MPAC's Guide to Protecting the Environment

June 27, 2008

Do not spread corruption in the earth after it has been so well ordered.

And call unto Him with fear and hope: verily, God's mercy is ever near to the doers of good-- Qur'an 7:56

Do not waste: verily He loves not the wasteful!-- Qur'an 6:141 and 7:31

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10 TIPS TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT & YOUR MONEY

1. Install CFL low energy light bulbs. Each one saves you $30 per year! Energy efficient lightbulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than conventional ones. Make sure to turn off lights and other electronics when they are not in use! You'll save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year!

2. Shop wisely and Earth-consciously! Consumers have a great deal of power to shape market trends. When comparison shopping for groceries and other products, look for items that are:

Grown or produced locally. Products that come from closer to home help cut down on pollution and support local economies. Think of how much energy and fuel it takes to import items from China and other far-away countries.
Organic. Pesticides and other harmful toxins are not only dangerous for farm workers, but can pollute vital natural resources such as rivers and streams.
Try not to buy products with excessive packaging. Although it might look pretty, you can save 1,200 pounds of CO2s if you cut garbage waste by 10%.

3. Invest in low-energy appliances, including washing machines and refrigerators. Many cities and counties across the country have incentive programs to encourage citizens to go "low-energy." You may even qualify for FREE appliances. Check with your local city authorities to see what programs and resources are available.

4. Take shorter showers and install low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets to help conserve water. There are also simple filters that can be attached to the faucets you already have.

5. Keep the plants and shrubs around your house or apartment in sync with the climate and environment in which you live. Think "green" while gardening does not necessarily mean planting a lush green paradise in a desert climate! Plant trees in strategic locations for natural shade that minimizes that need for air conditioning.

6. Take public transportation, carpool or bike as much as possible. When purchasing a car, buy the most fuel-efficient car you can afford. Not only will you help protect the environment, but you'll cut down on fuel costs too.

7. Be conscious of what you're throwing away. By tossing a piece of paper in the trash, you're also wasting the water necessary to grow trees and the petroleum needed to cut down the tree, process it into paper, and transport it to you! By recycling, you can significantly reduce the strain on our natural resources. Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a laptop for 11 hours! Recycling does not necessarily mean throwing your old newspapers in a special trash-can. Think creatively and resourcefully! You can store your spices in old jam jars or use yogurt containers to hold crayons and pens. Change your printer setting so that it prints on both sides.

8. Cut down on bottled-water and other bottled beverages. In the U.S., tap water is clean and heavily regulated to a degree that bottled water companies are not held to. Furthermore, a great deal of toxins as well as energy, such as petroleum and coal, are utilized in the production of plastics (17 million barrels of oil went into manufacturing more than 30 billion bottles produced in 2006!). And ironically enough, the production of one plastic bottle requires three times the amount of water inside the bottle!

Don't like the taste of tap water? Install a simple water filter on your faucet at home or buy a water jug with a filter. Invest in a good, reusable water bottle to take with you to work and school (note: it is not recommended to refill disposable water bottles because of bacterial build-up and the carcinogens present in the plastic).

9. Stop using plastic bags and use reusable canvas bags instead with you next time you go shopping. The production of plastic bags involves a great deal of toxins and petroleum! Not only that, but when they are thrown away and dumped into landfills or incinerated, they pollute the soil and the air. Several stores offer discounts or incentives to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags, and many reusable bags cost less than $3.

10. Educate yourself! Support legislation that protects the environment and helps citizens to do their part. If you don't already have a recycling program in your city, go to city council meetings or write to your local officials and insist that they do more for the environment!

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For more information, check out the following resources:

Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust, edited by R. Foltz, F. Denny and A. Baharuddin. Harvard University Press: 2003.