Trash talk

Jonathan Bukiewicz imagines a greener Army

T

here has been a lot of trash on my mind lately. From cereal boxes to junk mail circulars to packing material, I’ve started to take notice of the things that I throw away. A couple of times a week, I take our garbage and toss it into a larger green trash bucket outside of our garage. Then once a week, while we go about our day, a truck sneaks through the alley and empties everyone’s buckets. The trash is gone, we fill up the bucket again in the next few days, and life continues.

I recently started a new job working from a Salvation Army Corps in South Chicago. Some days I drive up there through side streets where few purposefully travel. I pass the plains of the South Chicago/Northern Indiana corridor, dotted with industrial factories and abandoned lots. I cross over train tracks, past abandoned buildings, through neighborhoods with price-gouging gas stations. Then, nearly halfway to work, I come to a huge, out-of-place mound of grass on one side of the street and a few small low-income apartment buildings on the other. It’s an old dump.

This mound, along with the adjacent apartment complexes, has started to grind at my perception of the weekly trash collection ritual. I grew up with the privilege of never encountering landfills. Trash was always a non-issue for me. I threw it away, some time later the trash can was emptied, and I’d fill it again. I never stopped to wonder where the trash went, what the conditions were of the landfills and who had to live near them. There were other things to worry about.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, there are roughly 3,091 active landfills in the United States. These are spaces that are currently being filled and will eventually be added to the 10,000 completed and closed landfills that now dot the country. Often when a landfill is created, either a clay or plastic liner will be placed at the bottom to try to prevent chemical leakage into local water and soil systems. However, according to Zero Waste America, clay is often susceptible to cracking, and the plastic that is used is often only 1/10 of an inch thick. This plastic can also be corroded by household chemicals like vinegar, margarine or shoe polish. This space is then filled with household waste until it is covered by another layer of clay, topsoil and vegetation. Often the landfill comes to resemble a hill, much like the one I pass on my way to work. And according to Richard Ready, a Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics at Pennsylvania State University, homes near to the places where landfills are created can lose value - up to 9.5%. They are often built in areas that are already economically depressed as a way to generate revenue for the community. On average in the US and around the world, the poorest people on the planet experience the reality of storing the garbage of the rich in their backyard.

One of the dangers of an institution like The Salvation Army is that issues that seem small around conference tables, in meetings and in planning often do not get the attention that they deserve in other smaller contexts. Based on the number of styrofoam and paper products that are used in many of the corps that I have been a part of, trash is one of these issues. Simply put, our trash has to go somewhere. However, it has repeatedly been overlooked as a non-issue by our corps who continue to order styrofoam cups with shields on them or use and throw away paper by the truckload on a daily basis. Much of the waste that is generated in corps buildings is the result of a few minutes of use - such as styrofoam cups, plastic table clothes or plastic cutlery - and is thrown out immediately afterwards.

In Luke 10:25-29, we see the following:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reflecting on some of the decisions I’ve made and have seen made around me, I think this question of “who is my neighbor” is one that we are still asking. If we are truly going to love people, we have to ask ourselves what limitations we might be placing on them. Are our neighbors only our acquaintances? Are they only those who are in our community or helped by Salvation Army services? Or could it be those who live in the apartments across the street from landfills, or even those in the third world who pick through garbage from around the globe? Could we show love to them by not contributing to the waste by which they are directly affected?

What about using biodegradable cups and plates? Or reusable silverware? Reusable cups? What if The Salvation Army took a major step toward taking seriously the Environmental Protection Agency’s suggestions to reduce waste on our planet? Would we sacrifice our mission, or be part of a subversive act to help bring God’s kingdom to earth by not asking our neighbors to live amongst our waste?

Writer: Jonathan Bukiewicz (pictured here with his son Mylo), aged 23, lives with his wife and two children in northwest Indiana. He is currently working at The Salvation Army in Mt. Greenwood, Illinois. He likes to ride around on bicycles, play guitar and get tattoos. Occasionally he can be found doing graphic design, playing chess and reading.

8 Comments to Trash talk

1. Preach it brother.
   Great piece.
   Dion
Dion Oxford on August 21st, 2007

2. kudos for writing this article. i don’t know about you, but i have often experienced subtle resistance in trying to broach this delicate subject with brothers and sisters.

   i have been frustrated for many years by Christians’ lack of concern for the natural environment. like you, i cringe at the sight of styrofoam, people who print out emails on fresh sheets of paper, and recyclables sitting in the trash can.

   i attribute this apathy to poor theology about the environment, which permeates the evangelical church. unfortunately, i have encountered many Christians of the “the earth is temporary, our lives are temporary, Jesus is coming anyway, let’s live it up before we blow this popsicle stand” persuasion, though they will hesitate to say so in so many words. others recognize the importance of caring for creation, but it doesn’t figure too highly on their perceived heirarchy of the world’s needs/ Christian mission imperatives. after all, it’s much easier to connect, for instance, a soup kitchen with loving one’s neighbour than lowering consumption and pollution.

   fortunately, thinking can change. (or at least i am naive enough to still believe this and it seems of late thinking IS changing, with films like ‘an inconvenient truth’ demonstrating to the masses the urgent need to create a greener future. i believe those within the church are waking up too (we seem to often slumber longer don’t we).

   this brings me to a point you make that i find troubling. i agree that caring for creation is both a ‘mercy towards neighbours’ and social justice matter. however, what about caring for creation simply because creation belongs to the Lord? I believe this is the theological “leap” that we have to make together as a church. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. As God’s handiwork, it has inherent value, above and beyond its value to humans and our quality of life. We can’t very well call ourselves God’s people and continue to trash God’s house, which he invited us to inhabit. For too long our theology in this area has been lacking. We took God’s command to “rule the earth” as permission to plunder it. But I am reminded that Jesus taught a different kind of “rule” and demonstrated it with his life and death. I think that’s the kind of “ruling” God meant when he entrusted the earth to our care.

   It may seem like I’m splitting hairs here. But I would argue that the difference, though subtle, is significant. If we’re going to correct our theology, then we gotta get it right. And getting it right means we gotta get less human-centric, and more God-centric. We value the earth because we love the Creator of the earth. We recognize that in addition to that, there are all kinds of social justice implications.

   About creating a “greener army”… I must admit this is where I get discouraged. Inspiring individual wills to change seems relatively easy compared to changing the policies and practices of monolithic institutions (though I seem to have a hard enough time doing the former!). I’m all about “think globally, act locally” but I tend to think this axiom breaks down when it comes to institutions. Perhaps I’m impatient, but I don’t trust grassroots action to bring about institutional change speedily enough. I definitely see its place in the scheme of things, but what about policy changes that can bring change from the top down? (maybe that’s my despotic tendency showing through… :P)

   any thoughts? i’ve actually been thinking about this stuff for a while now but feel “stuck.” how DO we go about making a greener SA?

   thanks again for the article jonathan.
grace on August 22nd, 2007

3. Yeah, Jonathan, thanks for this article. Also Grace, I agree strongly with the point you made about caring for God’s creation because it is just that: His, not ours. I don’t know how important or, really accurate hierarchically stating the importance of one motivation as opposed to the other would be, but there is a great point! Our neighbors are part of God’s creative impulse as well. And loving the earth we all inhabit is loving them in addition, but I don’t know which necessarily should come first. A step is a step. I know Jonathan personally and I know he recognizes the as well (because we’ve discussed this issue at great length!).

   As far as, “What now?” Yeah, that can be discouraging. I think our discipleship in the church needs to go deeper than, “don’t drink, smoke, or do it.” It needs to be about a complete change of mind! No longer having our minds set on “the things of man, but on the things of God.” I think that’s when we see the change occur. When we a Christian really dies to this world completely. Jesus blood covers us, but it can’t stop there; it needs to change us.
Jonathan Taube on August 23rd, 2007

4. Jonathan, Grace:

   Thanks for this discussion!

   The great thing is the Spirit has has so many ways to get the message through to each of us. Having been through more than one wave of environmentalism, I know that however we understand that everything we have comes from God, it is truth; whether we feel for those whose lives are impoverished through others’ waste , good!: or whether see caring for Creation as a first principal, good too! The ways we can contribute to transformation are as varied as our gifts.

   My preference as a parent is to make my child aware that there is nature and it is precious (I recommend Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Wilderness which I have reviewed earlier here). And in our household learning and teaching are everyone’s jobs.

   In my church life, I see the issue as one of stewardship…we can’t afford to squander any resource whether it be financial or good will.
   AAndrea
Andrea614Regent on August 23rd, 2007

5. The UK Salvationist recently devoted a whole issue to the Environment.

   I had two articles in there (having spent the last 15 years as an Environmental Strategist in local government before returning to Officership). There is some other good stuff too. Check out this link:
   http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/fm-issue-contents?openform&publication=Salvationist&id=04D55A54799B7C7E802572D10042F20E

   It’s time the church snatched the green agenda back from the New Age movement - we are the ones God entrusted the world to.

   Love and prayers

   A
Andrew Bale on August 23rd, 2007

6. Following on the discussion - have you seen the documentary ‘Manufactured Landscapes’, Edward Burtynsky, film bu Jennifer Baichwall.
   The documentary follows different scenarios from industry indicating the magnitude of recklessness towards the environment and our global neighbours.

   View the trailer at http://www.mongrelmedia.com/films/ManufacturedLandscapes.html

   or http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/Introduction/Manufactured_Landscapes.html

   Zoe Fay
Zoe Fay on August 24th, 2007

7. thanks for the comments, very nice of you. i hoped to generate some thought on this topic. in past conversations i’ve had with people - pastors, especially - about this topic, i’ve found there to be a loophole that can always be found when approaching issues like this from a theological standpoint. a quick perusal of this site will find this true on a variety of issues. the Christian scriptures are diverse and broad enough to allow for plenty of disagreements, arguments and - ultimately - wasted time on otherwise overlooked or controversial issues.

   i mention this because i purposefully did not want to make a full theological case, but rather a purely human one, because regardless of how we feel about the earth’s role in creation, salvation or the pages in revelation, the urgency is upon us NOW to act with others in mind. i agree that our call as caretakers fits into this plan, but based on the statements i’ve heard from other Christians recently, too often this does not seem to be enough…
jonathan bukiewicz on August 24th, 2007

8. Check this out.
   http://www.welobike.com
   It’s one of the things we’re trying to do here at Gateway to be greener.
   Dion
Dion Oxford on August 27th, 2007

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