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Chief Seattle said, "Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons [and daughters] of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to humans, humans belong to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Humans did not weave the web of life; they are merely a strand in it. Whatever humans do to the web, they do to themselves. One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to God and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator" (qtd. in "They Will Inherit the Earth" by John Dear).
Humans have caused deforestation, global warming, polluted water bodies, and extinction of species. Now, we struggle to try to right the wrongs caused by centuries of doing everything wrong in the name of progress. Some people say it is too late; others say we have a few years to try to fix the problem.
I choose to think we can at least try to do something about the problem. It is a choice we can make in our daily routines. It is something we can teach our children, and they, in turn, will teach their children.
You can change your lifestyle and eliminate plastic, conserve water, drive less, plant a tree whenever and wherever possible, take a reusable shopping bag to every store, volunteer to help clean your neighborhood, educate yourself and others to understand the seriousness of our situation, join a local environmental group, and call your senator or representative when an environmental issue is up for a vote. Reduce, reuse, and recycle are words of action we all need to follow on a daily basis. However, it will take more than "a village" to do it. It will take all nations caring enough to make a difference. Huge systemic changes need to happen worldwide, like phasing out coal usage. You can help by advocating for change.
The problem seems too big for one person to make a difference now that we are experiencing forest fires, severe weather, rising waters, extreme heat, deforestation, and ice melt, but it is not a time to give up. As Chief Seattle said, "The earth is precious to God and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on the Creator." Similarly, John Dear said: "We cannot make it, but we can destroy it. With our global pursuit of nature's resources at any expense, we have reversed the direction of creation and set off catastrophic climate change. We are out of time." God gave us the ability to make a choice in all matters. We must make the choice to use our voices to influence companies which are polluting and to contact our senators and representatives. Our world is at a breaking point.
Ruth K. Keller, member of New Covenant United Church of Christ and United Churches of Lycoming County Social Concerns Committee