To be in the image of God is to mirror the sovereignty of the divine love in our stewardship of the earth. It is in having dominion over the earth and in serving it that we find we are stewards. Dominion as stewardship is not ruling over that which belongs to humans, but is the care of what has been entrusted to us by the Lord. Stewardship is an idea that should resonate across this campus. Yet the fact remains we have a hard time getting students, faculty, and staff to really embrace the idea.
Recycling is a prime example.
We recycled only 99.43 tons of white and mixed paper, magazines and newspapers, and cardboard. It has been estimated that about 80 percent of the trash that we threw away was recyclable paper. We should have done better. Calvin College does not have an overarching plan that includes public statements which demonstrate our commitment to responsible stewardship. Prospective students aren't told that we have specific programs designed to make Calvin College a place that is earth-friendly and demonstrative of what the Christian community can do.