Carole Suderman, Boulder Mennonite Church, Boulder, Colo. Carole has been offering her congregations challenges like these for the past 20 years. Her 1,000th tip will appear in Boulder’s bulletin on December 10. Carole says:

#1000: When I began, information and reminders like this were not readily available on the internet, on water bills and in newspapers. The good news is, environmentalism has gone mainstream. The bad news is that our planet needs us to continue being diligent. If just 5 people heeded each tip, that’s 5,000 acts of kindness to God’s creation!

Go Strawless: In the U.S. alone, we use millions of plastic straws each day. Many of these end up in the ocean. Plastics pollute the water and devastate marine life. By 2050, it is estimated that plastic will be found in 99% of sea birds and will outweigh the fish. Don’t use plastic straws at home and refuse them when purchasing drinks.   read more

Strawless? Scale Up: Strawless in Seattle is a campaign to save aquatic animals and birds that might swallow plastic straws. Many large businesses in Seattle have pledged to eliminate plastic straws, including the Seahawks and Mariners sports teams. Approach a business you patronize and ask the manager to consider reducing or eliminating straws and other unnecessary plastics.