Green Ramadan

Assalamalaykum

Ramadan is a time for holistic healing which includes re-building our relationship with the environment. As khalifas on this earth, we have a responsibility to take care of it. A friend sent a inspiring e-mail with great ideas [see below] and as she put it "reduce your footprint- it's Sunnah".

• plant a tree/chlorophyll producing plant
• consume less water ie. try to do wudhu & brush teeth/wash face without the water running!! get a bucket, jug or whatever and fill it with enough water to get the job done.
• buy only local and organic food/produce
• walk if you can, or take the bus, or car pool
• turn off lights you're not using
• unplug your hairdryer/laptops/chargers/irons/phones etc at night when you go to sleep (or as soon as you've stopped using it)
• try replace your lights with eco-friendly, energy saving lights
• try to buy less food and use it all up (In North America, 14$ billion dollars worth of food goes to waste every year)
• try to get at least one household cleaner that's biodegradeable/phosphate-free!
• put your dish detergent in a small spray bottle & dilute it with some water (to make the detergent last longer)--this works and also, detergents are grossly concentrated and chances are you'll ingest residue off of your plates and utensils if you don't dilute.
• use vinegar and baking soda for surface cleaning
• if you use make-up, use one product that is all natural or preservative-free. La Roch Posay is a good product.
• don't buy margarine!! stick to butter
• eat less meat, especially red meat
• GIVE sadaqa to a good environmental organization or NGO
• say no to privatized water
• don't buy bottled water if you can help it
• if you see litter, pick it up. sounds lame, but we all pass by and don't do nothin' sometimes. don't even front.
• don't throw recycling in the trash
• take your own bags grocery shopping
• don't buy fruit that isn't in season! especially exotic fruit if you can help it.
• VOTE!!! please register yourself if you are over 18
• Use rechargable batteries
• try to use less toilet paper, napkins, etc and buy phosphate-free paper
• buy recycled paper
• turn left-over food into a delicious soup .it works marvelously. one of the best meals i ever had was soup at a friend's house and she made it with leftovers.
• burn beeswax candles or incense (not white-wax, it's toxic!)

..and anything else you can think of, these are just ideas.

Insha'Allah if we all do at least one of the above, we can help lessen the impact of our footprints on this earth