As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
Genesis 8:21-22
This year’s holiday season admittedly will be different than in the past, yet there are many ways to honor God’s creation and “walk softly” upon the earth:
- Shop locally. Buying gifts from local merchants can dramatically decrease packaging waste and reduce the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance delivery, all while supporting our local economy during a particularly challenging time.
- Order early. If you need to order gifts online, you can decrease your footprint by ordering early and choosing the slowest shipping option. Most of the pollution from online packages comes in the final mile to your home!
- Minimize food waste. Did you know that 1 in every 3 bites of food is wasted?! Buy locally grown food, and freeze leftovers to enjoy warm and delicious reheated dishes throughout the winter months.
- Decline single-use plastic or paper bags. Get more mileage out of your reusable grocery bags (still OK to use during the pandemic!) by taking them along while shopping.
- Recycle! Wrapping paper, Christmas cards, trees, and even holiday lights can be recycled. Drop off used strings of lights through the annual free collection at Moorestown Hardware, sponsored by Sustainable Moorestown. And don’t forget to reuse or recycle cardboard shipping boxes!
- Consider giving the gift of a donation in honor of a loved one, to a non-profit environmental cause or organization, food bank, or by purchasing carbon offsets (for example, see carbonfund.org).
- Finally, the holidays remain a wonderful time to connect with and reflect on the wonder of creation, the new birth that God gives to all living things through the gift of Jesus Christ. Take advantage of a quieter holiday this year by getting outdoors and experiencing the peace of and glory nature through activities like hiking, biking, etc. One place to start is by visiting: https://southjerseytrails.org/tag/burlingtoncounty/.
The Green Team would like to thank all who came out to help pack produce for the annual Thanksgiving packing event sponsored by our local mission partner NJ Farmers Against Hunger. Our fourth year working together, we packed roughly 1,000 bags of produce of produce to be distributed to food insecure families for the holiday, including Bridge of Peace. The work of NJ FAH to get extra food where it’s needed most – particularly during times of COVID – benefits both people and our planet. Also check out our website and follow the SMLC Facebook page.
We wish everyone a blessed holiday season,
—Brian Lestini, Green Team chair