Have you chosen one or more practices that benefit you and our planet for Lent? Are you fasting or feasting in ways that prayerfully offer thanks to God for all of creation around you? Another practice is learning about climate change as part of your Lenten reflections. Join others from Covenant and register for the Hope For Creation Conference in April, or explore other ways to learn about the challenges facing our world today. Consider trying Read more…
Nex week we celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin the season of Lent; a time of reflection, self-examination, and preparation for the coming of Easter. Many of us give up a tangible food like chocolate as a physical reminder of what Jesus sacrificed for us. This year, consider “fasting” from things that damage the earth, sacrificing in ways that build up and protect God’s perfect creation. Pastor Megan shared the following list as a starting point Read more…
Submitted by Jen Seeley For 8 For 12 Dry Ingredients: Dry Ingredients: ¾ cup blanched almond flour 1 1/8 cup blanched almond flour 1 cup gluten-free flour 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon salt Wet Ingredients: Wet Ingredients: ¼ cup applesauce 3/8 cup applesauce Combine dry ingredients. Blend wet ingredients in Ninja or Magic Bullet. Combine with dry ingredients. Read more…
Is it really Valentine’s Day next Monday? Are roses and chocolate part of your celebration? 250 million roses are grown annually just for Valentine’s Day. Did you know that nearly all our roses are grown and flown in from Latin America, most often Colombia? This is not only because of warmer climates, but also because of cheaper labor, which has a whole slew of ethical problems on its own. During most of the year, flowers are typically flown Read more…
Raise your hand if you’re reconsidering your relationship with meat, eggs, and dairy. I thought so! Study after study has shown that industrialized production of these foods plays a large part in degrading our air, water, and soil and adds to global warming. If you’ve already embraced eating lower on the food chain, this year’s Creation Care Challenge is for you! Just send Terra your favorite vegan recipe(s) by March 15 and get an eco-friendly prize! Recipes should Read more…
Dear Terra I’m in a cleaning frenzy and have leftover craft supplies and projects I was always going to get around to but never did! I hate to toss them out but don’t what to do with them. Help! Signed, Crafty Clutterbug Dear Crafty Clutterbug, I feel your pain! Check out Art Salvage on N. Ash. This non-profit “…seek(s) to promote reuse and creativity for students, teachers, artists, crafters and makers of all ages.” They Read more…
Dear Terra, Though too late for the past holiday season, I wanted to share something I did last fall: I bet I’m not alone in receiving HUNDREDS of paper catalogs in the mail, especially during the holidays. I love looking through them, but realized I was seeing the same stuff (literally the same products with the same pictures and texts, though sometimes different prices!) in multiple catalogs of different names! I did a little research Read more…
Dear Terra, I just dug out my holiday decorations, and got to thinking: Is there a way to be decorative yet Earth Friendly? Your thoughts? Signed, Stepping Up Dear Stepping Up, Rethinking what we did in the past that distracted from real values, then looking for better alternatives is the first step in making Advent truly meaningful. What about those decorations you’ll probably put up in the next few days? Tempted to buy new ones? Read more…
Terra Talks Advent has begun! As the often busy, hectic season starts to consume us, consider how you are honoring this time of preparation, while still caring for God’s creation. Are you making your lists and checking them twice? Is Amazon delivering daily? Gift giving is synonymous with Christmas in our culture, but there are ways to still be eco-focused, too. Have you or your children ever suffered from “gift opening fatigue”? We have Read more…
Terra Talks… As we go into the Thanksgiving holiday, consider this quote from naturalist Jane Goodall: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” As we give thanks for all the many blessings God has showered upon us, let us give back by considering how our simple daily Read more…