A few years ago I found myself taking on some serious research about poo. Yes, poo. Maybe that’s a bit odd, but I was considering getting a pet cat and, as I was planning for them to be an indoor-only cat, I wanted to know if there were any environmentally friendly ways to dispose of kitty litter and cat poo. Given all I’d learned once from a very thorough presentation a friend delivered one time during my uni days on the economics and environmental impact of dog poo when it is not picked up by owners, I had to imagine a similar story for cats. One major concern I had was that everything I read basically came to the same conclusion: that cat poo needs to be bagged in plastic and kitty litter should be cleaned at least once a day. I did the maths: 365 plastic bags a year for a pet that might live until 19—that’s nearly 7000 plastic bags!
Thinking deeply about how my day-to-day life impacts God’s creation is a point of pride for me. I have a background in sustainability and environmental conservation and I’ve always loved and cared about the environment. When I became a Christian in high school the two went hand in hand (although it took me many years to be able to articulate how). It’s out of a love for God and his love for his creation that I try to purchase items locally with as little packaging as I can, purchase second-hand from op shops or clothes swaps, and compost what I’m able. I just recently bought a new phone after more than five years. So why would I throw away that track record for a cat? Well, for starters she’s cute and sweet and great company. Even more so though, I came to terms with the wonderful truth that God doesn’t love me any more or any less for the number of bags of kitty litter she’ll produce.
The truth is that we live in a complex and broken world where silver bullets do not exist. Does that mean we don’t try and advocate for environmentally friendly and more broadly ethical decisions and lifestyles? Not at all!
Well that was simple wasn’t it? Not really. Me ten years ago certainly wouldn’t have found that an adequate reason! This shift in perspective took time, prayer, conversations and an openness to let God challenge where I find my identity. Do I find it in him and his love and grace or in my being ‘good enough’? In part, it’s about recognising that we live in a world where perfect answers do not exist, and the best solutions still have shortcomings or unexpected negative outcomes. I don’t mean this to sound fatalistic or cynical, but rather, liberating. I believe God sees our hearts and our efforts to care for his creation. The small and big sacrifices. The times when we don’t do it well. And in each of those scenarios he still loves us. There is nothing we can do (or not do) that will change that beautiful truth. My identity is not in my eco-warrior status, but firmly rooted in a God who knit me together in my mother’s womb and calls me fearfully and wonderfully made, before I ever made a sustainable or environmentally friendly choice.
Fast forward two years and little Sally and I moved from the bustling suburbs of Melbourne to Alice Springs, NT. Again, I found myself facing another ethical dilemma: the availability and accessibility of recycling in this beautiful town. We only have one bin. That’s right, one. The main option for recycling is to take tins, bottles, and cans out to the recycling centre every month or so. In the house I’m living at now I’m fortunate enough that my landlord pays for a local company’s recycling bin which gets collected when requested for a small fee. But I can’t put cardboard in it. My option for that is to take it to school. You can imagine how many random bits of cardboard are in my laundry for a few weeks at a time and then sit in my car for a few weeks and then eventually make it to the staffroom recycling…
Sometimes it just feels too hard. Again, I have wrestled with the truth that God does not love me any less when some of those recyclable items end up in my normal bin and head to landfill. Does it grieve him? Probably. It certainly grieves me and spurs me to more consistent action, however, I don’t do these things out of guilt or a desire to be accepted. I’ve often said that caring for God’s creation should be live-giving, just as Jesus said the Sabbath should be. It’s not about making more rules and checks and balances that give us a sense of self-justification or further complicating our often busy lives. The truth is that we live in a complex and broken world where silver bullets do not exist. Does that mean we don’t try and advocate for environmentally friendly and more broadly ethical decisions and lifestyles? Not at all! But our motivation and our identity that informs it need to be deeply rooted in the love of a father that is unwavering. So Sally and I will continue to enjoy each other’s company, my friends will be kept up to date with adorable cat photos, and I will do my best to recycle and compost with the time and energy I have available.
Katherine is a high school geography, science, and agriculture teacher, working in Alice Springs. She has a degree in Marine Conservation and Sustainability and amazingly uses it as she literally works in a desert.
