Faith in God expresses itself in compassion for the neighbor in need. Compassion has been the driving force behind religiously based hospitals and clinics; international relief and development agencies; service organizations in impoverished inner city and rural areas; advocates for victims of hunger or injustice -- to name only a few expressions of neighbor-love.

It has become more and more clear that we cannot protect people without protecting their environment, and vice versa. Unmet economic, social, and personal needs can block people from protecting even their own families from environmental hazards. Environmental degradation undermines the human and ecological health on which a productive economy ultimately depends.

Whatever kind of religious agency you work for, there is some aspect that relates to the environment. This is especially true for relief and development agencies, hospitals, and schools. But even if the connections between your agency's mission and environmental concerns are less clear, the office supplies or cleaning products you purchase, the energy you use, or the coffee you brew in the staff room are matters of ethical responsibility.

Religious service organizations of every kind are incorporating environmental perspectives into their vision, goals, and operations. In doing so, they unite the religious passions of love of the human neighbor and care for the fruitful and beautiful earth. That union yields actions that promote the flourishing the whole created community of life.

Health Care

• Making Catholic health care facilities more environmentally responsible and safe is a goal of the Catholic Health Association. Their website offers resources and links that can help hospitals and other health care providers reduce their negative environmental impact.

International Relief and Development

• Catholic Relief Services provides relief to people needing immediate assistance and carries on development and nutrition programs in developing countries.
• The Church World Service's Social and Economic Development Program promotes sustainable development that "is pro-people, pro-nature, pro-jobs." Providing adequate supplies of clean water is one critical environmental need for the poor addressed by CWS.
• Down-to-Earth Christianity: Creation-care In Ministry provides insights on how to integrate creation-care into relief and development work. Produced by the Association of Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO) and published by the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN).
• Resources on agroforestry, deforestation, poverty, hunger and sustainable development are available on the website of Floresta, an EEN partner organization.
• ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) assists a global network of development workers and missionaries since by providing seeds, information, training and ideas for combating world hunger in environmentally sustainable ways.