Our Covenant with the Environment
We affirm the presence of God, the Creator of the entire cosmos, giving it life and order and connecting everything. We affirm the goodness and the sacred nature of God’s Creation, and the fundamental human connection with all biological life and the whole natural world. In faith we covenant to follow Jesus whose teaching and example provide the foundational values of our life and work as stewards of the environment.
We recognize that humans cannot be separated from the natural environment. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, all depend on a functioning, healthy environment.
We recognize that humans have been altering the natural environment since the dawn of agriculture (clearing forests, building canals/irrigation ditches, terracing hillsides, flooding fields etc.)
We recognize the overwhelming scientific consensus that global warming is real and caused by greenhouse gas emissions that are inextricably linked to advanced, industrialized economies.
We recognize that the impact of human industrial civilization has destroyed massive swathes of habitat and driven millions of species (most unknown) to extinction.
We recognize that fires, floods, hurricanes, heat waves and rising sea levels will contribute to needless suffering and deaths in the future.
We recognize that unless we make significant changes to our current systems of energy production, transportation, housing, agriculture, manufacturing, waste disposal etc. even the wealthiest nations and individuals will have difficulty surviving.
We recognize that the people, communities, and nations who have created the least of the problems will suffer the most from the coming collapse of environmental systems. Racism, poverty, and inequality require environmental justice to correct centuries of abuse.
We recognize that current trajectories of environmental destruction threaten social chaos, even collapse, and the possible extinction of all humanity.
We know that solutions to the climate change crisis will be costly in terms of taxes, prices of goods and services, sacrifices or other adjustments to our current quality of life. But over time, effective solutions will also be beneficial in terms of new technologies, job creation, and sustainability.
Therefore, we commit to basic action: education, advocacy, and spiritual nurture to sustain our level of care for Creation. These actions include but are not limited to:
We support action on an individual level, such as “meatless Mondays” or “No-Driving Days” or other actions in support of climate stewardship.
We support continued action by our church congregation to practice sustainability, such as reducing the use of paper cups, plastic utensils, and toxic cleaning products.
We are ready to join with other congregations, faith communities, and other organizations, such as Earth Ministry/WAIPL (Washington Interfaith Power & Light) or Creation Justice Ministries, etc.
We support community efforts by schools, hospitals, and businesses to implement policies and procedures to widen environmental responsibility and sustainability.
We support the City of Spokane 2021 Sustainability Action Plan, which calls for policy changes and action goals in these areas:
Buildings and energy
Transportation and land use
Waste diversion
Water resources
Economic prosperity
Natural environment
Health and well-being
We will hold elected officials and other leaders at all levels accountable to take comprehensive steps needed to prevent or reduce future impacts of the climate crisis, such as wildfires, floods, droughts, and hurricanes.
Adopted by congregational vote 02/27/2022