Slow down.
Move through the world
in a way that truly sees
God’s creation.
Breathe deeply, opening to the Spirit.
September Tips
Plan a congregational art show. Invite all ages to contribute the ways they see God’s creation through their photography, painting, poetry, or crafts from natural sources. Let the show speak for care for Earth and for justice and restoration to repair the harm people and planet experience.
September is prime time to plant trees. Choose sites at your home or church. Work with volunteers to get the trees planted. Talk about the project and why trees are important. Find out if your local government has canopy goals and identify locations that can be planted.
September and October are peak migration season for many birds. Help the birds out by minimizing outdoor flood lights and seasonal light displays.
Go scraggly. Even just a month of refraining from mowing will reduce erosion and runoff in your yard while replenishing our groundwater supply, which helps keep streams alive during drought periods. Tell your neighbors what you are doing and why. Invite them to ignore the chore too.
Don’t discount the “small” things you can do. Commit to picking up at least 3 pieces of litter a day and in a year you will have disposed of more than 1,000! Invite your children to participate in the challenge too. You’ll be teaching the next generation by showing that you care.
Rescue school uniforms from going to the landfill. Organize friends or a whole school to have a uniform swap periodically. Tout the benefits of the savings for families and for Earth.
Use the air—it’s free! Open your dishwasher instead of drawing energy to dry the dishes. Hang dry your laundry or a portion of a load to shorten the cycle at least occasionally. Let your hair dry naturally instead of using a blow dryer.
Advocate for clean air. Particulates from industrial plants, smoke from wildfires, heat-trapping carbon dioxide and methane from uncapped, no-longer used oil wells and from landfills—all need people to speak up against the practices that fill the air we breathe with danger.
In the indigenous Lakota tradition, consider plants, animals, and the environment in a relational way rather than as objects in our environment to be owned or used. How would our thinking and actions change if we thought of our environment as something we are in a relationship with?
Green space is critical infrastructure. And like all infrastructure, access to it isn’t equally distributed. Lower-income neighborhoods consistently have less tree canopy, hotter temperatures, and worse health outcomes. Restoring forests, urban and otherwise, is one of the most accessible public-private acts of justice. Speak up for your neighbors.
Yes, One Person Can Make a Difference!
Individual actions that I have taken to help prevent climate change include driving a hybrid plug-in, installing a heat pump water heater, insulating my home, putting solar panels on my garage, and eating less meat. I am also trying to be more environmentally conscious in my purchases and am exploring fossil-free investments for my retirement funds.
Catherine Houle is a member of Williamsville United Methodist Church, Williamsville, NY.
As a reader of the Tips, do you have a Tip to share from your own experience? Send your idea to tips.creationjustice@gmail.com
The United Methodist Creation Justice Movement is providing these Tips
as a tool to equip church members, families, and individuals to respond to God’s call to care for creation and do justice with our neighbors.
