Federal Way's Calvary Lutheran Church is going green — not for St. Patrick's Day, but for Lent. Though the congregation's sacrifice is a new twist on an old tradition, churchgoers are certainly embodying the spirit of this Christian remembrance in a way relevant to the 21st century.

The spirit of Lent is to reexamine one's way of living and identify how a change can be made on either the individual or societal level.

Calvary Lutheran members will examine their role as "Caretakers of Creation" during the six-week period of abstinence. Among other things, the congregation will work to recycle more, use energy-efficient light bulbs, conserve water and use less paper. In addition, each individual will spend one day without using technology of any kind to "come back in contact with nature and truly appreciate that God has created the beauty of creation," Rev. Lori Cornell told The News Tribune.

Calvary Lutheran's environmental commitment comes on the heels of a growing nationwide movement in which Christians are becoming aware of their responsibility to care for the environment.

The Evangelical Environmental Network, best-known for its "What Would Jesus Drive?" bumper sticker, saw 500 fundamental Christians sign its Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation.

"As followers of Jesus Christ, committed to the full authority of the Scriptures, and aware of the ways we have degraded creation, we believe that biblical faith is essential to the solution of our ecological problems," the introduction to the declaration states.

The declaration lists land and water degradation, deforestation, species extinction, global detoxification, the alteration of atmosphere and human and cultural degradation as its main concerns.

In addition, last year more than 100 Christians, including pastors and academics, signed the Evangelical Climate Initiative.

Sunday, The New York Times reported that Rev. Richard Cizik, the policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, has been speaking out in Washington, D.C. in favor of finding a solution to global warming. In doing so, Cizik is representing the more than 30 million members of the association. While not all evangelicals approve of Cizik's focus, when the policy director of a 30-million-strong organization supports global warming legislation, it shows that Christian environmentalism is clearly not just a passing trend.

Even Pat Robertson of the 700 Club said last year in response to a heat wave, "It is getting hotter, and the ice caps are melting, and there is a buildup of carbon dioxide in the air."

What all this demonstrates is that both environmentalists and Christians are realizing that environmental stewardship is not a partisan activity.

To stereotypical liberal tree huggers, environmental protection is a priority for as many reasons as there are individuals: to preserve the earth for future generations, as a way of recognizing man's relatively small place in the vast universe or simply as a way to preserve a peaceful way of life that allows for fishing, hiking and camping in the wilderness, to name only a few.

Christian environmentalists, on the other hand, are turning to the Bible for advice on caring for the planet. They cite passages in Genesis, for example, that talk about the good of all of creation, which humans are called upon to protect as guardians.

The positive impact of this melding of philosophies despite political beliefs is extremely hopeful. This shows that people are willing to compromise, and realize that the rhetoric falling on either side of the party lines is sometimes arbitrary.

Environmentalism isn't a moral or economic issue; it is simply a desire to preserve the beauty of the natural world we were born into. This is a noble aim if I have ever recognized one, and it is a wonderful thing to see members of the Christian community embracing it as such.

Reach columnist Amy Korst at opinion@thedaily.washington.edu.