Creation care – Conservation – Sustainability – Biodiversity – Regeneration
Creation Care
All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect.
The United Methodist Book of Discipline 2016, United Methodist Social Principles Paragraph 160: The Natural World
The Responsibility of the Church and Its Members
“God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect. Economic, political, social, and technological developments have increased our human numbers, and lengthened and enriched our lives. However, these developments have led to regional defoliation, dramatic extinction of species, massive human suffering, overpopulation, and misuse and overconsumption of natural and nonrenewable resources, particularly by industrialized societies. This continued course of action jeopardizes the natural heritage that God has entrusted to all generations. Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God’s creation.”
The United Methodist Book of Discipline 2016, United Methodist Social Principles Paragraph 160: The Natural World
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Conservation
a careful preservation and protection of something especially : planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect
Merriam-Webster.(n.d.). Conservation. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservation
New Evidence Shows Fertile Soil Gone from Midwestern Farms
Charles, D. (February,24,2021). New Evidence Shows Fertile Soil Gone from Midwestern Farms. National Public Radio.
Nashville Proposes First- of -Its-Kind Bill to Protect Trees on Public Property
Eggers, C. (September 1, 2021). Nashville Proposes First-of-Its-Kind Bill to Protect Trees on Public Property. National Public Radio/WPLN
Breakdown: Why No-Till Farming is So Common in the Mid-South
Thomas, E. (2021, October 22). Breakdown: Why No-Till Farming Is So Common in the Mid-South. ActionNews5.com.
https://www.actionnews5.com/2021/10/22/breakdown-why-no-till-farming-is-so-common-mid-south/
Sustainability
Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development.
McGill University. (n.d.) What is Sustainability?. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf
Grow Food Not Landfills
Grow Food Not Landfills
[This website is listed here, not as a marketing endeavor, but to simply allow people to view what a commercial compost operation looks like. Compost Nashville partners with The Compost Company, which is the only licensed compost operator in the state of Tennessee.
Nashville Long-term Solid Waste Master Plan
Sierra Club. Tennessee Chapter. (2018, October 11). Nashville Long-term Solid Waste Master Plan. Sierra Club.org
The Issue with Tissue
Skene, J. and Vinyard, s. (2021, September 15). The Issue with Tissue. NRDC.org
https://www.nrdc.org/resources/issue-tissue-how-americans-are-flushing-forests-down-toilet
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the Earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk.
National Geographic. (n.d.). Biodiversity. In National Geographic.org encyclopedia. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biodiversity/
Why Is Biodiversity So Important
Why Is Biodiversity so important? — Kim Preshoff TED Talk (4min)
The Ocean Has Lost Half Its Coral Reef Coverage
Weber, B. (2021, September 20). The Ocean Has Lost Half Its Coral Reef Coverage. CBS News Canada.
Starting Today Biodiversity Loss -- What We can Do Now
Regeneration
The act or process of being regenerated
To restore to original strength or properties
To generate or produce anew, especially to replace (a body part) by new growth of tissue To change radically and for the better
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Regeneration. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regenerate
Regenerative Agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.
Regeneration International. (2019). What Is Regenerative Agriculture?. Why Regenerative Agriculture?. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/
Ray Weaver Farm, Coffee County, TN
Ray Weaver Farm – Reflections on Regenerative Agriculture (2021)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-BxSlu60RskcUDQjeaOT7rtTMIeCr0RX/edit
Five Ways to Make Your Garden Regenerative (2 min video)
Interfaith Power & Light. (2021). Five Ways to Make Your Garden Regenerative. Kiss the Ground. Youtube.com (2 min)
Climate Change Threatens Pa's Farmers. How Growers Treat Their Soil Could Help them Adapt - and Benefit the Rest of Us, Too.
McDevitt, R. (2021, February 23). Climate Change Threatens Pa’s Farmers. How Growers Treat Their Soil Could Help them Adapt – and Benefit the Rest of Us, Too. State Impact. NPR.org
In Low-income Countries, meat isn't the Problem. U.S. Style Agriculture Is
Kateman, B. (2022, February 22). In Low-income countries, meat isn’t the problem. U.S.-style animal agriculture is.
Climate-Smart Cowboys Hope Regenerative Cattle Ranching Can Heal the Land and Sequester Carbon
Grazing livestock to mimic how wildlife forages can prevent the erosion of topsoil, protect water quality and keep carbon out of the atmosphere, but it requires big changes in how the beef industry operates. READ MORE…
This Network of Regenerative Farmers Is Rethinking Chicken
Greenwaway, T. (2023, August 16). This Network of Regenrative Farmers is Rethinking Chicken. civilieasts.com