Five Reasons for Living Right with the Earth—Youth Edition

1. God made it. From Genesis to the Psalmist to Jesus, everybody looks to God as the Creator of the world. We honor God by caring for what God has made.
2. Our spiritual and physical health. When we've spoiled the last wild places on the planet-the rainforests, the Arctic, the undersea coral, the sight of the Milky Way at night-where will we go for contemplation and a sense that this place is bigger than us? And as we trash the Earth's waters and air and forests, will it continue to be a healthy place for us to live?
3. Our relationship with our neighbors. The World Health Organization reports that Global Warming will be responsible for 160,000 deaths worldwide this year-and it's rich folks like us who are causing Global Warming! In addition, those of us in the wealthy north of the planet use five times our share of the Earth's bounty, while millions-make that billions -of people don't have enough for a decent life. "Love your neighbor," Jesus said. How are we doing?
4. The Earth is our brother. Really. Says in Genesis that adam ("human") was made from adamah ("humus" or soil). Plus, since God called the rest of creation good, what right do we have to wreck it?
5. Our relationship with the future. What kind of world are we passing on to our children? A world worth living in? A creation that is vibrant and capable of supporting human and non-human life? Our children and the planet itself deserve a future like this-let's give it to them!