A growing number of Christians are embracing the ... - Biola University

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“Whether Christ comes back tomorrow
or in hundreds of years, it doesn’t excuse us
from our ecological responsibility.”
annually, the plant repurposes the heat from engine exhaust and uses it to
heat the campus hot water loop. This saves Biola well over $1 million each
year, in addition to being a more energy-efficient system.
Biola has also recently shifted to more eco-friendly standards for
building construction, beginning with the ambitious new “campus within a
campus” for Talbot School of Theology (see sidebar on page 22).
Bon Appétit, the company that runs Biola’s food services, is also doing
its part to be environmentally responsible. It has implemented over 20
initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its operations, including
purchasing all meats and vegetables in America (to reduce air-freight
emissions) and reducing the amount of beef and cheese purchased and
served (because livestock releases 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse
emissions). The Café also recently started using biodegradable takeout
boxes and utensils made from potatoes.
Many Biolans are finding small ways in their own day-to-day lives to
be good stewards of creation. Students involved in Biola’s Granola Club, for
which Payne serves as faculty advisor, participate in cleanups around
campus and at the beach, and last year planted native, drought-resistant
plants around Bardwell Hall to reduce watering costs.
Heather Tyndall, a senior human biology major, tries to be conscious
of her environmental impact, believing that good stewardship means not
being wasteful or destructive with what we’ve been given. She uses her own
R A F E P AY N E
mug to get coffee and tea, her own Tupperware for to-go food, and rides her
bike to do errands whenever possible.
Another student, Jenna England, a senior communications major, said
that one way to become more environmentally aware is to just spend more
time out in nature, whether hiking, camping or — in her case — working as a
summer camp counselor near California’s Yosemite National Park.
“You can’t help but take care of such beauty when you experience it as
a place of worship,” said England. “To not take care of this place, to not be
concerned with his creation, is to not care for a part of himself.”
Alumna Karen Riddervold (’99) is practicing creation care on an
international scale. As Court Scientist for the Norwegian Royal Court in
Oslo, Riddervold finds that in Europe, green issues are a much larger part of
daily life. She doesn’t own a car, grows many of her own vegetables, produces
compost from organic waste and recycles everything she can — all normal
practices for the average Norwegian. “I don’t see my fellow Norwegians
asking if we should be concerned by green issues,” said Riddervold. “I see
them agonizing that we got in the war this late.”
Even the president of Biola, Barry H. Corey, is setting a green example:
He recently opted for a Toyota Highlander Hybrid — a small gesture intended
to make a statement about the importance of environ ment al stewardship.
Among the most committed devotees to green living is longtime Biola
professor John Bloom. Bloom, an undergraduate physics professor and
B I O L A