What does Earth Day mean to Christians?

A Rocha is encouraging Christians to care for the world God gave to us, especially today on Earth Day. 

Scott Gerbrandt is the Manitoba Director of A Rocha, a global network of Christian organizations who are working in nature conservation. The first field station started over 40 years ago in Portugal. 

"Our mission is to live out God's call to care for creation and equip others to do likewise," says Gerbrandt. 

Gerbrandt suggests a great place to start for people interested in taking better care of the Earth is to get into nature. 

"We tend to care for things that we actually know and love. A good first place to start is ask yourself, do you know the native plants in your yard and neighbourhood? Do you know the names of the birds in your vicinity? As you get to know these things, you discover that they're cool and you start to love and care for them."

Gerbrandt shares a few practical ways of reducing emissions would be to start composting and eat one non-meat meal a day. 

"I think it's important to make every day Earth Day. I think it's particularly important for believers because when we read in Scriptures, we understand that God loves the whole world."

For people interested in learning more about A Rocha and Earth conservation, they can check out their website. A Rocha will be hosting a Creation Care Conference June 14-16 in Winnipeg.