An Inconvenient Excuse?

Environmentalism is everywhere now. Well, not everywhere, but pretty ubiquitous. Flex fuel! Canvas Whole Foods bags! Organic bedsheets! Even evangelical Christians (a historically anti-liberal-platform bunch) are entering the fray, coming together to agree that we need to be better stewards of God's creation. A gigantic church I keep up with did a sermon series in the summer called "God is Green". The former vice president of the US won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global climate change. I'm not getting ready to deny the effects of humanity on this planet, or say that the American way of life shouldn't have to change just because of some stupid ozone.

I think that the thing that concerns me about the whole climate change/environmentalism/"going green" discussion is the moral overtones it's been imbued with, particularly in Christian circles. Yes, the earth is being exploited and we need to do something about it. But last I checked, girls in Bangkok are still being exploited in the sex trade, and children in sub-Saharan Africa are still being exploited as child soldiers (don't get me started on fair-trade and labor exploitation - I just finished reading Grapes of Wrath). I get the very uncomfortable feeling that many Americans are, in some respects, eager to latch onto "going green" as an easy way to do something that makes them feel good about themselves. There's no dealing with human beings beyond telling the grocery checker, "Oh, I brought my own bags".

I know I'm probably not the best person to take this position, since having a one-year-old considerably limits my contact with other people (think hermit-like existence), which in turn reduces my ability to get a broad opinion on this subject. I'm mostly working off of my observations and some discussions I've had recently with My Hero. I guess it bothers me that the conversations I hear tend toward, "which is better: driving across town to recycle, or throwing away bottles and saving the carbon emissions?" rather than, "which is better: spending quality time with my friends, or saving the $40 I could have spent on beer and sending it to someone who can buy a prostitute out of slavery with it?" After all, if you don't buy the stuff, you don't have to recycle the bottles.

So how about this? Instead of buying $10 canvas grocery bags, learn to knit and make your own. Or buy one of these - fair trade, supporting local economy. Christmas is coming...ever give anybody a duck? Or five?

Maybe saving the planet has more to do with how we treat each other than how big our carbon footprint is. Maybe if we screw in a fancy lightbulb, we should also give the homeless guy on the corner a hat and gloves. Maybe if God commanded us to be stewards of the rest of creation, and His Son commanded us to love one another, they're both right at the same time.