think About
Short blurbs on caring for creation to use in newsletters or bulletins, Posted December 22, 2004

Offered by New Community Project, 718 Wilder St., Elgin, IL 60123 Phone: 888-800-2985. For questions or comments concerning these newsletter items, contact NCP at ncp@newcommunityproject.org

Something to think about: According to the US Government’s Energystar program, if every household in the US replaced only one light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: In the average US home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. Across the US, this equals the annual output of 12 power plants and costs consumers over $1 billion each year. Unplug electronics when not using them, and purchase energy-efficient models. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: Everyone, everywhere depends increasingly on long-distance food. In the US, food typically travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate, as much as 25 percent farther than in 1980. This might give your dinner table great choices – but it runs roughshod over local cuisines, varieties, and local agriculture, while consuming staggering quantities of fuel and generating greenhouse gases. Look for locally grown foods and enjoy in-season produce. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: The city of Bogota, Columbia has an annual car-free day – when EVERYONE walks or bikes or takes mass transit. Cycling accounts for about 12% of all trips in Germany, and 27% of trips in the Netherlands. In contrast, in the US, where bicycle infrastructure is much less extensive, cycling accounts for less than 1% of all trips. Remember, bicycles get the equivalent of 1000 miles per gallon! The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: US citizens use 350 aluminum cans per person per year; all together we discard 51 billion of these energy intensive spheres every year. Recycling all the aluminum used in the US would save as much energy as is required to power New York City – and 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: If we could recycle 60% of solid waste in the US, we would save 315 million barrels of oil per year! Start with recycling in your own house, and encourage your neighbors. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: People buy fast food because it's cheap, quick, and heavily promoted. But its benefits can be deceptive. At many fast-food restaurants, a single meal gives a disproportionate share—sometimes more than 100 percent—of the recommended daily intake of fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar. And fast food producers require farmers to raise uniform fields of crops and herds of livestock for easy processing, eliminating agricultural diversity. The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: Mmmm, we love our chocolate. But it comes not without costs – high costs. Most cocoa farmers are very poor, earning only 6-8% of the chocolate’s annual revenue. Labor abuse, including child slavery, is rife in some cocoa regions. And in many cases cocoa is grown as a monoculture crop in full sun, an arrangement that supports little species diversity. Look for fair-trade, organic, and/or slavery-free chocolate. (For example, check out Divine chocolate available from SERRV International.) The earth is the Lord’s – let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: Feeling congested? No wonder—US households are driving 21,200 miles per year, up 75% since 1977. And the ratio of cars to drivers in the US is 1.1/1. That’s right, more vehicles than licensed drivers. Don’t forget—every mile we drive puts a pound of CO2 into the atmosphere. Indeed, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, personal vehicle use is the most harmful environmental behavior by US citizens. Walk. Bike. Bus. Stay at home. The earth is the Lord’s—let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: Pulling that imported product off the shelf has many ramifications, but here’s one that you won’t find on the ingredient list. A container ship bringing products from overseas emits as much pollution per mile as a car driven 25,000 miles. And 60,000 of these behemoths dock at US ports each year. It’s another factor in the equation that makes our society the global leader in global warming gases. The earth is the Lord’s—let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: 2004 was the costliest year ever for repairing the damage from tropical storms and other “natural” disasters. Insurance companies, who put out $95 billion for damages—$20 billion more than the average for the past decade—see global warming as the culprit. While churches have been good—even heroic—in repairing these storms’ damage, what have we done to cut back on global warming gases from our driving, heating and cooling, and general consumption? Could this be part of “loving our neighbors” in today’s world? The earth is the Lord’s—let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)

Something to think about: The World Wildlife Fund recently reported that since 1970 the planet has lost fully 40% of its land, water and marine creatures. The culprits? Forest destruction, urban sprawl, overpopulation, polluted waterways. We are managing to depopulate the earth of millions of other living things—life God has so lovingly and purposely created. The earth is the Lord’s—let’s live like it. New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org)