Creative re-purposing

I came across this article recently, and thought that this is the perfect time to put this up here for others to consider.  (I summarizing the ideas quickly, so if you're interested in more specifics, check out the site.  It goes into more detail on many of these.)  Personally, I find this timely considering the increased amount of coffee that my household has been drinking lately with the cold weather.  And I'm also curious: does anyone have any other useful tips?


Creatively re-purposing used coffee grounds & tea leaves

1.   Used coffee grounds or tea leaves/tea bags can help remove food smells from your hands before washing them with soap & water. 

2.  Tea can shine up a wood floor or wood furniture.

3.  Coffee grounds can get rid of garden pests like ants and slugs (and cats!).

4.  Used coffee grounds work as a natural abrasive for cookware.  Soaking a greasy piece of cookware with a used tea bag is another way to make clean-up much easier.

5.  We all knew that some plants flourish when fertilized with coffee grounds, right??  Tea can provide some good nourishment, too for plants that have less acidic needs.

6.  Tea soaked toes (sandal season is coming sooner than you think!)...

7.  Used coffee grounds (completely dried) placed in an open container in the fridge is even cheaper than a box of baking soda.

8.  Crafty?  Coffee makes for a quick and cheap natural dye.

9.  There are a million different recipes for homemade beauty secrets.  Here's #1,000,001: coffee as an exfoliant and tea to reduce puffiness (check out the site on this one, for sure).

10.  Dark-colored dress shoes can benefit from a buff with a used tea bag.

Again, if you have any other helpful hints on this topic, please leave a comment.  And, if any of these tips have worked especially well for you, we would like to know that as well!

Dr. Brabson at Christ Lutheran

At the last Care for Creation meeting, we joked about how Lutherans really like the word "steward" (are we the only faith community that utilizes this term so readily?).  But there's a definite reason why this term works so well--every definition of "steward" entails someone who is caring for or managing something.  We truly are stewards of this earth!  God has enabled us to be the caretakers of our spectacular world...what a humbling task we have been called to perform.

But we also need help because ignorance and good, old fashioned stubbornness continue to permeate our culture that increasingly becomes (willingly!) dependent on unhealthy habits.  Arguably, the  simplest and most inherent purpose of education is that it never ends for those who seek it.  Being a steward of the earth also means being open to life long learning. 

With all of this in mind, Christ Lutheran Church has worked in cooperation with Hoosier Interfaith Power and Light to schedule a visit with Dr. Bennet B. Brabson, Professor Emeritus from Indiana University Bloomington, who will join us on Sunday, January 20th at 3 p.m. to talk about how climate change is intrinsically connected to life in Kokomo, Indiana.  (Climate change is not synonymous with the term global warming, mind you!) 

Regardless of personal beliefs, what a unique opportunity for the Kokomo and surrounding communities to engage in dialogue with someone who is so well versed in a topic that we cannot in good faith ignore.  Please join us!