The image of Saint Symeon — perhaps the Church's first environmentalist — gazing upon an energy-efficient light bulb. This bulb is four times more efficient than an ordinary bulb and will save the parish $74 over its lifetime photo by Fr. Brendan

Increasingly churches of all denominations are expressing the need to be better environmental stewards. Church leaders are urging their congregations to take better care of the environment and to return to being loving stewards of God's Creation. This is not something new: environmental messages from church leaders were “loud and clear” for many years: Pope Paul VI, at the 1970 Food and Agriculture Organization conference, stated that “everything is bound up together … You must be attentive to the great consequences which follow on every intervention of man in the balance of nature, whose harmonious richness has been placed at his disposal in accordance with the living design of the Creator”.

When God created the Heavens and Earth, the light, water, dry land, plants, fish, animals, He also created us in His own image and likeness. We were created to be dutiful stewards of all things that God created. Unfortunately, the modern person, fascinated by the capability of the human mind, is obsessed with individual needs that must be met at any cost. The result is depletion of resources, reckless land use, deforestation, and exploitative industrial practices — abusive use of the goods of this world. Mankind forgets that God gave us the gift of earth.

Mankind's Poor Stewardship of God's Creation

In their desire of having rather than being, some people wastefully consume the resources of the Earth. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, or a total of 29 pounds per week and 1,600 pounds a year”. With a population of approximately 300 million people, imagine how much garbage is produced in America in one year: “You could form a line of filled-up garbage trucks and reach the moon. Or cover the state of Texas two and a half times. Or bury more than 990,000 football fields under six-foot high piles of waste”.

According to studies conducted in Britain, uneaten food is the largest contributor to the waste of resources. At least a third of the people surveyed throw food away on a regular basis, including frozen food that was too old to eat, over-ordered take-away meals and unused bagged salad or fruit. Although food was the largest contributor, unused products, unwatched videos, unread books, clothing, shoes, toiletries and other unwanted products are also a pervasive part of life.

The Church's call to renew our Stewardship

Churches are also concerned about environmental degradation. Some are moving these concerns to the heart of their ministry. “A child born in a wealthy country is likely to consume, waste and pollute more in his lifetime than 50 children born in developing nations,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury in a 2001 New Year's address. “It may not be time to build an ark like Noah, but it is high time to take better care of God's creation.”

In 1997, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, Bartholomew I, used strong language against polluters. “To commit a crime against the natural world is a sin … For humans to cause species to become extinct and to destroy the biological diversity of God's creation … for humans to degrade the Earth by causing changes in its climate, stripping the Earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands … for humans to contaminate the Earth's waters, its land, its air and its life with poisonous substances, these are sins.” he said.

Last June, Patriarch Bartholomew I and Pope Benedict XVI issued a strong Common Declaration that affirmed their environmental commitment, stating “God has not abandoned the world. It is His will that His design and our hope for it will be realized through our co¬operation in restoring its original harmony. In our own time we are witnessing a growth of an ecological awareness which needs to be encouraged, so that it will lead to practical programs and initiatives.”

The predecessor of Patriarch Bartholomew I, Demetrius I of blessed memory, made September 1st (Saint Symeon's feast day), as a day of special prayer for the environment. At the his direction, the Hieromonk Gerasimos of Mount Athos composed an office for this day. (An English translation, prepared by Archimandrite Ephrem of the Greek Orthodox Community of Saints Cuthbert and Bede, is available at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/ephrem/environm.htm) To appreciate the beauty of this office, let's consider two brief excerpts:

At Vespers: “Lover of mankind, keep unharmed the environment that clothes the earth, through which, by your will, we who inhabit the earth live and move and have our being, so that we, your unworthy suppliants, may be delivered from destruction and ruin.”

At the Divine Liturgy, after the consecration of the Eucharist: “At all times keep unharmed the whole creation we beg you, O Redeemer, and grant us breaths of winds and breezes moist with dew for our safety and salvation, O Lover of mankind.”

As Eastern Christians, it should be second nature for us to help the environment: simply by keeping the fasts! Throughout the year, the Church calls on us to abstain from certain foods and restrict our intake. By reducing our consumption, we help the environment. [You'll find a fasting calendar on the parish website, go to http://stgeorge-melkite.org and click on Readings — ed.]

Answering the Call

We need to answer the call of our church leaders to be better stewards of the environment. Otherwise, our children and grandchildren may live in a world of more unpredictable and extreme weather, disrupted natural systems, sea level rise, and new threats to their health and security. News about environmental degradation and climate change is frightening; however, in this decade we can still do a great deal — by making rapid changes in the ways that we consume, travel, and communicate: we can create a healthier environment and take better care of God's gift to us. It is not wrong to make use of the goods of the Earth. However, these decisions must be considered with care for the environment; otherwise, we risk damage to God's creation.

What can you do to help create a better tomorrow? At home, you can conserve energy and reduce pollution through these simple steps:

1. Replace the conventional bulbs in your five most frequently used light fixtures with bulbs that have the ENERGY STAR symbol. You will help the environment while saving money on energy bills.
2. Look for ENERGY STAR products when buying new products for your home. You'll find them in more than 50 product categories, including lighting, home electronics, heating and cooling equipment, and kitchen appliances.
3. Clean air filters regularly and have your heating and cooling equipment tuned annually by a licensed contractor.
4. Seal air leaks and add more insulation to your home. The biggest leaks are usually found in the attic and basement. Seal and insulate any ducts in attics and crawlspaces.
5. Use “Green” power. Green power is environmentally-friendly electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and sun. There are two ways to use green power: you can buy green power or you can install solar panels to generate your own!
6. Recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper and other goods. Use products in containers that can be recycled and items that can be repaired or reused. In addition, buy products made from recycled materials.
7. Use a push mower, which, unlike a gas or electric mower, consumes no fossil fuels. If you do use a powered mower, make sure it is a mulching mower to reduce grass clippings.
8. Compost your food and yard waste and use the product to enhance your soil while reducing the amount of garbage that you send to landfills.
9. Water your lawn only when needed, and do so during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best).
10. Before buying a new vehicle, check for fuel economy performance of different vehicles, such as the new “hybrid” automobiles.
11. Drive smart. Go easy on the brakes and gas pedal, avoid hard accelerations, reduce time spent idling and remove unnecessary items from your trunk to reduce weight.
12. Keep your car well tuned. A well-maintained car is more fuel-efficient, reliable, and safer.
13. Check your tire pressure regularly. Under-inflation increases tire wear and reduces your fuel economy.