Greetings …

I was reminded earlier this week that this coming Sunday, July 30, is National Tree Day.  Established in 1996 by Planet Ark, National Tree day has grown in Australia’s largest community tree-planting and nature care event.  Since its inception, National Tree Day has seen 5 million volunteers donate 10 million hours of time to plant 26 million trees!  When you think about it this is a lot of people venturing outdoors, donating their time and getting know their community whilst doing something positive.  It is estimated that around 300,000 people will volunteer their time this year.

According to the planet ark website, the program is “a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community”, but it strikes me that something more might be going on as so many people engage in this environmental activity.  The creation story in Genesis, tells us that God established people in the garden and told them to “cultivate and take care of it” (Gen 2:15).  This implies that not only is humanity called into a relationship with God, but that they are called to care for creation too.  I suspect one aspect of this care is happening when so many join together to plant trees.

We know the benefits of trees – they help tackle climate change by absorbing CO2 and removing carbon from the atmosphere; they clean the air we breathe by absorbing harmful pollutants; the prevent soil erosion and improve water quality by keeping pollutants out of our waterways; and they create and restore habitats for many species of animals.

As biophilic creatures, humans seek connections with nature.  This means that being in nature reduces stress and anxiety for people, in addition to other health benefits.  Caring for creation is really just paying back what creation does for us … giving back to God and doing what we are called to do.

Blessings – Heather.