A Plea for Green

Fortune Magazine and Newsweek International both offered articles recently on the "greening" of big business.  To quote the Newsweek article:

Something wierd is happening in the once marginal world of environmentalism. The green cause is no longer the preserve of woolly-minded liberals and fringe activists. Its tenets are being actively pursued by business leaders, stockholders and investment managers. In the popular mind-set, natural disasters such as New Orleans's Hurricane Katrina, floods in Eastern Europe and swirling desert sands in Beijing are now linked to a change in climate that threatens our way of life and our grandchildrens' future.

The Fortune Magazine article writes about how even that conservative, penny-pinching, mom-and-pop-store-squashing, small-town-mainstreet-ruining behemoth Wal-Mart is aiming to become one of the most environmentally friendly companies in the world, with the goal of running entirely on renewable energy and producing zero net waste. 

While some are scoffing that this is only so much green makeup for a company that is suffering a lot of bad press these, days, it seems like more and more multinationals are figuring out that being earth-friendly is not just good for P.R., but the bottom line as well.  "Green is green", says a General Electric slogan, referring to the color not only of the environmental movement, but also dollar bills.

Whether one takes Al Gore's or Michael Crichton's side in the global warming debate is less the issue than whether there is a long term responsibility to continue to do best by an Earth that is certainly changing and in need of responsible stewardship. 

And good stewardship of the Earth is, whether it is profitable or popular or not, the first responsibility given to humans by our Creator. A responsibility that, it is often pointed out, Christians have been slow to embrace with much enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, bad exegesis and selective attention have often reduced God's mandate of Genesis 1 to only "be fruitful and multiply" or has been used as rationale for "using" (exploiting?) the Earth for human good alone, something that needs to be learned, taught and corrected by those of us who know the Bible better than science.

Now, it needs to be said, that the Washington Post reported about "The Greening of Evangelicals" months before these articles on the "greening of business."  Indeed, Christian groups like Creation Care, have long been trying to wake the church to our responsibilities to care of God's earth and over 500 evangelical leaders have signed their Creation Care covenant.  And in their most recent statement on Christian public responsibility, the National Association of Evangelicals declared that caring for the environment is a biblical priority that needs more attention than has been given by either the church--or the current Presidential administration.(A statement that even gained the attention of the New York Times ).

As I have traveled this sabbatical season to many different places in the world, I have become only more convicted that to care for God's earth is not only one of many different ministry options.  It is literally the first set of instructions given to humanity, that we who are believers in God and followers in Christ must embrace as a first priority.  It may take the winds of economic trend, high oil prices, accountants demonstrating the financial gains possible or movies from ex-vice presidents to get us to recognize it, but like all mandates given to the world by our Creator, the church will be held most responsible.

What will that mean for our churches (and SCPC particular)?  At the very least we can all embrace the practices put forth by the NAE paper: "practicing effective recycling,
conserving resources, and experiencing the joy of contact with nature." But it will be as leaders in our Christian communities that we can make the biggest difference.

While I don't know all the decisions to be made or actions to be taken yet, but in some ways, the changes within the business community offer a challenge and a good example for church leaders who are often just as concerned about balancing budgets and making payrolls as any "for-profit" company. 

When the bulk of payroll is salaries for people, the margin for affording things like paper cups and sleeves instead of cheaper styrofoam is really thin. Indeed, at SCPC, we have some good discussions  about being more environmentally-friendly in some of our practices, but have almost always pulled back from significant changes because of a need to cut costs.

Perhaps these changes in the business world will only embolden us to rethink our priorities.  If those whose bottom line is "greenbacks" can go green, then really why shouldn't we who were given the job in the first place?

"I don't think God is going to ask us how he created the earth, but he will ask us what we did with what he created."  Rich Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals

To read the entire environmental responsibility section of the National Association of Evangelicals' paper on civic responsibility (see page 11-12 of the following): Download nae_civic_responsibility.pdf

Comments

[Amanda Main]

Thank you for writing this. I'm still a student, but God opened my eyes to the pain-filled cried of this planet, and the Church's deaf ear. We MUST be the leaders in helping preserve what life is left on this planet. It requires self-sacrifice, not being materialistic or consumeristic, living contentedly with little in monetary support, and rich in Divine support. Those are all things God has offered us. It will be hard for the secular world to change, but we should already be living a 'green' lifestyle. A Godly lifestyle IS a 'green' lifestyle'. Let me know if there is any way I can help educate others in ways to live sustainably.