Open the door!
When I was young, I thought my dad had a strange habit. Often he would take us on hikes to the Desert of the Lions National Park just outside Mexico City. We loved to explore the forest, and he often carried a bag for trash. But he not only would pick up the leftovers from our own picnic, but he would also spend time picking up the litter thrown about by other careless visitors. At that age, I was somewhat embarrassed to be seen leaving the park with bags full of beer cans, paper, plastic bags, and other objects whose revolting smells filled the car. However, as I grew, I found pleasure and pride in helping him clean those beautiful places we loved.
Elena Huegel – Chile
Three principles for teaching your children to care for the environment
When I was young, I thought my dad had a strange habit. Often he would take us on hikes to the Desert of the Lions National Park just outside Mexico City. We loved to explore the forest, and he often carried a bag for trash. But he not only would pick up the leftovers from our own picnic, but he would also spend time picking up the litter thrown about by other careless visitors. At that age, I was somewhat embarrassed to be seen leaving the park with bags full of beer cans, paper, plastic bags, and other objects whose revolting smells filled the car. However, as I grew, I found pleasure and pride in helping him clean those beautiful places we loved.
A living example is an open door towards environmental conservation.
On one of our excursions to the same national park remained stamped in my memories like a mark made with a branding iron. I was eleven or twelve years old, and as we drove along the sinuous highway to the park entrance, I observed the vestiges of a mysterious disaster. Pine after majestic pine had lost its bark like a snake shedding its skin. The needles, once green points scratching the bellies of the clouds, now faded lifeless to the forest floor. We asked the park ranger what was happening, and he told us that the trees of Canada and the Black forest of Germany were perishing from the same unknown illness. The articles in my international environmental magazines spoke of a silent murderer that wandered through the forests of the world killing trees without explanation. It wasn’t until many years later that the environmental detectives were able to decipher the facts of this crime. After years of reckless atmospheric pollution by industries and cars, the rain had become so laden with chemical substances that the trees were being burned by acid baths. The impression left in my mind and heart of the massive loss of trees sparked in me at that time a sense of urgency; something had to be done.
Direct experience is an open door towards environmental conservation.
My favorite walks in Chile take place when the sun comes out after a light rain or dewy dawn. I love to discover the necklaces knitted by the spiders, jeweled with pearl drops hanging in delicate lines. As I contemplate the efforts of the tiny weaver, I think of God who with such care interwove all of creation weaving threads back and forth from life to life. We, like clumsy vagabonds, march along the path breaking the spider webs and complaining about the sticky sensation on our skin. I think of the birds that sing at the end of the rain or in the humid mornings. Perhaps after the storms and dark nights of environmental degradation, we, too, will step into the sunlight singing in synchronization with the rest of God’s creation.
Spiritual reflection is an open door towards environmental conservation.
Elena Huegel
Elena Huegel is a missionary with the Pentecostal Church of Chile (IPC). She serves as an environmental and Christian education specialist.