After the holiday season you will likely have leftovers from Christmas & New Years. A great way to be a steward to the Earth is to consume your food.  Did you know that Americans throw away 25% of the food they buy? Not only is this a waste of money but it is also harmful to the environment. Producing food takes land, water, and heavy machinery. By eating your leftovers you are not only saving money but also preventing energy waste from food production. Not to mention you are keeping them from taking up space in a landfill. ​

Each month, the Creation Justice Ministries team will update www.creationjustice.org/action with a new set of timely events, advocacy opportunities, and education resources. Set a reminder to check this website monthly, and take the actions that are possible for you and your community.

February is Black History Month and there are many ways to celebrate and get involved. Follow Creation Justice Ministries on social media to follow our Black History Month campaign. We also recommend that you check out these organizations who are making black history: Outdoor Afro, Black Millenials for Flint, & the NAACP Environmental and Climate Program.

World Water Day is this week! Support various campaigns and check out the water resources provided by Creation Justice Ministries. 

Our ecological crisis is a spiritual crisis. We are facing systems of greed and racism that require a moral response. Give to faith-based organizations that devote time and resources to caring for God's creation. Consider becoming a monthly recurring donor, to help the organization build a strong, predictable grassroots funding base for their work. If you don't yet contribute to Creation Justice Ministries, consider joining the #CreationJustice Monthly Giving program.

Cut five minutes off your shower to save water. According to a study done by Harvard the average American shower uses 2.5 gallons per minute. You will save 12.5 gallons of water if you shorten by just 5 minutes. Or, consider turning the water off while you lather up and only turn it on to rinse. ​

This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! Make use of the Earth Day Sunday resource developed annually by Creation Justice Ministries. This year's theme is "The Fierce Urgency of Now" and is all about how to live faithfully in urgent times. This year's theme is "Environmental Racism, Public Health, & Eco-Justice" and past years can be found through www.earthdaysunday.org.

Did you know one in five species is threatened or endangered? There are many things everyday people can do to save God's creation from extinction. Check out www.creationjustice.org/endangered to find materials to raise awareness in your faith community.

We recommend titles by members of the Creation Justice community, including:

• 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth: How You and Your Congregation Can Make a Difference by Rev. Rebecca Barnes of Presbyterian Church (USA), who is also our board president.
  
• Creation as Sacrament: Reflections on Ecology and Spirituality by Fr. John Chryssavgis of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
  
• Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis by Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of the Episcopal Church and Rev. Dr. Leah Schade of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
  
• Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change by Rev. Jim Antal of the United Church of Christ
  

Check out this guide to learn how to compost at your home, or go here to see if your neighborhood has a curbside compost pickup option.

Make environmentally sustainable choices this Thanksgiving. Cook your food in reusable cookwear instead of the disposable aluminum foil cookwear. Also, replace paper napkins with cloth during your meal. Reduce your leftover waste by replacing plastic wrap with beeswax wrap or stretchable rubber lids.

Avoid flushing medicines and other dangerous chemicals in the toilet or washing them down the sink. Instead, find your local med disposal location and take them there. This will help keep water clean and drug-free for other people drink and animals and plants to live in and consume. ​

Most of my life I have lived in rural Appalachia. For me, that means walking a far distance to catch the school bus, and then riding it over one hour each way. It means grocery shopping only a few times per month and never letting your vehicle get below a quarter tank of gas. I have no idea what it is like to have fresh and clean water readily available. This has been an issue for my community for ages, but the covid-19 pandemic has brought the lack of access to light in new ways.

Since the age of six my family has not had enough water and the small supply has been riddled with iron that turned my blonde hair orange. When I was teenager, I became very ill from contaminated well water and required extensive antibiotics to rid my body of the bacteria.

I live in a small unincorporated area located in Clay/Braxton/Nicholas County, West Virginia that is called Wilson Ridge. My neighborhood has thirty homes, a church, a foster home, local farms, and a fruit and vegetable nursery. None of them have permanent access to water, and as I learned through phone interviews as part of a community organizing project for my Master’s degree in Social Work, most of them do not have clean water. Many rely on wells that do not produce enough water to sustain them all year long. Most of the residents live in poverty, and most of the families are aged sixty or older and are increasingly living in poor health. Some of the elderly require clean and sterilized water for feeding tubes and other health conditions.

For the past 10 years the community has been told that city water is coming to our neighborhood-yet the promise has not been fulfilled. Until my community organizing class at Concord University, and creating a relationship with Creation Justice Ministries, I perceived my lack of access to water as normal, and the price to pay for living in a rural area.  I have always felt helpless to any other outcome. Not having access is how I have always lived.

My family’s current water situation consists of letting rain water come off our home gutters into a cistern that is located in the ground under my home. Our well produces very little. We preserve every bit of well water that we can. During dry times, my husband has to haul city water in the back of a pickup truck from a fire hydrant two miles away from our home. The only tank we can afford is a 250-gallon tank and the average person uses at least 80 gallons per day. Our home houses five people, so it is easy to see how frugal we are with our water. Showers have to be five minutes or less with a shower head that limits the amount of water coming out for preservation. My oldest son has what I have determined as a long-term trauma from having to take very quick showers all of his life. This is evidenced by his behavior in taking one hour showers (or longer if permitted) when he stays somewhere that has permanent access.

Access to clean, drinkable water is a human right that my community is being denied. Most are living in poverty and do not have higher education. We are being denied this right due to our silence and lack of power. Whether 500 or 30 people are served, access to water is still a right that we should not be denied. Money or lack thereof is the driving factor for not gaining access.

Covid-19 has been a scary time for everyone, but for those of us without water access the risks skyrocket. We rely on bottled water for drinking as the water in our cistern is not suitable for drinking due to bacteria presence. During the hoarding phase of the pandemic- there was not always water available to those who most needed it. Further, clean water is needed for hand-washing and sanitation, which we must now do an extraordinary amount of during this pandemic.
 God has also continued to provide the rain, and we have not gone without water for laundry and showers during this trying time. Due to social distancing, I have been taking a few gallon jugs of water per week to my place of employment and filling them up for cooking purposes. It is embarrassing to explain to people that I need clean water for cooking. While the lack of clean water has been problematic for years- the covid-19 pandemic has heightened the need for readily available clean water and spotlighted the needs of these communities. Water is a human right and a gift from God. All people should have access to clean drinkable water. It is past time my community and others without clean water in West Virginia, gain access.

Bryanna Baker-Meckley is a resident of Duck, West Virginia. Baker-Meckley is a Mental Health Therapist with a focus on Substance Use Disorder. She is passionate about water issues after being introduced to the notion that her community should not have to live without access to water. Concord University and Creation Justice Ministries helped Baker-Meckley to understand that having access to water is a human right.

On December 13, white supremacist groups destroyed the "Black Lives Matter" banners of three congregations in Washington, DC: Asbury United Methodist Church, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Luther Place. Creation Justice Ministries is a membership organization co-founded by the denominations these congregations affiliate with: the United Methodist Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the incidents, "As a Creation Justice community, we know the power of places and symbols that shape our collective memory. White supremacists' December 13th desecration of the three churches' signs is an act of violence that goes far beyond the destruction of property. These churches are sacred places that are integral to the Black history narrative of our country, and that continue to proclaim the precious value of Black lives in the eyes of God, and our community." 

All three churches are part of the National Park Service's national register of historic places, and share their rich history with visitors. See: Asbury United Methodist Church (NPS, DC), Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (NPS, DC), and Luther Place (NPS, DC). Asbury United Methodist Church as well as Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church are both historically Black churches with vibrant, active ministries. They have nourished the souls of great African American leaders such as Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, and Rosa Parks. Luther Place Memorial Church, and its affiliated N Street Village and Steinbruck Center, play instrumental roles in counteracting homelessness and gentrification in the DC community.

Creation Justice Ministries stands with these churches as they speak out against the incidents of December 13th, and our organization affirms that Black Lives Matter. Please read below the churches' responses to the December 13th incidents.

• Please be aware that there are several fake GoFundMe and Paypal links saying they're raising funds for the churches. If you want to donate, please use the links on the churches' websites. 
• "My Church Will Replace its Black Lives Matter Sign. Will America Replace its Racist Myth?" Washington Post opinion editorial by Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan AME Church
• Public Statement by Rev. Dr. Ianther M. Mills, senior pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church
• Statement on Asbury UMC Vandalism  by Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church
• Letter from Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod Bishop Leila Ortiz
• "Statement on Black Lives Matter Signs Burned at D.C. Churches" by Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
  
• Statement on the Racist Threats to US Churches by the National Council of Churches USA 12.17.20
  

As religious organizations representing a diversity of faith traditions we profoundly regret that today the United States formally exits the Paris Agreement on climate change, the world’s best framework for action to address the climate crisis. Global climate change presents an unprecedented threat to the integrity of all life on Earth and a challenge to values that bind us as human beings.
 
Even as climate change impacts all of God’s creation, we know that the consequences of climate change both in the U.S. and around the world are felt more keenly among low-wealth communities and among those that have suffered long histories of racial and ethnic discrimination and exploitation. Our principle of the common good calls us to be in solidarity with those most adversely impacted by climate change now while avoiding the temptation to pass this problem along to future generations as a result of our own neglect or narrow interests.
 
The Trump Administration’s abandonment of the Paris Agreement undermines a key pillar of international cooperation against climate change and damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change. It also leaves the U.S. behind in the global transition to a clean energy economy.
 
Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Creation Justice Ministries
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
The Episcopal Church
Faithful America
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns
Maryknoll Sisters Eastern Region USA
Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Union for Reformed Judaism
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Women
Young Evangelicals for Climate Action

It is our delight to share news with the Creation Justice community that our executive director Shantha Ready Alonso has been honored by the National Council of Churches USA with the J. Irwin Miller Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership award.
Each year, the J. Irwin Miller Award for Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership is conferred by the National Council of Churches USA to a layperson who has demonstrated a commitment to church unity, and who, by living out this commitment through action in the world, has been a witness to justice and other values affirmed by our common faith in Jesus Christ.
The 2020 Christian Unity Gathering theme, "Breathing New Life into Our Nation: Repentance, Re-formation, Reparations," has focused on themes of racial justice, a core value of Creation Justice Ministries, and a passion for our executive director.
We also take this special moment to give a big THANK YOU to Disciples Home Missions, our fiscal sponsor, for their extraordinary demonstration of ecumenical commitment by hosting Creation Justice Ministries. Disciples Home Missions is instrumental in fostering ecumenical leadership!

Hi, I’m Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries.

In a spirit of Truth and Healing, I acknowledge am “beaming in” to the virtual Christian Unity Gathering from the ancestral lands of Cahuilla people, in Coachella Valley, California.   

I am so honored today to accept the J. Irwin Miller Award for Excellence in Ecumenical Leadership. Thank you to the National Council of Churches for this recognition.

I could not have come to this point without my ecumenical family, for teaching me about Christian unity since birth. Thank you to teachers, mentors, colleagues, and donors who have nurtured my leadership through generous time, scholarship funds, and care.

This is a recognition not just of my leadership, but of the entire, powerful and committed Creation Justice community, who refuse to sit idly by and allow forces of greed and racism to desecrate our one and only shared home, Earth. Together, through our prayers and public witness, we are bringing about eco-justice transformations, and witnessing to Jesus’ call for just relationships among all of creation.

I especially want to express my gratitude to members of the Creation Justice Ministries board, which is comprised of representatives of National Council of Churches member communions. Each of these board members is working toward our creation justice mission within their own Christian communities.
 
Ministry for creation justice has never been more urgent and important than it is today. It is an extraordinary time to be alive. We are the first generation to truly understand the gravity of the climate emergency. We are the last generation with significant power to change its trajectory. Right now, our collective action, or inaction, could contribute to the sustenance, or the exponential suffering of the generation that follows.

As the mother of a toddler, I feel this mantle of responsibility viscerally every day.

There are many ways we can approach the climate crisis before us. I choose for my approach to be rooted in ecumenical Christian hope.

I do so because it brings me so much more clarity and peace to frame my place in this struggle as SAYING YES to God’s truth of unity than to be in a constant battle against all that is going wrong.

And, a lot is going wrong.

Sins of apathy, neglect, racism, greed, misogyny have sown division and profoundly harmed the integrity of God’s church as well as God’s creation.

It is also true, at the same time, that WE ARE ONE.

Any person who spends time observing God’s creation can see how awe-inspiring unique ecosystems are: their wildly diverse parts, all interacting in mysterious ways, add up to a whole, and this whole is our home.  
Christian ecumenism is about accepting God’s gift of unity to the Church – and of embracing our oneness in diverse, dynamic body of Christ, so our oneness in the Spirit can be our spiritual home.

It is up to each of us how we respond to God’s gift of unity, both as members of God’s Church and as inhabitants of God’s Earth:
Will we accept this gift of unity with open hands, and foster anti-racist right relationships, health, and wholeness?
Or will we reject this gift, and suffer in isolation through negligence, domination, and exploitation?

Let us pray:

Creator God, help us say yes to accept your gift of unity...

Say yes to living simply, and learning each day to seek your Godly definition of abundance.

Say yes to rectifying the historic racist injustices that have torn people away from the land, and yes to eco-reparations.

Say yes to embodied, incarnational Christian faith, so no body experiences unequal, sickening burdens of pollution.

Say yes to the healing power of repentance, and humility to learn not only from science, but also from the original caretakers of our communities.

Say yes to compassion through disaster preparation, mutual aid and radical hospitality as together we weather the material and spiritual storms of the climate emergency.  

Say yes to wonder -- notice how every creeping thing that creeps is busily signing its own song of praise

Say yes to God’s gift of unity

Amen.

October 12, 2020

let me be weighed in a just balance,
    and let God know my integrity!  - Job 31:6

O you who believe! Fear God, and be with those 

    who are true (in word and deeds). - Quran 9:119

As people of faith and heads of Washington-based offices of religious denominations and national organizations, we call for integrity in the processes that shape our systems of governance and form the basis of our shared wellbeing. We believe that free, fair, safe and respected elections are a bedrock of democracy, and that active and informed citizen participation in the political and electoral process is essential not only to the proper functioning of government but also to the full exercise of our faith. Therefore, we are deeply troubled by any actions or statements that intimidate voters or deny safe and equal access to voting, or that sow doubt in electoral outcomes and raise a threat of violence. Such efforts to corrupt and undermine core electoral freedoms must be condemned in the strongest of terms across the political spectrum.
This nation can only live up to its democratic ideals when all are confident that they can vote freely and without undue hardship for the candidates of their choosing. This is particularly critical in light of the long history of racial disenfranchisement in the United States. Polling places must be equally accessible, safe, orderly, and free from intimidation. All votes must be counted in a fair and transparent manner.  The decision of the majority must be upheld with a peaceful transition.  These core democratic ideals should be fiercely protected by all of us, regardless of political persuasion or religious affiliation.  An election “won” by undermining democratic processes is a loss for us all.
Multi-party commitment to election integrity is a primary factor in preventing election violence across the globe. We call upon all elected leaders and elections officials at every level of government to recommit to our core democratic principles, to look within and consider what they themselves can do in this critical hour to uphold the best in our nation’s values.  Tactics to suppress the vote must end immediately, and all candidates and parties must publicly commit to respect the true election results, regardless of who wins -- preserving democracy is more important than the success of any individual candidate.  Leaders across the political spectrum must call on their supporters to refrain from violence and the threat of violence regardless of results. 
The choice in this moment is clear and stark: shared commitment to sustaining and strengthening the ideals of our democracy, or a descent into an antidemocratic future to secure partisan gains.  We pray that our leaders will demonstrate a robust commitment to our fundamental democratic principles with their words and actions at this pivotal time.
(see following page for signatories representing the U.S. policy offices of denominations and nationwide organizations)


SIGNATORIES TO FAITH LEADERS’ STATEMENT ON INTEGRITY, SAFETY, AND FAIRNESS 
IN THE 2020 U.S. ELECTION: 
Shantha Ready Alonso, Executive Director, Creation Justice Ministries
Sharif Aly, Chief Executive Officer, Islamic Relief USA
Rebecca Linder Blachly, Director, Office of Government Relations, The Episcopal Church
Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Margaret Conley, Director, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Justice Team
Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church
Lawrence Couch, Director, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey, Director of Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists
Melanie Roth Gorelick, Senior Vice President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, Director, Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 
Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler, Director, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, Church of the Brethren
Robin Aura Kanegis, Director, Office of Public Policy and Advocacy, American Friends Service Committee
Rev. Ken Brooker Langston, Executive Director, Disciples Center for Public Witness (Disciples of Christ)
Brigid Lawlor, RGS, Advocacy Liaison, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Catherine Orsborn, Executive Director, Shoulder to Shoulder
Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, Secretary of Justice and Ecology, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Diane Randall, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Rev. Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Basharat Saleem, Executive Director, Islamic Society of North America
Stephen Schneck, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network
Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy, Church World Service
Sandy Sorensen, Director, Washington Office, United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
Rev. Mark Stephenson, Interim Director, Christian Reformed Church Offices of Social Justice and Race Relations
Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President Elect, Sojourners
Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches
Scott Wright, Director, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Carol Zinn, SSJ, Executive Director, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Johnny Zokovitch, Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
Download a PDF of this letter.

Creation Justice Ministries applauds Governor Newsom's newly announced executive order on climate resilience and biodiversity, which establishes a goal of conserving at least 30 percent of California's state lands and ocean by 2030. California is the first U.S. state to join with more than 38 nations around the world who are participating in this global effort. Creation Justice Ministries has been encouraging people of faith across the US to write to their members of Congress in support of the 30 by 30 Resolution to Save Nature at a national level.

Here are some California religious community leaders' reactions to today's news.

"Wildfires, not just in California, but around the world, are causing us to literally feel the heat that is mobilizing more of us to act on our ecological crisis in the spirit of what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King called 'the fierce urgency of now.' As people of faith, we are instructed by our Creator to ensure those who come after us have a sustainable, nurturing Earth. Governor Newsom's executive order will equip our communities for timely, faithful conservation action -- before it is too late." 
The Rt. Rev. Staccato Powell, immediate past President of the Board of Bishops for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) denomination; Creation Justice Ministries Board Member
Granite Bay, CA

"California Lutherans have been closely tracking imminent dangers to safe, affordable drinking water, as well as the environmental racism at play in who does, and does not, have water security. As the climate crisis, pollution, and irresponsible corporate practices have made water stewardship increasingly difficult, we welcome the opportunity to leverage the Governor's executive order, which sets clear guidelines for conservation, to protect and redeem California's watersheds. The God-given life-sustaining gift of water requires our careful stewardship, so all people and creation can endure for generations to come." 
Regina Q. Banks, Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy
Sacramento, CA

"As Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, I am deeply encouraged by Governor Newsom's executive order to protect 30 percent of the land and water under California stewardship by 2030. The Episcopal Church considers action to protect God's creation to be part of fulfilling a sacred trust from God. For us, climate action and conservation mean commitment to personal and local community transformation, advocacy for the best climate and environmental justice policies, and standing with those who are already experiencing the deep pain of climate-related displacement and loss. As Californians seek to implement these conservation goals, may we do so attentive to our moral responsibilities to each other today, an to future generations." 
The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California and
San Francisco, CA

"I celebrate this major milestone in our state's conservation ambition, as my ministry strives to foster deeper spiritual connections to, and protections for, God's ocean. We see first-hand what has profoundly made the protected Monterey Bay a place of resurrection, as well as the care California's coastal communities desperately need. As Californians, we now have a clear goal and timeline to protect God's ocean, and our Blue Theology ministry will pursue conservation with not only love, but also renewed urgency." 
Rev. Dan Paul, Executive Minister, Blue Theology Mission Station
Pacific Grove, CA

"Creation Justice Ministries has been working at the national level to pursue the goal outlined in Governor Newsom's executive order today: to justly and equitably conserve more than 30 percent of nature by 2030. As a resident of a California desert area, I can attest to the need to protect this unique, magical ecosystem, from iconic Joshua trees to the beloved desert tortoises. Like Jesus, I feel closer to my Creator in this wild desert, a place to retreat and pray.
Consistent with California's newly stated commitment to engage in truth-telling and healing with tribes, this accelerated conservation pursuit must unfold differently than US government land and water protections of the past: Conservation must be done with guidance and consent of tribes whenever decisions impact their traditional territories. This conservation effort is also a pivotal opportunity to counteract environmental racism, as new conservation areas can help all people access the healing power of nature, rather than a privileged few." 
Shantha Ready Alonso Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director
Indio, CA

Contact: Shantha Ready Alonso shantha@creationjustice.org

WASHINGTON (August 13, 2020) – The Trump Environmental Protection Agency today attempts to roll back protections against the oil and gas industry’s dangerous, preventable emissions of the powerful climate pollutant methane.

Methane pollution, along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that accompany it, is a serious danger to human health, as well as powerful greenhouse gas that accelerates the climate crisis. One in three people in the U.S. lives in a county with oil and gas production, and oil and gas facilities leak nearly thirteen million tons of methane a year. Pollution emitted alongside methane, such as benzene, worsens asthma and affects lung development in children, and increases the risk of cancer, immune system damage, and neurological, reproductive, and developmental problems.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the announcement, “The Trump Administration and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s rollback of important methane pollution standards is irresponsible, unethical and immoral. Children, older adults, communities of color, and low-income communities will bear the most severe and unjust burdens of methane pollution. Decision-makers in Washington have turned their backs on their responsibility to protect future generations and the planet. Each of us shares a responsibility to uphold respect for our neighbors, and to care for all of God’s creation. Now more than ever, we must work together to protect the health and safety of our communities, and work to achieve climate justice.” 

(Washington, DC -- July 22, 2020) --- Creation Justice Ministries celebrates the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in the US Senate as well as the US House of Representatives, and anticipates its signing into law by President Trump, who has previously indicated his intention to sign it.

This landmark conservation bill ensures the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be fully and permanently funded. Public opinion research shows an overwhelming majority of voters support ambitious efforts to protect America’s land, water, and wildlife, and with this vote our elected leaders have shown they are listening. This bill not only addresses the protection of US natural spaces; it helps expand access to parklands so that all communities have equitable access to outdoor recreation.

Creation Justice Ministries Executive Director Shantha Ready Alonso said of the bill's passage, "Land and water conservation are powerful tools to tackle the climate crisis, and this bill is an important step towards an inclusive plan with natural solutions that benefit all. We are especially grateful to our elected officials on both sides of the aisle who have had a long and steady track record of championing our public lands by investing in the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as our national parks."

Many of Creation Justice Ministries' partners have worked hard toward this day. Arizona Faith Network, for example, educated faith communities on the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for years, and most recently organized June 2020 and March 2020 letters to their US Senators urging them to pass this legislation. Arizona Faith Network Executive Director Rev. Katie Sexton said of the legislation's passage: “Arizona is home to some of the most beautiful public parks and greenspaces, and we are so proud of the successful, bipartisan effort to pass this bill that will enable us to protect these treasures for future generations. As people of faith we know that these places are essential to both the physical and spiritual health of our communities.”

Rev. Clifford Bahlinger, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a former Park Ranger with the National Park Service and an advocate for Creation Justice expressed his thanks, "The Great American Outdoors Act" is a major victory for our parks. Fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund creates a fixed funding source as we go forward. It is a breath of fresh air to see leaders from both political parties supporting this legislation. As a former National Park Service Ranger, I am thrilled to know that the Great American Outdoors Act will cut in half the $12 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks. This funding in our parks will create jobs, and help to preserve our national parks and monuments.  Creation Justice has been a vocal advocate for this important legislation. We give thanks for the many partners who supported this legislation through the years."

The Great American Outdoors Act will also help in America’s economic recovery. The Act will provide massive economic benefits in the short and long term as it will put tens of thousands of people back to work while boosting outdoor recreation and tourism, strengthening our local economies when they need it most.