A responsibility to care for Earth

By Deborah Brasket/Looking Forward

On May 27 in Santa Barbara, Congresswoman Lois Capps and the Rev. Sally Bingham will be discussing “Our Moral Responsibility to Protect the Earth.”

This special evening is co-sponsored by the Community Environmental Council and the Environmental Coalition of Faith Communities (ECO Faith) in Santa Barbara, representing a new environmental movement that draws upon spiritual faith to address urgent environmental needs.

The movement has its roots in “deep ecology,” which relates “the human venture to the larger destinies of the universe,” as Eco-theologian Thomas Berry put it.

This year SB CAN’s “Environmental Protection and Sustainability Award” went to John Evarts and Marjorie Popper, local environmentalists who not only accept the “moral responsibility to protect the Earth,” but also understand the deep connection between the human and the natural world.

In their acceptance speeches, each spoke eloquently about their beliefs, and practical ways to fulfill our responsibilities to protect the Earth.

“Environmental protection and social justice are inseparable,” Margie explained. “Too often, environmental protection is seen as an elitist pursuit, with tree huggers and tree cutters aligned on opposite sides . . . [T]his is a false dichotomy.

“Sustainable logging practices are in the best long-term interest of forest workers as well as of the forests. Too often, it is the least powerful members of our society — communities downstream from mountain-top coal mining operations, inner-city children whose asthma stems from high levels of air pollution, or agricultural workers exposed to pesticides — who bear the brunt of poor environmental practices.”

She quoted the Dalai Lama, who pointed out in “Ethics for the New Millennium” that since “the natural world is our home. . . . it is therefore in our interest to look after it.’”

“And look after it we should,” Marjorie urged. “We should support resource conservation, renewable energy policies, and habitat protection on a governmental level and individual responsibility on a personal level. Simple things, like hanging your laundry on the line or introducing native plants into your landscape are not too small to matter.

“Even our local daily walks introduce us to wonders. Just this week, we watched in amazement as masses of violet-green swallows swooped through volumes of sky, feeding on insects during their northward migration. Appreciation of wonders like these binds us to the natural world and strengthens our commitment to protect it.”

John spoke of his and Marjorie’s first job, working at the El Mirasol Polyculture Urban Farm in Santa Barbara — now the site of Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens.

“It was here that we first learned about making compost, organic gardening, chicken coops, beekeeping, solar power, methane digesters, and building with recycling materials,” he said. “El Mirasol was a multi-faceted living classroom. We hosted a steady stream of visitors . . . seeking advice on how to replicate this urban farm in other cities. Clearly, people were fascinated with this new idea of ‘sustainable’ living.

“We need more El Mirasols, more community gardens, more farmers markets, more food coops, and countless other economic, educational, and social models that offer alternatives and hope. With each successive generation, Americans are less rooted in the land. More than ever, we need to encourage activities that help us unplug and get back ‘out there.’”

If you’d like to “unplug” and “get back out there,” you can join John and Marjorie on one of the field trips offered by the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society.

Check the Society’s Web site for upcoming trips at www.syvnature.org. Or you can join the Environmental Coalition of Faith Communities in Santa Barbara on May 27, to discuss more ways to fulfill our responsibilities to Mother Earth.

Call 695-0104 for more information about the event and the ECO Faith Coalition.

Deborah Brasket is the executive director for the Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN). She can be reached at 722-5094 or Deborah@sbcan.org. Looking Forward runs every Friday, providing a progressive viewpoint on local issues.