wfn.org | EPA Honors NCC Environmental Work

["Nat'l Council of Churches" <nccc_usa@ncccusa.org>]

National Contact: NCC/CWS News, 212-870-2252
E-mail: news@ncccusa.org; Web: www.ncccusa.org
NCC1/30/02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HONORS NCC ENVIRONMENTAL WORK

January 30, 2002, NEW YORK CITY - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
has honored the National Council of Churches work for environmental justice
by granting its director, the Rev. Richard L. Killmer, one of its 20 EPA
Climate Protection Awards for 2002.  The award recognizes exemplary efforts
and achievements in protecting the climate.

Killmer provides staffing to the NCCs Eco-Justice Working Group, whose
representatives from 23 Protestant and Orthodox denominations carry out an
extensive program helping people of faith engage in environmental issues.
Ironically, Killmer and the Working Group are critical of much of the Bush
Administrations energy policy.

Formed in 1983, the Eco-Justice Group seeks to support and assist
denominational and ecumenical work to protect Gods Creation.  It publishes
resource materials for congregations, including an annual Earth Day resource
that it mails to tens of thousands of congregations.

It sponsors a Web site (www.webofcreation.org/ncc/Workgrp.html), an
Environmental Justice Covenant Congregations program, and biennial
conferences for environmental justice leaders.  The Working Group also has
created several programs for the historic black denominations.

Among the achievements which earned the EPA award are interfaith climate
change campaigns in 18 states across the nation, which Killmer and the
Working Group have organized in cooperation with state ecumenical and
interfaith agencies, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment
and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.

The campaigns seek to help people of faith see global warming as a religious
issue and to encourage individuals, congregations and governments to do
something about it.
An initial campaign was tested in Ohio in 1998 including educational,
lifestyle, public policy and media strategies. In 1999, with the Ohio
campaign as a model, the effort was expanded to four additional states -
Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Iowa.
With campaigns still ongoing in those five states, 11 new states began
organizing around the climate change issue early in 2000: Florida, Georgia,
Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South
Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin. Early in 2001, Colorado and Texas joined
them.
The campaigns convey the message that people of faith have a moral
responsibility to educate, organize and advocate for a reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions.  The 18 state campaigns have educated
congregations on this issue, encouraged and enabled congregations to use
less energy through conservation and energy efficiency, educated the public,
and shared concerns with federal and state legislators.

The NCC Eco-Justice Working Group and the 18 state climate change campaigns
have called on nations to implement the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocols), which the Bush Administration has
rejected.

They also have been critical of the Bush-Cheney energy plan, which they say
would provide tens of billions of dollars in subsidies to the coal, oil, gas
and nuclear industries; open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other
sensitive areas to oil and gas drilling, weaken environmental protections
for other public lands, do little to improve automobile fuel economy
standards, and only partially fund renewable energy and energy efficiency
programs.

The EPA Climate Protection Award will be presented to Killmer at a dinner
the evening of March 25 during the Earth Technologies Forum in Washington,
D.C.

The awards were evaluated by EPA staff and judged by an international panel
representing industry, government and international non-governmental
organizations, according to the EPA, which made the final selection of the
award winners, who come from five countries: Canada, Chile, Italy, Japan and
the United States.

The Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of
Churches, said, This award indicates the effectiveness of denominations
working together through the NCC on concerns that are important to people of
faith.  We are proud of Rich and happy for this recognition of his role in
our important work together.

I accept this award on behalf of all people who have worked hard to protect
the climate, Gods creation and all of Gods children, said Killmer, a
minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who lives in Princeton, N.J.

Worth noting: the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection:
Division of Science, Research and Technology also is among EPA 2002 Climate
Protection Award recipients.

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