Is God Green?

By Elias Rodriguez

New York City is a great venue for houses of worship. Whether one attends a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, a cathedral or a park bench – the city that never sleeps prides itself as a religious refuge displaying a multicultural mosaic of faith traditions, holy books and soulful people.

In the beginning God said, well, a bunch of stuff. What the Almighty said about sustainability and stewardship of the Earth is particularly intriguing reading material. For instance, in the book of Genesis, readers are instructed to “replenish the earth, and subdue it,” and “to have dominion” over all animal life. Some theologians interpret this as an edict to exercise responsible and sensitive stewardship over a planet that belongs to future generations. They posit that we are to manage our air, land and water as conscientious custodians.  Conversely, other scholars take the origin declaration as a command to exploit all natural resources as a gift for the advancement and enjoyment of humanity as the supreme rulers over all of creation.  They propose that these words represented a mandate to freely master all of the Earth’s vast resources and supplies without fear or inhibition. This scriptural dichotomy has been controversial for ages and is not likely to be settled by the current generation.

For agnostics, atheists and believers alike, EPA offers a host of helpful tools and aids. Our ENERGY STAR for Congregations initiative provides resources that reduce utility costs without being too preachy. Most congregations can cut energy costs by up to 30% by investing strategically in efficient equipment, facility upgrades and maintenance. You can improve stewardship of your congregation’s energy dollars and reduce energy, while protecting the environment.

More recently, EPA joined the White House’s Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for communities. The initiative works to connect similar faith-based and neighborhood organizations working on environmental projects with one another, building a network of communities across the country in support of environmental literacy and stewardship.

Regardless of whether or not you think the Earth or any earthling needs salvation, we can all agree that showing our planet a little love is a gracious act by any standard.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.