Christian Environmentalism by Scott C. Sabin
February 22, 2008
When I first got involved at the interface of Christian development work and the Christian environmental movement fifteen years ago, voices were few and the audience skeptical. Thankfully, that is rapidly changing. There is a ground-swell of Christians who see care for creation as a vital part of their walk with Christ. However, as I talk to people, I still hear three common myths, which I will address in turn.
MYTH 1: ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN WILL CAUSE YOU TO WORSHIP THE CREATION INSTEAD OF THE CREATOR
I have always found this puzzling. Wilderness and nature have the opposite effect on me. My involvement has taught me about the incredible intricacy and complexity of God’s creation, reminding me of His attributes and my own humble place. “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:4). It is probably no accident that so many of us became Christians while at camp, where, as we learned of God’s love for us, we could look up and see that “the Heavens declare the glory of God.” (Ps. 19:1). Or where, as we sat in humility, like Job, somewhere inside us a voice asked “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” (Job 38:4). For centuries, creation has been understood to be part of God’s general revelation, something that He called good, and which according to Paul, provides enough evidence of Him to leave us without excuse.
Indeed, I have never met a Christian who was tempted to worship creation. Instead I have met many Christian biologists and ecologists who have helped me to rediscover awe, wonder and mystery in creation, and to see the signature of the Creator in unexpected places. Far from straying from the Bible, one of the things that surprised me was how much these scientists used scripture and relied on it in their understanding of our role in taking care of the earth.
MYTH 2: YOU CAN’T CARE ABOUT BOTH PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
At Floresta, it was our concern for the poor and hungry that led us inevitably towards caring for their environment. In our affluence, Americans have often been shielded from the consequences of our environmental decisions. If water is scarce or contaminated we can pay to pipe it across the country and purify it. If soil is degraded we can pay for fertilizers and amendments. The cost of seafood goes up, but you can still find your favorite delicacy. Because we are buffered from direct feedback, we tend to forget that the environment is our life-support system.
But the poor immediately feel the effects of environmental degradation, whether through drought induced by climate change, chronic diarrhea due to contaminated water, malaria epidemics exacerbated by deforestation, or myriad other examples. Any response to the needs of poor people that hopes to be sustainable must consider the environment. Conversely, in the developing world, any sustainable conservation effort must consider the needs of the poor. I hope to be exploring this relationship between poverty and the environment more deeply in future issues of this magazine. People and creation are part of the same system, and intimately connected.
MYTH 3: DEEP DOWN THIS IS ALL ABOUT A POLITICAL AGENDA.
There are policy issues with immense bearing on the health of creation, which I believe that we should take very seriously. However, much of what is going on around the globe transcends politics, or defies easy political classification.
For example, environmentalism is often depicted as being against private property. Yet at Floresta we have found ourselves advocating for property rights. Poor farmers who have the right to use wood and products from trees they plant will be much more likely to plant and care for them in the first place. Similarly poor farmers are more effective stewards of land that they are assured of being able to use in the future. But in other situations, government protection might make most sense.
The idea that stewardship and conservation are part of a liberal agenda seems ludicrous in much of the developing world. I remember the shock on our Dominican director’s face when I first tried to explain the suspicion with which many of our American donors regarded the environmental aspects of our work. The issues just don’t line up the same in Latin America or Africa. Being free of the political baggage that we carry here in the US, many of our brothers and sisters of in the developing world are way ahead of us in their understanding of stewardship.
Americans who are not ready to change votes or party affiliations can still be good stewards and creation care advocates. There are dozens of lifestyle choices that have nothing to do with politics. All of us can live more simply, drive less, recycle, buy food locally, etc. In our churches we can bring attention to the scriptural basis for stewardship—many Bible studies exist. We can encourage our churches and workplaces to reduce their own consumption and waste. And we can support organizations like A Rocha, Care of Creation, Marah International, or Floresta, which balance the focus on politics by working directly in endangered or vulnerable corners of creation.
God has called all of us to be stewards of the earth and in so doing to love our neighbors. There is a place for all of us to respond to Him.
Scott C. Sabin is the executive director of Floresta, a Christian nonprofit organization that reverses deforestation and poverty in the world by the transforming the lives of the rural poor (www.floresta.org).
Inviting Creation To My Yard by Tim Keyes
February 22, 2008
My wife and I chose our 1920’s house in a neighborhood near downtown Atlanta in large part because of the yard. Our little 1/8th of an acre pie-slice shaped lot sits on a hill. Two stately Southern Red Oaks bookend our street frontage and successive rows of azaleas work their way upslope to our front porch and brick house. We knew that March would be stunning, with the azaleas and dogwoods in full flower, but as a lazy gardener, I was most drawn to the postage-stamp sized lawn, which could easily be weed-whacked in 10 minutes or less. Beyond my own indolence lay the knowledge that ecologically, a close-cropped expanse of grass is not much better than asphalt. While we Americans often feel drawn to vast swaths of golf-green-styled yards, if one of your objectives is to invite wildlife, this urge must be fought tooth and nail.
Fortunately for me, establishing good habitat for wildlife is a perfect project for a lazy gardener. Once shrubs and mid-story trees are planted, they take much less work to maintain than grass. Dead trees and branches, as long as they pose no threat to life and limb, can be left standing to provide nesting cavities for birds. Sticks and branches that fall can be left or stacked in loose piles as shelter for the salamanders and wrens rather than laboriously dragged to the curb. And since a weed is by definition merely an unwanted plant, you can follow Cal DeWitt’s suggestion for easily ridding your yard of weeds: “Look out at them all and say ‘Welcome’”.
Inviting wildlife to your yard is a wonderful way to begin to learn the language of the created order.
Our yards are the tiny slices of the created world where we will spend the most time, and can have the most direct impact. While our gardening practices won’t solve the great problems of species loss, they may help on a small scale to keep our common species common. Given recent alarming declines of some of our most common and beloved birds reported by the National Audubon Society, this is a worthy goal. Inviting wildlife to your yard is also a wonderful way to begin to learn the language of the created order and take the first steps at creation stewardship on a micro- scale (see my column in the last issue of CC). What better place to begin taking seriously Jesus’ challenge to behold the birds of the air and the flowers of the field than by inviting them into our own yards? It may also spark an interest and commitment that extends well beyond the boundaries of your yard.
God’s creatures have four basic needs: 1) Food 2) Water 3) Shelter and 4) Space. Any project to attract backyard wildlife must begin with an honest assessment of what is possible. In assessing my yard in light of these requirements, I saw that some food was provided by the acorns, flowers, and berries of several trees and shrubs (we have dogwoods, hollies, oaks, and mulberries that generate abundant fruit in fall). Various layers of vines, shrubs, mid-story trees and canopy trees provided some good shelter. Unfortunately , there was no standing water (apart from our dirt crawl-space after a heavy rain), and with 1/8th of an acre (minus the house footprint), there certainly wasn’t a lot of space.
Given our constraints, the yard wasn’t going to provide vast expanses of open space, nor could it provide decent grassland or wetland habitat. We could certainly work with the deciduous forest theme however, and add to the plantings of shrubs and trees as well as adding supplemental feeders and nest boxes.
FOOD:
We have supplemented the fruiting and flowering plants with others such as American Beautyberry and flowering dogwood, both of which provide berries. We have stuck to plants native to the region for several reasons. First, they are adapted to the soils, climate and local pathogens, and are unlikely to require additional fertilizing, watering, or pesticides once they are established. They are often host plants for native butterflies. Just as important, they don’t carry the risk of becoming “invasive” or taking over everything else in the yard like many non-native plants do. (Lists of native plants to your region can be found at the links below.) Suitable species will vary from place to place, but try to provide flowers, fruits, nuts, acorns, and cones throughout the year.
Bird feeders supplement wild foods, especially during the colder months. If you are going to have a single feeder, use black-oiled sunflower seeds, which attract the broadest array of birds. Mixed seed tends to have lots of filler that birds ignore and scatter to the ground as they search for their favorites, which are often. . . you guessed it, black-oiled sunflower seeds. Poorly-placed feeders can unnecessarily increase risk to the birds. The beautiful picture window you enjoy watching birds through can prove deadly, as they often see greenery reflected in the glass and collide with it. If this occurs, move the feeder close to the window, typically within 3 feet, to reduce the speed when birds strike, or use decorations on the glass itself to alert birds to its otherwise invisible presence. If cats are around (your own should be inside!)… keep feeders far enough from bushes that cats cannot stalk birds at the feeder.
Nectar feeders can attract hummingbirds, marvels of physics and engineering, the world’s only birds that can fly backwards as easily as forwards. I use a 4:1 boiled mixture of water to sugar with no food coloring. The effect of food coloring on hummingbirds isn’t entirely known, but it may be harmful and is utterly unnecessary, as most feeders themselves are brightly colored to attract the birds in the first place.
While I mainly feed birds for my own enjoyment, in bad weather feeders can supply a helpful resource for birds. Ultimately however, I would certainly hate it if my lack of care led to any harm. Periodically washing feeders with soap and water reduces the chance that your feeder may become a site for the transmission of various diseases such as Salmonella.
WATER:
Being married to a water conservation advisor seriously limited my options when it came to providing water for
wildlife. Any visions of a re-circulating series of pools and waterfalls down the front slope quickly evaporated. Even though she purchased a birdbath and dripper for me, she found it so difficult to see water dripping in our back yard that it took several months before she let me leave the dripper on (at a very low rate). Drippers and misters are powerful attractants for birds, and will bring in many more than a simple bird bath will. Like the feeders, bird baths must be cleaned regularly as they rapidly become soiled.
As we have been experiencing a drought in the southeast, we have just started to use the collected condensation from our air conditioning unit to water our plants and refill the bird bath. Overnight when we run the AC, we collect about 3 gallons of water. This easily meets our outdoor watering needs with plenty to top off the birdbath.
If our water needs increase in the future, we could add gutters to part of our roof and collect runoff in a rain barrel. In an average rainfall year, I have estimated that our 1,200-square-foot roof could collect 37,500 gallons of water, clearly more than we could ever use!
In other humid climates a similar system could provide enough water for a small frog pond, which provides the added benefit of the nocturnal chorus of frogs to the diurnal bird chorus.
SHELTER AND SPACE:
The existing plants that so attracted us to the property already provide significant amounts of cover and shelter, from the ground level, through the shrubs and small trees, to the towering oaks. As you assess your yard, think vertically, and try to ensure that at every level, from ground to tree top, there is some form of cover for wildlife. We have added a number of bird and bat boxes to add additional shelter, for roosting and nesting sites. We have enjoyed mixed success. While so far only squirrels have used our Screech-owl box, Carolina Chickadees have nested and roosted in another box. Despite many suitable options I have provided, the wrens insist on nesting in the oddest corners—the box of kindling, the Mason jar in a hanging planter (not sure how the jar got there).
Sadly, much of the cover in our yard is provided by non-native invasive species. Our yard plant list reads like an ecological rogue’s gallery: English ivy, nandina, Chinese privet, wisteria, autumn olive and microstegium occupy precious space, and our next project will be to gradually replace them with beneficial native species.
Starting in our yards, we can begin the process of becoming stewards of Creation. This may begin, as it did in another garden long ago, with simply naming what is there. From there, an honest assessment of our yards may uncover a number of projects, simple and complex that we can undertake to provide a better space for the wildlife that shares our corner of creation. Taking care to do no harm, and trying to restore something lost (removing invasive species), are important things to keep in mind. Ultimately however, we will come to enjoy, serve and protect this microcosm of creation more completely, and understand better what stewardship means at a larger scale.
Tim Keyes is currently a Wildlife Biologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resource Division, focusing on non-game birds. He has been involved with wildlife education, research and conservation for the last 15 years.
Taking A Deeper Look: What A Curious Mind & A Birdfeed Can Teach You by Tim Keyes
February 21, 2008
Recently I’ve been struck by three convergent thoughts. First, it struck me as odd that while it would be unthinkable for Christian parents to ignore teaching their children about the Bible, it is commonplace for them to ignore teaching their children about the created world. In contrast, the author of the reformed Belgic confession suggests that the first direct means by which we know God is “by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.” If that is true, then our failure to connect our children to creation is more than a small oversight.
Second, I have wondered about motivation for actions of Creation Stewardship. Guilt, fear, and a sense of duty can be powerful motivators for change. I have always thought however, that love is a much stronger motivator. God delights in his creatures (Job 39, Psalm 148). How can we share God’s attitude toward his creatures if we pay them no attention? Creation stewardship functions best when it arises organically from a genuine love and delight in the Creation, but this passion is not self-generating; it must instead be cultivated.
Lastly, it has become clear that good theology alone, while necessary, is not sufficient to making good decisions about Creation Stewardship. How can we tend and keep systems that we do not understand? If we can’t tell a Kirtland’s warbler from a Goldfinch, or what either of them need to survive, how are we to make sure the endangered Kirtland’s warbler doesn’t go extinct? I hope this encourages a deeper look at the created world, whether to gain insight into the Creator, for the sheer joy to be found there, or for a desire to become better stewards. How can we begin to interpret the letters of creation, and piece them together to words and sentences so we can develop a better understanding this beautiful book? In this space I hope to encourage and equip the opening of our eyes and ears to the Creation. It is one of the richest and most exciting endeavors I have attempted.
The Theology of Birdwatching
Last fall, at a Covenant Seminary conference, Cal DeWitt was asked what his one recommendation would be to theological students at Covenant wanting to become better stewards of God’s Creation. The most important step, he insisted, was to put up a bird feeder. Being a bird biologist myself, this suggestion had an immediate resonance, but it still struck me as an odd and even mundane suggestion. After an almost uncomfortable pause, Cal began to explain how a few simple ingredients—a few pounds of seed, a feeder, and a curious mind, could begin to open our eyes to an entire world that has been before us our whole lives, but which we rarely notice.
Even a relatively idle mind may be intrigued by the brightness of the eyes, the intricacy of the feathers, the quickness of the motion, the intense distillation of life’s fire into a tiny bundle of energy.
A curious mind and a bird feeder can spin off in all sorts of interesting directions. The most basic observer will wonder what type of bird this is that visits the feeder. To answer this question will involve some careful observa-tions. What color, size, shape and behavior might aid in identification? The naming of the bird is partaking in an ancient tradition, apparently started in the Garden of Eden. This endeavor will likely require a field guide, where you might find that over 400 different types of birds found in your region. (Fortunately a much smaller subset will visit your feeder, making identification a less daunting task.)
A curious mind will not stop once a name has been attached to this creature. Why does this particular species come to the feeder and not others? Typically you will attract seed-eating species to your feeder while the insect-, mammal-, and fish-eating birds will stay away. Already you are beginning to piece together some basic facts about one of the most fundamental elements of the species ecology: are what it eats.
You may also notice that over the course of the year different types of birds may visit your feeder. For example, if you put up a hummingbird feeder, you will at some point be visited by one of the western hemisphere’s most remarkable inhabitants. These tiny birds, noted for their whirring wings and iridescent feathers will amaze all but the most jaded observer. You might wonder where these birds are when they are not at your feeder. Pursuing this question will open up one of the most implausible miracles of creation, that while weighing less than a penny (3 grams) these birds cross the Gulf of Mexico twice a year, going to and from their tropical wintering grounds. Driven by a truly audacious hope they cross 500 miles of inhospitable sea, unable to rest, feed or alight until solid ground is once again beneath them several days later. This feat of endurance must be nearly unmatched in the animal kingdom. How do they find their way? How can they carry the energy needed for such a flight?
Wondering further, we may ask how our daily choices affect these creatures that have brought us on such an interesting journey. Do our decisions about what we make in our own homes, from where we keep our cats (indoors or out?) to what kind of coffee we drink (shade-grown? fair-trade?), have any impact on the world of birds around us?
While Cal could have encouraged these seminary students to explore any part of God’s “beautiful book”, birds are a great place to start learning the language of creation. They are ubiquitous (even in the Antarctic winter you can find birds), they readily approach people and most are active during daylight hours. Birds also provide a manageable scale of diversity, not as overwhelming as the insects or plants, yet there are always challenges that keep the keen observer from loosing interest. So, before the next edition of Creation Care finds its way to your mailbox, put up a bird feeder and begin learning your ABC’s.
Tim Keyes is currently a Wildlife Biologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resource Division, focusing on non-game birds. He has been involved with wildlife education, research and conservation for the last 15 years.
Making Your Backyard A Bird-Friendly Place
February 21, 2008
Hang bird feeders with a variety of types of bird food.
Plant native plants that flower and fruit.
They provide the best food sources for wildlife, while generally requiring less fertilizer, less water, and less effort in controlling pest. Native plants may support 10 to 50 times as many species of native wildlife as non-native plants.
40 Things you can do for CLEANER AIR!
February 21, 2008
1. Carpool
2. Walk or ride a bike.
3. Shop by phone or mail.
4.Ride public transit or telecommute
5. Accelerate your car gradually.
6. Obey the speed limit.
7. Combine your errands into one trip.
8. Keep your car tuned.
9. Don’t top off at the gas pump.
10. Replace your car’s air filter.
11. Keep your tires properly inflated.
12. Look for the most efficient, lowest polluting model or even a zero-polluting electric car.
13. Use water-based paints. Look for paints labeled zero-VOC.
14. Paint with a brush, not a sprayer.
15. Store solvents in air-tight containers.
16. Use a push or electric lawn mower.
17. Start your barbecue briquettes with an electric probe. Or use a propane or natural gas barbecue.
18. Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
19. Replace energy-hungry incandescent lights with fluorescent lighting.
20. Check with your utility company for energy conservation tips.
21. Use a programmable thermostat that automatically turns off the air conditioner or heater when you don’t need them.
22. Don’t exercise on unhealthy air days.
23. Add insulation to your home.
24. Use an EPA-approved wood burning stove or fireplace insert.
25. Insulate your water heater.
26. Install low-flow showerheads.
27. Choose recycled products.
28. Choose products with recyclable packaging.
29. Reuse paper bags.
30. Recycle paper, plastics, and metals.
31. Print and photocopy on both sides of paper. INCLUDEPICTURE “http://www.arb.ca.gov/images/white.gif” \* MERGEFORMATINET
32. Avoid using leaf blowers and other types of equipment that raise a lot of dust. Try using a rake or broom.
33. Drive slowly on unpaved roads.
34. Drive less, particularly on days with unhealthy air.
35. Some products such as cleaning agents, paints, and glues contain dangerous chemicals. Use them outdoors or with plenty of ventilation indoors.
36. Use safer products, such as baking soda instead of harsher cleaners.
37. Have your gas appliances and heater regularly inspected and maintained.
38. Clean frequently to remove dust and molds.
39. Write to your local paper. Support action for healthy air.
40. Let your elected representatives know you support action for cleaner air.
This fact sheet prepared by Alice Miller-Keyes and Tim Keyes from information provided by the Evangelical Environmental Network and the Georgia Conservancy.
Serve God, Save the Planet by Matthew Sleeth
February 21, 2008
What does it profit my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? . . . For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. - James 2:14 & 26, NKJV
It was a triple “H” day in the nation’s capital - hazy, hot, and humid. A dome of smog hung over the city and extended far beyond the capital beltway. The weatherman told those with illnesses to stay indoors, but eight-year-old Etta and her brother went to a neighborhood playground.
I began my afternoon shift in the ER wing of the children’s hospital while Etta and her brother were running through a sprinkler to cool off. As Etta exerted herself, her airways began reacting to the smog. The muscles that line the bronchioles of her airways involuntarily contracted, while the mucous cells began a pathologic overproduction of thick fluid. Within a few seconds, this fluid buildup became what we call an asthma attack.
Etta’s brother ran back home for her inhaler, and bystanders called 911. Within a few minutes, a rescue unit was on-site and began treating and transporting Etta. They radioed ahead that things were not going well.
A nurse flipped on the lights in a trauma room, and we assembled there. The doctor in charge of the team called out what he wanted everyone to do. I was given the job of intubating Etta, if needed. The ambulance crew arrived. She was being “bagged,” meaning that the paramedic was trying to oxygenate her with a mask over her mouth and nose and an Ambu bag that forced air into her lungs. Her thin, limp body was quickly transferred to our trauma gurney.
Etta’s pulse was ominously slow, and her oxygen saturation level was barely readable. The Ambu bag was hard to compressbecause of the resistance in her clogged airways.
“Matthew, go ahead and intubate. Tammy, get an art [arterial] line in; I want her paralyzed too,” the leader called quickly getting the correct size. I paused a second to lean down and whisper in Etta’s ear, which is the only way to communicate with a patient in a crowded, noisy room.
“Etta,” I whispered, “I’m Dr. Matt. I’m going to put a tube in your mouth and get you breathing right.” I looked into her frightened eyes. “I’m not gonna let anything bad happen to you, sweetheart,” I promised. Her left hand still rested in mine, and I thought I felt a weak squeeze.
Two images from that scene still haunt me. The first was her little finger held next to those plastic endotracheal tubes. That hand was so small and vulnerable in my oversize palm. The second image came thirty seconds after I intubated Etta. The team leader yelled for quiet. He held his stethoscope on her chest. “Give her a breath,” he ordered, and I squeezed down on the bag. Etta had on a bathing suit the color of a fluorescent green hula hoop. Pictured on its front was a happy, smiling whale blowing a spout of water into the air. Etta must have loved that bathing suit. One couldn’t help but smile at the frolicking whale. Trying to lift that whale by forcing air into her lungs is my second haunting memory. Despite the rescue squad, and despite the best efforts of an entire pediatric emergency department, I broke my promise to Etta. She died of air pollution on that summer day.
A decade ago, I would have told you that our family was concerned about the environment. I would have said that we were true “conservatives,” working to preserve nature. That was talk. We have progressed from talking a good talk to walking a better walk. How did we go from saying we were concerned to actually making a difference?
When God called me to this creation care ministry, I was a physician—chief of staff and head of the emergency department—at one of the nicest hospitals in America. I enjoyed my job, my colleagues, my expensive home, my fast car, and my big paycheck. I have since given up every one of these things.
We now live in a house the exact size of our old garage. We use less than one-third of the fossil fuels and one-quarter of the electricity we once used. We’ve gone from leaving two barrels of trash by the curb each week to leaving one bag every few weeks. We no longer own a clothes dryer, garbage disposal, dishwasher, or lawn mower. Our “yard” is planted with native wildflowers and a large vegetable garden. Half of our possessions have found new homes. We are a poster family for the downwardly mobile.
What my family and I have gained in exchange is a life richer in meaning than I could have imagined. Because of these changes, we have more time for God. Spiritual concerns have filled the void left by material ones. Owning fewer things has resulted in things no longer owning us. We have put God to the test, and we have found his Word to be true. He has poured blessings and opportunities upon us. When we stopped living a life dedicated to consumerism, our cup began to run over.
Today I am one of a growing number of evangelical Christians whom the Lord is using to witness to people about his love for them and for the natural world. The earth was designed to sustain every generation’s needs, not to be plundered in an attempt to meet one generation’s wants.
As I go around preaching and teaching, people share their concerns. Many want a less hectic daily schedule; others long for meaning and purpose, and the security of a rich spiritual life. Still others know what is keeping them from a closer walk with God but cannot overcome inertia to make the necessary changes.
I spoke recently with a group of men. Each described himself as born again, and yet one told how he could not stop himself from buying cars - cars he cannot afford. Another complained of a persistent problem with credit card debt. A third described the pain—both economic and emotional—of going through a divorce. Being born anew in the Lord is crucial, but spiritual growth must follow. Spiritual growth is a journey we must actively seek.
One area we must change is our dependence on foreign oil. Despite what many think, global warming may not be the most harmful outcome of our oil habit. When people’s lives become dependent on a substance, we call that addiction. The addictive potential of a substance does not necessarily correlate to the “high” it delivers. A more accurate way to judge addictive potential is to see how willing someone is to go without the substance, or how painful life becomes when it is suddenly withdrawn.
When we are addicted to something, we tend to start denying or overlooking things. We fail to question its side effects. We are willing to lower our standards.
As a Christian and a physician, I’m interested in the moral implications of our fossil fuel dependence as well as its health effects. What does devoting so much of our lives to obtaining and delivering oil do to us as a country and as individuals? The U.S. now sends more than two hundred billion dollars a year to distant lands in exchange for oil. That means that every man, woman, and child in America is sending about $700 a year to foreign countries just to feed our oil habit. One of those recipients officially forbids religious freedom. Its constitution mandates that the earth is flat. It declares democracy a capital crime. And this country is a major, not a minor, supplier of U.S. oil.
Ours is not the first generation to be morally blinded by building a lifestyle based upon energy from foreign shores. Slavery was the importation of cheap energy without regard to its moral cost. States that initially forbade slave energy, such as Georgia, eventually sanctioned it out of envy of the material wealth of their neighbors.
Upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, President Lincoln was purported to have said that it was nice to meet the woman who started the Civil War. Stowe’s father was among the evangelical ministers who preached the cause of abolition. Other preachers penned eloquent pro-slavery sermons. The church, like the country, found itself split by the slavery controversy. How could church leaders come to such different conclusions while reading the same Bible? Can we draw lessons from this defining moment in our history, or are we doomed to repeat it?
The Golden Rule allows us to see the moral side of many issues, including environmental ones. Love thy neighbor as thyself - one cannot claim to be a Christian and ignore the Golden Rule. It isn’t a suggestion or a guideline; it is a commandment from God. What is the connection between the Golden Rule and the environment? Isn’t our choice of homes, cars, and appliances just a matter of lifestyle, and therefore not a moral or spiritual matter? Does God care whether I drive an SUV, leave the TV on all night, or fly around the world skiing? The Bible doesn’t mention any of these things. They didn’t exist in Jesus’ time. Yet Jesus taught the spirit of the law, not the letter. From the spirit of the law, and from the example of his love, we can determine the morality of our actions.
When I speak in a church, I bring along a case of efficient lightbulbs to give to people. I refer to the Energy Star Website which urges us to consume less energy. Formed by the Environmental Protection Agency under George Bush Sr.’s administration, the Energy Star site states that if every household changed its five most used bulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs, the country could take twenty-one coal fired power plants off-line tomorrow. This would keep one trillion pounds of poisonous gases and soot out of the air we breathe and would have the same beneficial impact as taking eight million cars off the road . . . Some sixty-four thousand American deaths occur annually as a result of soot in the air.
Throughout my childhood, I knew of only one schoolmate with asthma. Now on a hazy day, dozens of kids in every school reach for inhalers to aid their breathing. God did not design Throughout my childhood, I knew of only one schoolmate with asthma. Now on a hazy day, dozens of kids in every school reach for inhalers to aid their breathing. God did not design the air to make us short of breath. It was meant to sustain us. The Harvard School of Healthy looked at the impact of one power plant in Massachusetts and found that it caused 1,200 ER visits, 3,000 asthma attacks, and 110 deaths annually. Nationally, the soot from power plants will precipitate more than 600,000 asthma attacks. These are just numbers, albeit large ones. For me, those numbers boil down to Etta - one young girl who died because of our poor stewardship of God’s creation.
Because of our consumer lifestyle, we are all responsible for Etta’s death. Little sacrifices - changing lightbulbs or hanging laundry on the line - are the small gestures that can help us save the next girl’s life.
Editors Note: Matthew Sleeth, MD is a former emergency room director who now has a full-time ministry devotied to creation-care. This excerpt from Serve God, Save the Planet (Zondervan, 2007) was used with persmission of the author. See www.servegodsavetheplanet.org.
5 Ways To Save Water, Money, & Energy
February 21, 2008
Top 5 ACTIONS For SAVING WATER, MONEY, and ENERGY NOW!
With so many ways to save water, here are the highlights for 5 key actions to help you capture the water savings around your home.
1. Stop Those Leaks!
Many silent leaks allow water and your money to go down the drain. To help detect unseen leaks go to our website. Studies have shown homes can waste more than 10% due leaking, which costs both you and the environment.
Another large water waster can be leaks in your irrigation system. Fix irrigation system leaks quickly and check for water in the gutters or mud puddles. Inspect your sprinklers and drip sprayers regularly for leaks during the daytime since the optimal time to water is in the nighttime hours when you cannot observe leaks. If you have an older irrigation system, over 50% and even more than 75% of the water can be lost to leaks.
2. Replace your old toilet, the largest water user inside your home.
If your home was built before 1992 and the toilet has never been replaced, then it is very likely that you do not have a water efficient 1.6 gallon per flush toilet. You can check the date stamp inside the toilet by lifting the lid and looking at the back of the toilet at the manufacturer’s imprint of the make, model and date of manufacture.
3. Replace your clothes washer, the second largest water user in your home.
Energy Star™ rated washers that also have a Water Factor at or lower than 9.5, use 35-50% less water and 50% less energy per load. This saves you money on both your water and energy bills. There is a current qualifying products listing of water efficient clothes washer models maintained by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.
4. Plant the right plants with proper landscape design & irrigation.
Whether you are putting in a new landscape or slowing changing the current landscaping at your home, select plants that are appropriate for your local climate conditions. Having yard with 100% lawn turf area in a dry desert climate uses significant amounts of water. Also consider the trend towards Xeriscape™ and a more natural landscape.
5. Water only what your plants need.
Plants need no more than one inch of water every 7 to 10 days! Most water is wasted in your garden by watering when you plants do not need the water or by not maintaining the irrigation system. Be attentive if you are manual watering by setting your oven timer or some other reminder to move the water promptly. Make sure your irrigation controller has a rain shutoff device and that it’s appropriately scheduled. Learn more about using the features that you have in your garage for efficient watering like your hose and irrigation controller timer . . . Be sure to call your local water provider for more information and potential incentives.
For more information about saving water see the fun and interactive website h2ouse.org.
This fact sheet adapted by Alice Miller-Keyes and Tim Keyes from Evangelical Environmental Network and
Water Saver Home Website.
Be A Deep Green Family
February 21, 2008
Being green is not a fad, not a fashion. It’s not about politics or posturing. It’s about caring for creation in a way that’s deeply rooted in faith. Here are ten ideas for your family:
* Give Thanks
Thank God for his beautiful creation, and ask for his help to care for it.
* Go Deep
Read what God’s word says about caring for creation and the people who depend on it at CreationCare.org.
* Recycle
Everyone in the family can help. Paper, cans, bottles, jars. Batteries, chemicals, paint. Find out what you can recycle at your curbside, and for everything else, go to Earth911.org.
* Get out!
Spend at least an hour a day outside. Turn off the TV, computer, and video games and encourage your kids have more “green time” than “screen time”. For ideas about what to do once you’re outside, go to DeepGreenConversation.org!
* Save energy
Turn off lights when leaving a room, buy EnergyStar appliances, and turn the thermostat down in winter, and up in summer. Use your ceiling fans. Find more energy-saving tips here at PowerIsInYourHands.
* Do a home energy audit
Let the kids help do a home energy audit, based on your last 12 months of utility bills. Then get recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient with Yardstick and Home Advisor.
* Garden for Wildlife
Invite creation to your yard by creating a backyard wildlife habitat. Suggestions for plants and garden plans that attract butterflies and birds to your yard can be found at ABNativePlants.com.
* Combine trips
Poll the family before heading out in the car to see how trips can be combined. Keep a list of all your errands in one place, and don’t leave until you have a few.
* Light the way to a new energy future
Use compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps and save real money, while reducing pollution from power plants. Recycle your old lamps rather than throw them away - go to LampRecycle.org to find out how.
* Read up
Become a supporter of the Evangelical Environmental Network and get four issues of Creation Care magazine each year, to keep you up-to-date and down-to-earth. Visit CreationCare.org for more information.
Finally, inspire others - log on to DeepGreenConversation.org to post ideas, ask questions, or encourage others to be deep green.
Book Review: Blessed Unrest
February 15, 2008
Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken
Every now and then I come across a book that is better than the stereotype of what it should be. With most of the books I’ve read on environmental issues, the authors tend to talk in circles or rehash someone else’s thoughts and theories. The end result is that they all sort of blend together and come off as cliché.
Not with Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest. Hawken writes a book heavy on stories and comprehensive in histories. His basic premise is that the environmental movement is not something that is new to the 21st century, despite what Oprah and her cloth shopping bags may make you believe. But rather that the environmental movement has been operating just under the surface for a while and it is only just now beginning to bubble to the surface at the level of popular culture.
Blessed Unrest is the story of the environmental movement’s multiple streams that have moved throughout history that are now beginning to merge into one river of environmental consciousness.
This is a book about the growing number of organizations and people who are restless with the current options in regards to the environment, human rights, justice, sustainability, etc.
Blessed Unrest tells of how these organizations and groups have been moving under the radar for the last couple of decades, moving independently of each other, with no “mission statement” or organizing agenda, culminating in the growing changing tide for change in how view and operate in the world. Hawken argues that no one owns this movement and no on can control it. Rather, that it is the world’s for the world.
Hawken then spends time discussing the “blessed” roots of much of the groups and organizations and how their unrest is deeply rooted in their spirituality, faith, and vision for the world. Far from saying their spirituality is an effort to colonize the world for “environmental justice”, the point is that many of these individuals and groups are beginning from a starting point that wants to integrate their faith with their “blessed” responsibility to be good caretakers of the world. To prove this point, the author leans heavily on the thoughts of Emerson, Thoreau, Gandhi, and King and provides insights into how their faith and values shaped their perspective to become agents of change. He then brings it back full circle and reminds us that our responsibility as agents of change, is to live fully and integrated with ourselves (faith), others, and our environment. This is no small task, but one that is built of the “still small voice of God” that stirs in each of our spirits, that remind us that things are not as they could or should be.
What makes this book so rich is that Hawken doesn’t deal with pie-in-the-sky ideals or theories. Rather he shares the raw, honest, successful, and even failed attempts at sustainability. Instead of providing black and white concrete models for us to follow, he instead simply shares the stores of hope and optimism and lets them do what they have the power to do, inspires us to follow in their foot steps one small step at a time to affect change in a world desperate for it.
Travel Essays Sample 1
February 15, 2008
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