Educating Families

"Why are you interested in the intersection of religion and ecology?" 

This is a question that I often ask myself and that I've recently been trying to answer on my nearly completed PhD applications. The answer, while often difficult to put into words, is decidedly a personal one. Each and every one of us can give a different answer to this question. For some it was a book they read, for others it was their personal experiences with nature, with animals, or with a place. Many were inspired by teachers, thinkers, or others in their lives. 

Recently, I sent out an email to the Renewal Conference's student volunteers asking them why they think that the intersection between religion and ecology is important. Lyndsay Bacher, a first year MAR student at Yale Divinity School wrote the following:

As a senior at Hamline University, I took a seminar on Wendall Berry, esteemed author, eco-friendly and very opinionated.  While I didn’t agree with him on many of his positions, I had to admire someone who would quit his job and move to Kentucky to farm his own land.  His passion for living rightly in and with the world was inspiring and lasting, prompting myself to examine the way I interacted with the environment around me.

It’s been unseasonable warm in Wisconsin - it rained the past two days when it should have snowed - and my sister said, “Al Gore told you so, Dad!” Since I’ve been at home over the holiday break, I’ve been trying to bring about change in my family’s day-to-day living.  While I haven’t persuaded anyone to move to a farm (myself included), I have convinced my family to bring re-usable sacks to the grocery store and often I wander around the house, turning off bedroom lights and various electronics.  Religion has been an important aspect in our daily life, and with a little effort, environmental consciousness can be as well.