A comment on Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! There have been some great tips and so forth brought out to help people celebrate Earth Day and be better stewards of this Earth we have be given. A lot of them are really helpful and economical. I'm all about learning to be frugal. Having said that, hold on to your britches. I'm about to possibly tick some people off. Just hold on. I want everyone to be open to a new way of thinking. I think that there are some issues with the way people are portraying global warming, and me being me with my big mouth, I have to share.

First of all, I'm not some crazy nut job who sees Jesus in corn flakes. I'm not interested in conspiracy theories, unless it's the conspiracy that my kids are cooking up to prank me. Oh, and they think I don't know!!! hehehe But, I digress. Here's my theory about this whole global warming thing. I remember learning in seventh grade Earth Science, from Mr. Boa, and eighth grade Earth Science, from Mr. Clark, that the earth goes through warming and cooling periods. Remember, ice ages and so forth? Well, I think that's what's happening now. I think that folks forgot how, when I was growing up in the '70s, they were talking about global cooling. Now, before anyone writes me with not so pleasant things to say, I do think that we are not currently being faithful stewards of what God has blessed us with. That's everything from money to the earth we live on. We have so much obesity, disease, poverty, famine, and all the list goes. I do believe that we need to become responsible for our actions.

If you read the Bible, there are laws in the Old Testament that deal with being a faithful steward of your blessings. The Bible talks about how to plant your land, how to treat your animals, the toil you are to give, and how you should leave an inheritance to your children's children. Exodus 23:10-11 talks about letting a field go fallow every seven years, something science has proven true. Proverbs 12:10 says that a righteous man cares for the needs of his animal. Proverbs 13:22 talks about how a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children. This is wise information from the the wisest book in all history. How does that relate to our times today?

We need to take care of our homes and land. Recycling is good because it is frugal and reduces waste. It's responsible. Using energy efficient light bulbs like compact florescent bulbs is good. Hey, anything that gets this electric bill of ours down is good! I'm a candlemaker. If I was confident our kids wouldn't burn the house down, they'd be burning candles right now. Using reusable grocery bags aren't just good for the environment, they don't rip just when you're almost to the door with a bunch of eggs, tomatoes, or something else fragile. Plus they hold a BUNCH of stuff. lol

Here's where it gets out of control. People are so concentrated on "saving the earth" that they forget about the people living on it. Let's take the current situation with food. Farmers have been growing cash crops - corn and soybeans. Ethanol is a big deal and I see lots of corn fields around here growing seed-type corn for use in ethanol. That would be fine if #1, it was proven that ethanol was good for fuel efficiency and making our cars more eco-friendly. I'm an asthmatic, and I feel the pollution in my lungs. Anything that would get rid of the pollution would be great. Ok, as long as it got rid of the pollution and didn't entail me scooping up horse poop. And #2 - if growing corn for ethanol didn't reduce what could, and should, be grown to feed the people. Have you seen the price of rice, flour, and corn lately? It is a direct result, in my opinion, of growing these crops for just-have-to-have-to-save-the-earth products that is causing the shortage of food in the world. There are stories in the news about riots over food, shortages, and rationing every day. My solution? Grow FOOD! It's that simple. You want to celebrate Earth Day? Celebrate the people on the earth. Make them a priority. I have a feeling that it is starting to come back to bite us in the butt that for too long, we have made people out to be the problem. My faith is in the One who created all this. God is the one who I trust for my provision. Saving the earth should include the people on it.

A few months ago, I noticed our grocery bill was creeping further and further upwards. I also started to read some news stories that on the surface, didn't really have anything to do with food. But, I'm a news junkie, so I read them. The only news I don't compulsively read is sports, but that's cuz I have taste. lol I talked with John about this, and said that I thought maybe we should start stocking up on some stuff. We did, and lo and behold, look at the news today. Ok. The 10 lbs of brown rice (that we've eaten half of already) didn't cause the shortage in Silicone Valley. But, I think that it's prudent to do some things to prepare ourselves for the rising food prices and rising food shortages. I'm not going to horde 1000 lbs of rice and flour. I am going to be sure that my family has enough food to last us for several months at a time (mostly done already) and be ready to help out folks in need that are having trouble making ends meet. I'll be growing a lot of things in our garden and canning/freezing them. Geesh! Don't that just figure. I go mostly vegetarian, start eating a lot of rice, and it goes up in price. Does anyone want to see how this journey plays out for us? Stay tuned!

Seriously, I think that humanity has been taken out of the equation of the environment, unless it's in a negative way. That's just plain wrong. Here's a question. What are you saving the earth for?

That's my two cents for Earth Day. My house? We're going to trust God and act with the wisdom He gave us.