Jewish Scripture on Caring for the Earth

"And God said: "We will make man in our image and semblance, and reign over the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, over every insect and over every reptile upon the land" 
(Genesis 1:26)


"And God blessed them and told them: Go forth procreate and multiply. Fill the earth and conquer it and dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the skies and every animal the walks the earth. And God said: Here I have given you every plant with seed on the face of the earth and every fruit bearing tree with seed, and they will be your food" 
(Genesis 1:28 and 29)


"…God the eternal had formed, from the earth all the animals of the field and all the birds of the sky and all the wild beasts, and he brought them before man so that man might name them, and thus man named each living creature. And so man gave names to all of the domestic animals, to all the birds of the sky and all the wild beasts …" 
(Genesis 2:19 and 20)

When you besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you will not destroy the trees there by wielding an axe against them; you may eat from them but you shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field a man that it should be besieged by you? Only the trees which you know are not trees for food may you destroy and cut down so that you may build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you until it falls. (Deuteronomy 20:19,20) (note the context of this - it is the rules of warfare and within these rules, the law makes sure we protect the environment, for our own benefit and that of the animals and the land)