Green Faith
October 16, 2009 Leave a commentStill vibing on the fact that yesterday was Blog Action Day, I want to share about this very cool documentary about the growing faith-based environmental justice movement in the United States, entitled Renewal.
A description of the film is as follows:
RENEWAL is the first feature-length documentary film to capture the vitality and diversity of today’s religious-environmental activists. From within their Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions, Americans are becoming caretakers of the Earth. With great courage, these women, men and children are re-examining what it means to be human and how we live on this planet. Their stories of combating global warming and the devastation of mountaintop removal, of promoting food security, environmental justice, recycling, land preservation, and of teaching love and respect for life on Earth are the heart of RENEWAL.
Check out this clip highlighting the work of GreenFaith, an interfaith coalition which helps houses of worship make their buildings more environmentally sound and explore their personal impact on the environment in various ways — from implementing recycling and composting on up to the installation of solar panels throughout congregations in New Jersey.
And another clip on Buddhists in the San Francisco Bay who are working to save trees by encouraging greater use of recycled paper, especially by major magazine publishers. Their organization, Green Sangha, combines meditation and environmental education to promote non-confrontational forms of action emphasizing the interconnectedness of everyone and everything on the planet.
I was so inspired, educated and delighted to learn of this work and of this growing movement. What about you? What else is going on among spiritual environmental activists that inspires you?
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Great stuff going on in spiritual/faith-based communities on this front. Part of my own commitment to sustainability was spurred on by my involvement in the Unitarian Universalists’ denomination-wide study/action process around responsible consumption 10 years ago. Faith-based communities have been the galvanizing force behind a lot of the environmental movement in traditionally conservative and anti-environmental communities. Looking at the bigger picture of ourselves as co-creators and co-protectors of this “Eden” we call Earth has been a powerful motivator. Thanks, Melinda, for bringing this back to our attention!