God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to till (L’aved) it and tend (L’shmreh) it.
Genesis 2:15
When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.
Deuteronomy 20:19
See my works, how fine and excellent they are! Now all that I created, for you I created. Think upon this, and do not corrupt and desolate my world; for if you corrupt it, there is no one to set it right after you.
Ecclesiatstes Rabbah 7:28
When a fruit-bearing tree is cut down, its moan goes from one end of the world to the other, yet no sound is heard.
Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 34
In order to serve God, one needs access to the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, such as the contemplation of flower-decorated meadows, majestic mountains, flowing rivers… For all these are essential to the spiritual development of even the holiest people.
Rabbi Abraham ben Moses
Above all, the prophets reminded us of the moral state of a people: Few are guilty, but all are responsible.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and the needy.
Proverbs 31:9
If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren...you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
Deuteronomy 15:7-10
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I the Eternal am your God.
Leviticus 23:22
When one loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of the loving-kindness of the Eternal
Psalms 33:5
Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause shares in its burden: and Allah hath power over all things.
Quran 004.085
Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.
H.H. Dalai Lama
A Christian who doesn’t safeguard creation, who doesn’t make it flourish, is a Christian who isn’t concerned with God’s work, that work born of God’s love for us.
Pope Francis, 2015
Pollution hurts the poor the most, and Christians are called to care for the poor and the less powerful.
Mt. 25:37-40
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.
John Muir
We are very fond of blaming the poor for destroying the environment. But often it is the powerful, including governments, that are responsible.
Wangari Mathai
In a few decades, the relationship between the environment, resources and conflict may seem almost as obvious as the connection we see today between human rights, democracy and peace.
Wangari Mathai