Caring for the earth is an act of discipleship. I am so pleased that there has arisen energy for this in our congregation! The "earthkeepers" group has educated us to the ecological advantages of the new technology of fluorescent light bulbs, and now they're raising our consciousness about our use of water.

How radical are you, in caring for the earth? I've thought of these acts we could take. (Warning: The list starts off with behaviors that are very easy to practice, but the last items are extremely challenging and even life-changing!)

1. Sit outside for one-half hour each day, listening to nature, and giving thanks to God for creation. (This is a foundational act of discipleship, I think. The great damage of living in climate-controlled interior spaces is that nature becomes something unpleasant to be avoided -- and so we do not care whether we care for the earth or not!)

2. Carry cloth bags in your car, to use when buying groceries and products at the drug store or the hardware store.

3. Use a re-usable bottle for water, gotten from the tap, rather than buying bottled water.

4. When you're running water in the bathroom or the kitchen, waiting for it to become hot, catch that water in a container, and use it to water plants and flowers.

5. When taking clothes out of the washing machine, before putting them in the dryer, shake them out first. That saves the drying time it would take to "unscrunch" the articles of clothing and towels.

6. Drive the speed limit! (Our vehicles' fuel efficiency drops dramatically when we drive faster than 60-65 mph.)

7. As soon as you see a red light ahead, take your foot off the accelerator and let the car coast.

8. When you buy your next car, insist on a minimum of 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.

9. If the high temperature for the day is only to be in the mid-80s, keep the air conditioner turned off.

10. When your round trip commute or trip running errands is six miles or less, ride a bicycle.

11. Live within five miles of where you work, or within five miles of a bus stop or carpool meeting place that will take you to work.

12. Buy a house that is smaller than you can afford, to reduce the energy you use day-to-day.

Twelve is a good, round number, so I'll stop there. I'll bet you could think of many other items to add to the list!