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A WORLD OF/FOR THANKS
Give thanks for churches that remind us the Earth is the Lord’s. Encourage your church to begin or add to practices, such as recycling worship bulletins, composting after meals, lifting up God’s Creation in liturgy and sermons, and other actions that help us be better stewards.
Give thanks for those who get knee deep in dealing with the mounting litter in streams, rivers, and oceans. Find a waterway near you and create or join efforts to remove harmful debris.
Give thanks for those who look beyond their own convenience and count the cost to God’s earth as they make decisions. Examine your own habits: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle.
Give thanks for those who are choosing careers and jobs that help the environment. Researchers, environmental educators, entrepreneurs, lawyers, law enforcement officers, workers in green industries, farmer laborers, for example, have a crucial role in protecting and healing this home of ours. Encourage the individuals in your life who are doing this work.
Give thanks for those who engage their families, friends, colleagues, and students in actions that help and not harm the earth. People, especially children, learn from trusted sources—people they see who walk the talk. Tell your story.
Give thanks for those in agriculture and who seek to work in harmony with nature. Before you eat, ask a blessing especially for all who provide the foods that sustain life. Be mindful of those who labor in the fields especially in high heat; speak up for justice for their health.
Give thanks for those who see, hear, and stand with marginalized peoples as they endure the brunt of a changing climate. Respond to disasters, definitely! Also, speak up for the necessary changes to avoid the suffering.
Give thanks for the laws, regulations, and organizations that protect or restore the natural habitats of God’s creatures. With those protections, numerous marine and land animals have come back from the brink of extinction. Support those efforts so that wildlife can thrive.
Give thanks for people who donate leadership, time, and money to help organizations that marshal the many for a greater impact as catalysts of change. Individuals can’t do all, but all—together—can. Choose your group(s) to support in some way.
Give thanks for those people who plant trees and gardens that nourish pollinators. Fall is a good time for planting many species. Look for places where you can add a tree or three or sow some wildflowers, for example. If you involve children in the event, you will also be sowing seeds of caring for nature.
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