PORTSMOUTH — Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not steal. Reduce, reuse, recycle?


To most, religion and ecology are like oil and water. But Dr. John Carroll, professor of natural resources at the University of New Hampshire, believes the two are actually one and the same.

"Take, for example, Ash Wednesday," Carroll said. "The whole notion that you have come from dust and unto dust you shall return is an incredibly important ecological understanding. It's a statement of ecology which is as pure as you can get."

Carroll spoke to a crowd of about 40 on the subject during a lecture at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre on Sunday. Titled "Sustainability and Spirituality," the program illustrated how the problems of energy dependence and global warming can be solved with religious teachings.

In his remarks, Carroll said he believes followers of any religion have a moral obligation to take stewardship of the environment. Religious teachings such as reflection, curiosity and reasoning hold the key to obtaining environmental sustainability, he said.

Carroll said the solution also requires eliminating many modern conveniences. In the long term, he said Seacoast residents would need to decentralize food production and become more self-sufficient. Currently, New Hampshire produces about 3 percent of its own food. Carroll also said area residents would need to be prepared to spend more for locally produced food.

"To me, it's not a sacrifice," Carroll said. "I think the assumption is that you're interested in the highest quality of life. How you define the good life is the key."

In the short term, Carroll said Seacoast residents should make an effort to purchase more from local farmers markets. He would also like to see more public transportation and fewer "big-box" businesses in the area.

"Cities like Portsmouth should be out there making these changes," Carroll said. "If Portsmouth wants to claim it's a (sustainable) city, it ought to be pushing for public transport connections to other places."

Audience members had mixed reactions. Some, like Sarah Todd of Kittery, Maine, believe Carroll's teachings may be too difficult to implement.

Others, like Laurie Watson of Stratham, believe drastic change is the only way to solve the problem.

"It's like my dad said when I was growing up: The Yankee way is that less is more," she said.