Green Genes

To say that I have always been concerned about our environment would be a misnomer. I grew up with a father who lambasted the lunacy of radical environmentalism to the point of near hatred. It was quite the shock then when we moved to Germany in the late 1990s and my father heartily adopted the recycling and environmental protection practices of our new home country. Gas prices were a dollar higher than the US and oil changes had steep fees for disposal/recycling. At home had to rinse out yogurt cups and their lids, recycling all plastic, cans, glass--green, brown and clear, paper, even compost our food scraps in the Biotonne. The rest--and I laugh b/c it was not much--went into the small black trash bin. If the waste disposal collectors caught you with recyclable materials in your trash bin, they would dump it all over your front lawn--let you resort it--and then pick it up in the appropriate bins the next week. Fortunately we never had to learn that lesson, but from that moment forward, I believe my "green jeans" became "green genes," and I was forever changed.

We recycle everything we can--and we're blessed to live in a city where pickup comes every other week for plastics 1 & 2, all glass, cans, & paper. We've been trying to work out a way to compost outside (we do have critter problem). If anyone wants to encourage me on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

My husband and I's love for the environment and the precious fuel resources of our earth, coupled with our hatred of funding dictatorships and countries that support terrorism (Venezuela and Middle Eastern countries), encouraged us to buy a hybrid vehicle early this year. We love our Honda Civic Hybrid! We even pimped it out on the interior with custom leather and lights. Forget what the magazines say about not getting your money's worth over the non-hybrid versions. They say you get an average of 38mpg, but we get an average of 47-52mpg! That cuts the time that the fuel savings pay for the extra expense of a hybrid by almost half. Plus, don't underestimate the value of used hybrid vehicles. Just by buying a 2-year-old Civic we shaved $10,000 off what the guy who bought it first paid.

And let me speak for a moment to Christianity and how it squares with protecting our environment. Our highest calling is to spread the love of God and advance Christ's kingdom, but we can no longer do this if we're blinded by hypocrisy. God gave us dominion over the earth, to till and protect. I see no better way to accomplish this then through a return to protecting our planet through specific action: recycling, reducing fuel consumption and personal carbon footprint, buying locally and organic when possible, asking our elected officials to explore alternative energy such a solar, wind, and hydroelectric, as well as rejecting the lies that cosmetic and consumer goods companies have fed us about the toxic chemicals and ingredients that every other country in the world EXCEPT for the US have deemed dangerous, toxic and carcinogenic. Read Mark Schapiro's book Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power for an absolutely frightening read on how lobbyists and politicians have protected companies from oversight and control.

This year, we enjoyed belonging to an organic CSA. Not only are we supporting a cleaner and less toxic farming practice in our local environment, but we're not ingesting those toxins and pesticides that contribute to some of the causes of my infertility. We also switched our lawn company from True Green/Chem Lawn to Natural Lawn Care of America. Unlike our former company, this company took soil samples to see how our lawn was already doing, avoiding overfertilizing when it wasn't needed, and giving us mowing practices that allowed us to fertilize less, shade the root system and use less water.

One final note about how advocating for the environment in a loving way can win hearts. My own father, who had nothing nice to say about environmentalists at all until a couple years ago, is now planning his retirement home in the New Mexico mountains with a complete solar powered electrical system, solar hot water heater, in-floor heating, and green/sustainable building materials. We also got him to switch from anti-freeze ladden windshield washer fluid (poor man's Windex) on the countertops and mirrors to plain vinegar and water! Woo hoo!