Living Water

By Deanna Matzen

In July of 2008, I delivered a sermon at Earth Ministry's Holden Retreat in 2008. I preached on John 4:1-30, the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well and offering her the Living Water. The sermon was part of a Caring for All Creation: By The Waters service led by Earth Ministry staff and members. Listen to the service. When I was asked to preach, I wasn't sure how I would connect Living Water to the environment.

Certainly, the metaphor of Living Water is a beautiful image of God - the One who's well never goes dry, who quenches our thirst, who provides us with the most important sustenance all living creatures need to survive. But what has that to do with caring for the environment? I decided to talk about the things we thirst for in this life that take the place of Living Water and how those other gods or idols are behind our current environmental crises. It worked well, but for some reason, I recently found myself revisioning the sermon.

In biblical times, the term "living water" had a specific cultural meaning - a body of water that moved, as opposed to stagnant water. Jesus was indeed culturally relevant! When we look at that contextual definition we find a clue for a multitude of environmental sermons based on this text. Here are a few ideas I came up with:

• Salmon - Here in the northwest, one of our hot environmental topics is the removal of dams from rivers where salmon spawn. We have decimated countless salmon stocks because of dams which hinder the free movement of rivers and all the life therein. Additionally, plant species adapted to the ebb and flow of river systems are no longer prevalent. We have made rivers to bow down and worship men with good intentions (power production, agriculture, drinking water supplies) but we have paid the price.
  
  
• Water Resources/Conservation - We use so much water per capita that utilities have to build dams in order to make sure that there is enough water to last through the dry season. If you live in the southwest, you are familiar with the California water wars and other water supply issues such as the over-assignment of water rights on the Colorado River affecting Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, California, and Mexico. Overuse of rivers results in devastating consequences to once balanced and sustainable ecosystems. By the time the Colorado River reaches Mexico, it is so salty they have to treat it with a desalinization plant before it can be put to use. Water conservation measures (and good water resource policy) can help significantly with these issues.
  
  
• Water Quality - What is more unappealing than stagnant water? Do you want to drink water that's been sitting in a bog, that's smelly and full of detritus? I didn't think so. And no one wants to worship a God that is stagnant and lifeless. We want to worship a God who is moving, vibrant, active, clean, sparkling, and full of life! God wants no less for our spirit, why would God want less for our bodies? Then why do we not push for legislation that preserves our water ways and protects our rights to living water?
  
  
• A Call to Action - The image of God as living, breathing, moving water can be used to call Christians to action. God does not call us to be stagnant and sit idly by while God's good creation is torn apart by man's devices. God calls us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to flow out into the world bringing life not desolation. We must move in this world, we must take action, we must be filled and overflowing with the Living Water!
  
  
• The Gulf Oil Catastrophe - I can think of no other current environmental crisis that epitomizes the exact opposite of Living Water than the atrocity in the Gulf of Mexico. The waters of the Gulf have become stagnant. They are not filled with the living and vibrant creatures that God chose to fill that beautiful place. I was in New Orleans in December and their aquarium has a huge Gulf of Mexico display. I was in awe and wonder as I saw sea turtles, several species of sharks and rays, and fish large and small circling around a mock oil rig structure. Indeed, oil rigs provide reef habitat for creatures in the gulf, but the relationship has soured, spoiled, and stagnated. It is time for the faith voice to cry out from the roof tops - THIS IS NOT RIGHT! God calls us to more - to better stewardship and to greater life. This is not God's intent nor God's will for the Gulf.

Whether you are a clergy or a lay person (like me) and find yourself considering how to apply scripture to current environmental issues, please consider entering the 3rd Annual Celebration of St. Francis Sermon Contest! It is a priceless opportunity to enrich the Christian dialog about the environment. You can even feel free to use one of the ideas I've presented in this blog post. Ordained, non-ordained, students, men, and women are all welcome to apply! The deadline is July 31 and fast approaching so submit a sermon today!

Water: A Lenten Encounter with the Source of Life

Beth Anderson, Outreach Associate

My previous Lenten commitments have always been focused on me, me, me and what I can change in my own life. I gave up buying new shoes. I gave up eating out-of-season produce. I decided to eat a vegan diet.

These individual actions have a clear impact on my personal life and, by extension, the life of the planet. However, this year I feel the need to do something a little less concrete and to learn more about an issue that remains outside my own experience.

For the next six weeks I will be reading the book Troubled Waters: Religion, Ethics, and the Global Water Crisis, by Seattle University professor Gary Chamberlain. As I make my way through the text I will share my insights, learnings, and general musings about water.

I’ll start with this anecdote: I read the first pages of Chamberlain’s book while sitting in a window seat on a bus bound north from downtown Seattle on I-5. After a short break to gaze out at Lake Union and Lake Washington, as the bus passed over the ship canal, I returned to read these words—“I am circumscribed by water.” Indeed! I am inextricably connected to the water of my past, present, and future and it is truly my source of life.

If you’re interested in thinking about the global water crisis as your own Lenten practice, check out Earth Ministry’s NEW website for water-related resources…or simply continue reading my weekly blogs.

Note: My husband and I are also continuing our tradition of eating a vegan diet during Lent, and that practice might occasionally find its way into my blog entries!

Water Down the Drain

By Chris Olson

A major aspect of my Lutheran Volunteer Corps year deals with forming intentional community around the three tenets of Social Justice, Sustainability, and Community. One of the issues that our house as been talking about is water conservation, specifically around our dishwasher. We didn't expect to have many amenities in our house since so much of the LVC experience is about simplified living, but were surprised to find a well furnished home when we arrived (thanks to the generous folks at Ballard First Lutheran next door and the keenly honed rummaging skills of past LVC house dwellers). Dishwasher use immediately became one of our topics of conversation. Some of us saw the community value in chatting around the sink while doing the dishes. I have had wonderfully rich conversations with past roommates while holding a sponge in one hand and a dirty plate in the other. My other housemates were pushing for filling the dishwasher and spending community time doing other things, getting the dishes out the way and moving on with the night. Ultimately the decision came down to the LVC tenet of sustainability, would we save more water using our dishwasher or washing our dishes by hand? We all thought we knew the answer, but each housemate had a different idea with a different logic behind it and all of them made sense in one way or another. I started to do some research on the subject and found a few articles and studies that compared dishwashers vs hand washing.
Here is a summary of what I found:

The first dishwasher was created in 1850 and consisted of a wooden box with a hand-cranked wheel that splashed water onto the dirty dishes (HA!). Since the mid 1800's, dishwasher technology has evolved and throughout the latter half of the 20th century grew in popularity. According to a study done by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the two main problems with dishwashers stem from energy and water efficiency. The authors of the study write, "The implementation of energy standards for appliances by the U.S. Department of Energy established new benchmarks for energy and water efficiency. A significant proportion of the energy savings for today's automatic dishwashers comes from the reduction in hot water use. Because energy is used to heat water, less water use by a dishwasher also means reduced energy use. In 1978, 83% of a dishwasher's energy use went to heating water, with 10% used for washing and 7% for drying (Enders, 1978). By 1994, only 56% of the energy used by the dishwasher was to heat water (Whirlpool Corporation, 1993). A significant reduction in water usage resulted from designing more efficient wash systems that incorporate direct water delivery and improved soil-handling systems (Dzierwa, 1994). The average water use per dishwasher cycle decreased from a range of 11-15 gallons per normal cycle in 1978 (Garrett, 1978) to 6-10 gallons per normal cycle in 2000 (Soap and Detergent Association [SDA], 2000)."

The dishwasher has become a more viable option in recent years, especially when compared with recent studies on hand washing dishes. "Scientists at the University of Bonn [pdf] in Germany who studied the issue found that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes. Even the most sparing and careful washers could not beat the modern dishwasher."

However, even when using a dishwasher some people still wash-by-hand to a certain extent. This has direct consequences on water conservation. "One consumer decision that greatly affects water and energy usage during dish washing is rinsing the dishes before washing them in the dishwasher. If dishes are pre-rinsed using a dishwasher pre-rinse cycle, approximately one gallon of water is used. Pre-rinsing in the sink under running water, however, uses up to 25 gallons of water for 5 minutes of pre-rinsing--a substantial difference. In the study discussed here, 93% did some pre-rinsing of dishes in the sink, and 48% rinsed five or more times per week. With the estimated water use of up to 25 gallons per meal, this practice represents a substantial use of water and energy."

So, dishwashers seem to be the better choice as long as you have a recent model and stay away from pre-washing your own dishes. My LVC house is still working out the details on our simplicity strategy, but its nice to have a little back ground to base our decision on. I'm placing two of the article links at the bottom of the blog and the other research paper has a link if you click within the text on the "University of Bonn".

http://www.joe.org/joe/2003february/rb3.shtml

http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/dishwashers.htm

A Quality Report

This week, my house along with the rest of Seattle residents, received one juicy piece of mail. Some of you I’m sure tossed it directly into your recycling, but I hope many of you, like myself, decided to open the pages of this thrilling little report.

Seattle Public Utilities released its annual drinking water quality report this past week. If you cracked open the pages, I bet you would have found it quite the “quality” reading. Well, I might be exaggerating, but I did find a few details interesting.

First off, pictures always catch my attention quickest. In this case, it was a graph of growth of population and water consumption. Since 1990, the population that Seattle Public Utilities services has grown 15%. Despite predictions of a concurrent increase in water needs, the total amount of water supplied since 1990 has decreased by 17%. Way to conserve water, Seattle!

After my distraction by the pictures and pretty colors, I actually spent a little time reading what the report found. Annually, Seattle tap water is tested for levels of contaminants, metals, and disease-causing micro-organisms. None of these threatening compounds were found, giving what Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is calling, “…the ‘gold standard’ in water quality,” It is this finding that is leading Mayor Nickels to launch a campaign encouraging residents to drink tap water, instead of buying bottled water. Seattle residents drink about 354,127 pints of bottled water each day, which adds up to 40,719 barrels of oil and 5,439 tons of greenhouse gases each year. Just think about the difference we could make by just always carrying around a reusable water bottle.

It may not be the page turner you're looking to read over your coffee, but as a concerned citizen we ought to know what's coming out of our faucet. You never know what might spark your interest when doing just a little reading.

11 Consumer Choices, 52 Sundays, 365 Days a Year

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), there are three areas of consumer behavior that, if changed, can make the most positive impact on environmental problems. Those three areas are transportation, food, and household operations (source: "The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices"). The consumer choices the UCS recommends for each area are:

TRANSPORTATION
1.) Choose a place to live that reduces the need to drive.
2.) Think twice before purchasing another car.
3.) Choose a fuel-efficient, low-polluting car.
4.) Set concrete goals for reducing your travel.
5.) Whenever practical, walk, bicycle, or take public transportation.

FOOD
6.) Eat less meat.
7.) Buy certified organic produce.

[We'd like to add, Shop at Local Farmer's Markets]

HOUSEHOLD OPERATIONS
8.) Choose your home carefully.
9.) Reduce the environmental costs of heating and hot water.
10.) Install efficient lighting and appliances.
11.) Chose an electricity supplier offering renewable energy.

Several years ago, Earth Ministry developed a curriculum for congregations based on these suggestions. That curriculum is called "Caring for All Creation" and has four modules, On the Road, At the Table, In the Home, and By the Waters. Each module provides the resources necessary for churches to organize a worship service for each of these areas with a congregational action to be a part of or to follow the service. Read more about the curriculum and order today!

Earth Month doesn't have to happen once a year. Why not incorporate creation-honoring worship into our churches 52 Sundays a year and make personal changes in our homes 365 days a year?

Five Minutes or Less

So you’ve heard us touting Earth Ministry’s partnership with the Seattle Climate Action Now campaign to fight global warming, but really, what does that mean for the average person? One answer to that question is in the Seattle CAN home energy kits.

One of the more popular items in the kit is the shower timer. A simple hourglass style like you find in most board games, the timer sticks to the tiles of your bath and measures approximately five minutes. All you have to do is “Beat the Clock”, and finish your shower before the time runs out.

I tried it out the other day, with interesting results. I set it when I got in the shower, but didn’t rush unusually – I wanted to see how long my showers typically are, when not trying to hurry. I washed my hair, soaped up, rinsed off, the whole nine yards. Then I stopped the water and checked the timer. I’d used up about two thirds of the sand in the timer, which would be about three and a half minutes, more or less. So I tried it again the following day, and threw in conditioning my hair too. It took more time, but I still finished with sand left over. And again the next day.

I had my husband try it, with similar results. He finished with about two minutes to spare. And remember – we’re not rushing! Ever the comedian, he said it was great to know that he’s not using up “his fair share” of the hot water, and planned on adding two minutes to his shower from now on. (Before we get tons of angry comments, he was just kidding!) But it just shows how easy it can be to take one small step to stop climate change.

Think a humble hourglass can't fight global warming? Consider this: reducing shower time from an average of 7.9 minutes to 5 minutes for an average household would save about 339 kWh of electricity a year, assuming an electric hot water heater. Each household would also save 2,679 gallons of water each year.

If 10,000 people reduced their showering like this, Seattle residents could save more than 3.39 million kWh per year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 2,034 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That's like taking 452 cars off the road for a year.

You can get a free home energy kit too! For a limited time, the kits, which include an energy-efficient light bulb, door-hanger, how-to weatherization video, coupon for a smart energy strip, and that ever-popular shower timer, are available through your Seattle Neighborhood Service Center or Earth Ministry. You can stop by a Service Center anytime, or look for the Earth Ministry table at many of our upcoming Earth Month events.

Kaitlin: In this Together

Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

After a few days of long showers, deviled eggs, milk chocolate, and more frequent flushing, the novelty has worn off. It’s not as good as I remember, and I really don’t miss it. I’ve discovered I can certainly live without these little extras.

This journey through Lent has taken me on a different route than the years previous. Besides being in a new state and attending a different church, Lent held a weight that I had never felt before. I’d given up things for Lent in the past, but I’d always seen it as a challenge. I’m embarrassed to say that I’d turned it into a game of how long can I survive without some item. Easter morning would come, and I’d act as if Lent had never happened.

I’ve learned much this Lent, some of which I’m still understanding. First and foremost, I now know that showers can indeed be short and still enjoyable. It seems a bit silly, but I guess I needed some intervention which came in the form of Lent. Easter morning my shower was a little longer, but I plan to keep the short shower routine. Today, I got a shower timer from Seattle Climate Action Now. Available at Neighborhood Service Centers, these little gadgets suction to the shower and measure 5 minutes.

Another important lesson for this Lent was realizing the need for community, especially a community in Christ. My whole Lutheran Volunteer Corps house decided to try to eat vegan for these 40 days. The only times we ever struggled was when we weren’t with one another such as going out with other friends. Between cooking vegan meals for each other or having Lenten reflections at the vegan Flying Apron Bakery, the support we found in each other was incredible. I also found community in the Earth Ministry offices. Through blogging and talking amongst ourselves here, I was able to get advice and find the support I needed that sustained me throughout.

Lent created a dialogue with my family, housemates, friends, coworkers, and church members that has been invaluable. I was reminded daily of my commitment to care for creation. I saw the connection between Christ’s suffering and the pain I create for others through my poor choices. And with my mistakes, I learned a little more about grace.

Kaitlin: Reflections on Water

Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

This weekend, I spent five days on a retreat with 16 other people from the Puget Sound who are in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps with me. One of the tenants of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps is intentional community. I live with three other women in a house in Seattle who all work at different nonprofits in the area. We work hard to foster this community by cooking together, doing weekly events with one another, and taking active parts in each other’s lives.

For introverts like myself, sometimes life in community can be a little tiring and time alone is hard to find. As part of this retreat, we took a step back from being the social beings we are and spent six hours in silence. After some time indoors reading and watching the rain come down over Lake Samish near Bellingham, I headed outside and down to the lake with my rain jacket. Soon the rain let up and I could sit on the dock taking pictures, journaling, and thinking.

A perfect reflection of the mountains rippled across the lake. The ducks scooted by as I became part of my surroundings. It was perfectly lovely. In watching this sparkling reflection, I couldn’t help but reflect on my journey through this Lent and what this all means for me Easter morning. I know I won't go back to my old ways. It was an easy transition for me. Maybe I can even carry it further? My house normally cooks vegetarian. Should I permanently become vegetarian knowing how much water, corn, and soil goes into the production? What other small changes haven’t I thought of that would help me live more lightly on the earth?

I realized what I was really asking myself was, “What kind of lifestyle do I want to live?” How do I live out my values on a daily basis without letting it bog me down? This year has been one of trying on different shoes trying to find the right fit. Being a careful water consumer definitely felt right. Watching the crystal clear water lap up against the dock allowed my mind to wonder what else might feel “right.”

I finally had the time to let myself think. It’s amazing what a little time by the lake can do to wash away the worries and look at the coming days with hope and excitement.

Kaitlin: Try Not to Bottle it Up

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

I’m a horrible water drinker. Two liters of water is the recommended daily amount for most people. Coincidently, this is the same portion of water my friend who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya was allotted every day for all her daily needs, which first got me thinking about my water use this Lent. I try to make it my goal to drink that much water every day, but always fall short.

At work, I’m great at keeping my reusable water bottle with me, but as I run my errands around town or visit friends, I rarely keep it with me. On occasion, I end up buying water or drinking bottled water at my friend’s homes. Along with my other water saving techniques, I’ve made it my goal this Lent to ALWAYS carry my water with me and avoid bottled water.

For instance, I was over at a friend’s place last week. Like the good host he is, he offered me a bottle of water. Typically, I would have graciously accepted knowing that I need to drink more water and am grateful for the reminder. However, this time, I replied that I had some water in my bag that should be just fine and pulled out my steel water bottle.

He looked at me as if to say, “What? My water isn’t good enough for you anymore? You’d rather drink tap water?” I explained with something about how I’m trying to cut back on my water use for Lent and a 16 oz. plastic bottle requires as much water to manufacture as it does to fill. He shrugged, put the water back in the cupboard, and said, “Huh, well, that’s interesting.”

I saved 16 oz of water and hopefully got him thinking. Next, I just need to convince him that his bottled water tastes almost the same as tap water or at least filtered water. Maybe a little taste test is in order...

Kaitlin: Finally, Feeling the Routine

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

I think I finally made my water-saving techniques routine this past week. It’s taken me almost 30 days and for some reason, I thought it would have been quicker. It seemed like such an easy task that would swiftly become innate. Not the case I guess. However, I should have know better. Studies show it takes 21 days of a solid pattern to make something a habit. It only makes sense that in the past week, my water reduction feels natural, and I don’t have to continually remind myself to just turn the faucet off and leave the bleach behind.

I’ve found a routine in my mornings that has helped me come to work mentally prepared for the day. The morning crankiness that I commented on in previous posts has disappeared as I’ve discovered other ways to rid myself of grogginess besides the morning hot shower. On the mornings I get up a little earlier, I’m able to go for a walk or do Pilates. If I have a little less time, I read some of the paper or my daily devotions over a cup of tea. These little additions have been great alternatives that are more productive at mentally preparing me and are certainly less wasteful than my long showers.

This morning, things finally felt normal. I woke up with enough time to do Pilates, take a quick shower, and eat breakfast while reading the science section of the New York Times. It was a great way to start my morning off. No excess water needed.

Kaitlin: How to Clean it Right

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

I stepped into our bathroom this Sunday, armed and ready to clean. It was my week to clean the bathroom and as usual, I had put it off until the last day possible. However, this time my arsenal of cleaning products were a bit different.

Most of my college career was spent in the microbiology/parisitology or anatomy labs, studying the infectious bugs or tiny creatures that lurk in public places. If not in the lab, I was reading about these very germs that are the reason for sick days. Unfortunately, all that time staring at these critters under the microscope has led me to be a little bit of a germ-phobe. Yes, I am the odd one who waits for someone else to open the door to the public restroom. I’ll admit it. I’m the one who always washes her hands and is never found without hand sanitizer in her purse. Needless to say, when it comes to cleaning, my motto has become, “the stronger, the better.”

When I set out this Lent to change my water-use habits, I included that I would use cleaning products free of phosphates or other potential water pollutants. If I was preserving water, not only must I be careful of how much I use, I must make sure I don’t pollute the water we do have. Already, we’ve polluted 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of our lakes to the point that they can longer be used for fishing or swimming.

For Lent, I traded in my classic bathroom cleaner with bleach for simple white vinegar and baking soda. I mixed up an all-purpose cleaner with ½ cup vinegar, ¼ baking soda, and ½ gallon of water. Even though I wasn’t quite convinced I was still killing germs, my bathroom looks and smells clean. The baking soda worked as a great scrubber and the vinegar left it smelling and looking fresher. Using any sort of disinfect is overkill and does more harm than good. Deep down, the microbiologist inside tells me I’ve only been contributing to making germs more resistant and harder to kill.

I guess I’m getting over my fear of germs and recognize that there are much safer alternatives for cleaning. The bathroom is clean and no toxic chemicals got into the ground water. That’s really what I care about, not my fear microbes.

Kaitlin: A Personal Decision?

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry's Outreach Coordinator

The other day, I stood watching one of my housemates as she awkwardly used a bowl she had cooked in to wash dishes. When I asked her what she was doing, she responded, “Oh, I’m just trying to save water and support you through this Lent.” With a warmed heart, I thanked her and realized how our personal choices are really never “personal.”

When I started up my Lenten practices this year, I was trying to live in solidarity and see what I could do to treat water as the God-given gift it is. What I didn’t realize was that by making a decision public, I was getting others to think about their own personal choices. In letting others know about our creation care practices, we are creating a conversation about sustainability. It creates the opportunity for people to ask, “Why did you decide to meet at this coffee shop and not this one?.” Or instead, “Why does it take you so long to get to work?” Our decisions are more like conversation starters.

Perhaps this support is why my Lent has been so easy. I live in a great community with the three women in my house who have taken my practices in stride. I have the words of advice and encouragement from the Earth Ministry staff and I am blessed to have an abundance of friends (including our blog readers) and family who support me not only with words, but through their own actions.

Many thanks to you all for your words, suggestions, and for sharing.

Kaitlin: A Creature of Habit

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator

As we push into week two of Lent, I’m realizing that I’ve got it pretty easy in comparison to the rest of the staff. I’m not lusting over ice cream or scurrying out the door to catch the bus in the morning. In fact, I have more time in the morning since my shower time is probably a quarter of what it once was. Instead, I’m just giving up a few of my simple pleasures in life, which honestly is something I haven’t been happy about. Believe me, I’ll get over it, but I’ve been surprised as to my crankiness, especially in the morning. Let me explain and preface this by saying I am NOT a morning person.

My morning routine previously consisted of crawling sleepily out of my bed after convincing myself that a hot shower would indeed feel just as good as my cozy bed. I would step into the shower where I would spend at least the next fifteen minutes. I knew I didn’t NEED that long to shower. I just WANTED that long to shower. It was my time to focus and think about the day, meanwhile washing away the sleepiness from my mind.

Now here’s my current situation: My alarm goes off, and I convince myself that even though my bed is warm, I NEED to wash my dirty hair. I grumble under my breath, but get in the shower running the water only to get wet and to rinse off again. In my opinion, it’s taken all the fun out of it, and I feel like I’m six again when my parents had to convince me to bathe. I leave the shower chilled, still sleepy, and not empowered to welcome the new day.

I need to find a new way to meditate and prepare for the day—something that doesn’t use at least 20 gallons of water. Perhaps now I can take those extra ten showering minutes to peruse the paper that stacks up on my table only to be recycled at the end of the week unread. Or maybe I can take that time to read my daily devotions that get opened up to on a biweekly basis. These would both be good changes and as much as I don’t want to admit it, they are probably more constructive and certainly less wasteful.

Kaitlin: And We're Off

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator:

Today, it all begins. After an evening of ice cream and a long shower, I woke up today with a sense of darkness that was more than the dreary Seattle weather outside. I knew that today, I had to completely change my mindset.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been gearing up for my Lenten practices. Several days ago, my roommates and I installed a low-flow shower head. Since my housemates and I are part of a volunteer program that pays a small stipend, we knew we had to be a little creative in doing this. Thankfully, we were able to obtain a free shower head from Seattle City Light, who give out one free shower head to each customer. Even though our previous one actually was low-flow, it had been leaking and was no longer doing the job of saving water. This small, easy change could save over 14,000 gallons of water a year.

However, this is just the start for me this Lent. I avoided the shower entirely this morning (I showered enough yesterday) and dread tomorrow when I don’t get my long, morning shower. I need to shake the fear and understand why I’m doing this.

Tonight, I will go to church and be marked with a cross of ashes on my forehead. The words, “From dust you have come and to dust you shall return” will be said over me. This will be the change in mindset I need to enter Lent—a cross to echo my baptism in Christ and ash to remind me of my own mortality, but everlasting life through Christ. It is the centering I will need to recognize my destructive ways.

We are part of this journey together, united in faith. What will the cross and ashes mean to you? Are you adding something new into your life? Or are you giving up something to find more time for prayer and reflection? Tell us about your Lent this year by using the comment feature on our blog and take the opportunity to reflect on this practice together.

Kaitlin: Water: A Gift and a Blessing

From Kaitlin Torgerson, Earth Ministry Outreach Coordinator:

For most of my life, I could be found from spring to fall on the beach or paddling one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. All through my childhood, I played in the sprinklers, ran through the slip ‘n slide, and had squirt gun fights. Water was everywhere, and I had an endless supply coming from the faucet or hose. Moving to Seattle this past summer didn’t change my perspective at all. It only took me from the lakes of Minnesota to the Puget Sound and rainy skies of Seattle.

I learned some water conservation from my parents to save on our water bill. I don’t let the water run as I brush my teeth or wash dishes. But honestly, that’s as far as I’ve ever gone and I thought it was good enough. My utilities have always been included in my rent and my water bill is this mysterious thing that I’ve never seen. This elusive bill has led me to sit quietly as one of my former roommates would turn the shower on just to add humidity to our dry apartment. I love long, hot showers in the morning and cool ones in the evening after exercising. I’ve become notorious amongst my current housemates for leaving half-filled water glasses throughout our house.

This winter, however, I was reminded that I live in luxury. My college roommate wrote from Kenya where she is spending two years teaching science for the Peace Corps. There she has learned conservation like she never thought possible. In particular, she’s learned to live off her allotted two liters of water a day for washing, drinking, and cooking. Two liters? Americans on average use 80-100 gallons of water a day and I am no exception.

My college roommate is now part of the one billion people who lack access to clean drinking water. Worldwide, 1.5 million children under the age of five die due to unsafe water and a lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene each year. The problem isn’t just outside this country either. Forty percent of America’s rivers and 46% of our lakes are too polluted for fishing and swimming. Massive withdrawals of water upstream keep rivers from reaching the sea.

I am part of this problem. I’ve become careless with the precious water that brought me into God’s family through baptism and washes away my sin. For Lent this year, I’m not doing my typical fasting from chocolate and soda. Instead, I’ll be giving up something that affects more than just my own body. I’m fasting from my careless use of water and treating it as the grace-filled gift God meant it as.

So what does this mean?

• Cutting my shower by five minutes. No more lingering!


• Installing a low-flow shower head


• Showering less frequently


• Always carrying my reusable water bottle with me


• Flushing the toilet less. (if its yellow, let it mellow…)


• Using nontoxic cleaning products


• Praying as I wash my hands

Water is both a gift and a blessing; I want to respect it as such. Psalm 104 reminds me of my duty and responsibility to care for all of creation: “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst. By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.” Our current conditions are not satisfying. It’s time for me to do my part.