The Earth is the Lord's

Keeping it real in the market for Christmas trees

Does the prospect of choosing a Christmas tree fill you with the same environmental angst that you get when confronted with “paper or plastic”? or “cloth or disposable diapers”? Those are actually two very hard questions, mainly because there’s not a whole lot of difference in the environmental impact of the alternatives. You can think outside the box, and use your own cloth bag, and just go for diaperless parenting (yes, there is such a thing; no, I haven’t tried it).

With Christmas trees, however, there are a few definitive answers.

No Purchase Required: Buy Nothing Day 2007

November 23 is official Buy Nothing Day, a 24-hour consumer fast  being held for the 15th time this year. The official website has background, a press release, downloadable posters, and video “ads” that raise issues of overconsumption and fairness.

Massive Hurricane in Bangladesh

By the time you read this the news may be much worse. As of Monday morning, at least 15,000 people were feared dead in the worst tropical cyclone (hurricane) to hit Bangladesh since 1991, when 143,000 died (a cyclone in 1970 killed half a million people).

In the worst hit areas, 90 percent of homes are destroyed and 95% of the rice crop wiped out by the 15-20 foot tidal surge and 150 mph winds associated with the monster storm. Cyclone Sidr was for a time a Category 5 storm, and made landfall in one of the world’s most densely populated regions.

Aid agencies are gearing up to respond, including World Vision and Save the Children.

Figures taken from UK Telegraph and BBC News.

Hello Houghton College!

For Houghton students, and others, here is a great summary of the basic scriptures and theology of caring for creation, from Creation Care magazine columnist and wildlife biologist Tim Keyes. He wrote in By Faith magazine (the bi-monthly magazine for the Presbyterian Church in America denomination) a great article called "The Earth is the Lord's". Here's the link:

http://sites.silaspartners.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID323422%7CCHID664014%7CCIID2099728,00.html