We Cannot Fast from Clean Air

View of Los Angeles from afar with pollution over the city.
During Ramadan, Muslims ideally sacrifice some of their own comfort while focusing on compassion, mercy and charitable giving to the hungry, thirsty, poor and disadvantaged. However, while one can fast from food and water for specific periods of time, our bodies cannot fast from air because clean air is the most life-giving force upon which we rely...

You Are Invited to the 2024 National Climate and Faith Forum

Congregations actively living out their faith create a ripple effect on the world with the greatest impact in local communities. There has never been a more important time for congregations to lead, reminding ourselves and each other of the power of God. There are over 300,000 houses of faith in the United States, more than twice the number of cities, school districts, post offices, and Starbucks locations combined. Congregations serve as gathering spaces and backbones of local communities, with a legacy of organizing, serving, and leading social change.

Our Ocean

Many of us are daydreaming about a beach vacation this summer, laughing and playing amongst the waves and swells of the ocean. But not only is the ocean a wondrous, magical, vast body of water...

One World

Photo of Raj Patel
When I served as a congregational pastor, I sometimes used the string game with groups of youth or adults to demonstrate our connectedness. The string activity requires that the group stand in a circle throwing a ball of string back and forth across the circle while holding on to your piece of the string...

2023, The year for climate action!

Photo of a silhouette of a person raising their arms in front of a sunset at the beach
For the first time in my life as a climate-faith leader, I don’t feel as if I am walking while leaning forward against a strong wind. A shift has taken place recently that feels as if the strong wind has been reduced to more of a breeze, and at times it is even against my back. More and more people of faith are engaged in climate solutions, and a series of federal legislation recently enacted (Federal Government Climate Initiatives) are making climate solutions more accessible, even to congregations.

White House Meeting

Photo of Rev. Tom Carr and Rev. Carol Devine in front of the White House
My journey of creation care advocacy began in 1987 when I followed the Garbage Barge (https://www.retroreport.org/video/voyage-of-the-mobro-4000/) on the news. That situation propelled me to act. I began working in the American Baptist Church, USA to help “green congregations” and serve on the board of Creation Justice Ministries. I worked with the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network which helped clean up Connecticut’s “Sooty Six” power plants and helped stop the expansion of Hartford’s enormous landfill into low-income communities of color. In 1999, I joined the National Coalition for Creation Care (NRCCC) an organization that represents all faith communities that have issued public statements on care of creation and when NRCCC became a partner of Blessed Tomorrow (BT), I became involved with BT.

A School Bus for Kivalina, AK: The Consequences of Climate Change

A yellow school bus on a dark road
On November 9, 2022, the children of Kivalina, a small Inupiaq village on the coast of the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean in Western Alaska, rode a bus to school for the first time ever. There has never been a school bus in the village of Kivalina, a community of about four hundred people where a person can walk the entire length of the village in about 15 minutes. In fact, there’s never been a bus of any kind! For the village’s entire history, no one could have imagined Kivalina would ever need a school bus. But then the loss of sea ice and increased storm activity on the Chukchi Sea–both the result of climate change, increased coastal erosion and the village began to be washed into the sea.

How Creation Care Fared at COP27

Logo that reads "COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt 2022"
The 27th Conference of Parties (COP) (https://cop27.eg/#/), attended by over 35, 000 people, took place November 6 - 20th in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. These global gatherings on climate were established at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Annual COP meetings are held in various locations around the globe most years and are attended by environmental experts, ministers, heads of state and non-governmental and faith organizations.

When the Land Owns Us

A field surrounded by trees beneath a blue, partly cloudy sky
Edgar Villanueva, a non-profit leader and member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, wrote the book, Decolonizing Wealth, to share indigenous wisdom about the ways we acquire, manage, and spend money. At one point, he quotes the philosopher Derek Rasmussen, who observed, “What makes a people indigenous? Indigenous people believe they belong to the land, and non-indigenous people believe the land belongs to them.”

Voting as an Act of Faith

Image of circular green logo that reads "Proud Climate Voter #GOTV"
Climate is on the ballot for every election, including the November 8, 2022 election. These 2022 midterms can make or break our future to live in a safe and healthy world. One of the most important things that we can do to solve the climate crisis is to vote for candidates who want to protect, care, and heal the earth. And since climate intersects all justice issues, voting for climate also supports every justice issue that people of faith care about.

Season of Creation

Road through tree canopy with red fallen leaves on road
As a pastor, I very much enjoyed honoring and celebrating creation for a month each fall. Besides being a lot of fun, focusing on creation for more than one Sunday helped me learn to see Scripture through a creation lens and weave it in worship all the time. In the month of September, the Season of Creation is celebrated in churches around the world. This year, Blessed Tomorrow partner and friend, Margaret Bullit-Jonas, along with  Rev. John Elliott Lein compiled a new Season of Creation liturgical resource. Margaret joined me on Let’s Talk Climate this month to discuss the Season of Creation,  the new resource, and other resources. 

Environmental Justice: Youth Taking Action

headshot, young Latinx man, very short hair, mountain background.
Environmental injustice looks different in different locations. Injustice impacts community members’ mental, physical, and spiritual health. In this episode of Let's Talk Climate, Cesar, Will and Zavia share what injustice looks like in their communities. We learn what it is like to attend a school that has practice drills in order to be ready in case of an emergency at an oil refinery. We hear about the impacts that building and expanding roads and highways can have on a tight knit community and important culture. We hear of the layered injustice that heat and poverty have on marginalized communities in an urban city.

Kentucky Flooding and Climate Change

Looking down on town covered by flood waters
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Environmental Justice: Science and Theology

There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Clergy Bridging the Gap

There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Environmental Justice: An Advocate’s Triumph

Huda Alkaff wearing a bright pink hijab and is smiling.
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Juneteenth and Climate Justice

Hands of black person moving away from each other breaking chains with words: June 19, Juneteenth, Let's Celebrate Freedom Day"
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Uniquely Equipped

group of people in a circle with hands reaching toward center
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Breathing with God

city with smoke stack releasing pollution into the air
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

Every Day is a Holy Day-By: Martina Manzone

we are at a crisis point when all voices from any profession and place are needed to come together for every living thing. The dream where we are free to be healthy and in true harmony is possible. Join me in becoming a Climate Ambassador through one of ecoAmerica’s three programs: Climate for Health, Blessed Tomorrow, or Path to Positive Communities. Together in light and love. Everyone, every day.

Farming, Climate and Judaism

Right hand holding two radishes recently plucked from the ground.
There is no issue more important than climate change and I want to do all I can to be part of the solutions. I bring to this position a lifelong passion for creation care, 14 years of experience as a pastor, a commitment and history of interfaith work, founding and leading a climate and faith organization, a yearning for a viable future for my children and future generations and a growing network of friendships and connections with folks doing this work.

“Eating Our Way Toward Climate and Racial Justice” Now Available with Karyn Bigelow, Co-Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries

Recording Now Available: “Eating Our Way Toward Climate and Racial Justice” with Karyn Bigelow, Co-Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries Watch the full Let’s Talk Climate recording here. Join us for ecoAmerica Webcast series, “Let’s Talk Climate.” ecoAmerica is hosting fast-paced discussions…

Blessed Are Those Who Also Mourn-Words on Eco Grief

Adding climate change on top of the everyday mental health stressors we face, compounds issues and impacts, as shown in this new report from ecoAmerica and the American Psychological Association:  Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Inequities, Responses. Reading the report as a person of faith caused me to see that supporting mental health while grappling with our changing climate is both a social and spiritual issue.

Taking Off the World’s Armor

Taking Off the World’s Armor- Rev. Carol Devine  Ephesians 6.10-20 I will never forget my son’s 3rd birthday when he received the first of many sets of batman pajamas. The pjs were gray with the bat symbol emblazoned across his…

California Faith Group Leads Advocacy Against Impacts of Climate and Air Pollution

Based on a student research partnership, Catholic Charities of Stockton's Environmental Justice Project determined that high-impact polluters are located in a specific area in Stockton, most notably the Port of Stockton, and pose significant health concerns for the community members. These results were used to identify the industries to hold accountable and promote community health as a primary priority.

Hear the Call: Climate Action Now

*This blog was original shared by Dayenu, A Jewish Call to Climate Action Dayenu leaders kicked off a month of action, in concert with the celebration of the Jewish new year, with the call of the shofar in Maine, Milwaukee,…

Matot-Masei: The Land is Our Mother

The claim that the land ultimately belongs to God and not to us, its temporary inhabitants, is meant to engender in us a consciousness of our own evanescence, a recognition that we are but visitors on this earth. Out of this consciousness we might grow into right relationship with the land and our fellow human beings, rightsizing our place in the natural order and relinquishing our desire to take hold of someone else’s God-given ancestral land in order to extract more resources, riches, and profit therefrom.

Climate Change IS a Concern for Faith Communities in North Carolina

A successful Greening Our Faith Communities Summit was held May 20 – 21 and functioned as a call to action and a positive source of resources and examples for what faithful climate action might look like in North Carolina. The event was organized by GreenFaith and Clean Air Carolina, with support from ecoAmerica and Blessed Tomorrow, Good Solar, MeckMIN, and numerous other faith and environmental organizations. With nearly 200 registrants, the summit brought together representatives from almost 50 different congregations and houses of worship.

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn: Congregational Support for Eco-Grief

Faith communities have a complicated history when it comes to mental health and wholeness. In some ways, faith communities have failed by ignoring mental health challenges that are present within our communities and among clergy people. Oftentimes the stigma that has been placed upon the shoulders of those who are experiencing a variety of temporary and chronic mental health challenges has been ignored and even increased by communities and people of faith.

Tikkun Olam: Called to Restore a Broken World

Jim Antal gives his sermon

Blessed Tomorrow Leadership Circle Executive Committee Chair, the Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, gave a powerful post-inauguration sermon recently that we are sharing for your reflection and encouragement. Rooted in his own Christian tradition, Rev. Antal ties biblical stories to the…

Inescapable Lessons Offer Invaluable Opportunities – Earth Day 50th & COVID19

This is not a dress rehearsal. The entire world is immersed in unrelenting, multidimensional crises. These crises are not ideological. They are rooted in reality: nature, science, medicine, and mathematics. Suddenly, we are all living with the same mortal fear – anxiety that no ideological anger or assurance can reduce. Each of us must decide how to behave, what matters most, who we listen to, and how we can be of help.

American Climate Leadership Summit 2020 Rescheduled

We must be ambitious and determined on the path forward in 2020 and beyond. We must encourage one another. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.” But, “I’ve been to the mountaintop...I’ve seen the Promised Land” and I know that together we can get there. 

Toward a Blessed 2020 and Beyond

We must be ambitious and determined on the path forward in 2020 and beyond. We must encourage one another. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.” But, “I’ve been to the mountaintop...I’ve seen the Promised Land” and I know that together we can get there. 

Meet Youth Leaders Of The Climate Movement

Nearly a year ago, we published a blog about the Juliana v. U.S. case, in which Juliana plaintiffs list the climate change impacts that will directly affect the life and health of current and future generations. Today, September 20, 2019,…

Inspiration for this Season of Creation

As we experience this 2019 Season of Creation, we take time to reflect on the world we inhabit and our God-given responsibility to steward it. For your contemplation and inspiration, Blessed Tomorrow has gathered together a collection of brief, creation-centric…

PCUSA Climate Care Challenge

Our daily experience, confirms that these extreme climate events keep taking place with greater frequency and intensity each year. This is threatening our food and energy security…. Climate change represents an imminent threat to balanced and well-adjusted development in our…

What in the World are Carbon Offsets?

Have you heard about carbon offsets? They may be just what you and your congregation are looking for in your journey to zero-emissions! The Blessed Tomorrow Carbon Offset Program helps congregations cancel out their emissions. Many of us are familiar…

Nature that Nurtures

The Nature that Nurtures guide, written by Mary Westervelt with layout and graphics by Lauren Diamond, tells the story of how one church, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Berwyn, PA, a certified Earth Care Congregation, began the process of changing their…

Summit for Change and #ActOnClimate

“Europe Becomes First Carbon-Positive Continent; Australia to Follow” “Sahara Desert Becomes World’s Largest Solar Energy Farm” “Pacific ‘Dead Zone’ Dead No Longer, International Clean-Up Efforts Succeed” “Solar Panel Installation, Repair Brings 1.2 Million Jobs to Former Manufacturing Towns” On June…

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

Right hand holding two radishes recently plucked from the ground.

During the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP)’s spring advisory committee meeting, we visited one of our newest grant partners, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) in Chicago. In this predominantly Mexican-American community, their office is located in the Little Village neighborhood…

A Cookie Sale for Planet Earth

For Earth Sunday, Plymouth Church UCC of Shaker Heights, Ohio decided to undertake an activity to demonstrate how everyone—young or old—could do something to care for God’s creation. After worship, they had a cookie sale for planet earth with the…

Next Generation Visualization

Delivered by Shantha Ready Alonso at the 2019 American Climate Leadership Summit. The Visualization was inspired by this year’s Earth Day Resource theme “Next Generation Rises”.  Download the resource here. THE BOXLet’s begin by centering ourselves. If you are comfortable closing your…

Blessed Tomorrow Carbon Offset Program

America’s faith communities care about God’s creation and are ready to act on climate solutions. Especially as Earth Day 2019 approaches, houses of worship are increasingly having conversations about climate within their congregations, and there is a robust trust in…

Resources for Refuge

Houses of worship serve as places of sanctuary for us to meet with God and unburden ourselves from our daily troubles. Around the world, when tragedies like war and natural disasters strike, they serve as places of refuge. Having resources…

Trusted Messengers, Trusted Messages

Of the over 327 million people residing in the United States of America, roughly 1 in 4 people — or just over 80.5 million — identify as evangelical Christians. More than half of this group rejects the notion that the…

Climate Priorities for the New U.S. Congress

Last month’s election results sent a clear message: Americans consider climate change a top priority, and they want elected office holders to act. As the 116th Congress prepares to be sworn into office next month, many Americans are rightly questioning…

Climate, Water, and Justice

In the Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Advent, Christians are confronted by the figure of Zechariah, who became mute when he was informed that his elderly wife was to give birth to a son. When Zechariah gets his…

OUR FUTURE V. THE UNITED STATES

October is traditionally celebrated as children’s health month. This is a time to bring attention to health issues unique to children as they grow, and work to improve the environments they’re growing in, to make them safer and healthier. It takes…

Urgency of Action

The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; (Psalm 24:1) “The world in which we live is a rich tapestry of intersecting, linking elements. The ecosystems, the flora and…

Climate Change Report Lays Out Consequences

At the Presbyterian Hunger Program, this time of the year usually finds our attentions turned towards World Food Day and Food Week of Action. This year however, we also find ourselves focused on the report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on…

Voting and Climate Change: Talking Points

The midterm elections are just around the corner, and many Americans are beginning to have political discussions with their friends and families, colleagues, and communities. Amongst a myriad of voting concerns is climate change. And, even though it might not be…

World Communion Sunday and the Eco-Challenge

Bonjour! Salaam! Habari, bwana! Habari, bibi! Annyong! Buenos días! Malo e tau ma’u ‘a e ‘aho’ ni! Those are words of greeting and invitation. That is how you say “Hello” in French, Arabic, Swahili, Korean, Spanish, and Tongan. For years…

Closing the ‘Ambition Gap’

Last month, United Methodists from across our church gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota to strategize about how we might close our own “ambition gap” between what we say (our official United Methodist Church positions) and what we do in response…

The Earth is our Mosque

A few weeks ago, award-winning filmmaker Mawish Raza and I made the unlikely journey to Houston in the middle of July to make a film about climate change and the Muslim community. Everyone knows that Houston is hot and humid,…

Serve. Guard. Protect.

The very first command addressed to humanity in the entire Bible is to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion . . .” (Gen 1:28). This always felt very authoritarian. No room for…

Extreme Weather and Climate Change: Talking Points

Whether Americans are looking out their windows or turning on the local news, we are increasingly confronted by severe weather events — unprecedented droughts, storms, floods, and heatwaves are being seen and felt nationwide and around the world. The impact…

Developing Climate Virtue

Last Wednesday I threw away a paper towel tube. I could have recycled it, but recycling would have taken extra effort, so I didn’t. Recycling is a habit, and in me it is a habit half-formed. If I had recycled…

Now Available: June Talking Points

 Download Talking Points The discourse around a warming world often gets hung up on politics, but what Americans really care about — and want to hear about— are the challenges and opportunities that climate change has for their families and…

Climate Change and Food Security

By 2030, over one hundred million people could be pushed into extreme hunger due to climate change according to the World Bank. When climate change is discussed, conversation is often around rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns. However,…

Now Available: April Talking Points

A clean energy future is within our grasp. We can have locally-made energy from the wind and the sun that ensures our air is clean and our water is healthy. Communities across America are learning that smart investments in clean…

Now Available: February Talking Points

Throughout American history, people of faith have been at the forefront in addressing injustice. They have transformed hearts, minds, and the course of our country. Today, religious communities are called to a new moral challenge — climate change. If we…

Catholic Institutions Leading on Climate Solutions

At Monday’s  U.N. World Food Day Ceremony, Pope Francis received a standing ovation after calling on the world’s governments to take action on the interconnected issues of climate, hunger, and migration. “It is clear that wars and climatic change are a…

Ways We Can Combat Climate Change

You’ve heard it said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” When Mark Twain—who may have been quoting Charles Dudley Warner—popularized that saying in the 19th century, everyone just laughed. People thought there was nothing humans could…

Six Interfaith Creation Care Prayers

Creation care is more than an act of faith. It is a challenge to be pursued. Just like all of life’s challenges, our prayers can awaken our call to action, enhance our ability to follow through and improve our chances…

Before Disaster Strikes

“Violating the integrity of our relationship with creation is sinful. Our failure to serve as faithful caretakers of creation has local and global consequences. Our inability to share the abundance that God has entrusted to us has given rise to…

God’s Ecosystem: Everything is Connected

The ecosystem is a holier design than we know. God created us to remain in connection to each other and to the other living things that inhabit the Earth. It is grander than what decades of environmental research have uncovered.…

God’s Earth Impacted by Climate Change

Our Earth is a wondrous place, but it has been deeply affected by our actions as humans. Now, it is our responsibility to restore its beauty and strength. But to really help the Earth recover, we must all understand how…

Faith and Climate News: June 2-June 9

Every Friday, Blessed Tomorrow releases the top faith and climate stories from the previous week. This roundup highlights achievements in climate solutions and effective climate communications from and for people of faith. We feature helpful tips and strategies for you…

Faith and Climate News: May 26-June 2

Every Friday, Blessed Tomorrow releases the top faith and climate stories from the previous week. This roundup highlights achievements in climate solutions and effective climate communications from and for people of faith. We feature helpful tips and strategies for you…

Stories for the Week of April 28 – May 5

Every Friday, Blessed Tomorrow releases the top faith and climate stories from the previous week. We highlight achievements in climate solutions and effective climate communications from to people of faith. We feature helpful tips and strategies for you to implement…

The Power of Language in Climate Solutions

Language has the ability to guide cultures, advance leadership, or crumble societies, but words themselves are not inherently valuable. Their merit rests in the concepts that support them, which are subject to change depending on the time or setting of…

Local Climate Leadership Starts at the Pulpit

Your church, mosque, or synagogue may be small and far from Washington D.C., but it just became a vital component in climate solutions. As the tug of war between Trump and the climate rages on in our nation’s capital, faith communities…

A Prayer for Climate Reconciliation

In 1908, the inaugural Octave of Christian Unity was formed to nurture international Christian community building. By the 1930's the event had transformed into a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, offering a more inclusive invitation for Protestant congregations to…

Does Size Matter In Creation Care Leadership?

When we think of creation care leaders in the climate movement, we imagine Pope Francis orating before the U.S. House of Representatives, The Islamic Society of North America divesting from fossil fuels at COP22, or the African Methodist Episcopal Church…

We Need To Talk About America’s Moral Diversity

If the 2016 elections taught us anything, it's that America is more morally diverse than we had initially imagined (and that's putting it lightly). Despite 64 percent of Americans claiming to be worried about climate change, we elected a President…

Innovative Climate Media Makes Room For Faith

Climate communications are an ever evolving myriad of mediums and expressions. From major productions like the new film Before the Flood to distribution tools on social media, the way we talk about climate is changing not only in language but also…

Loving Our Neighbors, Loving God’s Creation

In today’s highly polarized world, and especially in this emotionally charged political season, it’s easy to break into separate camps, to lump people as “us” and “them.”  As a Christian, I believe that all people are created in God’s image.…

Does America Need Its Own Green Climate Fund?

As I wrote in a blog last month, the faith-based stewardship covenant and work of Tangier Island watermen and their families, inspired the landowners I worked with in Bedford County, Pennsylvania to take their own stewardship covenant. Their example inspired…

A Look Back On One Year With Laudato Si

On September 23rd, 2015, we stood at the window of ecoAmerica's office in the heart of our nation's capital overlooking St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C. waiting for Pope Francis' motorcade to arrive. A diverse community of Blessed Tomorrow leaders…

Muslims Remember Climate Refugees for Ramadan

In 610 CE, atop Mecca’s Mount Nur, Angel Jibril (Gabriel) commanded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with one word: Iqra (recite or read). The event which became known as Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power), sparked the beginning of a prophecy that…

Faith Leaders Follow Through On Paris Agreement

As COP21 Paris closed this past December with a historic agreement between nations, its non-legally-binding measures conjuring feelings of uncertainty. Who would be accountable for 195 countries to hold rising global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius? How would they achieve…

Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and the End of Lent

Today is good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Christian traditions around the world. In two days, Christians will honor Easter Sunday, honoring the resurrection of Jesus Christ, marking the end of Lent. The two holidays cap the…

Order Your Faith Climate Action Week Kit Today

Last week, we introduced you to the tremendous Interfaith Power and Light, Faith Climate Action Week, scheduled for April 15 -24. The national event is scheduled to be huge and the long time faith and climate advocacy organization has created…

U.S. Climate Concern Reaches New High

Concern over climate change has reached a new high this year with 65% of Americans expressing a “great deal” or “fair amount” of worry, according to the latest Gallup Poll. Attributed in large part to changing weather patterns, Americans are…

Get on the Bus in Chicago!

On April 21st (the day before Earth Day), people of faith, public health workers, clean energy advocates, and students will board a bus bound for Illinois' state capital, Springfield. Six buses will depart from various locations in Chicago, Illinois, including…

Faith Climate Action Week Goes ‘Beyond Paris’

It's that time of year again – when our Partner organization, Interfaith Power and Light hosts Faith Climate Action Week, April 15-24. The nine-day national initiative surrounding Earth Day (April 22) connects, inspires and motivates climate action within faith communities…

Faithful Acts Make A Difference

The faith community has rallied together with small businesses, concerned citizens, and local, state, and federal legislators to stop offshore drilling along the U.S.’ southeast coast. Today, those efforts bore fruit when President Obama announced that the Interior Department will…

Global Day of Prayer for Climate Action

April 5, 2016, will be a Day of Prayer for Climate Action designed to bring Christian communities together in their collective effort to find climate solutions around the world. Many of Blessed Tomorrow's partners and leadership circle will be participating…

5 Faith and Climate Communication Tools You Need to Know

Climate communications in faith communities have become one of the most important aspects of climate outreach in America. Faith guides people of faith to care for creation, but some narratives resonate better than others when promoting climate solutions. Climate Outreach,…

A Muslim Call to Climate Action

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) stated, “the earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his stewards over it.” (Hadith – Muslim) The 1.6 billion Muslims around the world draw on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to assist in…

Lenten Carbon Fast Fosters Interfaith Solidarity

Christian Lent begins next week on February 10th and will last until Easter Sunday, March 27th, 2016. Through Biblical exegesis, Christians find guidance for the Lenten holiday in the Synoptic Gospels, motivating them to abandon particular behaviors for 40 days.…

Why Climate Change is a Race Issue

The drastic changes happening to our planet are not a direct result of race issues in America, but the impact of those changes on particular segments of society is related to our construction of race. Speaking on Michigan's recent water…

Faith Leaders Curb Food Waste Across America

The EPA reports that the average American throws away just over 1200 calories in food per day, contributing to issues of hunger and climate change. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has developed many strategies to combat this unnecessary waste, turning recently…

Framing Climate Values in the Six Americas

In recent years, the discourse surrounding climate change has transitioned away from a political issue, and into a moral concern that faith leaders are taking head on. In Yale's new report, Faith, Morality and the Environment: Portraits of Global Warming’s…

5 Faith Traditions Speak on Climate

You've studied the scriptures of your faith tradition, and you understand quite well the moral imperative to care for creation. What about your fellow climate caretakers in faith traditions not your own? What are they taught about creation and how…

ecoAmerica’s 11 Biggest Milestones of 2015

  2015 was an incredible year for the climate movement, with leaders in every sector speaking out and demanding climate action. ecoAmerica (Blessed Tomorrow's parent company) continued to empower those leaders through summits, programs, and research designed to reinforce effective…

Does Your Climate Strategy Have a Human Element?

The earth will survive climate change. Our planet has spun through various degrees of ecological transition, with cold and warm periods altering its landscape. The current (human induced) change, however, is happening faster than ever before, and while the planet…

A Climate Quiz for Your Congregation

The Pew Research Center created a climate change quiz and unlike test from our childhood; this questionnaire required an unusual prerequisite – one for which little studying is required. The three question exam does not test an individual's knowledge of…

Is Climate Action a Leap of Faith for Americans?

A fire swept across the Jemez Mountains range four years ago, a blaze viewable from the home of Lutheran lay theologian and climate advocate, Larry Rasmussen. Destroying just over 150,000 acres of land, the climate-induced rampage was, perhaps, the most…

Waking Up To Climate Change: A Spiritual Rebirth

'Spirituality' has been described by every sage and prophet from Indian mystics to Jesus as the process of 'waking up.' For many, a personal investigation of the heart allows us to illuminate the social woes that confront our communities. Much…

71% of Americans Want Climate Solutions From COP21

Discussions surrounding the likelihood of success at this year's climate talks in Paris have varied depending on what news source you frequent. Regardless of the actual outcome, the progress we have made is monumental. The three largest contributors of carbon…

Will Eco-Theology Mend Our Rupture With God?

How does faith impact the climate discussion? As Dennis Patrick O’Hara, director of the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, shared, faith gives people a particular sense of power on an issue that can seem overwhelming. For many Americans,…

Is Your Temple the Living Word of God?

In Ephesians 2:21, Christians are taught, "In whom the whole structure,  joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord." What does this temple look like, and how does it represent the way in which followers of Jesus practice…

Indigenous Peoples Are Counting On UNFCCC

It has been just over a week since the attacks on Paris, and the world has changed. While my heart goes out to all those impacted by terrorism from Beirut to Baghdad, it is imperative to steady our course toward…

Is Science Enough to Garner Climate Support?

Scientists have been warning people for decades that climate change is a serious and pervasive threat to the prosperity of humankind. And while climate efforts of the past few decades are not to be forgotten, they simply have not been…

Why Are These Christians Hiking to Paris?

The cold winds of November aren't enough to stop Christians from marching to Paris for climate change awareness. Then again religious theorists would argue that a pilgrimage is intended to be just that, arduous for the sake of transformation. It…

‘Science Alone Cannot Save the Planet,’ But Faith Can

"Science alone cannot save the planet," shared  Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, the Orthodox Christian leader who spiritually guides 300 million people around the world. The 'Green Patriarch' met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in England this past week,…

Jane Goodall Discovers Climate Hope in Pope Francis

World-renowned primatologist, anthropologist and a United Nations Ambassador of Peace, Jane Goodall shared, "[Pope Francis] is absolutely amazing and he gives me more hope than almost anybody else alive at this time today." Praising his call to care for creation,…

Is Your Faith Facility an Energy Star? Learn How to Make it One!

Energy efficiency is the fastest, cheapest, and most resourceful solution for simultaneously saving your congregation  money and preventing greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing the importance of progressing American faith facilities to reduce carbon emissions, the EPA has made facilitating this transition a…

6 Steps to Climate Action With Rabbi Warren Stone

Last week, Blessed Tomorrow was lucky enough to welcome Rabbi Warren Stone,  Co-Chair of the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care, at Coming Together in Faith on Climate. In the hallowed halls of Washington National Cathedral, Rabbi Stone illuminated his…

North Carolina Mosque Joins Solar Power Initiative

Last February, 6,000 Jordanian mosques adopted solar power in a joint effort to address the growing role of faith communities in climate action. Similarly, an American mosque has taken the call to climate action seriously by promising to install solar…

What Will Pope Francis Say to Congress?

Pope Francis has echoed what scientists have been saying for years, according to climate leader, Katharine Hayhoe. While the findings come from decades-long, carefully accumulated data, these details are not what compels the American public to act. Science may be…

Creation Care Gets Boost in Catholic Curriculum

“I’m not perfect, but I try to live sustainably as much as possible,” shared Brent Fernandez, a teacher of theology and science at Father Ryan High School, one of many Catholic schools incorporating Laudato Si into their academic curriculum. For…

When science doesn’t work, give ’em faith

For decades, climate scientists have remained puzzled by their inability to sway climate opinions. Was the data too confusing? Could they simplify it? Projected sea levels and global temperatures simply were not doing the trick. Atmospheric climate scientists, Katharine Hayhoe…

New Website Empowers Evangelical Climate Leaders

Climate Caretakers launched this week, offering a new voice in the growing movement of Evangelical Christians acting for the climate. Founded by a coalition of creation care organizations and colleges, including Blessed Tomorrow's partner Sojourners, the group represents a shift…

Money Matters, Even in Creation Care

Many faith facilities are trying hard just to keep the lights on (often the problem), making creation care initiatives something they intend for the future when things level out. As Ethics Daily writer and editor, Zach Dawes learned while suggesting…

Will You Bring Faith to the People’s Climate March?

In September 2014, 700,000 people took to the streets to demand climate action from government leaders during the People's Climate March. The astounding number of participants included UN officials, politicians, labor unions and faith leaders, uniting under a single banner…

Bill McKibben Turns Toward Faith Leaders for Climate Hope

Climate action hero, Bill Mckibben penned an article for the Boston Globe – a compelling look at the long history of climate action in Ameican religious traditions. Noting Blessed Tomorrow leaders, Mary Evalyn Tucker and Jim Antal, Mckibben's reflection dispells misinterpretations that…

Are Evangelical Christians Coming Around On Climate Change?

In Mark Stoll's investigation on the role of environmentalism in the Baptists tradition (or lack thereof), he focused on the cohort's wavered anti-environmental past. While his examples are compelling they remain oriented in the direction Stoll is facing; toward the past. However, when…

The People Get Their Pilgrim in Move Toward Climate Solution

Former Philippine climate change commissioner Naderev "Yeb" Saño began his 6 month pilgrimage to COP21 on Monday, with his first stop in Vanuatu, a region still recovering from climate change related disaster. After resigning from his government position, Saño joined Our Voices, an international coalition of interfaith works that are…

8 Climate Myths Debunked By Catholic Coalition

Myths surrounding climate change have become prevalent in today's discourse, giving skeptics a false sense of certainty in their rally against climate action. How do we discern fact from fiction in the climate debate? In anticipation of Pope Francis' climate Encyclical, Caritas Internationalis (A…

What If You Could Hear Climate Change?

Every effective communications strategy has symbols and climate change is not exempt from this tradition. They help us understand issues that often evade our comprehension due in part to the magnitude and complexity at which they operate. How do we understand the severity of melting…

Muslims Stamp Out Styrofoam for Ramadan

It's that time of year when Muslims around the world partake in the month long Islamic holiday of Ramadan. Every night, the daily fast is broken with Iftar, a gathering of people at mosque and homes around the world –…

Why Are Oil Executives Meeting With Pope Francis?

“We have to stop being defensive,” Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné said in regard to past climate irresponsibilities. His words mark what many are viewing as a necessary change in climate attitudes by those that arguably matter most in these discussions:…

People of Faith Rank in Top 10 American Climate Leaders

The environmental movement, with its origins in nation park conservation at the beginning of the 20th century, has taken many shapes over the decades. Following an onslaught of messaging campaigns and educational materials, the environmental movement has maintained its use of leadership…

Everyone is a Shareholder in God’s Creation

Dina Medland recently penned an article regarding a joint effort by the world's top corporations to reduce carbon emissions. Much of the language employed by Medland was an act to illuminate the similarities between running a business and supporting climate…

Closing the Climate Gap in the Catholic Church

According to a Pew Research poll, 61 percent of Hispanic Catholics agree that climate change is human-caused and should be addressed, while only 40 percent of white Catholics share a similar sentiment. Why is this? While Pope Francis' leadership has been critical in…

Stewardship Needs a Leader This Earth Day

April 22nd marks the 45th consecutive celebration of Earth Day. Once championed by the subset of 1960s counterculture, Earth Day has transformed into a global movement in which millions look for ways to care to for God's creation. Moreover, it…

Episcopalian Bishop Leads Church to Climate Action

Frank. Straightforward. Unrelenting. These are the words that best describe the climate communications of Episcopal Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori. Calling climate change denial a 'blind position,' Schori, a trained oceanographer, has used her ordainment to one of America's highest religious positions to…

Religious Groups Call on Pfizer to Act for the Climate

Religious leaders and organizations have joined forces to encourage Pfizer Pharmaceutical company to cut ties with climate change denier American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The coalition of almost 80 groups (religious and non-religious) cite ALEC's denial of climate change and opposition…

Announcing the 2015 MomentUs Leadership Summit, May 20-21

ecoAmerica is pleased to announce our 5th annual leadership summit. Path to Positive, the 2015 MomentUs Leadership Summit, is being held on May 20th and 21st, 2015 in Washington, DC.  The Path to Positive begins with the simple premise that the greatest obstacle to our nation…

Rabbi Finds Climate Motivation in Queen Esther

Scripture has, and always will be a source of malleable symbolism, offering motivation in the most unlikely of places. As Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein thumbed through the story of Queen Esther, he couldn't help but notice representations of our current climate concerns. Using the…

Water Day Prayer Sparks Global Effort

Unsafe drinking water kills 5,000 children around the world, every day. Climate change has contributed to this atrocity through increased droughts that limit access to clean drinking water. While this number may seem like too much for the heart to…

Green Faith is Certifying Churches – Is Your Church Eco-Friendly?

Worship facilities across the US are signing up for Green Faith's certification program that designates churches, synagogues and mosque as being eco-friendly facilities. While the two-year intensive program might seem difficult for most, Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring obtained an eco friendly facility in a more…

This Lent, Why Not a Carbon Fast?

This Wednesday marked the beginning of the season of Lent in the Christian tradition. As you may know, Lent, which lasts for 40 days until Easter Sunday on April 5th, is a time of reflection and discipline when many Christians…

New Study Insist We Leave Science Out of Climate Talks

We have all been there, demonstrating to someone the scientific evidence that climate change is real and man-made, just as their eyes glaze over in discontent. According to a study published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, leading with scientific evidence is a…

Can Faith Leaders Really Make a Difference in UNFCCC?

Journalist from around the world gathered to witness the historic event of COP20 in Lima this past fall. Their reaction to the proceeding was largely pessimistic, claiming that the political mechanisms in place were too esoteric and antiquated for true action to…

Will Solar Panel Legislation Hurt Indiana Churches?

Solar energy legislation might not seem like a big deal for faith communities, but for parishes such as Cumberland First Baptist Church and Englewood Christian Church, solar panel legislation will determine the success of they're existing creation care campaigns. Over the…

What Makes a Moral Leader?

At Blessed Tomorrow, we view climate change as an ethical issue that requires moral leadership. While moral leadership has historically come from a wide range of people (politicians, teachers, etc…), faith leaders have overwhelmingly led the way. From Martin Luther King,…

The Tree Outside is a Direct Link to Genesis

Teaching creation care to your congregation can start to feel cumbersome, at times. You've done the leg work, uncovered scriptural teachings that command our stewardship of His creation, but what now? The Field Guide To Faith & Nature, has produced, How to Use…

Faith On the Hill Influences Congressional Climate Votes

The 114th congressional body is the most religiously diverse committee to ever occupy the House of Representatives. With the first Buddhist, Hindu and self identifying "None" being welcomed into the fold — understanding how religious beliefs influence congressional attitudes on…

Pontiff’s Tough Love Encourages Climate Action

Pope Francis' recent visit to the Philippines is another caveat to his impending climate encyclical, scheduled for release this Spring. Calling the current generation "a culture of waste," Pope Francis is clearly not mixing his words. Taking things up a notch, the progressive…

Would Jesus Pay a Carbon Tax?

Recent news has been abuzz with talks of a carbon tax for the US, such as the Washington Post article, Oil's Swoon Creates the Opening for a Carbon Tax. Largely, this has been a reaction to falling oil prices – raising the question: should…

Unraveling the 3 Layers of Environmental Preaching

Every religious leader holds a sacred duty to guide their congregates on matters of social justice. Faith leaders provide a moral compass that assist us in navigating issues of ethics and communal good, but many religious leaders have trouble determining…

The Top 5 Traits That Make A Great Leader

At ecoAmerica, one of our main priorities is empowering leaders to build support for climate action. There’s a reason leaders are such an important part of our strategy. Whether they’re the head of a corporation, a church, or a community…

Menorah Illuminates Path to Climate Action for Hanukkah

Over two thousand years have passed since the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; and still, the Maccabee triumph over the Seleucid Empire serves as a motivational tool for Jews around the world. While the menorah oil miraculously lasted the Maccabees eight…

U.S. Churches Answer UNFCCC’s Call to Climate Action

As the United Nation's climate conference in Lima came to a close, Christina Figueres voiced one final plea to religious leaders around the world. Once again the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary has urged faith leaders…

Are Religious Conferences Contributing to Climate Change?

“We could create an A.A.R. Sabbatical Year,” suggested Dr. Laurie Zoloth, president of the American Academy of Religion, during her opening remarks at the organization's recent gathering in San Diego, California. Falling in line with this year's theme, ‘fighting climate change,'…

3 Ways to Get 3 Million People Back in Church

With 3 million young people leaving the church each year, faith leaders are resorting to highly unusual tactics in an effort to regain their divorced congregates. Instead of building a McDonald’s church, as one group has suggested, perhaps we should…

Evangelical Christians Garner Support for EPA Regulations

city with smoke stack releasing pollution into the air

The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), along with Environmental Entrepreneurs, are dispelling the myth that Evangelicals are skeptical about climate change.  According to a recent article, the two groups have drafted a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supporting a…

Jewish Urban Farm Takes Root In California

When the first Israeli Kibbutz was founded in 1909, many theorized that it would never last. By 1940, the fraternity of Jewish farms had risen just over 80, propelling sustainability (and Zionism) to new levels. More than one-hundred years later,…

Talking Creation Care At Thanksgiving Dinner

The holidays are here and we all know how difficult it can be when ‘politicized’ issues arise between family members. While it’s easier to leave these polarizing discussions at the door, if done correctly, positive discourse about climate change can…

Evangelical Christians Take Action Toward Creation Care

Evangelical Environmental Network CEO, Mitch Hescox, a pastor and former coal worker, knows a thing-or-two about Christian attitudes on climate change. His recent adoption of the term ‘evangelical environmentalist’, coupled with his creation care sentiments, have compelled him to traverse…

Latinos, Faith, and the Real Cost of Climate

“¿Cuánto cuesta?” asks Blessed Tomorrow Executive Committee member and National Latino Evangelical Coalition President Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero in a recent op-ed for The Huffington Post. In English, “How much does it cost?”   In response to climate solutions, such as proposed EPA carbon regulations on power plants, some…

Making the Evangelical Case for Climate Action

A recent article in the Boston Globe features Dr. Dorothy Boorse, a biology professor at a Christian evangelical school, Gordon College, in Wenham, Massachusetts. Dr. Boorse helps to break the stereotype that the evangelical community is anti-science and skeptical of climate change. In fact,…

NRCCC Releases Interfaith Climate Statement

The National Religious Coalition on Creation Care, a Blessed Tomorrow partner, has produced a powerful new interfaith statement on climate change. The statement demonstrates how people of faith from many different traditions have united around climate change as a moral…

3 Faith & Climate Takeaways From the Sojourners Summit

Earlier this month, I attended the first annual Sojourners Summit, a national gathering of over 300 prominent faith leaders that included an outstanding list of speakers, discussions, and trainings. The summit addressed social justice challenges many faith communities are championing,…

Don’t Just Recycle, Do Something!

"As faith leaders, it is time to organize and mobilize. We have the largest networks of people trying to do what is right of any organizations in the world," says, Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson (a member of the Blessed Tomorrow Executive Committee and…

A Pastor’s Perspective on Climate Change

For many people, climate is abstract. But for Rev. Dr. Salguero, it’s personal. In a recent op-ed for The Huffington Post, Rev. Dr. Salguero (a member of the Blessed Tomorrow Executive Committee and president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition) explains how has seen climate’s impacts…

Sin and Climate Change Denial – A Theological Exploration

In this Washington Post article, Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, the former president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, discusses climate change in theological terms: specifically, whether humans bear moral responsibility for extreme weather.   Dr. Thistlethwaite explores the many aspects of sin…

Climate’s Newest Leaders: African-American Clergy

Three African-American clergy, including Blessed Tomorrow Leadership Circle members Bishop Vashti McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Gerald Durley, recently spoke at a White House panel on climate change and climate impacts. But these leaders’ presence at the panel was not an isolated…

The Pope Is Going Green (and Telling People, Too)

Pope Francis, who named himself after the patron saint of the environment and animals, already made something of a statement about his opinions on environmental issues when he held up an anti-fracking t-shirt last fall. But now, sources in a Huffington Post…