Week Two: Make This World a Better Place

Since Easter is fresh in our minds and the spirit of renewal is a welcome feeling with Spring upon us, it is only fitting that this week's assignment should follow Earth Day activities. After all, Genesis 1:28 states: " God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."' (NRSV)
 
We were given the opportunity and the responsibility to not only care for each other, but to care for all things living upon this earth. With that said, I challenge you to think how you might do something out of the ordinary this week in fulfilling that charge. Don't just recycle this week – reuse.  That's not always so easy, is it?

Recycling is definitely preferable to discarding something, but recycling also takes energy to convert the object into something new. Add to that, we consumers lean more toward "throw-away" than "fix." But making this world a better place means changing our mindset, and not adding more to landfills and wastefulness. 

So, this week, there are some options: Find another use for something you might recycle or throw away (I.e. newspaper sleeves as pet pooper-scoopers, plastic bags as small trash can liners, fruit and veggie peelings for composting, etc.); make your own environmentally-friendly cleaning products from household items; or, if you are really having difficulty with this challenge, write a check to an animal preservation group or an organization whose mission is to save the earth.

Last Monday, I promised to weekly give you a sample of what I did the previous week to make this world a better place. My journal entries included sharing an extra package of fill-and-thrill eggs with a neighbor who has young children, making a special meal for a family who just lost a loved one, taking the time to praise s sales person to their manager. 

Now it's your turn. Tell me and others what you did to accomplish this week's assignment. You just might encourage others to do the same!