Willcox is transitional pastor at Tree of Life Church in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Youngblood is parish associate at Shandon Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Youngblood is a nurse technician in the trauma unit of a Columbia hospital. PECās Mindy Hidenfelter put on the webinar.
Webinar participants began by watching a talk that Tull recorded on Lesson One, āEnvironmental Justice,ā which explores these verses from the prophet Ezekiel: 33:21, 34:8; 17 and 18ā19. Hereās Tullās translation of verses 18ā19: āIs it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must your feet also trample what remains of your pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you pollute the rest with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have polluted with your feet?ā
āThough written long before modern pollution evolved, itās a straightforward image of what pollution looks like,ā Tull said. āEzekiel understood quite well that resource greed of some meant degradation and disease for others.ā
In āLet Justice Roll Down,ā Tull quotes this Environmental Protection Agency definition: āEnvironmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.ā
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As Tull points out, itās only in the past four decades that we even had a name for environmental justice. Dr. Robert Bullard conducted a landmark study, āDumping in Dixie,ā documenting the placement of landfills near Black neighborhoods throughout Houston. In 2007, Bullard contributed to āToxic Wastes and Race at 20, 1987ā2007,ā a United Church of Christ report.
āBy telling stories of those who are working for justice,ā Tull said, āwe can become more aware of what our role can be.ā
Webinar participants were divided into small groups to discuss questions, including:
What similarities do you see between Ezekielās metaphor of the sheep and environmental inequities today? What differences do you see?
Read the EPA statement out loud. What does this articulation of environmental justice include? What surprises, if any, do you discover?
Why do you think fair treatment is paired with meaningful involvement in the EPA statement? What might be some roadblocks to meaningful involvement?
What examples have you seen of various pollutants mentioned in this lesson, or others?
It is easier to point out environmental harms than to correct them. Can you recall efforts you have made or seen that address such problems in your community? What has resulted?
āFriends,ā Willcox said as the 75-minute session came to a close, āthis time together made my heart very happy. Thank you.ā
Presbyterians for Earth Care will offer the remainder of the āLet Justice Roll Downā Bible study on the fourth Sunday of each month. Upcoming dates are Nov. 24, Dec. 22, Jan. 26, Feb. 23, March 23, April 27 and May 25. Learn more here.
Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service
Today's Focus: Presbyterians for Earth Care is offering a monthly webinar on the Presbyterian Women/Horizons Bible study for 2024ā25