Reverend Doctor Ambrose F. Carroll says that African American churches are not often associated with environmentalism. But he wants to change that.

So he founded Green the Church, a campaign to motivate environmental action at black churches.

Carroll: “We are people of the African diaspora. We’re people who are ex-slaves, people who are migrant farmers, people who have spent eons with our hands in the ground, and even though we don’t talk the language of environmentalism, it’s really very close to who we are.”

At Green the Church trainings, workshops, and conventions, faith leaders teach pastors and other church representatives the religious importance of protecting the earth. And, they provide strategies for engaging churches in renewable energy, food security, and environmental justice.

Carroll says that action takes many different forms. For example, his church in Berkeley, California has switched to LED lighting and launched a program to teach children to care for God’s creation. He says the campaign inspires action, and shows that, in fact …

Carroll: “The African American church is engaged.”

Reporting credit: Alison Fromme/ChavoBart Digital Media.

Pastor Carroll’s Green Church from Laurence Du Sault on Vimeo.