So far in our discussion about the Wellness Wheel we’ve covered Physical Wellness and Social Wellness. Now, it’s time for us to discuss Environmental Wellness:
Environmental Wellness is the ability to recognize our own responsibility for the quality of the air, the water and the land the surrounds us.
So what IS our responsibility as human beings when it comes to caring for the environment? These days it can be a bit of a hot button topic. Politicians blaming us, environmental groups shaming us and scientists causing us to fear. Most of us are so confused as to what role we are supposed to play and it all seems so overwhelming.
In Genesis 1 it tells of how God created our world. So, if God created our world and all in it–it seems logical to believe that He’s in charge of it. It says in Psalm 95:4-5 “In his hands are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.”
If someone comes to my house to visit, I expect them to be respectful of my home while they are here–to not track in mud, to not draw on the walls, and to make an effort to clean up after themselves. It makes sense to me to draw the parallel that while we are alive on this planet–we are visiting someone else’s home. The world belongs to God. We are just “house guests” for a little while and we are not supposed to abuse it, neglect it, and trash it during our visit. We are to do our part to make sure our world stays tidy for us and our future generations. So what does that mean?
Well, for me it means a handful of things:
- To not be wasteful. To not throw things away that still have use but instead give them to a place that can use them or sell them.
- To dispose of my trash and unwanted belongings in a responsible manner–recycling what I can, making sure my trash doesn’t blow around and certainly picking up after myself when I visit entertainment events, parks and public places. A good rule of thumb to follow is the one on just about every trail head here in our beloved state of Colorado “If you pack it in, you pack it out.” Super Rockstar was just telling me recently that he and his fellow band members always make a point of cleaning up the stage at the end of the night after their gigs. Several bar managers have expressed their appreciation for this effort–telling them that none of the other bands do that.
- Keeping my car and home in good repair so they aren’t spewing out harmful fumes into our air.
- Helping out by cleaning up messes when I run across them. A pair of gloves and a hefty bag can go a LONG way in beautifying a neighborhood. “You know, I really love looking at trash!” said no one EVER.
I admit that I am not where I want to be in this area of wellness. We seem to produce a lot of trash in our home. I would LOVE to reduce that. I hate that I am so addicted to the conveniences of prepackaged everything. I get frustrated that most packaging, storage items, and house cleaning supplies that are environmentally friendly tend to cost A LOT more than the ones that aren’t. But, I am committed to trying to do my part. When I’ve seen photos like these my heart just gets sick.
My goals for Environmental Wellness are:
- Recycle even more. We’re definitely doing better than we used to, but I would really like to do better and make sure we’re recycling everything we can.
- Cut back on all of the prepackaged items we use and reduce the amount of trash our home produces.
- Join clean up efforts when I hear about them.
- Get involved in conversations about how I can do my part to make sure our water is clean, our air is pure, and our land is well taken care of.
How about you? How are you improving yourself in the area of Environmental Wellness? For those of you that are old pros at this–what tips can you share that would be helpful to the rest of us? Please feel free to share and post comments here or on the social media sites I post on.
“The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.” Psalm 89:11
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