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Can you make a Carbon Fast your sacrifice for Lent?

This week marks the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days of penance and reflection in which many Christians prepare for the coming of Easter. The week typically begins with feasting at Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) parties as people celebrate eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday officially begins the season as many faithful receive blessed ashes on their foreheads symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. The remaining days of Lent are symbolic of the 40 days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism.

According to the Journal Gazette/Times Courier “In addition to special worship services, Christians generally observe Lent with acts of introspection, self-examination, and repentance for one’s sins.” Some may fast or give up something (e.g., a food or an activity) during the time of Lent. Others spend the 40 days in prayer, practicing special devotions, or volunteering for various charities. (Technically, the time period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 46 days, but Sundays don’t count, as each is considered to be a ‘mini-Easter.’)

This year, Reuters reports, “Church leaders are encouraging people to give up their iPods for Lent, instead of more traditional vices such as chocolate, to help save the planet.”

What a great idea! The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, are calling it a “technology fast,” and are suggesting that people give up such devices as mobile phones or iPods as a way to cut carbon emissions during Lent.

“Instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, why not fast for justice … to help those suffering from the effects of climate change,” said Jones. “There is no climate justice for the poor. The Carbon Fast helps us change the way we live; the Climate Justice Fund helps the poor adapt to a changing climate.”

It’s a seasonal endorsement of the ongoing ‘Carbon Fast’, organized this year by development agency Tearfund, which already suggests giving up technology for a day every month of the year and giving the money saved to charity.

As part of the Lenten Carbon Fast, Tearfund has assembled a list of 46 daily suggestions which also include eating by candlelight, cutting meat and vegetables thinner so they cook faster, going vegetarian two days each week, eliminating dairy one day a week, and flushing the toilet less often. The list also suggests such helpful things as composting, recycling, swapping and sharing, and restricted driving as ways to reduce your carbon footprint; these are actions that can be done year-round to create a more eco-friendly existence.

Regardless of your own spiritual background, could you give up your technology for Lent? Cut out twittering and web-browsing as a spiritual endeavor that benefits not only your soul during this time of reflection, but also our environment?

You can cut your carbon footprint by recycling your used printer cartridges & cell phones
If you already recycle empty cartridges and used cell phones, you’re among a growing number of people who understand the benefits to the environment. What you may not realize is that your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think! Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?