Faith Communities Offer Hope This Earth Day

Sunday, April 22, marks the start of Earth Week and as we approach the half-century mark for this important event we are forced to confess that while we have made some important strides, we have not been good stewards of God's creation.

Religious groups are celebrating Earth Day in record numbers. Many faith traditions are offering toolkits and environmental resources. Hindus are engaging in environmental action through the Bhumi project and Buddhists are discussing ecology. Both Muslims and Sikhs released statements on climate change and Jews shared ways of tracking environmental action in synagogues.

Many people including Anglicans feel called by their faith to act on environmental degradation and climate change. It therefore follows that faith communities are at the forefront of efforts to respond to one of the most serious crises humans have ever faced. As people of faith, we are called to engage by taking personal responsibility and sharing this important message with others both within and outside of our faith traditions.

Earth Day 2018 Message from Anglican, Lutheran Leaders

In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, 2018, we invite you to join us in praying for the humility and discipline to use Earth’s resources wisely and responsibly.

We begin by praying the Rule of Life, from Gospel-based Discipleship of Indigenous Ministries of the Anglican Church of Canada:

Creator God, we acknowledge and give thanks that:
In Jesus we know we belong to a Sacred Circle with the Gospel and Baptismal Covenant in the centre.

Anglicans Gave Up Plastic for Lent

Bishop Mary in the Anglican Diocese of Montreal heeded the call from the Church of England to give up plastic for Lent. As the Diocese of London explained, "This Lent let's give ocean creatures a better chance to renew themselves, free of our trash!"

Each year millions of Christians fast or give up something for Lent. This year many Christians opted to give up single-use plastic because of its destructive environmental impact. More than 300 million tons of plastic is created each year and around half is single-use plastic.  A total of 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been created since the 1950s.

Much of that waste ends up in our oceans and waterways.  Eight tons of plastic is dumped in the sea every minute. This plastic is forming massive plastic patches on the surface called gyres.  It is also ubiquitous beneath the waves. This plastic does not biodegrade making it deadly to wildlife. The problem is so vast it is interfering with the aquatic food chain.

Easter and the Environment: Spiritual Transformation

The symbolism of Easter offers an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the natural world and the shift of consciousness required for the survival of life on this planet. If we are to find a way forward we urgently need to address climate change and environmental degradation.  To alter our perilous trajectory we need to assume responsibility for the state of our world. Science alone will not take us where we need to go. We need a spiritual transformation that will enable us to address the wide range of human activities that are adversely impacting the Earth's geology and ecosystems.  James Gustave Speth is an environmental scientist who believes that science cannot solve the crisis we face.

"I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy." Speth said, adding, "to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation - and we scientists don't know how to do that." Speth is the dean and professor in the practice of environmental policy and sustainable development at Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.