Jesus or Buddha? part 2

Sustainability:

Pronunciation: \sə-ˈSta-nə-bəl\
Function: adjective
Date: circa 1727
1 : capable of being sustained2 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged b : of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods

Now there is a flury of other definitions that can be, and are used. Each class that I've taken these last two semesters have all given me a different definition. But this is one pretty good though the ecologist in me would like to add a more pertinent definition relating more to this blog. Lets just add that being sustainable is using resources in a way that 1) meets our needs and 2) does not affect future generations ability to meet their needs.
So with that being said I'm going to repeat what was in the previous blog. Christianity is the only religion that can save the environment. How? Well, if we are called to meet the needs of others, and then we continue to meet their needs indefinitely, isn't that sustainability in its rawest form? Now you might argue with me by saying that we can meet the needs of others in different forms after one resource is depleted. True, however the goal of scientists in this world of shifting baselines is not to restore the pristine nature of an ecosystem, it is to maintian basic and foundational ecological functions (big fish eat smaller fish which feed and stuff that make their food from the sun.....essentially, and biodiversity is protected and nature is able to run its course).
But how does Jesus fit into all this. Let's reveal. The world today is producing more calories than it ever has, ever. Yet over 1 billion people will go hungry today. 80 percent of all corn grown in the United States is fed to....livestock. If you are a corn farmer you make 3 cents on every dollar spent on corn products. If you produce eggs you make $0.60. The world takes anywhere from 15-25 percent of its protein from the ocean. 70 % of all fish stocks have been fished to or past their capacity. The Philippines has to now import rice because of young adults leaving centuries old traditions for the big cities. How about this, 20 % of the world consumes 80 % of the worlds natural resources. Since 1970 the CAFE (fuel economy) in automobiles has risen roughly 1 % every year, but for some reason transportaton is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. We however are oblivious. We have full grocery stores! The local fish market is re-stocked every day. I don't get sick when I take a breath. There are plenty of forest all aroundme......so there can't possibly be anything wrong, right? A car also will run fine until there is no more gas, right? And I can always take another breath out of my tank until there is none left, right? We are doing it. The whole meeting the worlds needs thing, the first part at least, by producing enough food. So what's going wrong? Not sure. Greed? Gluttony? Laziness? Apathy? Ignorance?
But the point I want to get at is this. Who stands poised to take on these challenges. It's the girl on a mission trip giving medicine to people in Panama. It's the surfer who carries a few extra bags of rice with him on a boat trip in Indo. What about the guy who has the knowledge to restore ecosytem functions to free people of unsustainable use use of a endangered resource. We can reduce our footprint as much as we want. We can not eat meat. We can ride our bike to ....everywhere. These are all great things. All very important. But what theses things lack are that they don't treat the cause of environmental problems.....people. It's by caring for and helping provide for people that we will start to see the problems solved. Which is exactly what Jesus told us to do, right?



More to come>>>>>>>