Sit back for a moment and reflect on all the details and complexities that went into the process of the creation of the world.
God specifically penciled out the shape of each of the millions of flowers on Earth, blended the watercolors and matched the leaves to the petals. He decided which varieties should grow in the various climates, how they should group themselves on the edge of a hill in early
spring, and how they should lay a carpet across a meadow. He added trees and shrubs and brushed in hundreds of varieties of grasses. He strategically placed waterfalls, rivers and underground springs to bubble over the rocks and provide sustenance to the delicate plants.
And that is just the beginning.
Yet it is curious how many Christians do not seem to care about being good stewards of God’s creation.
The Church has been silent for far too long on this issue. We have allowed those outside the faith to define our obligation to care for the garden. We have, in fact, withdrawn from our duty to tend it. Worse, we have often labeled people who do care for the earth as “liberal,” or something worse. When we care for the environment, we show our deep respect for the Creator in much the same way we would admire the work of a great artist in a museum.
Next time you pass a rose, stop and smell it. After all, it’s naturally Christian to do so.
View the gallery: Discover 11 tips to caring for the environment.
Christians sometimes find it difficult to find common ground with people outside their faith. One way to come together with those who might not be Christians is to simply care for the earth by “greening” your city or community.
Among other ideas, you can: Adopt a block, plant a tree or create a mini-park for the community.
Pick the level that suits your situation. You may want to gather a group of friends, recruit members from your church, or join with other church groups in your region to take on the more ambitious projects.
- Adopt a Block. Landscape the sidewalks or medians of a specific section of town—perhaps even a couple of city blocks
- Stage a Cleanup. Offer to stage a trash cleanup event with your group in an area of your city that desperately needs to be picked clean of trash and rubbish.
- Plant a Tree. Plant trees on city- or county-owned property that is unlikely to be developed.
- Do Some Landscaping. Landscape a city monument or historical building.
- Create a Minipark. This is not a large recreational facility, of course, but a walk-and-sit kind of place where you bring your picnic basket for a slow lunch.
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One way that you can make a difference in our own community is to volunteer to make sure your church or school’s habits are friendly to the environment.
Three possibilities: Reduce paperwork, avoid waste, recycle.
Some of the ways that you can help green your church or school include:
- Reduce Paperwork. Project announcements or any materials you are using for a presentation on a screen instead of printing them on a sheet of paper.
- Avoid Waste. When possible, use plates, cups and silverware that can be washed.
- Create a System. Create a simple recycling system, if there isn’t one in place, to collect all newspapers, magazines, used office paper and junk mail.
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To really get into the spirit of Earth Day, consider volunteering at an Earth Day event in your city or region.
Volunteer to do a local trash cleanup, start a recycling program and use more recycled goods, plant trees, learn how to keep your house plants growing with less water, dispose of toxins properly, and discover ways to minimize the amount of time you drive your car.
You can do these things each day of the year, or you pick one at a time and implement it into your daily routine.
One of the easiest Earth Day projects that you can do right now is to reduce the amount of energy you use in your home. Begin by replacing the light bulbs in your house or apartment with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs), which last longer and use less energy. In fact, the Earth Day Network estimates that if every household in the United States replaced just one light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate the equivalent of the emissions caused by one million cars.4
The single greatest energy eater in your home is probably your refrigerator, so reduce the energy used in this giant appliance by lowering the thermostat one or two degrees.
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Most ancient traditions have stories about protecting animals and plants.
Whether the saving act is for the species themselves or because of some use they bring to humans, the idea of ridding the world of everything but humans and a few crops on which they depend has never been a praiseworthy vision.
There are many ways to get involved to help protect animals and plants. A primary way is to write letters to your senators and congressmen about protecting America’s public lands and wildlife preserves, confronting global warming, and preserving the Endangered Species Act.
Another way to help is to volunteer with a local wildlife society, which will also help you engage in your local community and raise your general awareness level.
Three organizations that provide helpful information on endangered species include the World Wildlife Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Conservation Union.
Photographs of endangered species and other helpful resources are available at the organization’s website at www.iucn.org.
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America constitutes about 5 percent of the world’s population, yet we consume approximately 30 percent of the world’s resources. We also produce approximately 19 percent of the world’s trash.6
Part of the myth that drives overconsumption is that all of this extra stuff will somehow make our lives better and our spirits happier. This myth is too costly to the earth and to our souls.
One important way to be kind to the earth is to simply use less of it. Some of the ways to begin to make a difference in the world today include: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle.
- Refuse: Just say no. Don’t buy something just because you can or because you want it. Every time you buy something, you are using up a piece of the earth and causing pollution.
- Reduce: If you cannot say no, perhaps you can reduce your rate of consumption. For example, how about using half of a tank of gas this week rather than three-quarters of a tank of gas?
- Reuse: Sometimes waste is just so meaningless. When you throw out a bottle after drinking its contents, it’s no different from throwing out a mug at the restaurant after drinking the coffee from it!
- Recycle: This is the bottom of the hierarchy—the last stop. It’s better to just say no for starters, but if you can’t (or if you have already reduced and reused), you can often recycle something instead of just throwing it in the trash bin.
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