Many are seeing the benefits of minimising and simplifying their lives. Maybe you have experienced this also. But what about going zero waste as a lifestyle? Should Christians go zero waste?
Zero waste and living simply compliment each other well. Reducing our waste is a way that we can be good stewards of Creation and responsible with what the Lord has given us.
Living with less and simplifying our life is a great way to live and has many benefits. Going zero waste is a step further in seeking to eliminate unnecessary waste including packaging and especially plastics which are drastically damaging the world around us.
The impact of pollution goes well beyond our environment but also greatly affects our neighbours around the world who suffer because of our poor consumerist choices.
This post is not intended to place guilt or condemnation, but to highlight the importance of our decisions on consumption. Our choices do effect others.
As someone who has always loved nature and had an interest in environmental issues, I personally felt convicted to look at my consumption and the consequences of my actions. I also wondered if it were important to God or irrelevant to the Christian Faith. After asking some of these questions, I soon realised that it was a loving and compassionate way to live.
Questions that we can ask ourselves are:
Where does this product come from? How was it made? Where were the materials sourced and what impact does it have on the people involved in the manufacturing process as well as the environmental impact? What is the outcome or lifecycle of this item going to be? (How will I dispose of this when it is no longer usable). More importantly, how can I help others to live better with my choices?
If these questions are too overwhelming, we can start by simply asking two simple questions when we make your next purchase of anything.
- Do I really need this?
- Is there a more natural version of this?
I still encourage you to look further into the purchases you make and find out more about what is happening around the world in the places where our stuff is manufactured. But these two questions are a really good place to start when seeking to live a more simple and sustainable lifestyle.
Bea Johnson of the ‘Zero Waste Home’ has a motto that I think fits perfectly with simplicity and in particularly zero waste.
- Refuse what you do not need.
- Reduce what you do need.
- Reuse by using reusables.
- Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
- Rot (compost) the rest.
Do what you can
We don’t need to aim for perfection but we do need to consider our choices and responsibility as believers. The more we get into the habit of doing these things the easier it becomes. Zero waste is a lifestyle not a quick fix but I do think it ties in perfectly with our Faith.
Let me know what you think?:)
Very interesting!!
Thank you Ana!:)