earth week thoughts

Friends,

My father-in-law passed on this NYtimes article related to earth day - by John Tierny, and it got my juices fired. Give it a read – and see if any of my thoughts below make sense to you:

To many of these points I agree. Never can the movement of eco-stewardship of the earth shun technological innovation on principle alone. Clearly, technological solutions have been a critical part of the equation. However, an important (dare I say crucial) missing sound bite to this mantra is the important role of a moral framework for decision making around using such technologies. This is where I feel so strongly the church (and other faith communities) can/should play a key roll. For instance, with genetic modification, if not for the voices of some faith communities, our system that encourages larger yields on ever increasingly smaller (or more degraded or mono-cropped) land (efficiency) would have left the final word to companies like Monsanto who may someday control (and copyright) all natural seeds - and thus make it illegal for small farmers to practice holding seeds year to year - all in the name of efficiency (while ultimately for profit and power - and thus adding to the list of agro-businesses that become "too big to fail"). 

Now, that being said, if innovative companies work hand in hand with small farmers AND larger farmers (with controlled use of genetic modifications and engineering) - AND communities of faith who have the moral mandate to care for the least of these in communities and developing countries - what I feel would be very sustainably communities might result. 

I'm for nuclear IF we can develop a sustainable plan for the waste (and not put it on Indian reservations only!?)

I am also for faith communities helping teach instill the lessons I learned my parents - simplicity, thrift, and using less in the first place. 

At Watershed last night, during Station 4 of our rogation liturgy (Visions of Sustainability), we sat around a table together and used crayons, watercolors, pencils and magazine cut-outs to creativily depict how we sensed God calling us into new visions for living, and lifestyles that represented greater sustainability. The pictures that came out in just 10 minutes brought me a lot of hope for our shared, alternative future.  May we remember we are as God’s stewards, and have to get good at it.