Shopping Made Sustainable

Shopping Made Sustainable

We are called to be good and faithful stewards over all creation. The

connection to preserving air and water seems obvious. Stewardship over all creation however really does mean All Creation! Even those items shaped and produced by human hands through our God given talents are on the list. Take shopping for example. Its connection to sustainability is relevant all year long but particularly applicable right now.

There are only 9 days until Christmas. Many of us are still browsing, knowing we need that perfect gift for Uncle Pete or Aunt Rose. Does sustainability factor into our shopping decisions? In short, yes, it should be a consideration.

Ron Kramer from our Sustainability Team has compiled a wonderful list of questions for consideration by shoppers. They apply on Christmas Eve in the shop around the corner or on any other day of the year. Ron's list comes from the book Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic.

Before you buy, commit to reviewing this checklist:

• Do I (or does my gift recipient) really need it?
  
• Can I really afford it?
  
• Will it enrich the quality of my life or of others?
  
• Is it worth the time and money to store, clean, and otherwise maintain?
  
• Could I borrow it from a friend, neighbor, or family member?
  
• Is there anything I already own, which I could possibly use instead?
  
• Are the resources that went into making it renewable?
  
• Is the product socially and environmentally friendly?   (Not made with
  
• sweatshop or child labor? or from virgin timber?)
  
• Can I recycle it?  Or, will it clog a landfill?
  

As an alternative, buy used items or ask that gifts given to you be donations to your favorite charity.