Some Information … and an Invitation:  Throw away our Throwaway Culture!

by John Fueger of the Creation Care Team at Peace Lutheran Church

My wife has a subscription to a magazine titled Yes!, a nonprofit publication that focuses on solutions journalism. As time was fleeting to write this article, she offered me a copy of Yes! from Summer, 2021 that focuses on solving the plastic crisis. The issue is a fascinating read, from a comic-book type article “How to Get Rid of Throwaway Culture” to an in-depth article, “Don’t Let Consumerism Co-opt the Zero-Waste Concept,” that questions why consumers bear the burden of single-use packaging disposal rather than manufacturers.

Due to my interest in the magazine, my thoughts for the article that you’re reading now quickly shifted from detailing the impact of microplastics on the environment and providing links to personal plastic usage calculators to what each of us can do to change the throwaway culture.

What’s Happening?

As my wife reminds me, there is no such thing as “away.” However, I think my notion of “away” was impacted by a science fiction television show I watched on a simple black and white television as a child, Space: 1999. The starting premise of that show was that humankind was producing so much nuclear waste that we were sending it to the moon. That premise doesn’t sound as far-fetched today as it did in 1975 after what humanity has collectively done to our planet. But I digress….

Yes! author Sarah Lazarovic cites a World War II credo “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!” to reduce waste. She goes further to develop what she terms the Buyerarchy of Needs (apologies were given to Maslow). That hierarchy begins with the simple concept of using what you already have, which very much resonated with me. She goes on to state, “We’ve been marketed to death with ideas of maximalist abundance. Instead of the most you can get, think about the least you can get by with.” Taking this type of advice to heart in today’s culture is a difficult challenge at best. We are constantly inundated with email and targeted advertising directly or indirectly promoting consumption. That continuing consumption feeds throwaway culture. What if we at least assessed our consumption through the lens of this hierarchy? Would our purchase decisions be changed or perhaps at least delayed?

I would also add one initial step to the Buyerarchy of Needs: Wait a day or two before moving forward to address perceived needs. I find that waiting a few days once I’ve made a decision that I need something allows me to better reflect on that perceived need and, in some cases, allow myself to realize that I don’t need the item at all.

What Can I Do?

When you need something or it’s time to make a purchase, consider the Buyerarchy Of Needs.

Use Lazarovic’s No-Throwaway Checklist to change your habits. Consider adding a new item each week or month to swap or reuse or mend.

• I will swap or borrow at least ____________ things instead of buying them.
• I will switch to reusable ____________ and ____________.
• I will finally fix / mend that ____________ instead of buying a new one.

Play A Game!

Place a small jar for each member of your family in a convenient place. Every time someone throws away an item that could have been reused, repurposed, or replaced with a longer-lasting alternative, they have to throw a penny (or more!) in their jar. After a week, count the coins. Unlike regular banking, the one with the fewest coins wins!

Be Creative!

Make art or a useful item from items you’d normally toss; there are lots of ideas online, like this: Trash to Treasure: 40 Creative Recycled and Repurposed Artworks | Inspirationfeed

Changing a throwaway mindset is a powerful thing all of us can do for the environment and ourselves … for God’s good creation.

https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/solving-plastic/2021/05/10/how-to-get-rid-of-throwaway-culture

For more information:
– About Creation Care at Peace Lutheran Church
– About our Creation Care Team

Saturday, May 6th, 2023

1:00 pm

at the West Seattle Nursery

Come to the Peace Pollinator Project Seminar with native plants expert Kyle Henegar and learn how to use native pollinator plants at your house to support the birds, bees and beetles we need to make our landscapes thrive and feed us all.

Bring friends!

For more information:
– About Creation Care at Peace Lutheran Church
– About our Creation Care Team

The RainWise program hosting a Garden Celebration at Peace Lutheran Church!

Come learn about RainWise and meet contractors  on April 22^nd from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We are so excited for this event for our neighbors in Sunrise Heights, Westwood, Fauntleroy, and Arbor Heights! This event is produced by the RainWise Program and features garden experts of all sorts and will benefit all Seattle residents with an interest in gardening.

You will:

• be able to talk to an array of gardening, rainwater catchment and composting experts,
• go on a garden tour to see a RainWise rain garden in action,
• get resources from Noxious Weeds, Natural Yard Care, Adopt-a-Street, National Wildlife Federation,
• explore funding opportunities for rain gardens, cisterns, and other green infrastructure solutions,
• talk with homeowners who have been through the RainWise installation process, and
• meet with different RainWise contractors and have the chance to ask questions specific to your homes.

There will be activities for kids and refreshments available!

Register at https://raingardencelebration.eventbrite.com. See you there!

About RainWise Rebates: With every storm, rain carries pollutants off our roofs, driveways, and other hard surfaces to local creeks, Lake Washington, and Puget Sound. Rain gardens and cisterns can help control this stormwater, but we need your help! In selected areas of Seattle, the City of Seattle and King County will pay up to 100 percent of the cost of installing rain gardens and cisterns on homeowners’ properties.

We recommend you check your eligibility for a RainWise rebate at https://700milliongallons.org/rainwise/eligibility.

—- More details below ———————————————————————————————————————–

RainWise, a partnership between King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Seattle Public Utilities, has a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

The West Seattle neighborhoods around Sunrise Heights, Westwood, Fauntleroy, and Arbor Heights are eligible for RainWise rebates – again!

In 2013, King County joined the RainWise program, and parts of West Seattle became eligible for rebates that pay for rain gardens and cisterns on private properties. By capturing the rain that falls on roofs, these installations help keep stormwater out of the sewer system and prevent overflows at the Barton Pump Station near the Fauntleroy ferry dock. After five years in the program, almost 150 properties put in rain gardens and cisterns that manage the equivalent of rain falling on five acres of roofs. In addition, 15 blocks of highly engineered roadside rain gardens were put in to let rain washing down streets and sidewalks to soak into the ground. All of this has really helped but as we look to a future of heavy rains and atmospheric rivers, we would love more help to manage the rain in this area.

How does RainWise help? During heavy rains, the sheer volume of polluted stormwater can cause our combined sewers to overflow. This negatively impacts human health and the health of marine life, such as salmon and orcas. We can reduce this water pollution by installing green stormwater infrastructure solutions, such as rain gardens and cisterns. This is where RainWise comes in.

What is RainWise? RainWise is a rebate program jointly run by King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Seattle Public Utilities. RainWise rebates help property owners manage the rain by installing cisterns and/or rain gardens on their private property. This not only helps reduce stormwater pollution, but mitigates flooding, adds attractive landscaping, and can provide water for summer irrigation.

You can check your eligibility for rebates at 700milliongallons.org/rainwise/eligibility. And, for addresses not eligible for RainWise, Green Stormwater Mini-Grants are available as well at 12000raingardens.org/gsi-mini-grants.

To learn more, please attend our upcoming RainWise Garden Celebration at Peace Lutheran Church where you can talk to various RainWise, sustainability, and garden experts to learn about the program. There will be tours of Peace Lutheran’s RainWise installation, refreshments, and activities. This is a family-friendly event!

Saturday, April 22nd, 10 am – 1 pm

Peace Lutheran Church, 8316 39th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136. Register at https://raingardencelebration.eventbrite.com

Not eligible? Feel free to reach out to us! We are happy to help provide you with resources. Check out 12000raingardens.org/about-rain-gardens/incentives to see what other programs are available to you.

For more information:
– About Creation Care at Peace Lutheran Church
– About our Creation Care Team