Green Mama by Tracey Bianchi – Greening Your Travel and Worship and Planting a Tree, Eco Book Review

Tracey Bianchi is a married mother of three young children living in Chicago. Her environmental concerns for both her family and her future generations inspired her to write Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet.

Bianchi earned a master’s degree in divinity and is a frequent speaker and writer on Christian topics. Regardless of his religious beliefs or denomination, and whether or not he has children, green mom it will enlighten you about the increasingly scarce natural resources of the earth; and how you can have a positive impact. Here, the issues of greening your journey and worship are discussed, along with promoting tree planting.

Greening your trip

Before you travel, ask yourself if you really need to get there. Monitoring your journey can reduce fuel consumption, carbon emissions and consumerism. US residents are responsible for about 25 percent of the world’s carbon emissions even though we only have 5 percent of the population.

Before you get in the car, ask these potentially life-changing questions:

• Have I chosen a green place to live? Answers vary depending on the circumstances. For you, that could mean several acres in a rural area or easy access to public transportation.
• Do I live close enough to the amenities I need or places I visit frequently? The next time you move, consider more than just housing costs and the quality of the school district. Also think about travel time for routine trips, including the grocery store, church, and library.
• Do I really need to do this today or can I do it at another time as part of another errand?
• Can I walk or bike there?
• Who else can I take with me (ie a neighbor who needs to go shopping at the same time)?
• Can I combine the trip with another errand?
• Am I buying locally? Are all my wanderings as close to home as possible?

air travel

The World Wide Institute states that a plane crossing the Atlantic Ocean uses 16,000 gallons of fuel. That’s enough to run a car for fifty years.

Before you fly, ask yourself if you can travel by car or train. Take public transportation to and from the airport whenever possible. Bring your own snacks and decline the drinks, napkins and plastic cups offered on the plane.

Keep in mind that you could be skiing at a resort that doesn’t control its carbon emissions. In the long run, the very commodity they are selling (snowfall) could decline with climate change. Eating at certain seafood restaurants, while nice, can be buying your food in overfished waters. “Be an educated traveler and make a difference when you can,” says Bianchi.

Green Your Hotel and Resort Stays.

Take home half-used bottles of shampoo and lotions. Use them and recycle the containers. Find tips to save water at your hotel. Now many offer water conservation programs that ask you to reuse your towels and bedding the next day.

Holidays with Purpose.

“Vacations with Purpose take into account the social footprint of your vacation, as well as the green practices of the places you visit,” says Bianchi.

Consider a green vacation, mission project, or conservation trip.

Your local church or park district may offer ecotourism trips and vacations to destinations where you and your family can stay together. Clearing trails, helping create habitat for endangered wildlife, and serving families in need around the world are just a few of the many vacation opportunities.

Buy a hybrid car; They make the difference.

The smaller and slower the car, the better the fuel efficiency.

Green up your adoration

Your place of worship (or any other community setting you experience, including work) may be ignorant of promoting an eco-friendly atmosphere. “It turns out that the very buildings that were designed to proclaim the wonders of the God of the universe are some of the least green places in the country,” says Bianchi.

Styrofoam cups, individualized creamer and sugar packets, stir sticks, multi-page newsletters, and company newsletters printed with petroleum-based ink (instead of eco-friendly soy-based inks) will be are among the detractors of ecology.

“Greening the church is not a hippie fad or luxury; it’s good stewardship and it’s our future,” she says. Bianchi suggests two levels to start greening your adoration of her:

1. Start with your senior pastor, minister, rabbi, etc. A simple meeting with him or her can start the dialogue. Additional discussions may be called with committees, elders, trustees, and other leaders. Tap into the professional talents of your congregation, including architects, engineers, and HVAC experts.

Discuss who will lead the greening efforts. It may or may not be you. The green team will need to investigate recycling options, reasonable lighting and power adjustments, and other ecological and common sense adaptations.

2. Use covert, personal greening efforts if you encounter resistance from the congregation. This includes turning off the lights in classrooms and collecting and recycling church bulletins and bulletins on your own.

A universal response from churches, nonprofits and other organizations that resist going green comes at a cost. Today, many establishments are operating with limited funds.

Greening a place can seem expensive. Waste haulers may charge additional fees to remove recyclable materials. Recycling bins can be expensive and buying fair trade coffee and tea can sell for more, but once done, there are often long-term savings.

In the church, some will question whether greener living has theological support. Going green will have its detractors in any setting.

plant a tree

None of us can save the world on our own, but each of us can make a difference. Bianchi mentions Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan activist who, in 2004, won the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai says that one thing we can do to fight environmental injustice is to plant a tree. It’s something we can all handle. Plant something green whether you live in a tall building, on a farm, or anywhere else. Immerse your hands in the earth and give life.

Greening your travels and worship offers a variety of ways to reduce your carbon footprint on earth. Consider planting a tree to promote perpetual life among nature.

green mom offers a host of websites to help you live more consciously and reduce consumerism. One of the best is the Center for a New American Dream. Visit them here: http://www.newdream.org/.