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Faith-Based Approaches to Environmental Stewardship

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Faith-Based Approaches to Environmental Stewardship FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachesApproaches toto EnvironmentalEnvironmental Stewardship:Stewardship: CommunityCommunity ExamplesExamples andand Governments'Governments' RoleRole Dr.Dr. SusanSusan EmmerichEmmerich,, ConsultantConsultant CharlesCharles Lee,Lee, EPAEPA DavidDavid F.F. Kern,Kern, ADEQADEQ 1 Dr.Dr. SusanSusan EmmerichEmmerich PalosPalos Heights,Heights, IllinoisIllinois • Advocate of community-based and faith-based environmental stewardship and sustainability. • Chief Executive Officer of Emmerich Environmental Consultants. • Former professor of Environmental Science at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois • Former U.S. Department of State representative to the United Nations on environmental affairs. • 20 years of experience in her field in the private, academic, local and federal sectors. • Within the federal sector, she worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Departments of State and Interior, and the the Senate Foreign Relations committee and the World Bank. • Author and film producer of the Telly and Aurora Award winning films on the Tangier Watermen's Stewardship Initiative. • Founder and former director of the Tangier Watermen's Stewardship for the Chesapeake, a non-profit organization. 2 CharlesCharles LeeLee WashingtonWashington DCDC • Associate Director for Policy and Interagency Liaison at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Justice. • The Designated Federal Official for the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which recently concluded a major report, “Ensuring Risk Reduction in Communities with Multiple Stressors: Environmental Justice and Cumulative Risks/Impacts.” • More than 30 years of experience in research, advocacy and direct service around environmental health and social justice concerns of people of color and low-income communities. • Pioneered the field of environmental justice. Architect of the two landmark seminal national events in emergence of the environmental justice field: ¾ The seminal 1987 report, Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States; ¾ The historic 1991 National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. • Spearheaded numerous milestones marking the emergence of federal policy in this area, including development and implementation of Executive Order 12898. • Chairs the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (IWG) • Spearheaded development of environmental justice demonstration projects which laid groundwork for emergence of an environmental justice collaborative problem-solving model. • • Former member of the EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Environmental Justice: Research, Education and Health Policy Needs. • Editor and Writer of articles, including: • “Environmental Justice: Building a Unified Vision of Health and the Environment,” in Environmental Health Perspectives (NIEHS, April 2002) • “Collaborative Models to Achieve Environmental Justice and Healthy Communities,” in Power, Justice and the Environment: A Critical Appraisal of the Environmental Justice Movement (MIT Press, 2005), and • “Environmental Justice,” Environmental Health: From Global to Local (Jossey-Bass, 2005). 3 DavidDavid F.F. KernKern LittleLittle Rock,Rock, ArkansasArkansas • Outreach Coordinator, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), Air Division, Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Branch. • Former ADEQ spokesman and Legal Division Office Administrator. • Former journalist with more than 20 years’ experience, including assignments as an environmental writer, investigative reporter and state house correspondent. • Master of Urban Studies degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Marquette University. • Coordinated, presented and moderated presentations at national and regional journalism conferences. • EPA National Community Involvement Conference : ¾ 2005 Planning Committee ¾ 2006 Keynote and Selection committees. 4 PresentationPresentation Outline:Outline: (two and one-half hours) • Introduction to topic • Audience Input : What audience members hope to get out of this workshop. • Introduction to Video Clips regarding three examples of a faith-based approach to environmental stewardship: ¾ Chesapeake Bay ¾ Pennsylvania farm community ¾ New Berlin, Maryland, urban development. • Video Clips • Comment on video clips: How a faith-based approach can achieve environmental results from a local issue or project. • EPA activities relating to faith institutions and communities. • Review of a faith-based approach at Arkansas facilities. • Panelists address: How state and federal regulators can work with groups using a faith-based approach. • Discussion among panelists • Panelists’ summary • Audience Questions 5 6 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach •• ClarityClarity inin ourour definitiondefinition •• WhiteWhite HouseHouse faithfaith--basedbased initiativeinitiative ¾¾ReligiousReligious nonnon--profitsprofits onon parpar withwith secularsecular nonnon--profitsprofits ¾¾FederalFederal moneymoney distributeddistributed ¾¾FederalFederal stringsstrings attachedattached ¾¾ToTo improveimprove welfarewelfare ofof citizenscitizens 7 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach •• FaithFaith--basedbased approachapproach inin thisthis presentationpresentation ¾¾Different,Different, unrelatedunrelated toto WhiteWhite HouseHouse initiativeinitiative ¾¾AA faithfaith--basedbased stewardshipstewardship approachapproach ¾¾BasedBased onon aa faithfaith worldviewworldview 8 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach •• Regulators,Regulators, GovernmentGovernment ¾¾TheirTheir supportsupport soughtsought forfor faithfaith--basedbased organizations,organizations, nonnon--profits,profits, otherother groupsgroups ¾¾NotNot expectedexpected toto useuse faithfaith--basedbased approachapproach ButBut toto supportsupport itit 9 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach •• AA worldviewworldview ¾¾DeterminesDetermines ourour valuesvalues ¾¾VisionVision ofof andand forfor lifelife ¾¾Community,Community, collectivecollective viewview 10 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach • BasedBased onon thethe ChristianChristian faithfaith • ItsIts standardstandard ofof authorityauthority –– thethe BibleBible • FaithFaith worldviewworldview →→ aa faithfaith--basedbased approachapproach 11 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach • OneOne ofof severalseveral motivationsmotivations ForFor environmentalenvironmental decisiondecision--makingmaking ¾ FaithFaith--basedbased approachapproach ¾ EnvironmentalEnvironmental justicejustice ¾ EconomicEconomic InterestInterest ¾ ProtectionProtection ofof HealthHealth ¾ MaintenanceMaintenance ofof qualityquality ofof lifelife ¾ ResistanceResistance toto changechange 12 PresentationPresentation GoalsGoals •• ProvideProvide insightinsight toto regulators,regulators, communitycommunity leadersleaders •• DiscussionDiscussion ofof keykey issues,issues, opportunitiesopportunities •• EngageEngage audienceaudience membersmembers •• Dialogue:Dialogue: waysways toto supportsupport faithfaith--basedbased stewardshipstewardship 13 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach WhatWhat dodo youyou hopehope toto getget outout ofof thisthis talk?talk? VoiceVoice youryour ideasideas toto moderator.moderator. 14 FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachesApproaches InIn thisthis presentationpresentation •• Consultant’sConsultant’s view:view: AA faithfaith--basedbased approachapproach toto environmentalenvironmental stewardshipstewardship •• EPAEPA representative’srepresentative’s view:view: EnvironmentalEnvironmental stewardshipstewardship inin faithfaith communitiescommunities 15 AA FaithFaith--BasedBased ApproachApproach toto CommunityCommunity--LedLed Stewardship:Stewardship: LessonsLessons FromFrom ThreeThree ChesapeakeChesapeake BayBay WatershedWatershed CommunitiesCommunities Dr.Dr. SusanSusan EmmerichEmmerich EmmerichEmmerich EnvironmentalEnvironmental ConsultingConsulting 16 MethodologyMethodology ¾¾Project Objective: ¾ Worldview Concept ¾ Work within faith worldview to change attitudes toward environment, environmental professionals and economy. 17 ProjectProject DesignDesign ¾¾EthnographyEthnography –– FindingsFindings ¾¾Impt. Role of church and women ¾¾Biblical Environmental Ethic existed in community worldview ¾¾ActionAction ResearchResearch -- ApproachApproach 18 GoalGoal andand ChallengesChallenges ¾¾CommonCommon Goal:Goal: EnvironmentalEnvironmental stewardshipstewardship andand economiceconomic development.development. ¾¾Challenges:Challenges: ¾¾ElucidateElucidate biblicalbiblical worldviewworldview relatedrelated toto environment,environment, economyeconomy andand neighborsneighbors ¾¾EnableEnable watermenwatermen andand farmersfarmers toto recognizerecognize inconsistencyinconsistency 19 MoreMore ChallengesChallenges ¾¾AwakenAwaken fromfrom malaisemalaise ¾¾RelateRelate faith,faith, environmentenvironment andand racerace –– BerlinBerlin CaseCase ¾¾InspireInspire actionaction ¾¾EstablishEstablish organizationalorganizational meansmeans toto implementimplement changechange 20 ApproachesApproaches FrameFrame StewardshipStewardship EffortEffort ¾¾ChangeChange AgentAgent andand StakeholdersStakeholders TogetherTogether InvolvedInvolved inin GeneratingGenerating SolutionsSolutions ¾¾UniqueUnique ApproachApproach toto EducationEducation ¾¾MultifacetedMultifaceted RoleRole ofof ChangeChange AgentsAgents ¾ Paraclete ¾ Peacemaker ¾ Educator ¾ Advocate 21 FaithFaith--BasedBased StewardshipStewardship Efforts:Efforts: TheThe StoriesStories ¾¾TangierTangier
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