Recently, I was talking to Dave Mahan, the Director of the Great Lakes Campus of the Au Sable Institute. As you may know, in the past year the Au Sable Institute has been faced with major budget troubles. What many people may not realize is that a major portion of Au Sable’s endowment came from a gift of property that had oil under it. Talking to Dave, he mentioned that he was thankful for the irony of this strange circumstance. He said, “the fact that Au Sable was funded largely by oil has kept us honest.” Since by virtue of being human in today's world, we all benefit from environmental degradation in some form, this made me think about how vital honesty, openness, and humility are for the greater creation care movement.

 As individuals, we need to recognize that each of us has an impact on the environment. A theme that seems to reoccur often in creation care circles is that caring for God’s creation is a “never-ending journey.” I think this acknowledgement is critical. The only way to move forward on this journey is to be honest, open, and humble about where we are right now, and work to change for the better. This is the only way that people will find creation care accessible and join in. Like many things in life, leading by example is the best way to encourage meaningful and sincere change. It is exciting to be a part of Renewal, an organization that works to help Christian students along their creation care journey, as it continues to navigate its own. 

    













Pictured above: Author and Renewal Student Leader, Nate Sather.

Author's bio:
Nate Sather is a student at Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota. He is majoring in Environmental Science, and plans to graduate in Spring of 2010. After growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes and spending time at Au Sable Institute in Michigan, Nate developed a passion for water and the way that people use it. He is interested in engaging both Christians and non-Christians in holistic exploration of environmental issues, and ways to solve environmental issues that are both sustainable and practical. In his free time, Nate enjoys backpacking, fly-fishing, and skiing.