"On July 5, I spent the day at a World Environment Day celebration in a camp known as Loresho on the outskirts of the village of Ruvu Mungano in the district of Same in Tanzania. Loresho camp has been established by the Tanzanian government to help relocate people who have been affected by the flooding of the Ruvu River. The guest of honor for the ceremony was the Regional Commissioner who spoke of the relief the government was providing to the people and also how all the people of Same can make a difference on World Environment Day. The focus for the celebration was planting trees, which was done at the end of the ceremony to show a good example.
After the regional commissioner spoke, the regional bishop of the KKKT (in Swahili it is Kanisa la Kinjili la Kiluteri Tanzania) Northern Diocese Lutheran Church spoke about World Environment Day as well. Because the ceremony was given in Swahili, Mr. Gerry Mmbaga, who works for the Kilimanjaro Hope Organization (Kiho), did his best to translate it for me.
The Bishop spoke about the Bible, and how God created the world but he created the man last. As he created the first man, Adam, he ordered him to take care of each and every thing concerning the environment. He also discussed how conserving the world was ordered by God because the environment is life; without the environment there is no life. He emphasized that God created the world first and the man last and ordered the man in the Eden Garden to take care of the environment.
The translation from Swahili to English can sometimes be tough, but the main idea remains. If you would like to read more about Kiho, you can click here. If you are interested in learning more, I will be posting more about the religious organizations in Marwa, a village in the Same district, and how they engage with sustainable community development".
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted a robust environmental social statement in 1993. Many themes are similar to those voiced by other religions in that it focuses on humanity’s responsibility to the environment and the call to act as the stewards of the earth. The statement notes that problems of environmental degradation have been caused by humanity, and it is up to us to restore nature to its former condition. All people of the earth need to take part, and this statement calls for action by everyone.
As a country full of natural resources, the impact of climate change is not always realized. However, our actions impact countries all over the world that have no choice in the matter. Hunger and Climate Change describes the effects that climate change has on places around the globe and future impacts on the United States.