A ViewPoint by Diana Ensign, JD
One of my favorite autumn pastimes is sitting on my porch in the morning with a cup of coffee while watching the tree limbs gently sway in the breeze and listening to acorns hit the ground as they drop off the branches. Today, an enormous spider web near the echinacea plants glistens beautifully in the bright sunlight.
Yet even in this tranquil setting, I know that wildfires, heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, and floods are causing increased havoc across the globe. These threats from climate change pose serious problems for us all. At times, the news of our planet’s environmental crisis can be both overwhelming and discouraging. Even if we don’t follow the daily news reports, we are likely familiar with various climate change issues affecting our local communities.
When writing my new book, Faith, Hope, Action: Ushering in a New Earth Era Together, I wanted to not only understand the root cause of our climate crisis, I also wanted someone to explain the keys to solving the crisis. As such, I set out on a yearlong journey to ask scientists, environmental justice advocates, Indigenous leaders, student activists, farmers, and faith-based visionaries what we need to do to save our Earth home.
Along the way, I discovered that there isn’t one simple answer to our environmental troubles. Like much of our personal life, there’s no “magic bullet” that solves everything for us, even though we might wish that was the case. When we feel unwell, for example, having someone tell us that we need to change our lifestyle (by doing things such as eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and increasing our exercise) isn’t usually what we want to hear if we are seeking a quick fix.
Similarly, when it comes to caring for our Earth home, we have to first understand how our human actions are contributing to an unhealthy planet. Things like burning fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal), spraying poisons (herbicides, pesticides) on our food and crop seeds, and destroying our forests most definitely damage our planet’s health. Of course, actions that injure the planet cause harm to us as well.
Despite the massive levels of environmental destruction taking place on our Earth, there are reasons for hope. For me, finding people who are actively engaged in helping their communities move in a positive ecological direction is how I stay hopeful and encouraged.
To begin my Earth care book project, I spent a few days at a retreat house at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, a religious Catholic community of the Sisters of Providence. Recycled materials were used in building the retreat house, and their land stewardship efforts include a five-acre certified organic garden, orchards, bee hives, alpacas, chickens, and a farm store. Sister Donna Butler states on their website, “The work of justice, of promoting systemic change that protects planet Earth and promotes human rights, is essential to answering our call as Sisters of Providence.”
After my retreat stay, I met with faith-based leaders who installed solar panels on their church roofs, or started organic farms, or hosted community events to celebrate Mother Earth. I met with students who advocated with local government officials for stronger climate change measures. I also met with Indigenous teachers who remind us to live in balance and to honor our Sacred Earth. Finally, I met with organic farmers who understand that when the soil is healthy, the food crops are healthier, which leads to more nutritious foods that are truly beneficial to our bodies.
Over the course of my book project (which ended up being over two years), I met with many people who are taking positive, Earth-friendly actions in order to serve the communities in which they live. That’s the good news: There are lots of ways we can help turn things around!
I also want to share a couple of takeaways from my research.
Takeaway #1: It’s all connected. How we treat our land, our air, and our water is connected to how we treat our bodies. How we treat our bodies is connected to how we treat our planet. And how we treat the planet is connected to how we treat all inhabitants who share our Earth home.
Takeaway #2: We learn to be good stewards of our Earth by sharing our knowledge with one another. We need to engage in conversations, and learn from one another, regarding the care of our communities and, ultimately, the care of our Earth home.
By joining together to protect our Sacred Earth, we will create a beautiful earthly garden not only for ourselves but also for future generations. As Jane Goodall aptly stated, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
© 2024 by Diana Ensign and Christian Feminism Today.
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