There are many imagined versions of our world.

Walk into any bookstore, or scroll through streaming platforms and you will find entire sections of speculative fiction dedicated to dystopian stories - an imagined world where the remaining people are on a scorched or flooded earth, fighting for survival.

What if a vision of a regenerative, just, and peaceful world permeated our culture as much as, or more than stories like The Handmaid’s Tale or The Hunger Games?

The science is clear that, like other vulnerable populations, disabled people face greater impacts from climate change. And yet, disabled people are less likely to receive official aid during or after climate disasters. 

At the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Savannah, Georgia, caring for God’s creations are an important part of our mission and ministry. Throughout 2026, Redeemer’s Green Team has been actively promoting environmental stewardship through education, recycling initiatives, and community partnerships that encourage responsible care of the resources God has entrusted to us.

Across the Archdiocese of Atlanta, two Catholic parishes, Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in North Decatur and Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) in Brookhaven, are demonstrating how hospitality and stewardship can work hand in hand through a growing commitment to zero-waste events, composting, and responsible resource management.

When we stop ONLY looking at the immediate needs of OUR neighbors or OUR church or even OUR conference and instead look upstream and downstream, and see a more holistic approach to mission and ministry — acts of mercy plus works of justice — we will begin living more fully into the calling of Christ in Matthew 25.

As someone who has studied biomimicry and sought to learn from nature’s patterns, I am continually struck by what ecosystems like the Blake Plateau reveal about resilience. They illustrate that the most enduring systems are built from the bottom-up and develop through cooperation and adaptation.