The fast gives you daily email suggestions of things to do and prayerfully consider. Here's a summary so far:
Day 1 -- commit to the fast!
Day 2 -- pick a lightbulb anywhere in your home and take it out for the duration of the fast
Day 3 -- slay "vampire power" in your home -- unplug power plugs needlessly using electricity
Day 4 -- sign up for an energy audit through NSTAR or your own power company
Day 5 -- consider how 20% of the earth's population use 80% of its resources
I was a little dubious at first thinking I'm "ahead of the curve" on some things and at my limit on others. But then I found an extra light-bulb in my bathroom that turns on every time I turn on the bathroom light -- I get along fine without it. If all 1,000 people in the fast do the same, that's not insignificant. I went looking for vampire power and found two things I'd forgotten about. I got to pat myself on the back for already having an energy audit. And the thought for Day 5 prompted me to get some laundry on the line today, even though the weather is a bit borderline, and the girls had a great time running through the towels. A clothes dryer is quite a luxury in the grand scheme of things -- after all I'm lucky to have a washer compared to a lot of mothers around the world. And you can't play "run through the towels" when they are in the dryer.
So looking forward to the next 35 days -- anyone else have any reactions to the fast?
I find my eyes scanning the road surface when I'm driving to and fro to see if I'm ready to break out my road bicycle. Can I avoid the puddles and sandy spots that haven't disappeared?
ReplyDeleteI have said for several springs that I will get my bike back in working order "this year" -- hopefully, this will be the year!
ReplyDeleteThe Day 6 fast suggestion is to try to get your food waste down by 1/3. I have been working on this problem already but know I have a long way to go (two sorry sweet potatoes heading for the compost now already speak against me). Does anyone have any good tips on reducing food waste? Maybe someone needs to go talk to the Depression-survivors at church and help them post here. We need their wisdom.
Well, I say when you go shoping think about how mutch people eat, for instance, don't just buy two bags of onething beacause you like it if no-one else dose. So when you think about what we can eat it will lesson the amount of what we through away.
ReplyDelete-Amelia B. from earthcare by a kid
@Brad, I've biked straight through the winter, but I got a studded front tire. Worked great - no super fast turns, but definitely peace of mind. I've never found sand to be a problem unless I'm biking at the beach and ice isn't either if the road is straight - otherwise, I either slow down or go around or both. Stay safe out there.
ReplyDelete@Mary - are you talking about peels or food? I figure peels are OK - ecological responsibility means giving back nutrients too. As to throwing out food... yeah, I guess I'd just recommend beginning to do a bit more planning.
Instead of looking at "no impact" as a taking away of luxuries, I like to think of it this way: Given all the wonderful things around me, what conveniences can I keep while living in an ecologically responsible way?
To Alex -- the sad sweet potatoes mentioned were food, not peels, but left too long and got moldy -- as "Amelia B" wisely pointed out sometimes I buy too much not thinking about what people in the house will really eat (I like sweet potatoes, she doesn't!) -- I also agree with you on the "luxuries" point -- some things are convenient (i.e. dryers, a car for short errands) but not necessary and the replacements (i.e. hanging out clothes, or riding your bike) might even be more fun or healthy -- but it's still hard to change when you're used to convenience!
ReplyDelete