I’ve just had three days based at home, a welcome rest from a season of working away and travelling. It’s been a good time to be with family and friends and fit in household tasks and crafts as well as work.

We have been discussing paint for our cottage windows and whether environmentally friendly paint is effective and affordable. It is in these daily tasks and decisions that we really discover the impact of our values and choices on the earth.

Someone in a recent Christian aid newsletter wrote of ‘living lightly’ and this captures one of our core values. We aim to leave a light footprint on this earth, to protect vulnerable peoples and environments and also to shed those things that weigh us down physically and spiritually.

We often find this hard to do and need all the support and help we can get! One community we have joined call this ‘living generously;’ generous to our planet and all who live here. We share practical ideas we can all use from buying local and fair trade produce to putting a brick in your toilet. They can be found at http://generous.org.uk/ or buy the book ‘Live Generously’ ed. Julie Van Pelt.

Please do share your thoughts and suggestions for living lightly too.