As winter comes, your plants look dead; but don’t deadhead them or cut them down. Instead allow the seed heads to remain so that birds will have a source of food for the cold months. With spring the perennials will come back, providing a festival of beauty and sustenance for you and for pollinators. October is planting season for many perennials. 
 
Plug up those sneaky leaky places to stay warm, save money, and cut down emissions. Put your hand near exterior wall outlets, around window frames and doors, next to your chimney. If you feel cold air, repair, caulk, or weatherstrip. Your response can fix the troubles.
 
Zippered plastic bags are so handy for many things—and so detrimental to the planet. For their various functions, more sustainable options exist: silicone bags, hard containers (especially glass ones with airtight seals), paper bags, waxed paper (which is biodegradable), beeswaxed fabric for covering dishes, or simply washing and reusing the bags again and again.

A scary sight is plastic bags caught in trees and waving in the wind or polluting the ocean. The good news is cities and states that ban the use of the bags are seeing reduced litter and less risk to marine animals. Carry your own reusable bags.

 
Good news! Curbing deforestation works for the planet. Reforestation takes the next step. Large scale, these actions pull carbon from the air, clean our water, and reduce dangerously high temperatures. You can contribute to those efforts worldwide or plant trees in your spaces, including the church’s property. Some organizations offer free trees.
 
Halloween looks scary stuff in the eye and laughs at it, taking away its power. As a fun family project take away some of the scariness by creating costumes out of clothing and accessories you already own or that you can purchase inexpensively from a thrift shop or swap with friends. Trash the scary one-and-done syndrome, keep cheap costumes out of the landfill, and have a good laugh!
 
Don’t throw away that pumpkin! Cut it into smaller pieces for deer, rabbits, mice, squirrels, and chipmunks to munch on—non-painted pumpkins only. Or harvest the seeds, dry them, and put them in a bird feeder. Or feed the microbes in your soil because you composted instead of trashing it.
 
“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning…You have turned my mourning into dancing…O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever” (Psalm 30:5b, 11a, 12b). Trust God, dance! Give thanks with your actions that show your love of God’s Creation.