Theology in Action
Organizing social change towards the issue of water contamination can help our world face one less environmental problem.
As Matthew Fox said in Creation Spirituality “All our relations implies all beings, things, the ones we see and ones we do not…all creation is a trace, a footprint, an offspring of the Godhead” (8).
He identifies that God created, is still creating, and will continue to create all creation around us, including the invisible and unimaginable. As working towards being good stewards of Earth, we should be in relationship with and take care of the ponds, streams, rivers, and oceans. Thus, as stewards we should share and be thankful for what we have in the world and appreciate the beauty, rather than simply using the waters unnecessarily and polluting it.
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." (Psalm 24:1-2; cf. Psalm 89:11; 1 Corinthians 10:26). This quote identifies the importance of creation especially with water and its necessity to life. God created the world and everything living in it “upon on the water” meaning that we rely on this water, which is provided with great care, love, and with the right intentions.
By contaminating our waters, we contaminate our respect towards God’s creation and love. Individuals believe that wasting water will not do any harm because we have so much of it. But this time of thinking only will ruin our environment even more because sooner or later all our water will turn toxic impacting us, animals, plants, and our whole ecosystem. Respecting and caring for our creation serves as a main issue of concern, but through small initiatives, we can accomplish bigger goals.
Water contamination can be dealt with by:
1) Educating oneself about the causes/impacts of water pollution to get an overview of the issue. Awareness plays a crucial role in eliminating water pollution because many are unaware about this issue due to the abundance of waters.
2) Removing extra chemicals from sidewalks in one’s nationhood can reduce the number of chemicals entering the storm drains in a rainy environment.
3) Using rain barrels to capture runoff from your roof and use them to water your garden. This conserves water as well as prevents runoff entering the sewage systems. When chemicals or runoff enters the sewage system and if the sewage system cannot sustain this, it overflows and also sometimes is released directly into the environment.
4) Taking action can be seen through the form of recycling and throwing trash into proper designated areas because throwing trash and other items on the streets can be taken into the water treatment systems, thus breaking it or contaminating it.
5) Lastly and most importantly, having one’s voice heard is crucial. While one person learns about the issue and is taking steps toward action, spreading information and motivating others to be part of fighting for this issue of water contamination can lead to a worldwide effort towards saving God’s beautiful creation.
