As people of faith, we know we are called to be caretakers of our precious home, the Earth. We can respond to it in many ways:
- In worship, we can praise and thank God the Creator for the gifts of creation;
- In our daily lives, we can take responsibility for how our actions impact the creation and our fellow creatures;
- As church members, we can make our congregations models of environmental awareness and responsibility;
- As citizens we can support laws and policies to maintain ecological health and secure sustainable livlihoods for all people.
Energy and Ethics
How we get and use energy – in our homes and churches as well as in our communities and the larger society – has a huge impact on the health of people and the rest of creation. By being more energy efficient and using more renewable energy resources, we can reduce harmful air pollution, create jobs, protect communities and landscapes from dangerous mining and drilling, reduce international tensions, and save money that can be used for other and better purposes.
There are many things that we can do as individuals and churches to reduce our dependence on dirty and damaging sources of energy. We can take simple and easy steps to conserve energy; install energy-efficient lights and appliances; walk, bike, carpool and take public transportation; sign up for our energy utilities’ renewable energy programs, install solar panels or geothermal heating systems; and so on.
However, for many of these actions, we need to have the right policies and programs in place at both the state and federal level. In Wisconsin, these include:
- Focus on Energy, a state program funded by utility ratepayers established to provide information, resources, and financial incentives to Wisconsin households, schools and businesses (including congregations) for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects;
- Wisconsin’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (also called a Renewable Energy Standard), a state policy that requires electricity providers to meet a statewide goal of obtaining 15% of their power from renewable energy resources by 2015.
As advocates for creation care, we can support keeping and strengthening these programs and policies. We can also urge new investments, incentives, and policies. We have the means, and we can generate the political will, to meet our energy needs responsibly, with justice and environmental integrity.
Join the WCC Advocacy Network to receive occasional e-mail alerts about opportunities to influence pending legislation relating to energy and the environment. You can also find information on state and federal elected officials, and contact them to express your views as a citizen and person of faith through our Legislative Alert Center.
Protect Creation from Climate Change
Humans are altering earth’s atmosphere in ways that threaten the well-being of creation. Burning coal and oil for energy, cutting down forests, and other activities release “greenhouse gases” (mainly carbon dioxide) that form a heat-trapping blanket around the earth. As the global average temperature increases, earth’s climate changes. Not only increased heat waves, but droughts, floods, storms, and species extinctions are among the likely results.
The good news is that there is much that we can do to reduce the threat of climate change – if we begin now. By working with others to practice good stewardship of energy in our homes, churches, and workplaces, and by supporting strong action at the state, regional, and federal level to curb climate change, each one of us can play a vital role in defending God’s creation. Visit the webpage of Wisconsin Interfaith Power and Light and explore these additional resources on climate change.
Religious and Ethical Resources
- World Council of Churches
- Interfaith Power and Light
- National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program
- National Climate Ethics Campaign
Scientific Resources
- United States Global Change Research Program
- Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- Climate Communications
Reconciled in Christ With Creator and Creation
The Worshipful Work of Caring for Creation, Wisconsin Council of Churches Policy Statement, Adopted December 12, 2006:
“As members of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, we call ourselves and our fellow Christians to repentance and to a renewed commitment to responsible living in our part of Creation. As Christian Communities, we have a responsibility to lift up the ethical and spiritual values that must guide our behavior as members of earth’s household.”
Read the Full Statement here (PDF file). Note: Download contains all WCC Policy Statements.
