The Lord says we must be stewards of the Earth

By Barbara Miller
RR Ministerial

In the book of Genesis and elsewhere in the scriptures it is made clear that humans are to be stewards of the earth and all that lives in, on, and above it. This does not give us ‘carte blanc’ permission to do as we please, but rather is a responsibility that we are called to perform with diligence and intentionality.
There are many things that we can and are already doing - I am very pleased that recycling has begun once again here in Rainy River and I am also heartened by our local businesses’ initiative to move away from using plastic groceries bags and encouraging the use of cloth bags. Another initiative that we have been invited to embrace is “Earth Hour.” As their site describes it: “Earth Hour began on 31 March 2007, more than 2 million Sydney businesses and households turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - sending a powerful national and global message that it’s possible to take action on global warming.
At 8pm on 29 March 2008, Earth Hour goes global, with cities and towns around the world taking a stand on the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, and millions of people uniting to turn the tide on global warming.”
I invite you to join this initiative. All you need to do is turn off your lights for one hour at 8pm on March 29 2008. Invite your friends and family to join you and make an event of it! To inspire yourself and those you speak to about Earth Hour, check out www.earthhour.org to watch the video of the first Earth Hour in Sydney in 2007. This website also has lots of ideas and suggestions to help us spread the word about Earth Hour as well as some creative ideas of how to have fun while we conserve energy. God has given us this beautiful planet home and we need to take care of it – ignoring the problems won’t make them go away, so I invite our Town Council, our student population, our local businesses and all concerned inhabitants of our Earth to turn out the lights and be a part of Earth Hour on March 29th. Help make a difference to our planet! Check out the website, be creative and have fun. By raising awareness through this event, we will also help make a difference as we are reminded to conserve energy everyday. Be good stewards! More information may also be obtained from: www.kairoscanada.org, and www.re-energize.org .