Have you ever wondered what Dr. Seuss’s stout character the Lorax and the United Methodist Church might have in common? Well honestly, I would be surprised if you had. But indulge me for a moment by considering the possibilities. Once you begin recalling the whimsical illustrations yet raw themes of Dr. Seuss’s colorful environmental tale, it might not be too hard to scrape up an answer: both entities realize the sincere importance of creation care and declare it in ways they deem most effective. (The Lorax had a habit of “shouting and puffing” to get his point across—surely we don’t know any good Methodists like that!)

One of The United Methodist Church’s clear avenues of sharing the importance of creation care is through camp and retreat ministries. In fact, one of the Seven Foundations of United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries is to specifically Teach Creation Care and Appreciation. While I can’t stake any claims that the Lorax was a practicing Methodist, I can say with certainty that he shared some of the same values. One section of the Social Principles (found in The 2016 Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church) reads:

All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect. (Read the whole text here)

Readers of this UMCRM blog are likely to already regard Creation with a certain sacredness. It is likely you have experienced the presence of God while sitting on an old log around an outdoor campfire, heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit as you strolled through the still woods. You have probably gaped in awe of our Creator as you gazed at a magnificent mountain or as you lay beneath the vast spattering of stars across a soundless night sky, silently beckoning your heart to worship. I’m sure you can sympathize with the Psalmist as he exclaimed, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1)

As we ponder the wisdom and magnificence of our Creator, take a moment to consider your connection with nature a step further—do you only appreciate it, or do you care for it? Do you only consume it, or do you give back to it? Do the actions of your daily life benefit it or harm it?

In my work at Outdoor Science Camp, one of the primary themes we try to impart to students is the practice of stewardship of the creation. We encourage them to pick up trash, remove invasive plant species from local ecosystems, protect and conserve watersheds, and weigh their food waste at each meal. We do these things not only because God has given us the responsibility to steward the precious, life-giving resources to which we so readily have access, but also to teach that consuming anything in excess can be harmful. The more resources one consumer uses, the fewer another has. You’ve heard it said, “Live simply so others may simply live.” How might the way we live day-to-day perhaps impact a neighbor down the street or another across the ocean?

A favorite game we play at Outdoor Science Camp to demonstrate consumption and balance in an ecosystem is called Oh Deer. Students are divided into two groups, some as deer and others as resources, which include food, water, and shelter. The group collectively decides “symbols” to represent each resource. (Making waves with one’s hands to represent water, for example.) The resources and deer are placed in separate lines facing one another. The deer each choose one of the three resources they would like to “find” during a particular round and tell the facilitator which they will be looking for. When the round begins, each stationary resource puts up the symbol to represent which resource he is providing for that round, and each deer tries to tag the resource she told the facilitator she is hoping to find. If she tags the resource before another deer does, she lives another round and the resource becomes a deer as well, causing the deer population to increase; conversely, if she doesn’t tag the resource she needs, she becomes a resource herself and the deer population decreases. During the game, we graph each round to illustrate that when an ecosystem contains more consumers than resources, the deer population is, over time, affected, thus demonstrating the need for balance in an ecosystem. I always like to take discussion of this game a step further by relating it back to the concept of stewardship. A phrase I find myself frequently using is: “Anything we consume in excess can be harmful.” When the strongest, fastest, wealthiest, most privileged consumers use resources more quickly than the resources can support or be distributed to the whole, some consumers don’t survive. I know that for me, it’s easy to feel far-removed from those lives receiving the “picked through” or “left-over” resources or those being detrimentally affected by our consumption, but that does not mean it’s not happening, and it certainly doesn’t mean we should be allowed to avert our eyes.

I challenge you to prayerfully take a few moments for an introspective look at how you consume. A few questions you might ask yourself are: What do I consume on a regular basis? Which items are a necessity, and which just a luxury? Where is [object of consumption] sourced? Is there a particular area in my life that I can simplify, thus decreasing my consumption? Do some of the things I consume place a greater burden on God’s Creation; and how might I minimize the environmental and human footprint of my daily choices?

I believe that as the church, we are to be at the leading edge of creation care, not only because we have been entrusted an incredible creation by a more magnificent Creator, but because our consumption of the earth and its resources affects other people, children made in the image of the Creator himself. So what do we do? What might be a next step? In the words of Dr. Seuss, spoken through the Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” It is our duty and blessing, as followers of a good Creator, to help things “get better,” participating in the redemption of the whole Creation that God has promised. We honor the Creator when we live lightly and help those who camp, learn, and retreat with us also to grow in their care for creation.

As you observe Earth Day this weekend in whatever ways you celebrate, I invite you and those you teach and lead to consider your own day-to-day consumption of resources, perhaps trying a new way to simplify. Let us encourage one another in the joy of simplicity and hold each other accountable to the discipline of it. Of this, I think the Lorax would be proud. In this practice, we honor God’s commandments and our United Methodist values. I believe our Creator might just be smiling as well.

Genée Morrison and her husband Zane live in Santa Cruz, CA, where they both enjoy teaching at Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School. Although this is their second year in CA, they have deep roots in Kentucky, where they spent many summers at Aldersgate UM Camp and Retreat Center, the place their passion for camp ministry was fostered. In her free time Genée enjoys hiking, climbing at the rock gym, and experimenting in the kitchen. Her most recent experiments include chocolate kidney bean dip and garbanzo bean curry. Genée also serves on the UMCRM Association Board of Directors.