Creating A Cleaner World

Recently my wife and I took a trip to the country of Iceland for our ten year anniversary. It was an amazing trip with awesome views, wonderful people, and great food. We loved learning about their culture and country.

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One interesting thing is Iceland has eliminated the use of plastic bags. Every supermarket required you take your own bags in or just take the groceries to the car. When I researched this I found the supermarkets in Iceland vowed in 2018 to eliminate all plastic bags by 2023. Check out the article here.  It appeared to me they are already very close to reaching that goal. The people we talked to had positive things to say about removing plastic bags from their country. It was apparent that it happened very quickly and people just adapted. 

So why is plastic so bad for the world?

1. Plastic doesn't biodegrade so it photo degrades to small pieces covering the ocean. Marine animals mistake it for plankton because there is 6 times as much, which ends up killing animals when they eat it.

2. 10% of the plastic we use each year ends up in the ocean. The rest of it becomes waste we cannot get rid of.  FYI the world uses somewhere between 500 billion to 1 trillion bags in one year.  

3. The production of plastic uses about 8% of our oil resource. 

4. Toxic chemicals leak out of plastics affecting people's health, groundwater, and environments. 
                     (Facts from The World Counts)

For more information you can also check out this video by Discovery Channel talking about the impact of plastic on our world.  It tells you what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch really is.  ​

In the US plastic is everywhere. It's almost a habit of all retail workers to automatically put items in a plastic bag for the consumer. Tons of products are encased in plastic bottles or plastic wrappers. So how do we reduce our use of plastic to make a healthier world and why? 

It seems if we are to really hold the principle of Sacredness of Creation we have to understand how what we do impacts the world. If marine life are significantly affected by something we produce than do we embody this principle? If our children's world is significantly unhealthier because of the choices we make today are we lifting this principle up? 

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Let's explore this topic of Sacredness of Creation and why caring about our world is good for our spirituality.

Enduring Principle Sacredness Of Creation

In a past post "Sacredness of Creation" we highlighted the churches definition of the enduring principle. This definition tells us a lot about ourselves and the world. Defining it gives us ways to measure and understand what we are looking for as a principle.

I have to wonder if sometimes we stop God from creating by doing things in this world that are harmful to it. When we negatively impact the earth does it limit creation?


It seems greed is at the heart of much of the world's consumption. We are always wanting things bigger, better, and more convenient. And people are wanting to make more no matter the cost to the environment. I'm not going to lie I am a sucker for convience. It's so easy to throw away something thats broken instead of taking the time to fix it. But that may not be the best stewardship of our world. If our mindset is constantly thinking about the bottom line instead of the extraneous factors of how a product impacts people or the environment than are we doing an injustice to our world?  But where is the line between hopeful desire and greed?

For instance I enjoy going on adventures and exploring new things. I think one of the greatest things we can do it is explore and experience others cultures. However does the consumption of resources for this to happen become greed at some point? Should we be happy and at ease with what we have? I'm not sure there is a correct answer for this but something each of us have to figure out for ourselves. What do you think?


Caring About Our World


​When we feel apart of the world or creation around us our spirituality is enhanced. We realize its not just me but we! We are in this together and we all are parts of the whole. Our spirituality can actually be connected to the environment. Jocelyn Mercado talks about this some in her article "The Spiritual Side of Environmentalism." Dr. Roger Gottlieb also discusses this in the article "Why Spirituality and the Environmentalism Need Each Other."


It seems when we work towards positive solutions for the earth we are also deepening our spirituality. What does it mean to be spiritual? Is it not also being connected to our environment? I find caring for the earth and trying to conserve what I can, enhances my spiritual life. Its what we do as a society which shapes the culture we live in. If we choose to be more environmental friendly than there is a better chance others will too.  


Ways To Care For The World

Here are just a few ways we can care for our world in our everyday lives. 

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1. Eliminate plastic straws from your life - Straws get stuck in marine animals noses. Check it out on youtube.  You can buy reusable metal straws instead! 

2. Ride your bike to work or carpool - Stops from submitting extra gases into the environment and gives you a great exercise.  Just be sure to pack deodorant! 


3. Shut off the water when you brush your teeth - Look down and notice the water running why you hum ABC. Shut it off and conserve the water! 

4. Start Composting - Composting breaks down banana peels and other items creating very rich soil which can be used for gardening. It eliminates it from sitting in a trash bag for years.  


5. Use Reusable Bags - Of course I couldn't leave this one out. Be like our Icelandic friends! 

6. Avoid Printing - Get digital receipts, make notes on iPhone or ipad, and if you do print reuse the paper. I love reading actual books but digital books and audio books are excellent ways to save paper.  


​7. Do Not Use Styrofoam - Avoid cost saving efforts and get something that is able to be recycled. It's not that much more and is much better for the environment.  

8. Use Real Coffee Cups - There is nothing more stylish than a good looking coffee mug! Find one you like and use it. I'm sure people will say something about it! 


9. Eat Your Leftovers - I can't believe I have to even write this! I love leftovers but not everyone does. Leftovers stop us from using more materials for no reason. If you really can't go give them to someone who can.  

10. Fix Things - Fixing things yourself does two things. It prevents other material from having to be used and you feel self accomplished.  ​

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I'm so glad you all care so much about God's creation! Thanks for following along.  

This week take up one of these or some other way to care for the world!