Environment Is Something All People and All

Environment is something all people and all cultures share. Nature knows no international boundaries or religions. On the contrary, nature is the universal constant binding people together. A healthy relationship with the environment can promote intercultural dialogue and cross-cultural communication because of the universal need for and appreciation of nature. Nature is "healing," and it impacts human well-being (University of Minnesota). Although individuals and societies will have different attitudes, beliefs, and goals related to environmental stewardship, it is possible to discover shared values and work towards a new vision for the future.

Individuals and communities have responsibilities to protect, serve, and conserve the environment. As individuals change their attitudes toward nature, each person can work towards shifting social norms related to consumerism, materialism, and overconsumption. Likewise, individuals can alter their relationship with nature by promoting appreciation and affection for the beauty in all things. As the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops points out, "It will then be easier for us to look at nature with new eyes. Instead of considering it primarily as a resource to be exploited, we will be more inclined to admire its beauty and grandeur," (4).

It is also important to recognize the need for human beings to live in harmony with each other, and to discover the means by which to promote the physical, social, and economic well-being of all people. Developing new technologies that make resource management more efficient is one way of promoting harmony. Rather than compete over natural resources, societies can collaborate on the best use of those resources for the benefit of all people. Viewing natural resources as shared gifts, rather than as possessions or commodities to profit from, people can develop a new and more harmonious relationship with the environment. The new relationship with the environment respects non-human entities as well as human beings. It is not necessary to do away with material comforts to promote a healthy relationship with nature, either. In fact, a more harmonious relationship with nature will lead to developments of more efficient and high quality products and technologies.

A new relationship with the environment is an ethical and moral imperative (Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops). Far from being the ethic of one culture, environmental stewardship is an ethic entrusted to every single human being. No person can live without nature's bounty, such as water and food. Therefore, each person is already engaged in a relationship with the environment. When those relationships are respectful, the person does not overuse natural or human-made resources. Public policy can address the moral and ethical dimensions of environmental stewardship in a way that is meaningful to all people from all cultures. Finding common grounds, such as the need for food, shelter, and clothing, public policy shows how nature can be harnessed without being depleted.