At my school, we are having teacher in-service meetings on "worldviews." We're watching a series from The Biblical Worldview Institute, and as part of today's session we watched a video clip about trees, starring people from the radical environmentalist organism organization Earth First! The video can be found here. We are learning about integrating Biblical …
Category: Environment
Biofuel-ishness?
Some present biofuels (e.g. ethanol, biodiesel) as the great cure for our energy and environmental problems. After all, if we grow our fuel, we don't have to import it from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Additionally, whatever CO2 is released when the fuel is burned was originally removed from the atmosphere when the plant grew, …
The Environment and Abortion
From Lifenews.com: "Why Do Some Environmentalists Think Saving Earth Requires Abortions?" If asked what function the San Francisco-based Sierra Club performs, most of its 1.3 million members would probably reply "protecting the environment," or "raising awareness of endangered species," or words to that effect. Yet, in their 2007 legislative report for Minnesota, the Sierra Club …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 2
The second chapter of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care is "What's Wrong With the World? The Groaning of Creation." It is difficult to deny that we humans, though given the divine mandate in Genesis 1 to be caretakers of the Earth, have had a serious negative impact on …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 1
I am slowly reading For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision For Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger. Chapter 1 is "Where Are We? An Ecological Perception of Place." Here are some quotes: Despite our education we remain ecologically illiterate. Or perhaps more accurately, because of our education we remain ignorant of how the …
Strange Bedfellows?
This month's Geotimes magazine has a "science and faith" theme. I haven't seen the hard copy yet, but some of the articles are available online. One of the articles is called Strange Bedfellows? Evangelicals and Scientists Join Forces on Climate. It starts with: Global warming is melting permafrost around the world, but earlier this year …
Pope: Take Care of the Earth
News headline: Pope urges young to care for planet. Some quotes from the article: The planet risks irreversible decline from environmentally unsustainable development, Pope Benedict XVI warned Sunday, urging young Catholics to take the lead in caring for the Earth and its precious resources. "We need a decisive 'yes' to care for creation and a …
Weeping for the Jordan
The Jordan River, which begins near Mount Hermon on the Syria-Lebanon border and flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, is an endangered river. Most of its water is diverted for agricultural or domestic use; what remains is polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff. This is a political, as well as an …
Geology Jobs and Christian Colleges
From geology.com/news: The number of professional jobs in the oil and gas industry exceeds the number of qualified and available workers. In 1982, enrollment in the geosciences hit an all time high of 35,000 students but today the number has dwindled to about 5,000. Salaries are generous, however the industry does not have a rosy …
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
News headline: France's washout summer fails to deter tourists PARIS (AFP) - It's official: France's rainy, grey and generally cold summer has been the worst for the past 30 years, the weather service said Friday, but tourist arrivals were the highest in five years. July and August were wet across two-thirds of the country while …
Toilets in the News
Toilets have been in the news: Think outside the toilet bowl, historian says: The Western World's dependence on flush toilets could be its environmental downfall. Toilets that use less water, such as the "squat toilet" in which one squats over a hole in the ground, are prevalent in parts of Asia, Europe and Africa, but …
The World Without Us
A new book is out: The World Without Us. This isn't some left-wing or Islamo-fascist book about how much better the world would be without the United States. This is speculative science, and I don't use the word "speculative" in a negative sense. The book asks the question: "What would happen to the Earth if …
Green President
Who would be a "green" president (i.e. an environmentally friendly president)? Al Gore? John Edwards? They say they are environmentally conscious, but they have been accused of hypocrisy because of their consumptive lifestyles. How about George W. Bush? Check out this post from treehugger.com -- Is George Bush a Closet Green? Here's a quote: [Is] …
Environmental Awareness on Christian College Campuses
Christianity Today has an article entitled Christian Colleges' Green Revolution. Here are a few quotes: "When I was exposed firsthand to the impact that poor environmental care can cause, I was shocked," Semenyuk says, recalling a protest he witnessed in Nicaragua. "The people were field workers on banana plantations where extremely powerful chemicals are used …
Continue reading Environmental Awareness on Christian College Campuses
Shrinking Dead Sea
Fresh water is a limited resource. It is constantly renewed, but it is not unlimited. This is especially an issue in arid and semiarid areas, such as in the area of Israel and its neighbors. One of the concerns that triggered the 1967 Six Day War, in which Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, …
Carbon Credit Craziness
One of the methods that has been put in place to reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide is the idea of carbon credits. If your factory produces too much CO2, then you can compensate by purchasing a "carbon credit," which is a promise made by some other entity that they will somehow make up for …
Will the T.P. police knock on your (stall) door?
From BBC News: Crow calls for limit on loo paper Singer Sheryl Crow has said a ban on using too much toilet paper should be introduced to help the environment. Crow has suggested using "only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required". Hmmmm. …
Continue reading Will the T.P. police knock on your (stall) door?
Earth Day 2007 — Stewardship of the Environment
This item was originally posted in December 2006 which wasn't all that long ago. In honor of Earth Day, it is now part of my blog recycling program. Because I have more people reading The Earth is Not Flat! now than I did a year ago, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of …
Continue reading Earth Day 2007 — Stewardship of the Environment
Earth Day 2007 — Christian Environmentalism
This item was originally posted for Earth Day, 2006 (Earth Day is held on April 22nd). It is now part of my blog recycling program. Because I have more people reading The Earth is Not Flat! now than I did a year ago, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my best blog …
Continue reading Earth Day 2007 — Christian Environmentalism
Creation Care Skeptics
From Christianity Today: Dobson, Others Seek Ouster of NAE Vice President. Subtitle: Interim president Leith Anderson says he supports Richard Cizik's work on creation care. More than two dozen evangelical leaders are seeking the ouster of the Rev. Richard Cizik from the National Association of Evangelicals because of his "relentless campaign" against global warming. In …
GeoChristian 