Specific Steps toward Stewardship

Learning stewardship takes time. Over the years the Church has worked to improve its environmental impact. We take seriously our moral obligation to take care of the earth and be good neighbors and collaborators in society. We have previously and are currently engaged in numerous efforts to be wise stewards of the earth. But as I mentioned, this takes time. We are very humbled by this challenge and realize that we are not perfect—but we are trying. I would like to share some of these initiatives with you.

Agricultural Land Management

The Church celebrates its use of sustainable farming and ranching practices, such as the use of cover crops, crop rotation, no-till farming, grazing management, and other greenhouse gas capture methods, such as feed additives. Our guidance for soil management is to utilize existing material as much as possible and to maximize carbon sequestration. We have long encouraged our members and communities to grow gardens to improve the productivity of the land. Church Humanitarian Services teaches families living in urban and rural areas how to apply sustainable techniques for food production, nutrition, diet and home food storage.

Water Conservation

The Church made an official statement in June this year highlighting the importance of water conservation, especially in areas where droughts persist. Best management practices are utilized for all new landscape designs and remodel projects of temples, meetinghouses, welfare facilities, and educational buildings. At Church headquarters alone, we have reduced our water consumption by over 30 million gallons annually between 2018 and 2022. We strive to incorporate water-wise principles of regionally appropriate plant material, reduction of lawn, and efficient irrigation systems, such as smart controllers, hydrometers, rain sensors, drip irrigation, and use of secondary or reclaimed water.

Energy Management

The Church has long-standing efforts to conserve energy and increase its energy efficiency. We have undertaken projects to improve heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, and install more energy-efficient lighting, including the increased use of LED lights. The Church’s Headquarters Facilities department reduced its annual energy consumption across the portfolio by 17.8 gigawatt hours from 2018 to 2022, the equivalent of heating over 13 million households. The Church also continues to explore energy opportunities and currently has on-site solar projects on meetinghouses in various states across the country and globally.

Waste Reduction

We aim to avoid material waste throughout our operations and to reduce, reuse, and recycle. In 2019, our Print and Distribution Center recycled 3,679 tons of paper, 173 tons of metal, 303 tons of cardboard, 175 tons of plastic, and 55 gallons of used oil from machinery. The Church continues to evaluate opportunities to reduce its use of single-use plastics and in some instances exceed global and local regulations.

Transportation

The Church is taking various strides to improve air quality and reduce transportation emissions. These include increasing the fuel efficiency standards of our global vehicle fleet. We also encourage Church employees to use public transportation options and other active transportation, such as biking and walking, where possible.

Sustainable Building Practices

The Church owns and operates a significant number of buildings worldwide. As a property owner, the Church has incorporated many sustainable design and construction principles and practices, including materials and site selection, prefabrication and modularization, and other practices that support the long-term operations and maintenance of the building. Given its global operations, the Church has increasingly prioritized the adaption of local building materials and methods to reduce emissions and transportation costs, support local economies, and minimize disruption to the local environment by avoiding cutting down trees, erosion, and laying excessive water lines. The Church also owns several LEED- and WELL-certified buildings.

There are many things that we can do—collectively and individually—to be good stewards. Considering our individual circumstances, each of us can use the bountiful resources of the earth more reverently and prudently. We can support community efforts to care for the earth. We can adopt personal lifestyles and behaviors that respect God’s creations and make our own living spaces tidier, more beautiful, and more inspirational.

"The spring of the year reminds us, too, of the need to garden so that we can produce some of our own food as well as flowers to beautify our yards and our neighborhoods. Even if the tomato you eat is a $2.00 tomato, it will bring satisfaction anyway and remind us all of the law of the harvest, which is relentless in life. We do reap what we sow. Even if the plot of soil you cultivate, plant, and harvest is a small one, it brings human nature closer to nature as was the case in the beginning with our first parents."

"In 1973 a German design theorist introduced the concept of a “wicked problem.” Contrary to what you might expect by the name, a wicked problem does not refer to something evil or sinister but instead describes something so tricky and complicated that it seems to defy solution. With a wicked problem, the situation is dynamic and often involves multiple variables. Both the exact nature of the problem and the solutions remain unknown when the project begins. Examples of wicked problems might include climate change, poverty, the Syrian civil war, or American healthcare, to name a few. For these problems there are no easy answers, no silver bullets."

Today, many consumers expect to find fruits and vegetables of their choice on the shelves of their local supermarket around the year. Often, food travels many kilometers to reach destinations where it cannot be harvested locally at the time. The Doctrine and Covenants counsels to eat “every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof.” While not a strict religious law to Latter-day Saints, a seasonal, local diet reduces the waste of fuel and prevents pollution significantly.

First, around the world we assist in digging wells and providing clean water, a common and critical need in poorer parts of the world. In many places in Africa, for instance, women devote a considerable amount of time every day procuring and hauling water for home use. In some locations, a woman may need to walk for many hours to and from a well.

My wife, Susan, and I have witnessed the indescribable delight of small children splashing in and drinking clean water from a new well. What may seem commonplace to so many of us is the blessing of a lifetime for so many others and makes it possible for these women to pursue education.

"According to a careful study done at the University of Chicago, people who consume animal foods are responsible for an extra ton and a half of CO2 equivalent per person per year, as compared to people who consume no animal foods. As a consequence, a person who changes from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet would save more greenhouse emissions per year than switching from a Toyota Camry to a hybrid Toyota Prius (at much less cost!). If everyone on the planet switched to a low-meat diet, such a transition would dramatically impact our ability to resolve environmental issues that now appear intractable. One estimate suggests such a global change 'would reduce the mitigation costs to achieve a 450 ppm CO2 -eq. stabilization target by about 50 percent in 2050.'"

"I garden, compost, recycle, reuse, buy less, avoid buying disposable items (I hate buying things for the express purpose of throwing them away), use canvas shopping bags, walk instead of drive, ride my bike with a trailer if I need to haul a kid or groceries, grow herbs, bake bread and granola, cook food from scratch, can fruit and preserves, hang clothes to air dry, mend damaged clothing, shop at thrift stores for everything from clothes and household goods to small appliances and furniture, buy locally produced goods from farmer’s markets and CSA programs, and donate serviceable items I no longer use to local thrift stores and charities. I can't image that these practices are out of the ordinary. Doubtless many who read this article do at least some of these things as well."

"I try to practice these principles of stewardship in my own home. Some of what I do takes more work and time than most Americans are used to spending on household chores, but I find that my efforts increase my sense of worth as a stay-at-home mom and improves my family’s quality of life. I am reclaiming the virtue of my domestic work from the disposable convenience products corporations want to sell me."

"Church spokesman Scott Trotter explained the symbolism behind turning off the exterior lights on the Salt Lake Temple at the designated hour: 'Prudent stewardship and wise use of resources are principles that church leaders principals have emphasized throughout the history of the church. The church encourages its members to join with their fellow citizens in supporting fellow worthy programs that will make their communities better places to live and raise their better make their communities better places to live and raise their families.'”

"C. Arden Pope III is a professor of economics at BYU who has been widely recognized for his cross-disciplinary work in environmental epidemiology and public health, especially for his seminal studies of the effects of particulate air pollution on mortality and health. His articles have helped establish the connection between air pollution and health problems, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. These research findings have influenced environmental policy in the United States and Europe, contributing to the establishment of emission standards for particulates. His work was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Whitman v. American Trucking Associations Inc., 531 US 457 (2001)."

"The question must be asked of the faithful Latter-day Saint, 'How can families be self-sufficient when acts of environmental degradation by others are robbing them of the primary resource on which they depend for sustenance?' For example, when a Church member in the midwestern United States pours chemical cleaning agents into the toilet bowl, does that person pause to think that nearby rivers will carry the chemicals into an overpolluted dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where a Mexican member is trying to realize an income as a prawn fisherman? Or when a Church member has a choice of purchasing a small, fuel-efficient vehicle or a large, fuel-guzzling SUV, does that person think of the effect that purchase may have on the atmosphere and an African member's ability to grow maize and feed a growing family?"

"Disciples of Christ cannot choose the do-nothing option simply because there are competing and politically sensitive arguments. The duty to obey supersedes the detail."

“This is a member-driven initiative,” said Davies, “it's representative of how our members feel about the communities in which they live.”

“These buildings are designed to last many, many years,” said Dean Davies, managing director of the Physical Facilities department of the Church, “It may actually cost more up front to put certain systems in but because they have lower operating costs and longer life cycles in the long run they are better for us and better for the environment.”

"A personal ethic of conservation, uncomplicated by the messiness of politics and collective action, seems attractive. Working out the details of political action requires compromise, patience, and time; environmental policies also tend to conflict with other pressing priorities. But our obligations to each other and to those who come after us cannot be discharged by our mere acceptance of worthy goals and true principles. Those obligations require that we plunge into the world of politics and work with others who may disagree with us on many issues in order to find common ground and workable solutions to the problems we face together."

"Many conservatives balk at expanding the regulatory reach of government into their economic lives, preferring to be left alone to work out their own ideas of what constitutes environmental stewardship. But conservatives accept and even welcome governmental involvement in many aspects of their personal lives—for instance, in curtailing pornography, regulating reproductive decisions, and promoting national security. Because protecting the environment for the benefit of future generations is also a compelling moral imperative, government regulation can be similarly justified if it can create the kind of moral environment conservatives seek. "

"Those with a commitment to stewardship will have to wade into the political thicket and work with others—both those who share a similar vision and those who see environmental problems in a different light—to construct workable policies."

“Hopefully, with this added knowledge and awareness that we've shared with people, they'll be able to make a few small changes that will help improve the condition of our planet.”

“We used to put two big garbage cans out for the trash man each time he came,” says Jenni. “Now we only use one a week. It feels good to know we're not putting such a strain on the landfills.”

“If we are respectful of the planet, the creation, if we have a humble and a meek attitude toward the creations of our Heavenly Father, each of us in some way can indeed make a difference. That may mean doing something as simple as turning off a water tap that’s running, or cleaning our home and property so it’s pleasant and beautiful, or being careful in how we use energy so we Don't waste resources. It may mean treating domestic animals with kindness and compassion, or doing what we can to pick up litter and clean up local areas. I think the issue is not what we do; it’s that we do something, and that we do it with an attitude of praise."

"My two favourite things in life are libraries and bicycles. They both move people forward without wasting anything. The perfect day: riding a bike to the library.”

"These 10 steps can help you save money on utility bills and conserve energy."

"Voicing the oft-repeated concept of teaching people correct principles and permitting them to govern themselves, President Oaks said, 'We have avoided setting out specific courses of action in the [conservation] policy because we wanted to set basic principles that would guide us in multiple situations over a considerable period of time.'"

"Students returning home for the Christmas vacation were requested by President Dallin H. Oaks to leave their cars behind when they returned. Like Church employees in Salt Lake City, BYU staff, faculty, and students were urged to use car pools if they had long distances to travel to campus each day, or to walk or use bicycles."

"Looking ahead, the task force recommended that new buildings under construction, or under consideration, should be designed for conservation of energy."

"At Brigham Young University, a special task force is seeking to eliminate any waste of energy and to propose conservation methods on campus. However BYU has been practicing energy conservation for many years and surveys indicate that it may be the most efficiently-used campus in the world. The campus is also used year-round, a request made of other American universities by President Richard M. Nixon."

"With all the problems arising from a shortage of gasoline, President Max L. Pinegar, president of the Netherlands Mission, reports that, during the past several weeks, 'we have had a number of branches reporting an increase in attendance both at Sunday School and sacrament meeting. President Cornelis de Bruijn of the Holland Stake tells me that sacrament meeting attendance has not dropped even though the members are not permitted to drive on Sunday.'"

"For many of the Saints, a shortage of gasoline for personal cars is not a problem as they usually travel by public transportation, by bicycle, or on foot. In the Netherlands, for instance, personal driving on Sunday has been banned. Elder Jacob de Jager, regional representative of the Council of the Twelve for the Holland Region, told the Ensign that he has to obtain a special permit to use his car on Sundays for Church work."

"The letter also suggested that 'the topic of fuel conservation be seriously discussed by all members of the family in a family home evening.'"

"The First Presidency also authorized other measures to cope with the energy crisis, including:

—Eliminating all outside lighting at Church buildings, except that necessary to provide adequate security or prevent injury.

—Encouraging Church members to join car pools and urging them to observe prescribed speed limits.

—Lowering thermostats in homes where feasible and eliminating unnecessary consumption of electricity or fuel. "

"In a letter to all stakes, wards, branches, and missions, the First Presidency encouraged members, among other measures, to walk to church meetings where feasible, hold back-to-back meetings, and hold all auxiliary activities on one day of the week."