One World - One Planet, Caring for Creation

ONE WORLD – ONE PLANET

Caring for Creation

“I never before realized that it takes five bottles of water to produce one bottle of bottled water,” exclaimed Rev. Michael Mattox, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, at the end of a Caring for Creation Conference, March 7-9, at Mount Sequoyah Retreat Center in Fayetteville. More than 120 participants from Arkansas and surrounding states learned about U.S. consumption, starting a green team at church, rain gardens, compost, ecological footprints, recycling, community food initiatives, political advocacy and biblical basis for creation care. Among other statistics, they learned that products purchased by consumers can require 30 times their weight and value in raw materials, manufacturing, processing, packaging, shipping and distribution.

            Dr. Katy Hinman, executive director of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, challenged people of faith to move beyond the environmental wake-up call and to “get out of bed and start moving – take action!” Claiming that environmental care is not just for “tree huggers, but also Jesus huggers,” she listed four motivations for action: 1) stewardship/responsibility for nature; 2) social justice for the “least of these” who are most affected by environmental degradation; 3) the inter-connection of our behaviors to cultures and environments; 4) spiritual affirmation that all of creation is a gift from God. Hinman holds a doctorate in Ecology and Evolution and a Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.

            “We all share one home, and we have no place else to go,” according to featured speaker Mark Davies, dean of the Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University. Davies emphasized the concept of “oikos” from the Greek word for “house.” He emphasized moving concerned people from sustenance to sustainability – not just getting by and preventing worse conditions but actually contributing as a community of believers to making things better… by reducing pollution, deforestation, toxins and water shortages… through attitudes and actions.

            “A minority of the world’s population lives in the U.S., but we contribute ½ of  the world’s carbon emissions,” said John Hill, program director of economic and environmental justice for the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of the United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., speaking on global climate justice. According to GBCS, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased by more than 25% in the last century. While the U.S. leads the world in carbon emissions, Africa leads the world in estimated deaths attributable to climate change, Hill said.

            According to statistics from GBCS, 5% of the world’s population lives in the United States, yet U.S. residents consume 24% of the world’s energy, 27% of the world’s aluminum and 21% of the world’s beef. U.S. citizens own 35% of the world’s motor vehicles. If everyone in the world lived according to U.S. standards, we would need four planets worth of resources to sustain the world’s population, according to GBCS.

            While there is no scientific certainty that any one event leads to environmental catastrophes, reports indicate that warmer water causes stronger hurricanes, Hill told the group, referring to a 2008 inter-governmental report. The average global temperature is rising. Some places may be warmer and others cooler for a given period of time; but overall, glaciers are retreating and sea levels are rising in areas like Bangladesh, where people can least afford to change locations. Because of precipitation change, droughts and flooding will be more extreme across the globe. More people will live in water-stressed areas, and more people will be displaced by rising sea levels. Consequently malnutrition will increase, and so will malaria.

            “In Ethiopia, everything depends on rainfall,” Hill said. “When beaches are washed away in Florida, resorts can restore beach areas for tourists. But in parts of the world where people live on less than $2 a day, they cannot simply move; they cannot simply turn the thermostat up or down. The faith community is connecting environmental degradation to poverty. The faith community is connecting actions and apathy in the U.S. to unjust conditions in the world.

            “Adaptation is adjusting to the realities of today; mitigation is changing to prevent future impacts,” Hill said, explaining the differences between adaptation attitudes and mitigation attitudes.

            “We now have consensus that climate change is happening. We now have consensus that the U.S. will do something about it.”

            Hill added that home energy costs will rise. Gasoline will continue to go up. Other consumption costs will go up, such as expenses for food because of transportation and other contributing factors. The poorest people – those in the lowest percentile of income and resources worldwide – will suffer the most.

            Already communities such as Shishmaref, Alaska and island nations in the South Pacific have been forced to relocate because of melting permafrost and rising tides attributable to climate change, according to GBCS.

            “People need to remember that individuals can make a difference by recycling, using less water, reducing carbon emissions and making other efforts to reduce eco-footprints,” said Leo Hauser, chairman of the Green Team at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock. “Collectively, we can stand up for policy. We are not alone in our concerns for how our efforts impact the world today and future generations.”

            Literature at the conference recommended driving fuel-efficient cars shorter distances, using public transportation, walking, biking, using compact fluorescent bulbs, turning off lights, reducing “ghost” energy by unplugging televisions and appliances not in use, using wind or solar power, writing elected officials about reducing U.S. carbon emissions, shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing teeth, eating lower on the food chain (less meat, more locally produced vegetables), reducing purchases, reducing packaging, re-using containers, recycling (paper, glass, aluminum, plastics).

            “We all have known about the three R’s – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle,” a conference participant said. “Now we can add a fourth R – Refuse! Refuse to buy things you don’t need. Refuse to accept plastic bags for your purchases. Drink tap water!”

Conference participants put principles into practice.

            “Overall, this retreat group produced 75% less trash than other conferences,” according to Marilyn Braswell, program coordinator. “The staff washed almost no towels.”

            The conference ended with a worship service focusing on relationships between people and the earth, led by Revs. Denny Hook and Nathan Mattox from Oklahoma. A second annual conference is planned for 2009.

Scharmel Roussel, Communications Director

Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church