My efforts to pick up aluminum cans along my bike route to work takes on a new urgency about this time of year. No, it's not a seasonal upswing in the price paid at the recycling center (I wish!). Rather, with spring something else arrives in Elgin along with the robins and cardinals. The street sweepers reappear after a winter of hibernation.

We know about street sweepers in Elgin. Timepieces used to be our claim to fame. Now one of our biggest industries is Elgin Sweeper Co. Yes, they make those big curb-cleaning machines right here in our little town. Their distinctive shape and very narrow function remind one of an animal that evolved on an isolated island somewhere, thus developing a very distinct–may we say odd–set of characteristics. Nevertheless, like the creatures God creates to fill a certain niche, these machines likewise have a job to do, and do it well (I'm beginning to sound like a stockholder!).

Too well for my interests. You see, after the winter snows finally melt, there's a winter's worth of drink cans along the road. People aren't put off enough by frigid temperatures to keep from rolling down their car window and pitching a can. It's like a year-round ritual–casually (and illegally) tossing along the road one of the most energy-intensive pieces of refuse ever created by humankind.

And there they are. New cans revealed each day as successive layers of snow melt away. And any day now, the sweepers could begin their rounds. They will pick up the stray cans along with leaves, sticks and other curb-clutter. I'm sure no one at the end of the line sorts through the muck to pluck out the cans, even though they're worth a cool penny each–and represent about six ounces of gasoline in energy savings when recycled.

So, my can collecting takes on added impetus in the spring. I feel guilty when I pass one by. Will it still be there tomorrow, or will the sweeper have made its rounds before I return?

In some ways, this feels like the roll played by all of us with who have an interest in preserving God's creation these days. There's a growing sense of urgency when we look at species extinction rates, loss of rain forest, urbanization of our own farmland and wild places, the warming of the planet, energy addictions that seek quick fixes like drilling for oil in pristine areas.

On many fronts, it seems like the sweepers are coming any day now. What can we do to limit their impact–or better, find an approach that doesn't keep sweeping our problems under the rug until the day we can't hide from our problems and excesses any more.

David Radcliff

---

As an environmental educator, global warming has been on my radar screen for over 20 years. For a long time there was a kind of conditional and tenuous description of the problem at least in part because of the difficulty in predicting how the complex earth climate system would respond to an increase in temperature. And there were many loud and dismissive naysayers, quick to argue that more research was needed before anything should be done.

There are still loud and dismissive voices, "greenhouse skeptics", that would have us believe global warming is an unproven theory, or even a potential boon to agriculture, but it's quite clear now that they are wrong. There is no uncertainty about global warming or accelerated climate change, there is no real disagreement among scientists, and there are no positive side effects.

Instead there are very real and troubling changes in store for our relatively stable earth climate that will have far reaching and disastrous effects on all aspects of life on this planet. Shifting and expanding deserts, rising ocean levels, extended ranges of disease carrying pests, and increasingly violent weather patterns all will result from a seemingly unimpressive increase in global temperature of a few degrees. It is happening now and we will be dealing with the full blown results in as few as 50 years.

Those who will bear the brunt of these changes are the countries and people who already are marginalized, the species already on the edge. In the face of such an overwhelming problem what can be done? Should we just throw up our hands and admit that this problem is bigger than we are? As people of faith we are called to care for God's creation, love our neighbors as ourselves, do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. With God's help this is a problem we can and must deal with. How can we turn away?

But what can we do? First, recognize the power of our faith. Those who know a loving God have reason for hope and the will to answer the call. We must take responsibility through our own choices and actions, "walk the walk", reduce our use of energy in every way we can, support those in need in ways that do not exacerbate the problem, inform ourselves about public policy at all levels and act on that information, involve our congregations and remember, we are coworkers with God. In the words of a Hebrew song, "It is not your duty to finish the work, but it is not your right to desist."

-Dianna Ullery of Olympia, WA is a member
of the Lacey Community Church of the Brethren

---

We are people of faith, concerned about the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the remote northeast corner of Alaska. We urge our federal policymakers, vested with the responsibility of stewarding our national lands, to vote against any attempt to open the refuge to oil exploration and drilling. "Never, I believe, had God worked more wondrously than in the creation of this beautiful (place)," wrote Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas as he reflected on his experiences in the Refuge.

What perhaps sparked such awe within Justice Douglas also forms the heart of the Arctic Refuge: a creative power at work, unimpeded by human disturbances. For example, the rare muskoxen, a relic of the last ice age, freely gather here to search for food to survive the winter. Wolves, foxes and grizzly bears roam the open tundra. Each year, over 180 species of birds from nearly every state in the nation flock to the Refuge to breed and hatch their young, and to gather strength for their long migrations south.

In the winter, the coastal plain becomes America's most important on-shore denning area for polar bears. At the end of their long, arduous migration, the 129,000 members of the Porcupine caribou herd also gather on this coastal plain amidst a lush garden of flowers, lichen and plants to give birth and nurse their young.

It is these caribou that sustain the Gwich'in Athabascan people. For almost 20,000 years, the Gwich'in people have depended upon the caribou for their physical, cultural and spiritual survival. For the Gwich'in, this coastal plain is "the sacred place where life begins." Perhaps Justice Douglas glimpsed this Gwich'in reality.

Although we are not Gwich'in, nor do we live in Northeast Alaska, as people of faith we feel compelled to stand with the Gwich'in, the bishops of the Episcopal Church and its sister church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church, the National Council of Churches, and
several other communities of faith to adamantly oppose oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic National (note: this is not just an "Alaskan" issue) Wildlife Refuge. We oppose such activities because they pose serious threats to human rights and to the environment. This is a human-rights issue because, in the words of Gwich'in spokesperson Jonathan Solomon, "the Porcupine caribou are central to our culture, our religion, our social structure and our livelihood. Oil development on the coastal plain would not only threaten the caribou we depend on, it would threaten the future of our people."

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has conducted studies on caribou that directly link the presence of oil-extraction complexes (i.e., Prudhoe Bay) with diminished calf production and survival rates. Such an impact would obviously threaten the fabric of the Gwich'in subsistence culture.

On a broader environmental level, the Refuge comprises the last 5 percent of Alaska's North Slope not already open to oil exploration and drilling. This small piece of our remaining national wildlands would yield less than 200 days of oil to meet U.S. demands. For these 200 days of life-as-usual, fossil-fuel consumption, we sacrifice the health of the Gwich'in, the caribou, the muskoxen, the birds and the myriad flora and fauna that make up this "American Serengeti." As faithful people, called to be a blessing to God's creation, this sacrifice is truly abhorrent.

We call on our congressional "stewards" to protect this sacred place–and we make this call with the words of Rachel Carson ringing in our hearts and consciences: "I believe that whenever we destroy beauty or whenever we substitute something man-made and artificial for a natural feature of the earth, we have retarded some part of our spiritual growth."

-Dr. Lora Gross is a visiting professor of theology at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma. Tanya Becker is a program associate with Earth Ministry, Seattle.

Printed March 5, 2001 in the Seattle Times

---

The Brethren Witness office is sponsoring a Monday evening Insight Session at this summer's Annual Conference. Titled "The End of the World as We Know It," the one-hour session will focus on current threats to the global ecosystem and ways Brethren can respond as good stewards of God's creation. Presenters will include Chris Eberly, Creation Stewardship Advocate for Mid-Atlantic District, and Don Vermilyea, program volunteer in the Brethren Witness office in the area of discipleship education.

Want to cut down on the amount of unsolicited mail you receive? Send your request, along with every possible spelling and configuration of your name, to: Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.

Annual per capita paper consumption in the US: 760 pounds.

---

The Average American
Granted that none of our readers are "average" when it comes to caring for the earth, but there still may be interest in a new resource that premiered in the March Messenger. On one side of the double-sided flyer, statistics of the average American's impact on the environment are provided, while on the other are actions that can be taken by those who don't want to be "average" in their care for the creation.

The flyer can be made into a handy counter-top reminder of steps we can take to be better stewards. A tear-off panel allows the reader to send in a contribution to the If a Tree Falls... campaign.

Copies of the flyer are available from the Brethren Witness office.

Does it feel warm in here to you...?
The US government and citizens in general continue to resist serious efforts to curb fossil fuel consumption, or to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants. SUVs, the gas guzzlers that symbolize our disregard for carbon emissions, now account for 49 percent of all new vehicle sales in the U.S.

Choosing not to stick it's head in the sand concerning this global emergency, the Church of the Brethren General Board approved a global warming resolution at its March meeting. The statement called on the government and on church membership to take serious steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For a copy of the document, contact the Brethren Witness office. Study and action materials in climate change will soon be available from the Brethren Witness Office.

...then turn on a light....
A compact florescent light bulb, that is. Just one of these energy efficient bulbs, when replacing a standard bulb, saves half a ton of CO2 emissions in its 10-year life span!

Youth groups across the denomination will soon be invited to sell CFB's in their congregations and communities as a way of raising money and cutting energy consumption. This project is an initiative of the Eco-Justice Working Group of the NCCCUSA, with Brethren Press serving as the lead marketing and distribution center.

Watch for a chance to support your youth while also taking a bite out of global warming.

...and plant a tree
It's no accident that trees play a key role in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, trees are recognized for their symbolic and practical meanings. God and the biblical writers knew long ago that trees are more than ornamentation for the earth–they represent life itself.

The If a Tree Falls... campaign of the Church of the Brethren honors the vital importance of trees to our mental, spiritual and physical well-being. The purpose of the program is to assist in the purchase of rain forest in Belize and in the reforestation of badly denuded land in Guatemala. Contributions to a special designated fund make this possible.

In 2000, Brethren gave over $8,000 to this effort. At least that much is needed again this year, as we have pledged $5000 for the reforestation program in Guatemala alone.

A colorful educational/promotional flyer is available, as are bulletin-size hand-outs, an activity guide, and a full-color display. Contact the Brethren Witness office for more information. Or just send money! (make checks payable to Church of the Brethren General Board with If a Tree Falls... in memo line)

Go and see this project in person on next year's Faith Expedition to Belize and Guatemala. See article in "Branching Out" section.

---

"On Earth as It is in Heaven"
Making these words more of a reality will be the goal of a late spring environmental conference being held at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Working Group, the May 20-23 event will bring together Christian environmentalists from all across the nation and from many denominations, along with an outstanding roster of leadership.

Cost for the May event is $145 for room, meals and program and $70 for commuters. Contact the Brethren Witness office for more information.

Alaska!
As The Third Day goes to press, plans are in the works for a Faith Expedition to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Tentative dates are August 6-15, 2001.

The trip is spurred by recent reports of government interest in opening the Refuge for oil drilling. Meetings would be arranged with native Gwich'in leaders, naturalists and Christian environmentalists. A river trip into the ANWR would be planned.

Approximate cost would be $1,000, plus round trip air fare. Scholarships are available for youth and young adults. The group will be limited to 12 people. Contact the Brethren Witness office immediately for more information.

Faith Expeditions to Tropics
Join Tom Benevento for a Faith Expedition to Guatemala from October 28-November 3, 2001. The delegation will visit a community of returned refugees while also seeing Brethren-supported environmental projects.

For the third year, Brethren are invited to travel to Belize and Guatemala on a Faith Expedition with an environmental focus. While exploring the rainforest is the main focus of the Belize segment of this trip, the group will also explore ecosystems as diverse as caves, rivers and coral reefs. In Guatemala, participants will see Brethren-supported projects related to wood-conserving stoves and water storing cisterns, along with reforestation efforts. January 7-13/17, 2002 are the tentative dates for the trip.

Contact Lauryn Estes at the Brethren Witness office for more information.

Vermilyea Begins
BVSer Don Vermilyea has begun a volunteer assignment with the Brethren Witness office. While his "day job" will continue to be his volunteer placement at The Meeting Place in Elkton, MD, he is hoping to spend many weekends traveling to congregations to talk about discipleship as this relates to stewardship of God's creation.

Learn more about Don in the article "Friends of the Earth" in the March Messenger, where he is one of the "friends" featured. Then invite him to your congregation for an interesting and challenging experience.

Contact Don at PO Box 808, Elkton, MD 21922; (410) 275-2936; email: info@meetingground.org

Two for the Earth
Two northern Virginia congregations are taking intentional steps to practice good earth stewardship.

The Manassas Church of the Brethren is developing a plan to make its facilities a model of good stewardship of God's earth. Included is an effort to move toward being "paper free," banning the use of paper products in serving meals, purchasing office paper with a high post-consumer recycled content, and recycling all paper used in the church program. One part of their campaign was to focus on creation care during a weekend emphasis in which David Radcliff and Don Vermilyea served as resource leaders.

The congregation's Witness Commission has spear-headed the initiative. It hasn't hurt that the church counts among its membership Chris Eberly, Creation Stewardship Advocate for the Mid-Atlantic district.

Another key player has been the Junior High class. This energetic group has taken the lead in the recycling program, setting up bins in the foyer to recycle. The group is also planning to write Living Word bulletin publishers to call on the company to use paper stock with a high post-consumer content, and to say this on the bulletins themselves.

Just down the road from Manassas, the Nokesville Church of the Brethren has begun a campaign among its children to support the If A Tree Falls... program of forest preservation in Central America. The congregation ordered a full-color display, bulletin inserts and background materials to publicize the effort.

According to Witness Chair and Sunday School teacher Kim Gough, the congregation involves the children in a spring project each year. "We've focused on meeting people's needs in the past," she said. "We wanted the children to realize we also need to care for nature." The four-week emphasis will conclude with a dessert/talent night to celebrate the campaign.

---

When I look up at these giants
Through a canopy of leaves
I can see the hands of heaven reaching down
It's like a stained glass window
In a church made of trees
Where the light gently falls on hallowed ground
If I failed to notice, I'd be wasting my eyes
In this picture so perfect, I realize that
God must love the color green
God must love the color green

When the wind is in the prairie
And it stirs a joyful dance
I can see that God is moving in this place
He's painted bright and bold
He's painted every blade of grass
Taking pleasure in these pleasures that I take
Filled to overflowing with all the colors of life
In this picture so perfect, I realize that
God must love the color green
God must love the color green

He has a plan for this
That I must play a part in
To love all creation
As the keeper of His garden
It's a little bit of heaven here on earth
I know what it means, I know what it's worth
I know

That God must love the color green
God must love the color green

—Mark Laudeman
Lakeville, IN

Mark wrote this song for daughter Emily to sing when she does presentations on the If A Tree Falls...program. Emily's efforts are featured in the March Messenger.