What were the steps involved in your decision to use less energy in your home, and who or what influenced these decisions?

My mum has always shown me the way – not to waste food, turn off appliances when not in use, keep the last run of water from the washing machine for cleaning the toilet, etc. This was way before green issues gained traction. Limited family finance was probably the prime motivation. Things are certainly better now and creature comforts have been gradually added over the years. But somehow we never found the need for air-conditioning. There were days when the weather was really warm and the solution was simply to go and take another shower (without using the heater, of course). Several years ago, I came across an article on standby power taking up a significant proportion of the electrical bill. Then I realized many appliances at home were on standby and were not frequently used. Why allow electricity to leak? I decided to turn them off. My mum has always been at it, I was the one who needed reform.

I had a friend who once remarked, “Live simply, and you will simply live.” I also found out years ago that I had a rare eye condition that could have been triggered by stress. Taken together, it got me asking myself: “Could life be made simpler?” So it was more than just trying to be green, it was part of a bigger question of “removing baggage” and being a work-in-progress steward. Some days I succeeded, some days I failed. But I felt I must at least grapple or struggle with it.

How would you describe your lifestyle?

There are still a lot of areas that I am grappling with. I am only learning to be aware of the impact of my actions. My current lifestyle is simple but not spartan. Thankfully, my workplace is near home and so it makes owning a car far less compelling. And that opens up a lot of possibilities to do more significant things. I still do enjoy little pleasures from time to time – traveling is one. The general rule I try to abide by is: Live a little below my means, and then a little more, if I can afford it.

What keeps you motivated when some days you feel like giving up?

Actually there have been some days I simply gave up! Over time, I found that altruism alone does not last very long for me. What seems more motivating is to resolve ironies and generate two or more benefits from them. Several months ago, I had wanted to increase my frequency of physical exercise but just could not find time for it. Then it dawned upon me that I could take the stairs instead of using the lift. So that’s one less demand on a public facility and one more routine for a healthy heart.

Explain the theology behind your beliefs or in other words, how has the Bible informed your worldview?

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Ps 24:1). Let God not find it in ruins on the day of reckoning. And I suspect it reflects the collective spiritual condition as well. When God put Adam in the Garden the intent was for him to cultivate it and keep it (Gen 2:15). I understand the Hebrew word for “keep,” i.e. “shamar,” has the notion of “keep, watch, preserve.” I take it to mean caring for it in a sustainable way. So by extension, I believe the Greater Eden should similarly be shamar-ed. How do we then shamar the earth? When the Israelites collected the manna, they were instructed to take what they needed. Feedback was immediate for those who tried to push the envelope – in the form of bad food infested with maggots (Ex 16:20). The difference today is that the consequence of our actions is imperceptible and removed from us (both in time and distance). We do not see how our individual actions could collectively bring about unintended consequences. But nature is not keeping silent. I am afraid when it does fight back it might come fast and furious. And then ironically, the land will finally enjoy its Sabbath rest (Lev 26:34, 35).

What are some other things you would like to do but haven’t been able to so far?

Some time ago, I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and it inspired a thought: I would like to have a small plot to grow my own greens. This is not aimed at self-sufficiency. But I think it would be fun to appreciate the process of converting the sun’s energy into food. I’d like to know what I eat is not an outcome of a transaction but someone has put in effort to bring it to the table. I had a taste of it when I grew my own rice not long ago. By the way, it was not much of a harvest, not even a spoonful, but for me it was deeply satisfying.

How did your family and friends react toward your conservation efforts?

I am mainly experimenting. So I seldom talk about it with friends. Some have expressed surprise that there is such a community that gives things away such as SgFreeCycle. Others have wanted to do something similar but did not know the resource. But at home, this has been a fun conversation topic with my mum.

Share a story with us from your environmental endeavors over the last few years.

When I first signed up with Bookmooch, an online book exchange platform, I was quite skeptical. Even though there were some safeguards built-in, there were still ways to beat the system. And so I thought, “Why would anybody send a book to a stranger halfway round the globe?” “What if the sender shortchanged me?” Quite unexpectedly, it became an instructive exercise that surfaced some deep-seated stereotypes, even faultlines. It’s just books, one may say, don’t take it too hard. But I think better to have them surfaced in little things, rather than big ones. I do not know to what extent did I save the earth, I think being more self-aware is already a big plus.

What are the biggest challenges you think Singapore and the greater global village face?

In the past when societies were organized around agriculture, there was a certain awareness that what sustained us was dependent on natural cycles and the elements. It was encoded in our culture – in the form of harvest celebrations, rituals to ask for rain, etc. Today, especially in the cities, we are less sensitive to these factors. The ability to get what we want is (perceived) to hinge on only how much money we have. Perhaps this has sent us in the wrong direction.

I think a lot of products are not priced correctly. There seems to be no effective way to account for the externalities like pollution and irreversible damages on the place of origin. But many are beginning to be more aware and there are some promising new technologies on the horizon. We will have to encourage more people to make good choices rather than the proverbial cynic who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing (Oscar Wilde).

Tan Chee Leong is a research engineer and worships at Covenant Evangelical Free Church. He enjoys reading, tending to his small collection of herbs, diving, and traveling to rural locations for hikes or walks. His pet peeves include second-hand smoke and the phrase “at the end of the day.”

The New American Standard Bible has been referenced.

Our first modern day environmental crisis wave appeared in the 70s with doomsday predictions in almost every area of supply, health, and survival. I remember the dire predictions of only seven years of oil remaining, ten years of copper, starvation for the planet, etc., etc., etc. It was part of the force that compelled me to get my first university degree in Environmental Science.

Almost forty years later, we are in the midst of another wave. The current doomsday predictions have a different twist but will likely be written about forty years from now as unfulfilled as the previous predictions. In trying to make a point, too often facts are exaggerated and they produce the wrong reaction: inaction.

Is there a problem or is it all hype? As Christians, how do we respond to it and those who are waving its banner? If we take a good look at the causes versus the symptoms we can see our role in the real problems and how we can lead others through the maze of legislations, “ecotage,” and green phraseology.

First, is there a problem? Yes. Greed, selfishness, and a disregard for others is always a problem. The disparity between what some have and what others don’t is too obvious to ignore and it doesn’t take much thinking to see that the resources some use could benefit many others.

With worldwide communication, it is also clear that the poorer countries are exploited economically and environmentally by those that desire their resources. The poorer nations are willing to trade their resources for a chance at a better life. They are ravaging their own countries without regard for the consequences.

If the wealthy nations didn’t have an insatiable appetite for material things, the poor countries wouldn’t have to sacrifice their resources and environment for the survival economy it creates. In the developed nations, a factory would never be allowed to do what is done in third world countries. Factories should be forced to clean up the water and air they pollute. However, these costs are avoided in third world countries and the consuming nations get their products at a cheaper price (but at a much higher real cost).

If left unchecked, this kind of irresponsible living brings down all the natural systems and in time, the human systems we know today. How long this will take will depend on how we respond to the real problems at hand. How do we respond without losing the balance that Jesus brings between the complex issues of life?

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Mt 7:12)

If we apply that to the environmental situation then we need to see that our over-consumption helps lead to scarcity. Our need for inordinate profit and financial return increases the likelihood for exploitation. Someone has to pay for lunch, there really is no such thing as a free one. So pay a fair price and don’t overeat.

We need to look at the material things we have as though we were trying to do the most good with them. The first direction humans were ever given involved our “rule over” creation. How much material resources we need should be based on what is good for all and not on our style preferences or boredom with a particular article of clothing.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Gen 1:26)

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Phil 4:10-13)

We also lose one of our best witnessing tools when we distance ourselves from the creation that many non-Christians are trying to protect. Christians should be naturalists as they admire and draw inspiration and encouragement from God’s handiwork. The best tract ever written gets rewritten every day: creation.

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the Gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ (Rom 1:14-17)

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (italics mine) (Rom 1:18-20)

When we distance ourselves from creation, we leave people to come up with their own conclusions and the lifestyles that result. Worship the Creator and with admiration, be wise stewards of His creation. This means that we recycle, only take what we need, reuse and pass on material goods, and constantly give credit for creation to the Creator. If we keep His creation sharp and in focus, it is a powerful witnessing opportunity. If we don’t, He tells us what will happen.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen. (Rom 1:21-25)

Our concern for these misinformed people should override any repulsion their actions might create. They are first and foremost another example of His creation that we need to do our best by.

The application of these convictions produces a Christian who is very green in an environmental sense but also one who is more loving and more influential for culture change and witnessing.

By being “green” we would also get “caught” doing some of the “good works” that we were created for. Churches should be known for their ability to utilize people’s resources to impact the world; through food and clothing banks, overseas mission trips that help in any area of need, and through a low carbon footprint as they recycle and reuse as much as possible. That always creates a positive platform for the Gospel.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10)

For each of us, a season of evaluation and change will help prepare us to increase our impact with the resources that come our way. But never lose sight of the real treasure here on earth, the ultimate resource: people.

Mark Schaufler graduated with a degree in Environmental Science and has a Master of Arts in Biblical Literature. He is an author and the founder of Finish-the-Race.org, a youth ministry training program in the United States. He also started and is the CEO of MST Ministries, providing evangelistic preaching, training, and resources; leading over a hundred short term missions on six continents since 1984. Visit www.mstgo.com to find out more about Mark’s ministry.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.