EARTH DAY

STILL BEAUTIFUL STILL TIME.

Yesterday marked the 4oth anniversary of what has become know as Earth Day. The idea for this global holiday was first suggested by John McConnel at a U. N. conference on the environment in 1969. Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson took the lead in organizing what was in the early years know as an "Environmental Teach In" at college campuses across the U.S. That first Earth Day attracted some 20 million people with the goal of promoting a healthy sustainable environment. It is recognized as the beginning of the modern environmental movement.

He chose the week of April 19- 25 as the best possible week in the Spring. A midweek date because it didn't interfere with other college activities, thus April 22nd. Though I don't think this played any role at all the man most consider the first environmentalist, Saint Francis of Assisi was born on that date. He is known as the Patron Saint of animals and the environment.

His attitude on the natural world was conventionally Christian. He believed the World was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the sin of man. He preached to man "the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves".

Forty years later this global celebration know as Earth Day attracts some 500 million participants in 175 countries. It is somewhat disappointing to me as I was on one of those college campuses for the first Environmental Teach In, that it has taken this long to move to where we are now . Much of our attitude for the environment still isn't tied to what St. Francis called our duty to God but our concern for our wallets (the high price of everything due to depletion and shortages).

There is no better example of what happens to a country and it's environment through greed and shortsightedness than Haiti. It was once the most prosperous and richest colony in the New World today it is on the brink of economic and environmental devastation. The reason I write about this today is that G.A.P. Ministry's Feet Across The Mountain outreach is involved in agriculture, reforestation, clean water and other environmental projects in the mountains of Haiti. I have been researching and talking with other like minded organizations working in the country and it is encouraging that there still might be enough time to turn things around. If your praying for our G.A.P. Ministry work in Haiti please pray that God will bless the work we are engaged in there.