Gathered from the writings and discourses of Pope Francis on the environment, Our Mother Earth sets forth a Christian vision of ecology. Responding to our global ecological crisis, Pope Francis says, will require a global approach in which "the whole human family in the search for a sustainable and integral development" unites to protect our common home. Pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and exploitation of resources will grow exponentially if we do not change our direction in the short term. We need an "environmental conversion," Pope Francis says. For this to be possible, we need a truly ecological education to create a renewed awareness and a renewed conscience. In an exclusive new essay that concludes Our Mother Earth, Pope Francis develops a "theology of ecology" in a profoundly spiritual discourse. This final chapter offers thoughts on how a Christian vision of care for the earth goes well beyond a secular vision of ecology. "This means that it is for humanity's capacity for communion to condition the state of creation. … It is therefore humanity's destiny to determine the destiny of the universe."

Describes the gifts that the earth gives to us and the gifts that we can give back to her.

Attributed to Tecumseh in the early 1800s, this statement is frequently cited to uphold the view, long and widely proclaimed in scholarly and popular literature, that Mother Earth is an ancient and central Native American Figure. In this radical and comprehensive rethinking, Sam D. Gill traces the evolution of female earth imagery in North America from the sixteenth century to the present and reveals how the evolution of the current Mother Earth figure was influenced by prevailing European-American imagery of Americaand the Indians as well as by the rapidly changing Indian identity.

Did you know that Mother Nature's home - our Planet Earth - is over 4.5 BILLION years old? And she's been looking after it since day one. That makes her pretty old! It's only in the last 100 years, though, that she has really begun to feel tired. So, littlies, open your minds, your eyes and your imaginations, for you're about to learn how to keep our dear Mother Nature awake for billions of years to come.

For us the best thing about this book -apart from the fact that it looks so beautiful-is that every illustration, shows the powerful bond between words and images-a bond that is often dramatic, sometimes affectionate, always passionate. Beautiful illustrations and simple words together convey a message of hope-this book says we can work with our planet, not against it. Mother Earth Needs Our Help! was born out of our desire for children to know the truth about the Earth's condition and about the many simple and 'down to earth' actions, we all can take in helping our "Mother" heal. In order to preserve our environment we must persevere with our actions, no matter how small they might seem to be at times, doing something is better than doing nothing at all! Think of a drop of water, making its way down and into a creek in order to slowly reach the river, like millions of other drops, searching for one destination, the powerful ocean. Like a drop of water committed to being part of this powerful ocean, you too can join us in our efforts to nurture her back to health. This book is for you. Because you matter.

This brief but ambitious book explores our relationship with nature through the imagery we use when we talk about Mother Nature. Employing the critical tools of religious studies, psychology, and gender studies, Catherine M. Roach examines the various manifestations of nature as "mother" and what that idea implies for the way we approach the natural world. Part One, "Nature as Good Mother," discusses the notion that nature is, or is like, a beneficent and nurturing mother who provides and maintains life. In studying the "green" slogan "Love Your Mother," Roach questions the effects-for women and for the environment-of imputing female gender to nature. She asks us to look at the associations "motherhood" and "mothering" carry within a culture still shaped by patriarchy. She notes the danger of such an apparently pro-environmental slogan if "mother" evokes the bountiful, self-sacrificing provider who herself requires no care.Part Two, "Nature as Bad Mother," looks at the contrary notion of nature as a violent, threatening, and wrathful mother. This image arises most often when humans and technology are depicted as masters of unruly nature. Here Roach draws on theological reflection to analyze this ambivalence toward nature manifested in a fantasy that casts humans as gods. She explores the contributions of eco-theology and eco-psychology to a "heart of darkness" perspective. Finally, Part Three, "Nature as Hurt Mother," looks at possibilities and pitfalls of environmental healing inherent in the image of nature as a mother we have wounded and now seek to heal.ALSO OF INTEREST ECOFEMINISMWomen, Culture, NatureEdited by Karen J. Warren0-253-33031-9 HB £37.950-253-21057-7 PB £18.95