The Environmental Role

How do we treat things that we don't own: with care and respect. Especially if someone asked us to look after the stuff. When someone asks us to look after a pet or to house sit (to look after the house while the owners are away), we do it with great diligence. Some people wouldn't do it. However, every rule has an exception.



Let's take a moment and see how we treat our planet. Consumerism plaques many societies. So many ads scream at you. They try to convince us how we constantly need new things. Materialism does not bring satisfaction. The greed never gets satisfied. It always wants more.
The supply is influenced by demand. We buy more clothes--manufacturers build more factories. We "need" to have the latest gadgets--someone got to work longer hours in mines. Did you now that there are metals used in our phones?
Many of those things are packaged in plastic. Plastic packaging is the most wide-spread item in landfills and dumps.Quite often they pollute the environment, including water sources, soil, and air.
Its not just plastic that releases dangerous chemicals: paper materials, household cleaners, paints, makeup, and other things we use.

Christian and Environmental Responsibilities

Every Christian knows that God created the heavens and the earth. We often hear, "All that you have belongs to the Lord", from church pastors. We understand this as not taking things for granted, live responsibly, manage finances well, and to take care of things we have. However, we don't hear often about the environment.
There are many resources on-line that focus on "how to.." and help in different areas: relationships, finances, parenthood, personal crisis, decision-making, overcoming grief, wedding planning, time management, life coaching, feelings, and many other books.  I noticed that some Christian literature talks so much about personal needs that the authors negate the most important subject---God. I think that if the author demands to be a Christian, he/she should not avoid talk about God. Once we shift from God as the center of or worship, we center around different things.
I guess that the environment is somewhat sensitive topic to many Christians. Some say, "I have other things to deal with", others state, "I cannot do much abut it". Imagine if the first Christians said, "I cannot do much about it", this would be a detrimental effect on the entire history.
Back to the environment...   The lord gave us dominion over the planet, including nature. After the fall, we acquired a sinful nature, but the image of God was not destroyed. Polluting and exploiting nature harms our health.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;"--1 Corinthians 6:19

Our bodies belong to God and we will give an account how we treat our bodies. Polluting the environment also pollutes our bodies.
Many Bible verses talk about the glory and beauty of nature. In Revelation 11 Bible talks about destroying those, who destroy the Earth. From the Biblical point of view, we have no right in destroying the planet. It's God's prerogative. By destroying the environment, we are taking God's place.

What can we do?

Consumerism doesn't simply destroy the planet, it also enslaves many people around the world. We shudder when we hear the stories of slaves. We donate money to various organizations, forgetting that the main drive for the slavery is the demand.
Fashion tries to convince us that we need new things each season. Textile industry employs many people worldwide. Many workers work long hours for meager wages.
We can prolong our clothes life in many ways: wash clothes when needed (underwear needs to be washed after every single wear)when stinky, dirty, don't buy more than you need, buys second hand clothes, have clothes swap with your friends, darn and mend holes, fix zipper and buttons, and treat your clothes wit respect.
Many plastic bags can be reused over and over again. After washing those bags, they can be used for storing something else. Some bags have beautiful signs. we can cut out the letters and make different signs.  If it rains and you forgot a pair of rubber boots, you can put plastic bags inside the boots. The bags can also be used as floor lining during walls and ceiling painting; also as table lining during children's crafts. Also we can use newspapers.
Yogurt containers can be reused in many ways; so are many plastic containers, including plastic bottles. In addition, small yogurt containers can be used as letter blocks--put a letter on a small cup.
Thin cardboard boxes, such as cereal boxes, and magazines/fliers with scissors and glue can be used for crafts.

A card made of magazine images and a thin cardboard

I hope that the post will be helpful to you.