How To Be A Greener Christian

-

Written by McDonald, T.  |  Date 27th of May 2022

Christians and Jews are among the most Earth couscous people i know.  Perhaps it is down to the popularity of science in the Church or the need to show respect to God's creation, but being green and environmentally friendly is like the eleventh commandment among long-term practising Christians. Therefore, if you are new to Christianity being green is as important as anything else otherwise you are going to look odd.  With this in mind, what are the top things you can do to be that green Christian that sets the standards?

 

Replace your electric or petrol lawnmower with a push one

Not only can you save money, but save the environment too all at the same time.  Push lawnmowers are brilliant these days and about half the price of a motorised counterpart.  Obviously, if you have a massive garden it might not be viable, but for the average garden it is just fine.  Mine was easy to assemble and easy to use.  Notably, they come with adjustable blades, so if it is a bit hard to push, just slightly adjust the blades and it will be a breeze to use.

 

Ditch the car

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Can you walk to work? 
  • Can you bike to work?
  • Can you take public transport to work?
  • Can you walk to Church?
  • Can you bike to Church? 
I have learned that i can bike very easily for up to about 3-5 miles, which means i can easily bike into town for shopping, church and work.  This has saved me a fortune in money already and is improving my health.

I have a basket on the front of my bike and pannier bags on the rear rack, which makes shopping in town easy.  However, if you have a family, you might want to use the local store or order online and have it delivered.  

 

Go plastic free or better still be zero waste

I have already written about this so check out some of these blogs below.  The main idea is that consumers buy less or no products in any kind of packaging if possible or just cut out plastic packaging.

I have been doing my best to live a zero waste life for a few years now.  Although it is not easy and i am far from perfect at it, a zero waste life is possible if you are prepared to make some changes and compromises. 


Go Vegan

Yes, turning vegan is super easy these days and will lower you carbon footprint.  Not only will you be a lot healthier you will also be in good company with this modern way of living.  As of yet, being a vegan is still only popular with the more educated or sophisticated. 

 

 

Turn off instead of leaving on standby

These little LEDs might have you thinking that they are harmless.  However, they are using a small amount of energy, which if you add it up over the year and combine it with everyone else, it accounts for a huge amount of wasted energy.  Have a look around your home and see just how many there are. 

Extension leads


Swap these if you can for ones that have no lights.  It is good practice to switch these off and unplug them from the wall when not in use anyway.

Phones

If you still have a landline phone, swap it for one that has no answer machine or any LEDs.  

 

Computers, TVs, Monitors, and games consoles

It maybe tempting to leave your computer or games console on standby so it can update while you are asleep, but these little standby lights are costing you a fortune!  The best thing to do is turn them off and save the plant and you bank account. 

Use a shopping bag

Stop using plastic carrier bags and use something like my Nan and everyone else was using in the 70s. These bags last for ever and can carry a fare bit of weight.

Being green has never been so easy or so difficult.  If you think about it an are prepared to make compromises and changes then it is easy, but if you are a stick in the mud that can't change or wont change, then it is be a hard slog for you. 

Location: United Kingdom

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vegan Stollen

-
Image
Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 11th of December 2023   This is something I have heard of, but never tried before.  Usually, we have traditional Christmas cake in my house, but last year I wanted to try something different and this was it.  Rest assured, I will be having it again this year too! At first, it seems like a lot of effort, but you will soon see that it is straight forward to make and definitely worth it.  However, it will need proofing and the dried fruit will need soaking, which will all take time, so plan ahead.  Notes I used French Brandy Marzipan and so used brandy to flavour the raisins and cranberries. I used almond milk. A good tip is to dust the soaked fruit with a little flour before adding the dough. You have 3 options with the marzipan:  Roll it out  Chop it up Have a thick bar of it running through the centre I soaked the dried fruit in brandy, but you can make it without the alcohol is you wish or use rum instead. I used a silicon baking sheet to save on the
Read more

Rum And Raisin Loaf

-
Image
Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 27th of November 2023   Whatever the occasions, this is a great treat to be had.  The rum soaks into the raisins and results in a perfect infusion of flavours. The rum adds flavour to the raisins while the raisins add sweetness to the run.  This beautiful bread as a great bready texture, yet is fruity and warming to the soul. Although it doesn't need it, you can choose to dust it with icing sugar.
Read more

Vegan Ginger Bread

-
Image
Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 18th of March 2024 You will never believe just how easy this cake bread is. So tasty, so moist and good! The preparation is mega quick because all you have to do is mix it all together and pour the batter in a loaf tin and it is ready to go in the oven. No yeast, so no proofing it is ready so fast and bakes in 45 minutes. The result is a sweet tasting cake that you can cut into slices and eat like bread. Notes Don't beat the batter or it will turn out tough after baking.   If you use Green Ginger Wine, be sure it is vegan.     Ingredients  Dry  300 g of self-raising flour 120 g of dark brown sugar 2 tsp of ground ginger   5 crystallised ginger cut into pieces 30 g of grated fresh ginger 1 tsp of ground cloves 1 tsp of mixed spice 1/4 tsp of salt 1 tsp of baking powder Wet 40 ml of vegetable oil  240 ml of water  150 g (about 4 tbsp) of plan or vanilla vegan yoghurt 50 ml of ginger wine 2 tbsp of dark syrup   Method Add all the dry ingredients to a
Read more