7 Challenge for Lent: Week 5- Waste

This week in my 7 challenge for Lent, based on the book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, by Jen Hatmaker, was to find ways to be less wasteful of the resources God has blessed us with here on earth. Mrs. Hatmaker quotes in her book that, "God made the world because He wanted it made. He thinks the world is good and He loves it. It is His world; He has never relinquished title to it. And He has never revoked the conditions, bearing on His gift to us of the use of it, that obliges us to take excellent care of it. If God loves the world, then how might any person of faith be excused for not loving it or justified in destroying it?" (a quote from Wendell Berry, p 253) Such a powerful quote, and a good reminder to Christians that we need to take care of the gift of earth God has blessed to us!

I did not have a hard time with the challenge for this week. Our family already gardens, composts, recycles, conserves energy and water, shops secondhand and thrift stores. We try to buy local when we can, and when we don't forget that it is important to do so. We have driven one car before for a few months when one car was being fixed. Part of this is because we have had to be frugal for several years since the budget forced us to do so. Part of the reason we compost now is because we have had space for it at this house. We also have gardened for many, many years. It was something that my parents did for many years, and my brother has had an awesome garden in years past. 

I have found various ways to conserve water by washing larger loads of laundry when and if I can. We try to minimize the time that we rinse dishes. We turn off the faucet when we brush our teeth. We've taught our kids to turn off lights in their bedrooms-- because we have fined them a dime or quarter of their allowance money when they leave their light on for a long time while not in the room.

We are pretty good at recycling and reusing things. We have many reusable water bottles in our spare refrigerator that we grab when we need one. We take our own items to the recycle center here in town  about twice a month. We can recycle several types of plastic, corrugated cardboard, colored and clear glass (no glass glasses/ cups and no jars though), chipboard (we have SO much chipboard that we recycle!) and of course paper. Our kids help us recycle and are in the habit of putting items in the recycle bin that we keep next to the fridge, so we can bring it out to the garage once or twice a day when it is full. We also have a covered compost bucket on our counter, so we can easily toss food scraps, coffee grounds and tea bags (among other things) into the compost when the bucket is full. My friend told me that she made her own compost bin using a plastic trash can with a lid, and she rolls it on it's side to "stir" the compost mixture. I thought that was a great idea!! 

See this list for this week on the RIGHT side of this photo...

So this week I focused on finding new ways to conserve, recycle and took time to plan my garden. We bought seeds to plant (see list in photo above), read my new gardening book (The New Square Foot Gardener by Mel Bartholomew) and planned my garden. We bought some supplies to set up netting for peas and tomatoes, and we began to figure out what to grow and how to seed it. My daughters and I planted carrot and onion seeds in an egg carton, for easier transplantation. We haven't seen any sprouts yet, but we are still hopeful! 

I am really looking forward to the garden this year, and to try growing new things!

I am almost done with this 7 challenge, as Lent is over on Easter, which is only a week and a half away! The last two challenges are to curb spending, and to cut down areas of stress. Thanks for keeping up with this journey with me!

Read about week 4: Media here.
Read about week 3: Possessions here.
Read about week 2: Clothing here.
Read about week 1: Food (and intro) here.

Genesis 1:12
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

Luke 8:8
Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.