Focus on Ecological Sustainability - Diocese of Richmond

EWS Office of Justice and Peace, Diocese of Richmond May 2008 Understanding Four Basic Ecological Principles Excerpted from “The Habits of Creation” Workshop Manual, written by the diocesan Ecological Working Group The earth is an extraordinary body, so... More

EWS Office of Justice and Peace, Diocese of Richmond May 2008 Understanding Four Basic Ecological Principles Excerpted from “The Habits of Creation” Workshop Manual, written by the diocesan Ecological Working Group The earth is an extraordinary body, so full of life and energy, of diverse parts acting together, that some have likened it to an organism. This biosphere is comprised of hundreds of different ecosystems, distinct communities of plants and animals, and the water, air, soil and mineral resources that support them. Ecosystems are like neighborhoods, or perhaps like neighborhoods of years past. All the “neighbors” interact with each other, either directly – a bee pollinating a berry flower, a fox eating a squirrel – or indirectly, as when rain leaches nutrients from deer droppings, which in turn enter a stream, fueling the growth of algae, a source of food for the fish. Ecosystems vary in size, complexity, and vulnerability to human intervention. Some, like tropical forest Less