Wednesday e-blast offering on behalf of Memorial’s Creation Care Team
My name is Nampoina Randrianarivelo. I am a 17-year-old senior at The Bryn Mawr School (Baltimore) who worships at Memorial and assists with the Children’s Chapel, as you may know.
I believe our community can participate more in the growing movement of environmental sustainability.
One senior elective I take is a course titled “AP Environmental Science.” In this course I am constantly exposed to the ways in which we are often not very kind to the land which has granted us the space to grow and thrive. Every day I am challenged to question my own use of resources, and how I can influence others to be wary of their own. I have also become more aware of the complacency within our own government which is generally stuck in outdated facts and thoughts about global warming. Yes, global warming is indeed real. No, we should not wait until things get worse because it is presently happening now.
I was recently thinking about snow days. Did you know that this February, the island of Maui experienced one of the rarest weather events? It snowed! Who would’ve thought that an island in the Central Pacific that is part of the Hawaiian archipelago would experience snow especially since average February temperatures range from 70°-55°. However, this isn’t the first physical change in “weather” we have seen. Climate change is happening right now and we will be part of the fight to save our Earth. I will continue to fight because I know how important the Earth is to me, my community, all life forms big and small, and generations to come.
So I ask you, members of the Memorial Community. What can we do to continue the work? How can we work together to make the Memorial space a greener environment? How can we teach our young ones the importance of taking care of the environment? Because to take care of what we have now is to assure that Memorial will be here in 50 years as a space that will always be welcoming for all.
One small step for mankind starts with being aware of your impact. You could try substituting plastic cups with recycled paper products, or, even better, washable mugs and cups! Instead of using plastic utensils, try washable utensils! Bring reusable tote bags when you go grocery shopping; you can even customize them yourself! I ask you to rethink the way you dump food into your trashcan. Could you have done more with it? How about for those of you who have children or grandchildren who love making you drawings until they completely fill up your fridge and all counter space. If you’re thinking of tidying up (discreetly, of course), why not recycle it? If you are unsure of what or how to recycle, simply google “how to recycle in,” and specify the county or city you live in.
Battling climate change is not done in a day and the problem does not have one simple solution. However, I urge you all to take action today and care for all of God’s creations.