Green Katrine reflects

Green is the colour of grass. However, in some cases green is the colour of clover, plantain, thistles, and dandelion leaves staking their claim in your lawn. Green is the colour of the mower which clips a centimetre off each blade of grass once, sometimes twice a week. Green is the colour of the garden hose and sprinkler system that waters  the lovely lawn, ensuring that it stays green and continues to grow. Green is the colour of envy as you look over your fence and realize neighbour Joe's lawn is so thick and green.

This summer I became quite acquainted with the art of maintaining a lawn. Against the common assumption, I did not work for a landscaper, instead I worked for a not-for-profit organization in Hamilton called Green Venture, whose mission is to connect misconceptions to facilitate sustainable living and realize a cleaner, healthier community. Each week I spent at least two full days mowing a 2.5 acre lawn with an electric mower; imagine, 100 yards of extension cord plus four gardens and at least twenty trees. It does not take a math major to realize that this was not a pleasant task, one which would make me long for a gas guzzling riding lawn mower and a trimmer to boot. I learned the hard way that "being green" is not cool, in fact is it the complete opposite.

Composting is not cool. Composting involves worms, rotting food, juicy run off, fermenting, and the occasional fruit fly and larvae infestation - try to put that on a t-shirt and sell it. However, I have to admit I am hooked. I cannot explain to you the science behind it all, but there is something intriguing about watching a family of worms turn a lettuce head into rich soil or feeding that compost juice to your dying pepper plants and then a week later noticing that they are thriving. I want all my family and friends to start to compost, not so that they can wear a pin that says "Compost: Because A Rind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste", but because I want to share with them the enjoyment and wonder that it ensues!

Lynda Schroeders is correct in her article "The Hypocrisy of the Green Revolution," as she points out that the crisis facing the natural world can be reduced to one word: waste. The citizens of North America (including you and I) waste food, water, air, money, time, and pretty much anything else we touch. What is our problem? Is it really consumerism? Not quite. Cal deWitt, in his article Preparing the Way for Action states: "The problem is that many of the things we know we should do, we just don't do, including the care and keeping of creation." We all know that we should Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, but we quickly find out that putting these three R's into action is a little more difficult than changing a lightbulb. Caring for creation involves just that - care, which calls us to be aware, to appreciate, and to serve.

I would hardly begin to label myself green. You may gasp, but to be completely honest I have no desire to buy, be given, or earn that label.  Instead, I desire to become a signpost for my Creator, discovering each day anew how to glorify and enjoy him forever. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, as I begin to understand how this works itself out in my everyday tasks and encounters, I find myself naturally caring for creation. I cannot help but be awestruck by the tiniest acorn, to drink in the brilliant oranges and reds that paint the sky, to stop to smell the occasional pile of cedar, or be tempted by the dandelion fluff that waits for you to make your wish. As I am falling in love with God I cannot help but fall in love with his creation. Daniel Swartz captures this with his thought, "Creation's sheer magnificence turns the heart towards its Creator, and the heart that has turned to God opens enviable towards Creation, towards the awesome integrity of the natural universe that is God's gift." Cal deWitt says it so well, "Most people today have been alienated from the Creator and God's creation, and thus it is difficult to love, uphold, and make right again a world that we really do not know."

Caring for creation does not mean that we only have to become aware of pollution, waste, or even our consumeristic tendencies. More importantly, we must become aware of our God and his gospel; that we serve a God that longs for us to glorify him and to enjoy his abundant blessings, but also realize he is a God that longs for us to join in bringing restoration to his kingdom. As followers of Christ we have been given the privilege to share and show why this world matters to us. Let's be honest, this is not an easy task but it is a mandated one.

I am not here to offer a simplistic list of healthy lifestyle choices, instead it is my hope that you treat these suggestions as an invitation to discover. I challenge you to try them out and learn the disciplines of living a life of that cares not only for creation, but most importantly for our Creator and community.

• Put a brick in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water you use when flushing, which in most toilets is 16L.
• Treat your car as an option not a necessity. Walk, bike, rollerblade, or use the transit system.
• If you are going to be stopped for more than 60 seconds - except in traffic - turn the engine off. Unnecessary idling waste money and fuel, and produces greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
• Take shorter showers! A 7 minute shower with an inefficient showered uses up to 98 litres of water, while a person in Haiti uses only 4 litres of water in a whole day.
• Grow a vegetable garden
• Properly inflated tires help a vehicle run more fuel efficiently. In Canada, under-inflated tires waste over 640 million litres of fuel annually.
• Only 10% what is in a garbage bag is actually garbage. Learn how to use your Green Cart and Blue Boxes. Visit Hamilton's Waste Management Division Website for information on Blue Boxes, Green Cart, Leaf and Yard Waste and more. http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/CityDepartments/PublicWorks/WasteManagement
• Keeping a jug of water in the fridge can save a family of four $22 per year - just from not running the taps until the water gets cold.
• Instead of maintaining a lawn, research alternatives such as ground covers, raised beds, flowers, trees, and rock gardens

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