In no particular order, here are 40 things you can do during Lent. Tell us or show us
what you are doing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #bearthtn.
o Hike one of Tennessee’s beautiful trails.
o Read Genesis 1 and imagine what God saw after each day of creation.
o Take a picture where nature and humans interact or collide. (Ex: trash on a trail or bare feet on grass.)
o Gather some natural materials and make something.
o Fast
o Write a poem, haiku, limerick or song about what you see in nature.
o Take a walk. If you are in a city look for nature in unexpected places.
o Say a prayer of gratitude for the things you take for granted every day.
o Take a day off from driving.
o Eat a meatless meal.
o Look in the Topics section of your Bible and read scriptures about trees.
o Look up at least one of your most common household purchases and see it’s ranking on http://www.betterworldshopper.org/rankings.html. Could you make a better choice?
o Program your electronics to go to sleep after 2 (or 5) minutes of inactivity.
o Turn off the lights when you exit a room.
o Pack a lunch.
o Plant a tree.
o Go on a 3-day media fast. Use that time to pray, read scripture and be with family. Evaluate your media-free time and decide if or how much needs to be reintroduced to your day.
o Purge things you do not need.
o Go on a scavenger hunt. (Search Pinterest for nature scavenger hunts. If you have a smartphone, take a picture of the list then take pictures of the items you find.)
o Only use refillable water bottles and coffee cups.
o Request a for-here cup when eating out.
o Practice the 5 R’s. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot.
o Try a natural alternative to home-cleaning supplies.
o Switch your coffee to organic, fair-trade.
o Sabbath
o Pick up trash and put in the proper receptacle.
o Turn thermostat down 3 degrees in winter, up three in summer.
o Wash clothes in cold water.
o Give something away.
o Pray for people who are experiencing environmental injustice. (Ex: the people of Flint, Michigan)
o Turn the radio off and use travel time as prayer time.
o Family night- have a meal together, play games, go for a walk.
o Wait a month to buy something you want to see if it’s something you actually need.
o Start a garden.
o Donate your old electronics to a good cause.
o Compost your food and yard waste.
o Read Creation Care Themes Throughout Scripture
o Give an experience as a gift.
o Switch from paper products to reusable products.
© Blessed Earth Tennessee, 2016.