Fundamental to any attempt to “protect the environment” is a sense of the interconnectedness of all of life on the planet earth.  It is a fallacy and an illusion to think that life is not, in fact, connected in one big web.  Yet, it is true that some actions have a bigger effect on certain parts of the “web of life” than others.  While this is, perhaps, an intuitive point, it is important to understand the different sub-spheres of the overall environment: what we prefer to call “ecosystems.”

“Ecosystems” are simply sub-spheres of the overall environment which plants, insects, human and non-human animals, and other living organisms live and act in a web of mutual dependence.  These “ecosystems” are interpenetrating, so actions in one effect the climate of another.  However, most often the most immediate effects of a given action occur in the immediate “eco-system” itself.  These “eco-systems” include, but are not limited to the following: urban ecosystems, forest eco-systems, grassland eco-systems, costal eco-systems, freshwater eco-systems, and agroecosystems.  (For more on these individual eco-systems, click here.)

In terms of the “natural” and “scientific” underpinning (for lack of a better description) for the work we do, this systems thinking is absolutely essential.  It means that each of us have a role to play in our particular eco-social location – no matter where we find ourselves.  And, furthermore, the contribution(s) that each of us make to our particular eco-system effect the large environment as a whole.

So could it be that what we eat or the cars we drive have an effect on the global climate?  We think so.

We believe that the many ways we chose to “live and move and have our being” - from what we eat, to how we get around, to how we light, heat, cool, and power our homes - everything we do has an effect on our particular eco-system and the environment as a whole.

To this end, we seek to foster sustainable living in our parish community with an eye toward being better and more contentious global citizens.  We also advocate for environmentally-friendly policies at the state and federal level – over against special interests which seek to maintain the status quo for their self-seeking ends.  Finally we seek to deepen the sense of “spirituality” surrounding the call to “stewardship” of the earth’s resources – maintaining “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

For more information, see our section on church teaching regarding the environment.