More than Candy

Last night as we greeted precious "trick or treat" children, I thought of what beside candy we need to provide for these children. The list includes a variety of things pertaining to their well-being. I also remembered the environmental stewardship article that will be in THE STEEPLE this coming week.

According to the 2006 Living Planet Report from the World Wildlife Fund, we are using Earth’s natural resources 25 per cent faster than the planet can renew them. Measurements of crop yields, carbon dioxide emissions, fishing and the use of forests suggest that mankind's ecological footprint is too big to be sustained.

Using the Earth’s natural resources at a rate that increasingly exceeds what it is able to replenish is the equivalent, in banking terms, of living off capital rather than interest. What are we leaving for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren?