We asked Northwest Catholic readers: What’s one thing you do to care for nature or the environment? Here are some of their answers!
“I reuse paper sacks for wrapping packages that need to be mailed. Plastic shopping bags are used as garbage can liners wherever feasible and practical. I wash out and reuse Ziploc bags until they wear out.”
— Jackie Murphy St. Charles Borromeo, Tacoma
“I have black sunflower-seed feeders for most of the birds, suet for the woodpeckers and Steller’s jays, plus hummingbird feeders, birdbaths, a pear tree, a cherry tree, four apple trees and too many shrubs, flowers, hanging baskets, squirrels and bunnies to count.”
— Jack Keegan St. Luke, Shoreline
“I love to carve wood and make use of pieces that would otherwise be burned or thrown away. Each piece of wood is a masterpiece of God’s work, and I see it as my job to highlight or accentuate the beauty he has already put there.”
— Tim Wittman St. Mary, Anacortes
“It’s not what I do for nature, it’s what nature does for me. Most mornings I send the deer in my yard over to the neighbors, but only after they have eaten all the apples that fell from the trees the night before. The raccoons eat most of my grapes; the squirrels, chipmunks and blue jays get most of the nuts. I have a goldfish pond that seems to take care of itself. Last year, I had a bullfrog take up residence and saw a mudpuppy walking along the bottom of the pond. So you see, nature keeps me entertained, and I always have work to do maintaining the gardens.”
— Bob Moran St. Mary, Aberdeen
“Teaching middle school in 1970, I led a discussion on littering for the first Earth Day. A student said, ‘What difference will it make?’ The answer was that we could be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. From that day, I have picked up litter in parks everywhere I lived.”
— Donna Feary Holy Family, Kirkland
“Clean water is a precious resource. We try to be very careful about our consumption of water. Every little bit makes a difference!”
— Kateri Wimsett Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Tacoma
This article appeared in the October/November issue of Northwest Catholic magazine. Read the rest of the issue here.