In the Bible we find the very first mandate that the Lord gave was that of being the caretakers[1] of the created world. God gave us the power to subdue the environment. The word environment can be understood as the sum total of the created world entrusted to us, this is my interpretation of the dictionary definition. This great power brought with itself a great responsibility[2] (you might have heard that line earlier as well)! But soon human pride and lust for power tainted this relationship; our relationship transformed from a caring one to an exploiting one. We wanted the resources, so we just grabbed it and moved on.
Acts of Injustice can never be hidden for long. God has his own mysterious but amazing way of stripping us of our fake righteousness. In the Old Testament, God used the prophets to reveal the sinfulness of the society at that time. Similarly, His creation has been giving signs to show us our lustful misuse of the environmental resources. In the recent times, the world has started recognising the environmental damage caused by us. What about us, have we ever been mindful to this aspect of God’s kingdom?
The answer to the above question is a mixed bag of yes and no! Growing up as a student, I have seen examples from both sides. I have travelled with students who would pick up trash thrown by their friends. I have also seen countless sheets of paper strewn around the college campus after a fest or a program. Printed, used, forgotten and finally thrown! This articles attempts to list out some of the things I have seen us do well as well as point out areas we can do better.
Right from my time as a student in Kolkata I have noticed that we are taught to be mindful in the use of water and electricity. We did try and ensure that the lights and fans/ACs are turned off when not in use. This has been something we have done and we need to continue to do this. Another thing I learnt early on was to leave the place clean, we saw and followed our seniors who cleaned up after any and every program. I hope this legacy carries on. Does it?
I have seen and heard of students and teachers who collect badge-holders and other reusable materials after programmes; this not only saves money but also saves it from being thrown away. One of my mentors used to and still continues to carry a bag on every train journey. He not only collects his garbage in the bag but also collects the paper cups and other garbage from his fellow passengers. I want to grow in this practice as well. It not only reduces the trash we see on the railway tracks but also creates awareness. One of my friends cared for God’s creation so much that she will even ask strangers to not dirty the streets. She is fearless!
Recycled decorations! Yes, this is something students in Kolkata surprised me with. During one of the programs, they decorated the venue using old boxes and bottles and it was very beautiful. We not only reused but also recycled trash to become decorative pieces; we even used the same decorations at different venues. I am sure that we all have similar stories from across the nation. I have heard of students cleaning the marketplace in Changlang. I remember seeing students in Shillong making paper-bags out of old newspapers; creative and eco-friendly.
But things haven’t just been rosy; there have been things I wish we did differently. I have seen our students leave hostel rooms without caring to switch off the switches. We seem to care less for electricity in our campuses and hostels, we are careful in at our homes but we need to be equally careful in our classrooms, hostels and libraries, in-fact just about everywhere.
One thing that often disturbs me is the printed materials. I know it’s useful and I value the printed material but I feel that we often print things, use once or twice and then throw them away. I am not saying that we should not print flyers, orders of programs, song-sheets and etc, rather we should reflect on its necessity and reduce printouts wherever possible. This is an area where we need to be careful and there is no easy way out. There is a definite and necessary need to print materials but we need to be mindful and encourage responsible usage. Did you know that paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste[3]!
One of the dangers of modern day lifestyle is the ‘use and throw’ culture of ours. We buy products, use them for a while and then discard them quite frequently. It’s very easy to buy stuff these days, but do we really need so much of everything? This is something worth thinking, because everything we own adds to the carbon footprint in some or the other way. One simple way to reduce this carbon footprint[4] is to reuse, reduce and recycle. Let’s not be so quick to throw stuff out, think of giving it away.
When was the last time we enjoyed God’s beautiful creation? Have you taken time out to be in the middle of his creation? In this fast paced world of ours we are too caught up in the concrete jungles to recognise the beauty of the created world. So many of us enjoy time out amidst nature during vacations but what about the parks in our cities and towns? We are increasingly getting disconnected from the very environment we live in. I hope we spend more time outdoors in nature’s lap.
What’s the point of producing leaders who are involved in nation-building but hopeless in caring for God’s creation? I agree that the demands of the modern day cause us to be work-centred but it does not give us the license to be environmentally separated. We simply need to continue in some of our good practices and in some areas we need to do things differently. We need to recognize that every action of ours, be it in our own life or in any of our public activities, impacts the environment. Let us reflect and reduce, reuse and recycle! It will make a small but meaningful impact in God’s creation.
[1] Genesis 1:28. The word mentioned varies from rule to subdue depending on the translation being referred but the sense of the term is more close to that of a caretaker. A good ruler/king is like a caretaker, he has authority and power but it’s purpose is to nurture and develop not to exploit or misuse.
[2] Luke 12:48 and Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben say more or less the same thing.
[3] http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts
[4] According to the Online Cambridge Dictionary, Someone’s carbon footprint is a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide that their activities produce.
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