6 March: Conserve

Appliances generate a lot of waste in the typical home, office, or parish. Changing how these appliances are used to reduce their energy consumption is a good way of protecting creation.

Make sure that your water heater and dishwasher are on the most efficient settings. Turn off lights, television, computers, printers, routers, and anything else with a switch whenever these items are not in use.

All members of your household or office must participate in the new practices in order for them to be effective. A conversation about our faith’s call to protect creation is an opportunity to reflect on the values you share while making plans to conserve energy.

To guide your conversation, say a prayer like this:

Let us bless God, whose might has created the earth and whose providence has enriched it. God has given us the earth to cultivate, so that we may gather its fruits to sustain life. As we thank God for this bounty, let us learn also, as the Gospel teaches, to seek first God’s way of holiness: then all we need will be given us besides.