In Genesis 2:15-17 (from the NRSVUE translation), The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

In this text we can find a principle of stewardship and responsibility that can be derived and applied for all Christians and not just Christians but people who are of various faiths too. It is a principle of human and environmental responsibility of making use of it for our purpose while simultaneously protecting it and replenishing what has been taken. But when we talk about making use of something like our environment, we mean anything from eating fruit and vegetables, cutting down trees for paper or wood, to using water for our own use, and also for clearing out land for building perhaps. These things require responsible sustainability. It is a bit like enjoying the fruits of our natural environment but also tending to our environment like replanting trees, recycling and reuse of material. Indeed, our responsibility doesn't end there, we also as humans have a tendency to pollute the environment, whether through carbon, waste that isn't recycled or through production leading to materials or gases being released that harm the environment. I admit I do not know everything about the science involved in environmental sustainability and degredation, I am willing to learn much more about that. Either way I do know that Christians and others have a natural responsibility to stewardship.

Regarding the economy, the market is dynamic and produces what customers demand (supply and demand), so the answer to the question of how we can reduce pollution - therefore preserving our environment - can be acted upon through reducing consumer demand for environmentally depleting materials released. Recycling as much as possible is another way to reduce polution and waste which gets into our seas, etc. These are brief examples of how consumers can do their research to help preserve the environment. Food for thought regarding the biblical mandate to environmental stewardship.

Furthermore, a part of environmental stewardship is protecting animal species from extinction which can be done through activism and petitioning of political parties in office to enact legislation to preserve endangered species if they are not adequetly protected. Even caring for our animal pets and being kind to them could fall into the catagory of stewardship as they are for us to provide loving kindness to while they provide companship, herding support, and possibly guardianship for people on their land, etc.

These are a few ideas on how we can partake in our individual roles of preserving, making responsible use of and tending to our environment and fulfilling our individual roles in stewardship as displayed in Genesis to the best of our abilities.