Earth Day 2025

Earth Day’s 2025 theme is OUR POWER, OUR PLANET, calling for everyone to unite around renewable energy so we can triple clean electricity by 2030. The website is a good resource for finding events to help clean up a particular area near you.  There are also events like clothing swaps. All good practical ideas to come together on behalf of our planet.

During Lent this year, I have been reading through a daily sectioned Lenten book entitled, “The Whole Easter Story: Why the cross is good news for all creation” by author Jo Swinney (A Rocha,Director ofCommunications).  It is pretty remarkable how much of biblical scripture refers to creation – its purpose and predicament. And what a great responsibility we have to care for creation!

In the book, this quote by Gus Speth, a lawyer and former US advisor on climate, stands out to me.

“I used to think that the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that 30 years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy. To deal with these, we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we lawyers and scientists don’t know how to do that.”

Swinney then comments, “The ecological crisis has spiritual roots, and unless we address the problem of the human heart nothing will change.”

Lord help us!

Now back to the practical – how can we partake in God’s redemptive plan for creation?

Swinney again, “I would say I’m an average person, coming from a non-science background and engaged in a career that has me locked into quality time with my laptop rather than immersed in nature. But I’ve learnt from A Rocha a new perspective on the vastness of God’s creation, the magnitude of humankind’s fall and the need for fellowship and collaboration as we partake in God’s redemption plan.

No one knows everything. What would an oceanographer know about the forest? How much does an entomologist know about policies and policymaking towards conservation? Turns out, not much. And this is why creation care requires all hands on deck – not just the ‘science people’, but also the lawyers, policymakers, marketers, designers, even simply advocators, to work together to care for God’s creation.”

I am trusting that God is speaking to the hearts and minds of our community to bring about good works of caring for creation and that we will joyfully respond! This often happens by people simply applying already honed skills in the workplace to the needs of creation. It is time we equally recognize the value of focusing our good works on all aspects of God’s creation that are being redeemed, not just humanity.

Lord, we pray for all that you have placed within our care. May we be just, merciful and humble towards all of your creation – people, animals, plants, land, water, and air.

Mike

Link to Jo Swinney: https://arocha.org/en/about/people/jo-swinney/

Link to Earth Day: https://www.earthday.org/