A new report shows that The Salvation Army has a long way to go toward becoming responsible stewards of the environment. Are we on the verge of change?

“We all know what a number of articles there are which are not quite bad enough to be thrown into the dust heap, and yet are no good to us.”

“A whole book might be written concerning the utilization of the waste of London. But I am not going to write one. I hope before long to do something much better than write a book, namely, to establish an organization to utilize the waste, and then if I describe what is being done it will be much better than by now explaining what I propose to do.”

-William Booth, In Darkest England and the Way Out

These prophetic words written by the Army’s Founder almost a century ago can justifiably be viewed as one of the first attempts at tackling the issue of environmental sustainability, waste and recycling anywhere in the world. Has The Salvation Army been true to Booth’s vision?

One of the mandates of the Army’s Ethics Centre is to periodically review the positional statements that inform Salvationists on controversial and moral issues. When the 1995 positional statement on the environment came up for review in early 2007, a study was commissioned to determine The Salvation Army’s impact on our planet from an environmentally sensitive point of view. Were we living up to what we believed about creation care?

Stewards of the Environment
The Environmental Analysis Project, as the study came to be called, was prepared with information derived from surveys sent out to ministry units throughout the Canada and Bermuda Territory on matters such as physical layout, electricity costs, and what, if any, efforts were being spent on recycling and composting. The information was measured against internationally recognized environmental assessment yardsticks. “We were trying to find out if what The Salvation Army does is sustainable from a systems perspective,” says Amy Fisher, one of the authors of the study. “We focused on what goes into and what comes out of providing our services. Is what we are doing harmful to the earth in ways from which it cannot recover?”

While the response was better than expected and the conclusions of the study, completed late this past summer, have not yet been revealed, preliminary findings indicate that The Salvation Army does not always act in sustainable ways.

“As an organization, we have not given the environment the same kind of theological thought as some mainline denominations,” Fisher concludes. She points out that the Anglican Church, for example, is at the forefront in urging that all air travel be curtailed as much as possible, while the United Church of Canada’s emphasis is on bottled water-not only the environmental consequences of the production and disposal of millions of water bottles, but also its impact from the point of view of international development.

The Army can be justifiably proud of its recycling efforts, but for most corps and ministry units, the wider issues of environmental stewardship are just not on the radar screen. “The responses suggest that what we are doing to care for creation comes simply because the environment is very much in the news, not for any deeper, faith-related reasons, of which there are many,” says Fisher. “We have a theological imperative to change the way we operate.”

Recycling, while important, is only the first step in the great scheme of environmental stewardship. There are more proactive ways that we can do our part to be better stewards of the environment. These include:

Decreasing energy consumption. Using renewable energy sources would have a major impact on the environment, but before we can talk about that we need to cut down on the amount of energy we require. For example, using less heat during the winter or less air-conditioning in the summer.

Reducing carbon emissions. As an organization, the Army should be committed to using energy-efficient vehicles whenever possible. More broadly, however, we have to ask ourselves, on a case by case basis, whether air travel is justified.

Reduce, re-use, recycle. While the Army’s recycling programs are to be commended, Salvationists need to be aware of their consumptive power in every aspect of their daily life. The Army as a whole can use its not-insignificant consumptive power to address concerns about the earth. How will this purchase affect the environment? Can it be safely recycled? Re-used? Can an alternative be purchased that is less harmful to the environment?

The picture is not all bleak. There are ministry units throughout the country that are stepping up and doing their part. Since Victoria Citadel opened eight years ago, the congregation has constantly recycled. They have consistently monitored electricity and gas use and have replaced incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. Lawson Ministries in Hamilton, Ont., has a “Green Team” that monitors and regulates environmental procedures for all programs and clients, and participates in community garbage pick-up days. Members of Corner Brook Citadel, N.L., have been encouraged to stop using styrofoam cups and plates. The corps also enlisted the aid of a university professor who gave a lecture on maintaining a healthy environment.
Many ministry units are composting, and some are using biodegradable garbage bags or 100-percent-recycled toilet paper and paper towels.

Mindsets and Mandates
Fisher is optimistic that the Army can change. ”We do so many good things, and we do them well,” she says. “We are good at so many things related to social services and saving souls, but have yet to fully recognize that environmental stewardship must be pervasive in our Army culture and a priority when making decisions.”

As Christians and Salvationists, Fisher believes, we don’t need to be shallow or even political or culturally driven in our care for creation because we have a theological foundation that already exists in Scripture. “All we need to do is mine the depths of that.”
If change comes, it will be generated at the grass-roots level. “Mindsets cannot be mandated,” Fisher observes. The hope is that the Environmental Analysis Project will inspire ministry units across the country to take seriously God’s call to care for creation in intentional ways.

Last month, the Environmental Analysis Project was presented to the chief secretary for further discussion with the territorial Cabinet.

by Ken Ramstead, Associate Editor, Faith & Friends

Reprinted from Salvationist, October, 2007