Creation Care Mom

Today is Earth Day #54! What progress we have made in that time and what progress we still have to go!

The original Earth Day was spurred by both “Silent Spring” written by Rachel Carson and the burning of the Cuyahoga River (chemical waste made it flammable). A senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, proposed Earth Day as a day to raise awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. The first Earth day on April 22nd, 1970 had many rallies across the country including approximately 10% of the US population at the time. It launched the “modern” environmental movement and resulted in the creation of the EPA in December of the same year. It united many constituencies and agendas from both political parties. Some of the laws passed by Congress during this time are the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972), phaseout of lead, and the Superfund Act. These laws, often taken for granted now, have improved air quality, especially in cities, and prevent our rivers from being polluted with toxic waste. (The reason rivers don’t catch on fire anymore!) They are the reason we no longer have lead in gasoline or paint, and that we attempt to hold companies responsible for cleaning up their toxic waste. 

The Clean Air Act was so popular that only 1 member of congress voted against it! This era was characterized by bipartisan support, meaning support by both political parties. The thing is, companies will almost always do what is best for their bottom line, for their shareholders, over what is best for all of us, humans and nature. Pushed by the public, congress was forcing companies to do the right thing even though it wasn’t the cheapest option. But that changed when Ronald Reagan took office in 1980.

Ronald Reagan ran on a platform of smaller government which implies less government control and less regulation. Although most regulations passed during Nixon and Carter’s era were not repealed, very little new progress was made during Reagan’s tenure. He even went so far as to remove the solar panels that Carter had placed on the White House.

This marked the beginning of an ever widening rift between the two parties over the government’s role in protecting the environment. This early shift left openings for oil, coal, and gas companies to lobby heavily for policies to go their way. This has become such a prevalent part of the Republican party that it is almost impossible to be an elected Republican without the support of this lobby.

Even as divided as it can seem in the political realm, most Republican voters (average joes) are open to government regulation to reduce emissions, fund renewable energy research, and tax CO2 polluters. They don’t want to abolish the EPA and begin drinking toxins. The general support for using government legislation to force companies to do the right thing even though it isn’t the cheapest thing is widespread. What is different is that we aren’t gathering to tell the politicians so. Because of the wide political gap, many are afraid to speak up to others in their circle and show their support. This has to change.

So on this 54th Earth Day, what can and should we do? Can we lay down our political allegiances in the light of God’s call to care for creation?

As Christians our very first calling from God was to care for his creation. We were to tend the garden of Eden. This responsibility to love others and care for creation has been our call from the very beginning, long before this was a political issue. For me, this original calling makes it a non-negotiable issue. I cannot walk away even when it is difficult, even when the conversations are hard, even when the price tag is higher, even when I feel uncomfortable. Because of this calling, I make intentional choices in the way I live my life. I choose cloth diapers even when I’m tired of laundry. I chose to bike to work when I could. I chose to fast from meat during Lent. In almost every decision, I recognize it is a climate decision. It is a way for me to vote with my dollar or my time for the world I want to live in, and the world I want to leave for my son. That drives my determination and commitment.

So what can you do? What choices can you make?

Rather than leave you with a list of the top 10 things, I want to give you the tools that can help you make longer lasting change.

Using the Earth Hero app, you can find hundreds of actions that care for our planet. You can mark off what you’ve done and find your next step. You can download it here. I love how you can sort from easy to hard and how widely varied the actions are!

If food is more up your alley, Fork Ranger is my go to for sustainable meatless meal ideas. Their app has a mini quiz everyday accompanied by an infographic that will increase your knowledge of food’s impact on CO2 emissions and the environment. Each quiz unlocks another meal based on the information learned. They also have an excellent newsletter. You can find them here.

Finally, if you are ready to make more sustainable purchases. The Commons App can link with your bank accounts and credit cards (safely and securely) and show you how those purchases effect your personal emission footprint. They offer the option to pay to offset you emissions and also support a list of vetted climate friendly stores for almost anything you could need. As you support more climate friendly brands, your emissions will decrease, meaning less to offset. You can download and check out the brand store for free. The emissions offset feature is an option, but not required. You can find the Commons here.

Even if none of these suggestions feel attainable for you, the absolutely most important thing you can do for creation is talk about the issues. Tell people how you are experiencing climate changes, or tell them about what you love about creation. Tell them you support political action, or tell them about your favorite sustainable brand. Just have a conversation. It changes hearts. And it reminds us that we are not alone in this calling.