Destructivist or Anti-Destructivist?

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Letter from Mark:

How numerous are your works, Lord!

   You have made them all wisely;

     the earth is filled with your creations. 

All of them look to you

   to provide them their food at the proper time.

 They receive what you give them;

   when you open your hand,

     they are filled with good things. Psalm 104: 24, 27, 28

Dear friends,

We are living in a time of climate crisis. Our way of living is destroying God’s creation. I just finished listening to Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist.” It is an incredible book, and it made me think about the connections between racism and our destruction of the natural world. I would like to introduce you to two new phrases that have been pinging around in my head: ecological destructivist and ecological anti-destructivist.

An ecological destructivist is someone who expresses an idea that supports harm to or destruction of the natural world, and/or who, through action or inaction, supports policies and activities that result in harm or destruction to the natural world. An ecological anti-destructivist is someone who expresses an idea that supports care for and regeneration of the natural world, and who supports policies and participates in actions that eliminate harm to and support regeneration of the natural world. My question for myself, my family and for you is, which will we choose to be?

[ngg src="galleries" ids="1161" display="pro_horizontal_filmstrip" show_captions="1"]In 2018, the people of the Latin American Biblical University (UBL) based in the city of Montes de Oca, just to the east of San José, Costa Rica, began a journey of becoming a “green seminary,” an institution that would, in word and action, search out ways to reduce harm to ecological systems and begin regenerative practices that would help heal the damage already done. In January 2020, Jenny, Keila, Annika and I moved to Costa Rica to support this ministry. Jenny and I became part of the “Equipo de UBL Verde,” the “Green UBL Team.” The team is made up of students, members of the administration and faculty, including our colleague Karla Koll, also from Presbyterian World Mission. Karla is director of the seminary’s College of Biblical Science and is a specialist in church history and the theology of mission; she also makes astoundingly good brownies and banana bread.

Since it began in 2018, the Green UBL Team has succeeded in making a deep impact on how the institution functions. In 2019 UBL began to address its electrical consumption by installing a large array of solar panels. In January of this year, we discovered that in 2022 the panels produced a net surplus of 5,300 kW/h. Last year, Mauricio, the university administrator, worked with handyman César to also install a simple system for collecting rainwater. The system filters the rainwater and makes it usable for washing the laundry in the residence building. Mauricio was proud to show me that in the three months the system was operating in 2022, the university reduced its use of treated city water by around 32,000 gallons. UBL has indeed become a model for the faithful application of theologically founded practices of Earth Care.

It feels good to be part of a movement of ecological anti-destructivism. One of my main roles is helping to care for two community gardens. Huerta Rocoto or Rocoto Garden is a community garden serving the people within the university. The name for the garden, “Rocoto” comes from a Peruvian hot pepper that a residential student from Peru, Joseline, planted in 2022, a few months before she finished her degree work and returned to her ministry in Peru. Joseline was a garden fanatic, and she pulled me into the work when I was still trying to find my place here. Joseline made me feel welcome and useful and through her, I began to feel real ownership for the work. Rocoto is now a highly productive, organic urban garden. We’re producing healthy herbs and vegetables year-round; our community composting system is providing a cubic yard of compost every two or three months; we have 12 recycled tires full of composting red worms; we are producing some of our own vegetable and flower starts. Right now, we have over 200 spinach starts! Friday has become a day when dedicated students and other volunteers work all morning weeding and fertilizing, pruning, and transplanting. In addition to the regulars, Rocoto Garden attracts international volunteers who come to UBL. Our friend Chrys initially came to UBL mainly to work in the library but has let herself get drawn deeply into the work of both Rocoto and Girasoles gardens.

Huerta Girasoles, or Sunflower Garden, is on 1,200 square yards of land that belongs to UBL. Separated from the main campus by a long cement block wall, a simple door of wood and tin roofing opens the way in. Since UBL began its ecological initiative in 2018, the Green UBL Team has had a vision of using this land to serve the local community of Cedros. A couple of ideas came and went, but the seed that germinated was to use it as a space for a second community garden “owned” and run by people from Cedros. The Green UBL Team initiated this process at the end of 2022. We now have about 18 people from Cedros who are part of an online chat group, sharing ideas and information about gardening in general, and about the Sunflowers Garden in particular. 

Estrella, from Cedros, is a tall stately woman in her late 60s. Thursday is her day to water Sunflowers Garden. One of five members of the coordinating team for the garden, Estrella is the first person in our group chat to confirm her participation in each workshop and garden activity. She brought her daughter to the medicinal plants workshop in April, and she inspired Jenny and me to invent a version of BINGO based on new garden vocabulary. Estrella is also responsible for Julio. In his 70s, Julio is a handyman is the Cedros member who built the bench for the new red worms tires.

Almost all of us want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Psalm 104 is filled with God’s love for God’s creation. God yearns for us to be ecological anti-destructivists. The Earth Care Pledge program, housed in the office of the Presbyterian Hunger program is one great option. Please contact Jessica Maudlin (jessica.maudlin@pcusa.org) to find ways of becoming involved.

Thanks to each of you for your prayers for us and for our world, and for your dedication to being part of God’s mission.

Mark