Musing and Eco Church Update from Lindsay
If CO2 were a Starfish
In the EcoChurch team at Ilam, we are still discerning what environmental goals might be appropriate for Ilam Baptist to embrace.
As part of this process, I felt I needed to try to define the “why” better, so the “how” might be more apparent. Also noting, like many faith related things, God does not expect us to fix or solve the problem by our own strength but rather to walk faithfully with God (to restore God’s creation).
Why should we care for the environment? What is our motivation for change? In exploring the why, I read a reflection by A Rocha (EcoChurchNZ’s parent organisation) which quoted John 3:16 as a key reason for change/action. Often read through a human-centred lens, this verse says:
“For God so loved the world [kosmos] that God gave is one and only son, and that who ever believes in God shall have eternal life”.
The Greek word kosmos, translated as ‘world’, refers to not just people but the entirety of creation. So God’s love is not human-centric or exclusive to humans. God’s love extends to all of the cosmos. The reading also challenged the common interpretation of the passage by noting that eternal life must then be a promise to restore all of creation and not just for humans (ref John 6:35-40 bread of life and reflect that if God loved the cosmos then wouldn’t They extended the same promise to Their creation).
Several recent articles outlined individual actions, and even collective individual actions will have little significance in reducing the overall CO2 in the atmosphere (see starfish picture). Reducing overall CO2 requires structural change by many governments and many large organisations and companies. In this light individual environmental efforts might seem daunting and a waste of time, however, the articles also highlight that small changes and encouragement will lead to change. History has shown us that change often begins with small faithful steps (i.e. Parihaka Movement, Ghandi’s Salt March, William Wilberforce’s work to end the slave trade) – you can read the articles linked down below.
The next steps that the Ilam Baptist EcoChurch team are going to take are:
- 1. In the e-newsletter add a monthly Thought/Reflection/Learning (which will also be shared on a notice board each Sunday at church).
- Topics raised for further discussion/exploration that have been suggested:
- i) Investigate NZ’s structural response to reducing our CO2 emissions (aka Zero Carbon Act 2019 and the Emissions Trading Scheme)
- ii) Investigate / summarise what our CO2 foot print is (collectively/individually/families) and explore how we can reduce our foot prints in line with NZ’s goals for 2030 and 2050.
- 2. Expand our vision in terms of caring and restoring God’s creation (a.k.a what could be the next project we could champion?)
- i) #51 Ilam Road and the ecological makeup of the gardens – can they be better/easier to maintain?
- ii) Assisting in a community garden start-up (in Addington).
- iii) Host some movie nights on environmental restoration and climate action (ones that demonstrate Hope).
Further reading:
#1The Individual Carbon Footprint. How much does it actually matter?
https://cz.boell.org/en/2023/07/26/individual-carbon-footprint-how-much-does-it-actually-matter
#2 Can Individuals Actually Make a Difference When it Comes to Climate Change?
Centre for Environmental Health https://ceh.org/yourhealth/what-is-a-carbon-footprint/
#3 Climate change: Can one person really make a difference? Climate Action Survey April 2021 University of Bath https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/climate-action/2022/04/13/climate-change-can-one-person-really-make-a-difference/
#4 You’re concerned about climate change: do your choices make an impact?
Yale Environmental Review (May 2024) https://environment-review.yale.edu/youre-concerned-about-climate-change-do-your-choices-make-impact