Earth Day is Special When you Know the Creator

Earth Day is celebrating its 29th birthday this year. Earth Day was first founded in 1970 by American Senator Gaylord Nelson who hailed from the state of Wisconsin. Nelson was an activist on a number of fronts, including health care and the environment.

The political climate leading up to the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, was not unlike today's political climate. Concern for the environment was charged with fear, with one major difference: 29 years ago, the great fear was over global cooling.

Nevertheless, Nelson's efforts sparked a movement that has continued for nearly three decades. While interest in Earth Day and its celebrations has waxed and waned during that period, the current political climate has inspired renewed interest in Earth Day and all that it entails. This is likely due in large part to Al Gore's 2006
film An Inconvenient Truth. And while it has since been criticized for some of its faulty reasoning and misguided use of "facts," it has helped to raise a new awareness of this planet on which we reside, and which we must one day leave to our children and grandchildren.

But what should Earth Day mean to Christians and the church? Earth Day has historically been celebrated as a grassroots movement by environmentally-minded organizations and the odd ruling government. One rarely hears of churches making an effort to join in on the front lines of stewardship of our planet.

This is unfortunate, since Earth Day is rife with opportunities for the church to rub shoulders with people in the communities in which they minister. Ordinary citizens are more open to embracing conservation and stewardship now than they have been in twenty years, making it a virtual mission field just waiting to be permeated by those who should know best the value of caring for the earth.

Who better to lead the way in conserving, sustaining and nurturing the planet than those to whom God Himself gave the direct charge? From His very first command to Adam to "...fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves over the ground" (Gen. 1:28) to the reminder in Psalm 115:16 that "The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man," to the hundreds of other verses which proclaim the Lord's love for His creation, it's clear that conservation and stewardship are Biblically sound principles.

Of course, man went on to fall from grace, which ultimately made caring for the earth, and in particular, reaping the fruits of the earth, more difficult. This may be all the more reason that the church should be leading the way when in making our planet greener and healthier. We have centuries of earth-abuse and taking for granted God's creation to make up for.

While they are becoming more common, I still see very few churches with recycling bins. Many have them in their offices, but I've seen just a handful with recycling bins in even the main entryway, let alone every room that is used by the public. What a simple way for the church to show care and responsibility for the world that God has so graciously given for us to enjoy!

There are many things that churches can do to set an example and take seriously God's command to care for earth. (And by the way, they can do them all year round, not just on April 22):

*Switch to biodegradable products. Our church recently switched from styrofoam to biodegradable coffee cups. They cost a little bit more than the styrofoam kind, but we estimate that our church will be keeping between twenty-six and thirty thousand styrofoam cups out of our landfill each year.

*Employ water conservation techniques. High-efficiency toilets can save tens of thousands to millions of gallons of water per year, depending on the size of your church. Installing rain barrels keeps rain water from being wasted: use the water they collect to keep the grounds and gardens beautiful without turning on the tap.

*Use blue bins. Even if you can't afford to put them in every room in the building, at least put a few large ones in central, high-traffic areas, rather than just in the office. Then encourage parishioners to keep recyclables out of the church garbage cans.

*Compost organic matter. Think of all those grass clippings and leftovers from church dinners. Compost it all, and then donate it to individual gardeners in the church, or to a local community gardens project. Or, feed the church's flower beds with it.

*Adopt a highway. Many communities in North America have Adopt-a-Highway programs. Your church can join and commit to picking up garbage along a particular stretch of road in your community. The commitment level is usually once per month for a few hours. Your local roads department usually supplies gloves, garbage pick-up sticks, bags and safety gear. This is an excellent way to raise your church's profile in your home community.

There are hundreds of ways your church can become green, reduce its carbon footprint, and shine the light of stewardship in your local community. It's one small way to bring honor and glory "to Him alone who does great wonders, who by His understanding made the heavens, who spread out the earth upon the waters, who made the great lights- the sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night... His love endures forever!" (From Psalm 136:4-9.) And this year on Earth Day, celebrate the fact that you know the Creator personally.