Beginning Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent, participants will receive a daily email with the day's suggested carbon-reducing activity. When possible, this will include a quantitative measure of the carbon reduction resulting from the activity. Each daily email will also have a section suggesting a weekly focus for the congregation.
The activities will range from the very simple: unplug electrical devices (such as phone chargers) which you’re not using but use electricity even when off; to the moderately challenging: reduce your driving speed, plan trips efficiently, walk, ride a bike, carpool or take public transportation when feasible; to a few which require a longer term commitment: buy local produce and consider getting involved in a community garden.
We don’t expect everyone to be able to do everything suggested; but serious consideration of each day’s activity can raise people’s awareness, inviting them to think more carefully about how their day to day living impacts the environment and make the changes they can. In addition to the activity for the day you will find information about the carbon impact of the activity, along with links to more information related to that activity. While we consider all of the activities a form of spiritual practice, a concrete way of participating in the stewardship of God’s creation, some of the activities are overtly spiritual in the more usual sense that people understand the word: meditation, prayer, self-reflection. The intention is to provide do-able actions which can make a difference; not to overwhelm people, make them feel bad about themselves, or cause them to feel that the situation is hopeless. We want people to feel better for doing this as well as challenging themselves to do more.
God is calling us to be the change we long to see. Let us engage this spiritual discipline, grateful for all God has entrusted to us, and trusting that with God all things are possible.
Day 1 -
Ash Wednesday
Commit to this carbon
fast. Prayerfully consider what other actions you might undertake to
lessen the impact of Global Warming. Make this pledge or another that you
write: For the sake of myself, others alive today and yet to be born,
and God's creation, I pledge to learn about the impact my life choices have on
the lives of future generations, and what I can do to ensure a sustainable and
healthy future for generations to come.
Day 2
Remove one light bulb
from your home. Live without it for the rest of this carbon fast. This
will decrease energy use and act as a reminder of why we are doing this.
In addition, make a point of turning off lights when you leave a room or that
you don't really need to have on. This simple act could save 55 lbs of
CO2 emissions a year.
Day 3
Address your
"standby" habits. Unplug mobile phone chargers and any unused
appliances. 8% of electricity consumed at home is from "vampire"
appliances that we aren't even using.
(Source: http://www.climatecare.org)
Day 4
Get a home energy
audit from your local utility company. Find out how you can save
resources and money by making small, inexpensive improvements to your
home. Find out more from NSTAR and Energy Star.
Day 5
Pray for people
living in poverty and affected by climate change. Think prayerfully about
how we are depleting our resources at an unsustainable rate. Reflect on
the facts that the richest 20% of the world's population consumes 80% of the
world's resources, and those who contribute least to the causes suffer most
from the effects of climate change
Day 6
Notice what food you
throw away this week. See if you can reduce it by a third. Eat leftovers
and shop more carefully using a list and planning your meals. The amount
of food thrown away by an average household adds the equivalent CO2 emissions
of 1-5 cars.
Day 7
Reduce the number of
plastic bags you use by getting a fabric or reusable bag for shopping. Although
plastic bags use 70% less plastic than they did 20 years ago, most are still
made from polyethylene, a non-degradable plastic. If you live near a brewery,
you can obtain 15-20 gallon durable, synthetic grain bags which breweries
usually throw away. These can either be used as garbage bags or rinsed out and
re-used to take trash to the dump.
Day 8
Save energy in the
kitchen. Cook food in a microwave, which uses 50-70% less energy than a
conventional oven. When you need to cook in a pan on the stove, use a lid to
preserve heat, which will also cook your food faster. Cook double
portions and freeze what you don't eat.
Day 9
Reuse and recycle
waste, and compost food waste to reduce the rubbish destined for landfill
sites. If you don't have one, consider buying or making a composter. The
average US household produces about 4.5 pounds of solid waste per day. Landfill
sites are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, with every pound of solid
waste generating 2 pounds of greenhouse gases. Composting is methane-free and
does not produce carbon. For information about composting and buying
composters, see http://www.composting101.com/.
Day 10
Avoid buying products
that have lots of packaging. About a third of the waste we generate is from
packaging to get items to our homes. Choose loose products and buy
refillable containers when possible (food co-ops and health food stores usually
offer these options.)
Day 11
Though it may be
challenging to contemplate, think about greening your "final
arrangements." Visit http://www.greenamerica.org or http://www.greenburials.org for more information.
Day 12
Turn off all of your
electronic devices and unplug them. Turn your cell phone off. Sit
in silence. Contemplate Jesus' life and teachings, and consider the
implications this has for the day to day choices you make which affect the
environment and climate change. Think of what being a follower of Jesus
means with regard to your responsibilities in your home, your church, your
community and the world.
Day 13
Take a shower instead
of a bath, and try to limit your shower to less than 5 minutes. If you already
shower, consider taking a "military shower" - turn the water on only to
rinse. Look into getting a more efficient shower with a
"low-flow" showerhead. An average bath uses 40-60 gallons of
water; an average shower 17 gallons; a military shower less than 5 gallons.
Day 14
Put on a sweater and
turn down your thermostat to 65°- 68° when people are home and active and 55°-
58° at night as well as when no one is home. In warm climates, raise your
air-conditioner thermostat 4° or up one setting. Home heating and
air-conditioning are responsible for a large portion of our carbon footprint.
Day 15
Your hot water heater
represents about 20-30% of the carbon emissions of your home, the biggest user
of energy in your house. Consider setting your hot water thermostat to
120 degrees F. Insulate your hot water tank with an insulation jacket if
available for your system. Arrange for your boiler to be serviced so it
runs more efficiently. When you next replace your boiler, get a condensing boiler - they use less fuel than conventional
boilers to produce the same amount of heat and can save 32% on fuel bills.
Day 15
Your hot water heater
represents about 20-30% of the carbon emissions of your home, the biggest user
of energy in your house. Consider setting your hot water thermostat to
120 degrees F. Insulate your hot water tank with an insulation jacket if
available for your system. Arrange for your boiler to be serviced so it
runs more efficiently. When you next replace your boiler, get a condensing boiler - they use less fuel than conventional
boilers to produce the same amount of heat and can save 32% on fuel bills.
Day 16
Dry your clothes on a
clothes line instead of in an electric drier. Electric driers use up to
10% of residential electricity in the United States. The average household
can save more than $100 a year by forgoing the electric clothes dryer and using
a clothesline. Clothes dried in the fresh air smell better, too!
Some say that you can soften your towels and prevent them from drying
stiff on the line by adding a ½ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Day 17
Reduce water usage in
your home by fixing leaky faucets, which can waste up to 50 gallons a
day. Turn the tap off and on during shaving, washing hands and
brushing teeth. (You can save a gallon of water while washing hands, 9 ½
gallons brushing teeth, and up to 19 while shaving by turning the water on and
off.) Only flush the toilet when absolutely necessary. Most toilets
use about 5 to 8 liters of water every time you flush. You can reduce
this by placing a milk jug filled with water inside the tank. If you need
to replace your toilet, buy an energy efficient model that uses less than two
gallons of water and consider purchasing a dual flush toilet.
Day 18
Celebrate Earth Hour
TODAY with millions of people around the globe by turning off your lights for
one hour, beginning at 8:30 pm. For more information, see www.earthhour.org/.
Day 19
Let us pray that all
countries will commit to tackling climate change and that richer, developed
countries will take responsibility and cut emissions quickly. Let us pray for
governments and world leaders as they seek climate change agreements.
Day 20
Don't eat any meat today,
and see if you can cut down on the amount of meat you eat each week. Meat
production has a large carbon footprint, with 2.2 pounds of beef producing the
equivalent amount of CO2 as an average European car driving 155 miles. It takes
2500 gallons of water and many pounds of grain to make one pound of beef for
your table. It's been estimated that if Americans were to reduce our meat
consumption by 20%, it would be the equivalent of all Americans switching from
a standard sedan to a Prius. (See "Re-Thinking the Meat Guzzler," by Mark Bittman, New York
Times, 1/27/08.) For hundreds of free vegetarian recipes, visit http://www.bestveg.com/. Also, see Anna Lappé's Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate
Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It.
Day 21
Save paper today.
Don't print unless you need to and when you do, print double-sided onto
recycled paper. Use paper, tissue, toilet paper and wood that is recycled
or has been accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council. This ensures it has come from
responsibly managed sustainable forests or confirms that it is recycled.
Day 22
Defrost your freezer
to reduce ice buildup and maintain efficiency. Allowing space for air to
circulate will also help it run more efficiently. Place jugs of water in
your fridge to help retain cold temperatures and scrub down the coils on the
back of your fridge for higher efficiency.
Day 23
Reduce your use of
household cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, hair care products and other
items which contain chemicals. Replace them with products which are
biodegradable. Carcinogenic chemicals in deodorants, soaps, shampoos, and
body sprays persist in the environment, build up in the food chain and return
to haunt us long after they've gone down the drain. See http://www.greenlisted.org/personal-care.htm, www.originalmoxie.com and http://www.greenlisted.org/cleaning-products.htm to learn about eco-friendly products.
Day 24
Consider the carbon
impact of having a fire in your fireplace. Think about adding a fireplace
fan, insert, or high-efficiency wood or pellet stove. Clean your chimney
at least once a year. The EPA compared emissions from real logs and five brand
name artificial logs and found that fake logs had 75 percent less emissions
than real wood. They also warm your house more efficiently since they burn
longer and hotter.
Day 25
Take action: Find out who your elected
representatives are and tell them what you're doing through the Carbon Fast. Urge
them to create and implement strong national and international laws to stop
climate chaos. Find out what energy saving or climate change activities
are going on in your local area by contacting local community groups such as
MICAN http://www.massclimateaction.org/ or Vermont Natural Resources
Council www.vnrc.org.
Day 26
Read Genesis 1:1-2:3 and reflect on the goodness, beauty
and power of creation. Offer gratitude for the creation and sustenance of the
earth and for everything that is good on earth. Go for a walk near your
home and notice what's beautiful around you. Consider organizing a walk
for people from your religious or community group.
Day 27
Buy food that's being
grown or produced locally, using local farms and local farmers' markets where
possible. See http://www.nofa.org/, http://theorganicfoodguide.com/ and http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/.
Day 28
Clean or replace air
filters as recommended. Replacing a dirty furnace filter can save 15% of
the energy used.
Day 29
Have a truely
"Green" lawn and garden by avoiding use of toxic chemicals. Visit the
National Coalition for Pesticide-Free
Lawns website for more information.
Day 30
Calculate your carbon
footprint today at climatecare.org, carbonfund.org or www.nativeenergy.com and find out what more you can do about
climate change, including purchasing carbon offsets.
Day 31
Wash your dishes by
hand and let them air-dry. If you must use a dishwasher, run it only when
you have a full load, and skip the energy-intensive drying cycle by choosing
the "air-dry" option. Or, just stop the machine once the water
has drained and leave the door open overnight.
Day 32
Plant a tree.
One tree will absorb about a ton of carbon dioxide over the course of its
lifetime. Trees
also provide shade that could reduce your air conditioning bill
significantly. Mass ReLeaf can provide matching funds and
expertise for public tree-planting projects in Massachusetts. Find out if
there's a similar program in your state. If not, consider starting one.
Day 33
Find the most
environmentally friendly way to get to church today. Walk, bike, take
public transportation or carpool. Pray for those already being affected
by climate change through floods, droughts and changes to harvest patterns
Day 34
Keep your highway
driving speed between 55 and 60 mph today. For most vehicles, 55 mph is
the most fuel efficient highway speed and will save you up to 20-30% in fuel
costs compared to driving at 75 mph. Automobile emissions are one of the
leading causes of greenhouse gases. Don't idle your car at traffic lights
and drive-up windows. If you have to stop for more than 10 seconds, you
will save gas and reduce greenhouse emissions by turning off your engine.
Day 35
Check the tire
pressure in your car and fill it to the recommended psi. Low tire pressure
means higher fuel consumption.
Day 36
Consider giving up
your car (and congratulations if you already have!) The General Manager
of Boston's MBTA just gave up his and now uses a ZipCar when he needs an automobile.
"It's pretty easy. You go online and pick the kind of car and
location you want and select the time, then wave your ZipCard at the windshield
to unlock the doors." In Boston, "They're all over the place;
there's probably 50 within walking distance of my home.''
Day 37
Double up journeys:
do shopping on your way home from work, school or somewhere else you have to go
today. Share lifts with friends or try to do all of your errands
together. Learning to reduce the amount of miles we travel is one of the
most effective ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. The average
person makes 44 car trips per year which are each under a mile. It's
estimated that greener driving could save over 2 million tons of carbon
emissions per year in the UK.
Calculate your carbon emissions from
driving.
Day 38
Say no to bottled
water and drink tap water. Buy a refillable washable bottle to use instead.
More than 150 billion liters of bottled water are sold worldwide every year.
This contributes significantly to landfill and transport emissions. To
eliminate undesirable chemicals and additives in your drinking water, purchase
a low cost filtering system.
Day 39
Look for alternatives
to using your car. Cycle, walk, run, share lifts with colleagues or use public
transportation. A short, four-mile round trip by foot keeps about 15 pounds of
pollutants out of the air we breathe (WorldWatch Institute). Contact a local ride-share organization
such as www.ridebuzz.org. To learn more about the environmental
benefits of walking, see the Commuter Choice Program.
Day 40
We come together as a
global community when we remember Jesus through communion. Prayer and
almsgiving are ways of connecting with our world-wide community. Reflect
on what other ways you might live out our covenant with others and with all of
God's creation. Consider volunteering for groups which work for
eco-justice.
Day 41
End junk mail that
wastes resources. Stop unwanted catalogs (CatalogChoice.org), credit card offers (1-888-5-OPTOUT),
and other junk mail (DMAchoice.org.) You can even hire someone to
do this for you (and buy a carbon offset in the process) at 41pounds.org.
Day 42
Only use your washing
machine when you have a full load, and run it on cold whenever possible.
Run at maximum spin to reduce drying time and avoid using a tumble drier. A
typical washing machine uses 90% of its energy to heat the water. Generally,
cold water gets your clothes just as clean and saves about 2 pounds of CO2 per
load.
Day 43
Ask your electricity
and gas suppliers if they have a green or renewable energy plan such as that
offered by NSTAR Green. Make the switch to a green plan
today.
Bonus: Switch to an energy company that
supplies 100 percent renewables such as Good Energy.
Day 44
Give away unwanted
and unused possessions to a local second hand store or organization. This is a great way to reuse
things and stop them from going into a landfill.
Bonus: Organize a recycling event for your
religious group, workplace or local community to exchange possessions that are
no longer needed.
Day
45: Good Friday/Earth Day
Replace the light
bulb you removed at the start of the Carbon Fast, but only after considering
whether you really need it. If you do, replace it with a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), which can save 150 lbs. of carbon
dioxide a year. And since the book of Romans tells us that "Love
does no harm to its neighbor", why not help someone else cut their
emissions by giving them a CFL as a gift as well?
Day
46: Holy Saturday
Review the actions
you've taken during this carbon fast. Make a list of those you plan to
keep doing. Reflect on what else you can do on an ongoing basis.
Give thanks to God for your carbon fasting experience and pray that God may
sustain you in your continuing effort to be a steward of God's creation and
future generations.
Day
47: Easter
Jesus' triumph over
death reminds us that although we are at a critical point in our journey, one
that carries the very real risk of the extinction of life on earth, hope for
resurrection and new life abound. Celebrate the Living Jesus! Care
for God's creation!