Lifestyle Choices Consumerism identifies a lifestyle in which a large number of individuals obtain more than is needed, more than is necessary for fulfillment, and more than God's Earth can sustain. Because consumerism intensifies pollution and resource depletion leading to an immense degradation of God's creation, this lifestyle is at the heart of what Christians are called to question and confront. Ecological Golden Rule We're all familiar with the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. As we're making some of life's daily choices with respect to people we meet, this rule often puts things in perspective. The ecological equivalent of this rule is: Each generation should meet its needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. As we make our lifestyle choices, this is a good rule to keep in mind. We must not make lifestyle choices that compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. American Lifestyle The "Ecological Footprint" is the biologically productive area needed to produce the resources you use and to absorb the waste you generate. The average American needs 24 acres to support his or her current lifestyle. In comparison, the average Canadian lives on a footprint 30% smaller (17 acres), and the average Italian on a footprint 60% smaller (9acres). Click here to calculate your own individual ecological footprint at: North Americans comprise only about 5% of the world's population, but according to the Consumer's guide to Effective Environmental Choices published by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) we consume about: 33% of the world's paper, 25% of the world's oil, 23% of the coal, 27% of the aluminum, and 19% of copper. Compared to the average citizen of Bangladesh, Americans on average consume 106 times as much commercial energy. Even compared to other industrialized countries, Americans consume more. We consume twice as much fossil fuel as the average resident of Great Britain, and 2.5 times as much as the average Japanese. We consume over 3.25 pounds of meat each week - 1.5 times as much as the average Briton or Italian and more than 2.5 times as much as the average Japanese. We produce a corresponding amount of waste. The typical American discards nearly a ton of trash per person per year, two or three times as much as the typical Western European throws away. The leading consumption-related environmental problems are air pollution, global warming, habitat alteration, and water pollution. It's important to educate ourselves and the members of our congregations about how our current lifestyle is affecting the Earth, the rest of the world, and future generations. Responsible Use of Paper Most churches, like other organizations, typically use a lot of paper. In order to reduce our ecological footprint and become better stewards, churches can choose to buy recycled and chlorine free paper. Buy "processed chlorine free" (PCF) or "totally chlorine free" (TCF) paper with high post-consumer recycled content. Put a note at the bottom of your church's bulletin indicating that you're using process chlorine-free, post-consumer recycled paper. Let people know that churches are good stewards of God's creation! Some facts about paper use: The U.S., with 5% of the world's population, consumes 30% of the world's paper. Producing a ton of virgin paper requires 17 trees and 7000 more gallons of water than a ton of 100% recycled paper. Chlorine is often used in the bleaching process, releasing the carcinogenic chemical dioxin and other toxins Producing recycled paper reduces air pollution by 74%, water pollution by 35%, and energy consumption by 60-70% Churches can also work to use less paper. Here are some ideas for reducing your use of paper: Click here to find out how to buy environmentally preferable paper. Use a software program such as FinePrint which allows you to easily print two (or more) pages on a side, print on both sides, delete unwanted pages before printing, print in booklet form as well as many other printing tricks. You can save a lot of paper, ink, and money by investing in this type of software. Decrease the size of margins, using single space or 1 1/2 space instead of double spacing. With a little care, you might get the whole document on one page instead of two! Use both sides of the paper. Producing recycled paper reduces air pollution by 74%, water pollution by 35%, and energy consumption by 60-70% Save leftover copies that are blank on one side and use them for scrap paper. If it's not crumpled, many printers will work just fine using this scrap paper. Planning Events to be Environmentally-Friendly Have you ever considered how planning a meeting or other church events provide you and your group with an excellent opportunity to put your faith and values into action? Probably not. Few do. Meetings seem so mundane. Yet, whether we are preparing for something as relatively simple as a local church supper or something more complex, we can use the occasion to recognize the sacredness of Creation and address environmental problems in a very practical way. Visit BlueGreen Meetings to find out how to make your event enviornmentally responsible. Some Tips: Choose an Eco-friendly, and clean energy, event site and lodging. Use Green Hotels to find suitable lodging. Aviod using plastics that are designed to be used only once and thrown away. For products like plastic tablecloths, make sure you use them multiple times until they are worn out. Only use plastic products that are recycleable or biodegradable. Buy sustainable food for the meeting or event. Use Recycled and Chlorine-Free Paper. Cut down on waste created by a conference or event. Visit Waste Reduction Tips for a Green Conference or Event to find out more.