Asphalt, plants, and rainwater

Christopher's sermon this morning mentioned the sight of small plants pushing up through the asphalt (he said tarmac) or in between slabs of concrete. He paused to admire this phenomenon of nature struggling to renew itself. We see such signs every day, and yet in many buildings a vigorous gardener will pull the plants out because eventually the plants will break down the hard barriers we humans have erected. The earth is struggling to renew itself, and our human desire for control fights against it.

Our church has an asphalt driveway far in the back to give access to the recycling containers. People say is in bad shape and needs renewal. What are the environmental consequences of putting in a new driveway? Every time we cover the earth with something solid, we prevent plants from taking advantage of the soil. We also force the water to run off to the sides rather than sink into the earth. We talk about capturing rainwater from the with the roof of the church in a responsible way that does not just dump it into wastewater disposal. The same kind of thinking needs to apply to other surfaces for which the parish is responsible. A US-based church group has created a workbook that includes the following statement about rainwater:

"Rain gardens, green roofs, tree plantings, and permeable pavements are examples of some of the practices used to soak up the rain. Often called green infrastructure, these practices rely on soil, plants and natural processes such as infiltration, evaporation, and transpiration to mimic the natural water cycle and manage rain water. Green infrastructure is a cost-effective and resilient approach to managing storm water that can bring many social, economic, public health, and environmental benefits to communities." (US EPA, "ENERGY STAR action workbook for congregations", June 2019.  P. 74)

How we manage rainwater is in many ways a very trivial matter, but it is the small things that contribute to our preservation of God's creation.