Americans are notorious for overconsumption, especially during Christmas time, and this has a negative impact on our environment. We prepare and eat too much food during this time, our Christmas decorations for inside and outside of the house can reach Las Vegas proportions, and our appetite (often with very good intentions) for buying Christmas gifts is out of control (stoked by so many commercials – now starting in early November!). I think we should reevaluate what we buy, how much we buy, and how often we buy new things and replace “older” things.
Our denomination has a lot to say about overconsumption, its impact on our environment, and how we can be good stewards! “We are called to practice responsible stewardship and to live in right relationship with the Creator and with the whole of God’s creation (Gen. 1:26–31; Matt. 6:26–30; Rom. 8:22–24).”*
Here are some ideas for cutting back on getting and owning material stuff, especially over Christmas:
- Food: Do we really need to consume so much? Perhaps cut down on meat, especially red meat which has a much higher impact on the environment. Consider using smaller quantities or fewer meals with meat, and using plant-based proteins such as beans, lentils, etc. Also, try to utilize your leftovers – they can be great for sandwiches, soups or salads
- Instead of buying the latest and greatest smartphone, computer, other electronic device, another tie, shirt, jewelry, or plastic toy (which often has a lifespan of six months max), consider giving meaningful gifts such as a joint vacation, a camping trip, dinner together, or a “service” like cooking a dinner, raking leaves, shoveling snow, babysitting or cutting the lawn. Consider too a donation to a place that’s special to the gift recipient!
- Instead of buying things new, consider resale shops (Ann Arbor has several good ones such as the PTO Thrift Shop, Salvation Army, Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, Once Upon a Child), especially good for growing kids. When you head to the resale shop, consider donating any clothes, household items etc. that you are no longer using.
- Support locally made and local businesses if possible.
- Buy quality items that can last many years, instead of cheap stuff that may break quickly, then has to go to a landfill. Repair things as needed to keep them out of the landfill.
- Consider making your Christmas lights and displays more sustainable. Try to fix your Christmas lights instead of buying new ones (yes, I know it can be tedious and difficult to do), and next time you buy Christmas lights, even if a bit more expensive, buy lights that will last or be easier to fix.
* Source: Social Principles: Community of All Creation, The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church – 2020/2024.
Here are a couple of sections on this topic, below; you can read more at the link above.
Destruction of Ecosystems
Whether human beings are conscious of it or not, we are participants in and beneficiaries of complex natural ecosystems made up of myriads of symbiotic relationships between living organisms such as animals, plants, insects and microorganisms, and the physical environs they inhabit, including air, water and soil.
Overconsumption, shortsighted policies, poor management of natural resources, and other unsustainable practices have severely impacted the fragile, natural ecosystems on which all of life depends. Too often, humankind has treated the rest of the created world as if it were disposable and allowed the destruction of other living organisms and their natural habitats to go unchecked. Further, the experiences and voices of people most at risk have largely been ignored.
Global Warming and Climate Change
Global warming and climate change are already creating extreme conditions that threaten the entirety of life on earth. Over industrialization, widespread deforestation, and overreliance on fossil fuels are but some of the human activities that have contributed to the buildup of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the earth’s atmosphere.
A sharp upsurge in greenhouse gases over past decades already has resulted in a steady rise in sea levels, growing acidification of the world’s oceans, increased droughts and famines, and the intensification of extreme weather events. Climate scientists warn that the window of opportunity for reversing the negative effects of global warming and climate change is rapidly closing. Without concerted action by individuals, churches, communities, shareholders, businesses, governments, and international organizations, the negative effects will become irreversible.