What being green truly means

Jared Poland
Bachelor of Arts student
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia

A green higher education provider would model holistic spirituality to its staff and students and include an ecological dimension in its curriculum.

So argued Rev Dr Graham Buxton in his “Christians and creation care: from hubris to humility” lecture at Avondale College of Higher Education this past Thursday (September 12). He also envisioned a green higher education provider as committing to justice and to an agenda for sustainability, with staff and students actively engaging with community environmental groups.

Graham is head of postgraduate studies in the School of Ministry, Theology and Culture at Tabor Adelaide. He serves as Tabor’s liaison for the worldwide Seminary Stewardship Alliance, a consortium of education institutions dedicated to reconnecting Christians with the biblical call to care for God’s creation. When Christians focus on the destruction of the Earth rather than its renewal, they are in danger of neglecting their responsibility to care for creation, said Graham.

He used “creation” instead of “environment” to make a point. “‘Creation’ is a God word,” said Graham. Describing nature as “our environment” makes it part of the human world, he added, noting we were created not to live above or apart from nature but in communion with it. However, our view of nature needs to change “from the hubris of ‘we can fix it’ to ‘cosmic humility’ . . . can we really tame nature?”

“Speaking of nature in terms of creation care rather than environmental issues brings back a spiritual dimension,” says Brad Watson, a senior lecturer in international development studies at Avondale and a member of its Sustainability Committee. It is also a reminder, particularly to Seventh-day Adventists, to think more deeply about the environment. “We tend to think we have it wrapped up because of our belief in the Sabbath and in creation,” says president Professor Ray Roennfeldt, “but, in fact, we need to be shaken up a bit!”