This week’s tip is to dress sustainably, and our quote is from Professor Mary Evelyn Tucker.
Think having a green corner in your parish newsletter or bulletin is a great idea, but don’t have time to research or write one? Episcopal Climate News is here to help! Every Monday, ECN offers a free green-living tip and a theological quote that your parish can use. Just copy/paste the text below into your parish communications, feeling free to edit/shorten as your space requires. Share this week’s column on Facebook.
Living on God’s Earth
By Episcopal Climate News, facebook.com/EpiscopalClimateNews
This week’s earth-friendly living tip: Dress and shop sustainably
Are you shopping for new winter clothes this month? Remember: The cheaper the clothes, the higher the cost to the environment and human labor. It can be worth it in the long run to buy fewer, but more durable, items. Here are some suggestions from the New York Times to keep in mind when shopping for new clothes:
- Buy Fairtrade: It’s not just for food, but for clothes too, ensuring they were made sustainably.
- Buy second-hand: It’s not just cheaper, but it also cuts down on production and transportation. Do any vintage shops in your area benefit local charities?
- Buy less: Ask yourself, how many times will I wear this? How long will it last? Do I really need it?
- Consider the fabric: Different materials have different environmental impacts. Wool is usually better than synthetic.
- Donate old clothes, or use them for other purposes like cleaning rags or sewing projects. Some animal shelters will take old sheets and towels for bedding material, too.
Episcopal Climate News quote of the week: Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker
“For decades, environmental issues were considered the concern only of scientists, lawyers, and policy makers. Now the ethical dimensions of the environmental crisis are becoming more obvious. What is our moral responsibility toward future generations? How can we ensure equitable development that does not destroy the environment? Can religious and cultural perspectives help solve environmental challenges?
“Among environmentalists, a conviction deepens: though science and policy approaches are clearly necessary, they are not sufficient to do the job of transforming human consciousness and behavior for a sustainable future. Values and ethics, religion and spirituality, are important factors in this transformation.”
– Professor Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-founder of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale, writing in the introduction to “Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation,” edited by Lyndsay Moseley,
Sierra Club Books, 2008.
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