Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “The world

is green and beautiful and God has appointed you as His stewards over it. He
sees how you acquit yourselves…” (Muslim).

Allah tells us in numerous verses of the Quran, that He has
created everything on Earth—animals, rain, plants, oceans, stars, the
sun, the moon—for the benefit of humans. With these favours comes the
role of Khalifah, or guardianship. The Quran tells us,
“He it is Who has placed you as viceroys of the earth and has exalted
some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that
which He has given you” (6:165).

Today the planet is in a mess. Deforestation, desertification,
water pollution, air pollution, soil erosion, extinction of species and the
dwindling of resources indicate that humans are not fulfilling their role of
Khalifah adequately. What can we do to fulfill our responsibility to
protect the Earth? Here are seven small, but effective steps each of us can
take to begin the process:

1. Buy less, consume less, waste less.

On average, an individual in a developed nation consumes twice
as much grain, twice as much fish, three times as much meat, nine times as much
paper, and eleven times as much gasoline as an individual in a developing nation.(1)

Yet, shopping malls, TV commercials, flyers, billboards, and
the fashion industry continually tell us we don’t have enough and we need
to buy more. The 12 percent of the world’s population that lives in North
America and Western Europe accounts for 60 percent of the world’s private
consumption spending.(2) The Quran correctly
describes our materialistic society in the verse, “The mutual rivalry
for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious
things) until you visit the graves” (102:1-2).

While North Americans squander wealth and waste it in luxuries,
825 million people in the world are undernourished (3),
2.4 billion live without basic sanitation, and one billion lack adequate shelter.(4)
Destruction of forests, desertification of grasslands, water pollution,
depletion of fossil fuels, and the collapse of fisheries around the world warn
us that the world’s resources are limited—certainly not enough to
support the lifestyle habits of an average North American. In the Quran, God
warns us not to take more than our share of the world’s resources:
“…Do not squander (your wealth) wastefully. Surely the squanderers
are the fellows of the Devils” (17:26).

In a world of limited resources, we have an obligation to resist
consumer culture and squelch the urge to buy, consume, and eventually waste.
The words of the Prophet (pbuh) are a beautiful example of how to live:
“Be in the world as if you were a stranger or a traveller along a
path” (Bukhari).
“The best livelihood is the bare minimum” (Ahmad).

The Quran reminds us that we will be accountable for every item
we own and resource we use:
“Then (on the day of judgement) you will certainly be questioned about
all the favours you enjoyed” (102:8).

Next time you’re in line at the cash register, ask yourself
if you really need what you’re buying or if you can live without it.

2. Reduce your shower time to five minutes.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Excess in the use of water is
forbidden, even if you have the resources of a whole river” (Tirmidhi).

Ever noticed how long you spend in the shower? A five-minute
shower consumes 100 litres of water. (5)
That may not sound like much, but consider that less than one half of one percent
of all water on Earth is fresh water for human use. The rest is sea water or
frozen in polar ice caps.(6) Every person
on Earth has a share in this water, yet 20% of the world’s population
already lacks access to an adequate supply of clean drinking water.(7)
While the average Canadian uses 335 litres of water per day, the average sub-Saharan
African survives on 10-20 litres per day.(8)
The Prophet (pbuh) would perform ghusl, a complete bath, with one Sa’
of water—that’s just 1.6 litres. In a world where water scarcity
and pollution are increasing, every drop counts.

3. Buy locally grown food, without the packaging

Where does the food you eat come from? The local farm or a land
far away? In the United States, the average food item travels 2,500–4,000
kilometers.(9) The farther food travels
before it reaches your plate, the less money the rural farmer retains. Multinational
corporations that haul, package, and process the food collect a larger portion
of the profit.

The farther food travels, the more energy it consumes for pesticides,
preservatives, ripening, packaging, processing, transportation and sales. Eating
local food results in a healthier diet, more equitable profit distribution,
less energy consumption and less environmental pollution.

4. Take the transit or walk more often

Cars not only guzzle the world’s dwindling supply of fossil
fuels, but the burning of those fuels contributes to urban smog, acid rain,
and other air quality problems. Cars produce large volumes of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The average car
produces about 2.4 kilograms of CO2 for every litre of gasoline‚ or three
to four times its own weight in CO2 every year. (10)
This means more air pollution, more extreme weather and storms, more water contamination
and more diseases.

Public transit, cycling or walking are simple ways to reduce
energy consumption, improve air quality and lead a healthier lifestyle. If you
normally drive to work, take the transit once a week for a refreshing change.

5. Install energy-saving bulbs and appliances in your
home

North Americans consume 30% of the world’s energy—an
amount similar to that consumed collectively by all developing countries, holding
more than 80% of the world’s population. While we may flick the light
switch without a second thought, 2 billion people in the world lack access to
electricity or other modern energy supplies.(11)

While it may be impossible for North Americans to forego the
luxuries of electricity, heat, stoves, dishwashers and microwaves, we can reduce
our energy consumption through efficiency. Europeans have done it—although
they lead a similar lifestyle, people in the United States and Canada consume
2.4 times as much energy at home as those in Western Europe. (12)
Home appliances are the world’s fastest-growing energy consumers after
automobiles, accounting for 30 percent of industrial countries’ electricity
consumption.(13) The good news is that
energy-efficient lighting and appliances have become common in the North American
market. Making your home energy efficient is an easy and effective way to reduce
energy consumption without sacrificing convenience.

6. Eat more vegetables

Vegetables capture energy for growth directly from a renewable
source—the sun, while meat production in industrial countries requires
a high input of non-renewable fossil fuel energy. When farmers raise animals
on pasture, they require little grain, consume little energy and their manure
becomes valuable agricultural fertilizer. Today, in most industrial nations,
rather than being pasture-fed, corporations raise animals in factory farms that
consume huge quantities of grain, water, hormones, and electricity and produce
tonnes of toxic wastes. Producing one calorie of beef or poultry requires 11–17
calories of feed.(14) Producing 8 ounces
of beef requires 25,000 litres of water.(15)
This means that a diet high in grain-fed meat requires two to four times more
land than a vegetarian diet. Health is another consideration—the crowded
conditions of factory farms along with an absence of waste recycling make livestock
easy targets for disease.

The Prophet (pbuh) allowed us to eat meat and, like all other
foods, meat is one of Allah’s favours that He permits us to enjoy. However,
we need to apply the principle of moderation, a key aspect of the Prophet’s
lifestyle, in our diet. Eating more vegetables, without abandoning meat, can
make a significant difference in the amount of natural resources each of us
consumes. Next time you bite into that steak, think of the energy that went
into producing it.

7. Recycle and compost

Canadians generate approximately 1.7 kg of waste per person
per day.(16) When we use recycled materials
along with recycling and composting our household waste, we significantly reduce
our energy consumption and waste production. Producing aluminium from recycled
material, for example, requires 95 percent less energy than manufacturing it
from raw materials.(17) Keep in mind that
having a recycling box or a compost bin doesn’t justify consuming more
and wasting more. Reducing consumption is still the best way to reduce our impact
on the environment.

Where do you Stand? Calculate Your Ecological Footprint