Proper stewardship of God's Creation

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That_one_guy

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Everybody is aware that we are called to be good stewards of God’s Creation. And boy does this topic get heated!
If we can, let’s try to avoid the eating meat part.Because that is not really what this is all about. It is about taking care of where we live.
Whether it is going to (what some people call extreme) full blown vegan lifestyle or just trying to rationally do your part by recycling, going solar, riding a bike instead of driving a car…
It doesn’t matter. Everyone is trying to do their part.

Here is a great place to start.
from herehttp://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=11600
The National Catholic Weekly
Stewards of Creation
A Catholic approach to climate change
William S. Skylstad | APRIL 20, 2009
Earth Day, April 22, will mark the unveiling of “The Catholic Climate Covenant,” an initiative of the three-year-old Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, which represents 12 organizations, one of which is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The covenant includes what is being called the St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor, inspired by the saint’s “Canticle of the Sun,” which praises creation in the form of earth, water and creatures. St. Francis of Assisi is an important model for another reason as well: he uniquely links care of creation and care of the poor.

“God’s creation is good and it is one,” Pope Benedict said last August in Australia at World Youth Day, as he introduced the theme of protecting God’s creation. Benedict declared that sustainable development and care for our environment are “of vital importance for humanity.” Then he framed the moral dimensions of environmental justice and care for creation in the form of a challenge to the “brutal consumption of creation,” where the whole is treated merely as “our property” that we consume “for ourselves alone.” Benedict cautioned that effective initiatives to prevent the destruction of creation can be developed and implemented, but “only where creation is considered as beginning with God.”

In the United States, a growing awareness of climate change and its consequences can be seen in private and public efforts to conserve energy. State governments are introducing bills and forming policies to reduce fossil fuel emissions and are crafting incentives for homeowners and businesses to conserve and to consider renewable energy alternatives. The president and Congress are making similar proposals at the national level, setting off a major debate over how best to respond to the complexities of climate change. In a debate dominated by environmental groups, scientists and alternative energy entrepreneurs on the one hand, and by utilities, agribusiness, coal and oil companies and others with vested interests on the other hand, the Catholic Church and Christian interfaith leaders are lifting up the moral and human dimensions of climate change. Our Christian faith calls us to bring together the biblical mandate to care for the “garden” (Gn 1:28-30) and also to care “for the least of these” (Mt 25). As our nation deliberates about future policies, American Catholics offer a distinctive position that combines care for God’s creation with protection for those who are poor and vulnerable.

The church is by no means setting itself against science on this issue. Rather, the church relies on scientific research. “With increasing clarity, scientific research demonstrates that the impact of human actions in any one place or region can have worldwide effects,” Pope Benedict wrote in a letter to the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople (Sept. 1, 2007). The pope went on to note that the consequences of disregard for the environment “always harm human co-existence” and “betray human dignity and violate the rights of citizens who desire to live in a safe environment….” The U.S. Catholic bishops have expressed similar views in their own statements; on climate change the bishops accept the scientific evidence and conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Climate change is largely a consequence of the way the world has undertaken industrialization, used and abused natural resources for energy (transportation, heating and cooling) and neglected the resulting pollution and other adverse effects on the fragile ecosystems of the planet. Its adverse effects are global. The nations, particularly the industrialized nations, must now find remedies.

Pope Benedict’s sophisticated understanding of these issues is apparently same.
 
That_one_guy said:
Everybody is aware that we are called to be good stewards of God’s Creation… Everyone is trying to do their part.

…Benedict cautioned that effective initiatives to prevent the destruction of creation can be developed and implemented, but “only where creation is considered as beginning with God.”

… Our Christian faith calls us to bring together the biblical mandate to care for the “garden” (Gn 1:28-30) and also to care “for the least of these” (Mt 25). As our nation deliberates about future policies, American Catholics offer a distinctive position that combines care for God’s creation with protection for those who are poor and vulnerable.

The church is by no means setting itself against science on this issue. Rather, the church relies on scientific research. “With increasing clarity, scientific research demonstrates that the impact of human actions in any one place or region can have worldwide effects,” …
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Caring for my garden is one of my favorite pastimes.🙂

Environmentalist seem to recognize that what a person does privately has impact on the rest of the world. That is theologically correct as well. Our sins affect other people. Sin “pollutes” the world. Environmental pollution maybe just a physical manifestation of something that happens spiritually.

Private actions can make the world a better place. Look at the lives of the saints. But when you write “everyone is trying to do their part” that may not be true. Not everyone tries. It also seems that sometimes people do things "for the enviornment: that make them feel good about themselves without actually helping the situation. Flying around on jets telling other people to reduce and recycle seems a bit, um, hypocritical. There’s too much hypocrisy for my liking in the environmental movement. And too few saints.

As you wrote, Catholics can have a unique part to play. Many people in the environmental movement fail to recognize God made humans in His image and likeness. The push for “population control” using contraception and abortion in parts of the world where people consume far fewer resources than Western civilization makes me cringe. Promoting sin as a way to “save the environment” is counter-intuitive to me. When discussions come up about environmentalism and population control, unfortunately I have noticed many Catholics abandon Church teachings and embrace secular ideologies.
 
Okay, instead of gardening, let’s talk about food in relation to environment, stewardship, & care of the poor.

Here’s an article I just read, and I thought about this thread after reading it. bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ai8WCgSJrhmY&refer=home
May 14 (Bloomberg) – Rising U.S. sales of acai, a purple Amazon berry promoted as a “superfood” on Oprah Winfrey’s Web site, are depriving Brazilian jungle dwellers of a protein-rich nutrient they’ve relied on for generations.
U.S. consumers are turning a “a typical poor people’s food into something like a delicacy,” said Oscar Nogueira, who specializes in the fruit at Embrapa, Brazil’s agricultural research company. …
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The cost of the berry in Brazil went up about 60 times it’s previous cost once US Consumers discovered it. Something that once helped poor people sustain nourishment has become a US delicacy and is apparently available in pill form to promote heath benefits. (Hmm :hmmm:, aren’t berries already pill shaped?)

Many in the environmental movement encourage using local produce to reduce the pollution and fuel cost caused by transportation. Beyond fun of gardening and the fuel & pollution aspect, this article shows how US consumers can drive up the cost of a product resulting in poor people in other parts of the world being unable to afford what was once a staple for them. Yet how many of the American’s trying this “new” food and related products have any idea of the impact their actions have on the poor? I don’t know, but some of these berries may even be marked “fair trade”, and very likely some people back in Brazil make a lot more money selling these berries to US consumers than they did selling them to the local poor. US shoppers may bring the berries and pills home in a re-usable shopping bag and stick the plastic in the re-cycling bin, then feel really good about themselves because they “did something good for the environment”, without ever realizing the impact their food choice has on the poor.
 
gardenswithkids said:
Okay, instead of gardening, let’s talk about food in relation to environment, stewardship, & care of the poor.

Here’s an article I just read, and I thought about this thread after reading it. bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ai8WCgSJrhmY&refer=home

The cost of the berry in Brazil went up about 60 times it’s previous cost once US Consumers discovered it. Something that once helped poor people sustain nourishment has become a US delicacy and is apparently available in pill form to promote heath benefits. (Hmm :hmmm:, aren’t berries already pill shaped?)
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I am not surprised. One might think that the natives would actually benefit from the sudden popularity of their humble berry! But, no. It is the same old story. Someone else is getting rich off of it. Personally, i never cared for oprah much anyway. Remember when she endorsed toe vegan diet? Now she has just given away free chicken from KFC! Talk about hypocrisy and inconsistency!
Many in the environmental movement encourage using local produce to reduce the pollution and fuel cost caused by transportation.
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“locavores”
Beyond fun of gardening and the fuel & pollution aspect, this article shows how US consumers can drive up the cost of a product resulting in poor people in other parts of the world being unable to afford what was once a staple for them.
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I don’t think the consumers drove the price up. I think that the people selling it drove the price up. They want to see how much the market will bear and how much money they can make.
Yet how many of the American’s trying this “new” food and related products have any idea of the impact their actions have on the poor? I don’t know, but some of these berries may even be marked “fair trade”, and very likely some people back in Brazil make a lot more money selling these berries to US consumers than they did selling them to the local poor. US shoppers may bring the berries and pills home in a re-usable shopping bag and stick the plastic in the re-cycling bin, then feel really good about themselves because they “did something good for the environment”, without ever realizing the impact their food choice has on the poor.
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You are so right, GW/K! People are victims of consumerism. What I mean by that is that they are pretty much told what to believe by advertising. I think someone once called them “useful idiots”.It’s like the guy who recycles his aluminum cans (for money) then drives a SUV and talks about the environment. I don’t mean to be judgmental. I find myself being a hypocrite, too, sometimes. But, at least I can say that I check myself.
I am glad to have started this conversation with you. These issues really do need to be addressed.
 
That_one_guy said:
I am not surprised. One might think that the natives would actually benefit from the sudden popularity of their humble berry! But, no. It is the same old story. Someone else is getting rich off of it. Personally, i never cared for oprah much anyway. Remember when she endorsed toe vegan diet? Now she has just given away free chicken from KFC! Talk about hypocrisy and inconsistency! …
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Not to turn this into an Oprah bashing thread, but another news story told how she recently spoke at a graduation about the pleasures of having a private jet. She and Al Gore, flying around the world on jets while also promoting environmental causes are the type of people I had in mind when I wrote of hypocrisy in the environmental movement.
 
That_one_guy said:
…I don’t think the consumers drove the price up. I think that the people selling it drove the price up. They want to see how much the market will bear and how much money they can make.You are so right, GW/K! People are victims of consumerism. What I mean by that is that they are pretty much told what to believe by advertising. I think someone once called them “useful idiots”.It’s like the guy who recycles his aluminum cans (for money) then drives a SUV and talks about the environment. I don’t mean to be judgmental. I find myself being a hypocrite, too, sometimes. But, at least I can say that I check myself.
I am glad to have started this conversation with you. These issues really do need to be addressed.
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Well, my family drives an SUV but that’s because it holds our family. I sometimes think we should trade in the SUV for a small school bus (we homeschool) so that people won’t judge us harshly for driving an SUV. (Buses, even with their low gas mileage, conote public transportation so people think they must be more environmentally friendly than a full SUV, right. 😉 )

Sellers may try to see what the market can bare, but they still need consumers who will buy at higher prices. And yes, many of us fall for consumerism and advertisements telling us what we “need”. Advertisors usually “sell” the idea that we need a certain product to make us happy. There is usually a huge gap between what we “need” verses what we “want”. Being able to judge the differences between needs and wants might be the secret to a happy life.
 
That_one_guy said:
The covenant includes what is being called the St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor, inspired by the saint’s “Canticle of the Sun,” which praises creation in the form of earth, water and creatures. St. Francis of Assisi is an important model for another reason as well: he uniquely links care of creation and care of the poor.QUOTE]

I am totally on board!!!
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gardenswithkids said:
Not to turn this into an Oprah bashing thread, but another news story told how she recently spoke at a graduation about the pleasures of having a private jet. She and Al Gore, flying around the world on jets while also promoting environmental causes are the type of people I had in mind when I wrote of hypocrisy in the environmental movement.
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I like Oprah alot BUT, I did complain to the show when there was an episode showcasing healthy cooks/chefs. I can’t remember how many chefs there were on this show–maybe 4, maybe 5, or was it only 3?? I don’t remember. But all of them presented recipes with meat. There were no vegan or vegetarian chefs represented. She could have had at least one. And I can’t believe the KFC thing??? I just can’t!!! Ok, you said this thread was not to be about meat. I apologize!!!
 
It’s old news but I still found it interesting.
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The contraceptive pill is polluting the environment and is in part responsible for male infertility, a report in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano said Saturday.

The pill “has for some years had devastating effects on the environment by releasing tonnes of hormones into nature” through female urine, said Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, in the report.

“We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill,” he said, without elaborating further.

“We are faced with a clear anti-environmental effect which demands more explanation on the part of the manufacturers,” added Castellvi.

“Once metabolised, the hormones contained in oral contraceptives no longer have any of the characteristic effects of feminine hormones,” said Gianbenedetto Melis, vice-president of a contraceptive research association, quoted by the ANSA news agency.

The hormones contained in the pill such as oestrogen “are present everywhere… in plastic, in disinfectants, in meat that we eat,” added Flavia Franconi, of the Society of Italian Pharmacology.

Pope Benedict XVI in October reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s condemnation of artificial birth control.

google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jAOv_zU_KMSFrB0Mt7QEcsO0c4vg
 
It’s old news but I still found it interesting.
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — The contraceptive pill is polluting the environment and is in part responsible for male infertility, a report in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano said Saturday.

The pill “has for some years had devastating effects on the environment by releasing tonnes of hormones into nature” through female urine, said Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, in the report.

“We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill,” he said, without elaborating further.

“We are faced with a clear anti-environmental effect which demands more explanation on the part of the manufacturers,” added Castellvi.

“Once metabolised, the hormones contained in oral contraceptives no longer have any of the characteristic effects of feminine hormones,” said Gianbenedetto Melis, vice-president of a contraceptive research association, quoted by the ANSA news agency.

The hormones contained in the pill such as oestrogen “are present everywhere… in plastic, in disinfectants, in meat that we eat,” added Flavia Franconi, of the Society of Italian Pharmacology.

Pope Benedict XVI in October reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s condemnation of artificial birth control…
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I’m familiar with that problem and similar stories about environmental damage caused from the artificial hormones from birth control pills contaminating water supplies and ground water. :eek: (They’re very small molucules that are not removed in the normal waste water processing.)

It goes back what I wrote earlier that sin harms the environment. The Catholic Church teaches that contraception is clearly a sin. Yet too many “do-gooders” (often siting concerns for the environment) want to push contraception such as artificial birth control hormones on poor women in developing countries.
 
That_one_guy said:
It’s old news but I still found it interesting.
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — .
The hormones contained in the pill such as oestrogen “are present everywhere… in plastic, in disinfectants, in meat that we eat,” added Flavia Franconi, of the Society of Italian Pharmacology.
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You said you weren’t going to talk about meat.
 
gardenswithkids said:
I’m familiar with that problem and similar stories about environmental damage caused from the artificial hormones from birth control pills contaminating water supplies and ground water. :eek: (They’re very small molucules that are not removed in the normal waste water processing.)

It goes back what I wrote earlier that sin harms the environment. The Catholic Church teaches that contraception is clearly a sin. Yet too many “do-gooders” (often siting concerns for the environment) want to push contraception such as artificial birth control hormones on poor women in developing countries.
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That is not all! There are all sorts of drugs in our water.
youtube.com/watch?v=wS7mfq43GrY
 
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