Trees Grow on Money - Updated

5th Sunday of Easter – Year C– May 15, 2022

Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35

 

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals.

 

I imagine that a new Jerusalem, where God will dwell, will most

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

definitely have tree-lined streets.  I also imagine that God’s design for the present Jerusalem—and for Earth’s cities in general—is that all should benefit from the Divine gift of trees.

 

Today’s second reading suggested something that has been on my mind for some time.  Trees and their lack in many inner cities.  I watch a lot of British TV and I noticed that in film scenes of streets with low-income and row housing there are no trees.  The same is true in cities on this side of the Atlantic.  In 2015, a research study examined the distribution of urban trees in Baltimore, MD, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Raleigh, NC, Sacramento, CA, and Washington, D.C. The researchers concluded that, “Money may not grow on trees, but this study suggests that in a way, trees grow on money. Our findings show that high-income neighborhoods in our selected cities are more likely than low-income neighborhoods to have high [number of trees].”[1]

 

What does all this talk of trees have to do with the readings?  Well, it has to do with what Jesus says in today’s gospel.  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

Gospel love demands that we work to bring justice where there is injustice, including environmental injustice.  Trees or the lack thereof are one symptom of a larger problem.  Environmental injustice and environmental racism, still exist in Canada and worldwide.

 

In Canada, as of November 1, 2021, the data for a study on The Water Crisis in Canada's First Nations Communities, there were a total of 99 drinking water advisories in effect in First Nations communities; 17 of these are in BC.  As of the 2021 study and after a 25 years of Canada’s longest boil-water advisory, the residents of the Nestantaga First Nation in northern Ontario were still waiting for the upgrade and expansion of their water treatment plant that could provide safe drinking water.[2]  The issue of environmental justice can also be considered from a more broad, international perspective. “For example, many of the global impacts of climate change are felt acutely in regions with historically lower carbon emissions.”[3]

 

The new and last commandment of Jesus, stated in today’s gospel, calls us to do all we can to heal the Earth and in the process heal each other and our living environment.  Water, air, soil, plants and animals all have innate value given at the time of creation by God, who “saw that it was good.”  Yet, in addition to their innate right to health, they share their health with us.  For example, trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate improvement, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife.[4]  The Collaborative on Health and the Environment states,  “The just and fair treatment of all people, communities, and the environment is essential in creating a more sustainable and healthy world where children can grow and flourish to their full genetic potential.”[5]  That means social, economic, and environmental justice are necessities for water, air, soil, plants and animals, including humans, to reach and maintain a healthy and fulfilling existence.  

 

Clean air and water are the right of the elements themselves but also the right of creatures that depend on them.  Trees and green spaces are necessary for urban wildlife and the environmental, spiritual, mental and emotional health of urban dwellers regardless of where they fall on the income scale. 

 

When someone we love is sick, we do everything we can to help them get better.  Today’s gospel commandment calls us to give more than lip-service to our love for one another.  It calls us to work to restore health to our environments: urban, rural, national and international.   How can we answer that call?  There are examples we can learn from.

 

Water Movement, a registered Canadian non-for-profit, is a team of volunteers including a unique mix of Industry Professionals and University Students. Water Movement is supporting Indigenous voices and contributing to Indigenous peoples and their efforts to access potable water, something that most Canadians take for granted. It is an example that understanding, respectful relationships, and commitment contributes to meaningful change for the people most impacted.[6] [7]

Another example is, when I was little there were no trees on our block.  Then when I was around 9 or 10, the South Brooklyn Savings Bank paid for several saplings to be planted on our street.  Sixty years later, the South Brooklyn Savings Bank is no more but the trees still stand as healthy and beautiful neighbours of the 200 block of Atlantic Avenue.  The last is Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who began a movement to reforest her country by encouraging women to plant trees in their local environments.  Her Movement spread to other African countries and contributed to the planting of over thirty million trees.

 

But how can we answer the call?  Could we join or be part of a local group that tries to persuade businesses in our neighbourhood to develop or enhance their community consciousness?  Could we persuade a local business or group of local businesses to donate a tree or two or more to a treeless street like the South Brooklyn Savings Bank did all those years ago?  We won’t know unless we try.  So, let’s demonstrate our love for the Earth and each other by joining with like-minded groups to eliminate environmental injustice.  Although, we may not get to see it, let’s work towards making our inner-cities closer to John’s vision of a new Jerusalem.  Alleluia!

 


[1] Schwarz K, Fragkias M, Boone CG, Zhou W, McHale M, et al. (2015) Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice. PLOS ONE 10(4): e0122051. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122051

 

[2] The Water Crisis in Canada's First Nations Communities, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/52a5610cca604175b8fb35bccf165f96

 

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