EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Ten, Number Five July/August 2001 RELIGIOUS LEADERS CALL FOR MORAL REFLECTION ON ENERGY POLICY On May 18, the NCCC Office of Environmental and Economic Justice and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) jointly published an interfaith call for energy conservation and eco-justice in an "Open Letter to President Bush, the Congress, and American People." Senior leaders of major American faith groups who serve over 80 million Americans signed the document. Noting that they "are not scientists, energy experts, or policymakers," the leaders wrote that our decisions on energy policy raise "fundamental moral and religious questions." They urged that all Americans "reflect carefully and speak clearly from their deepest moral and religious convictions about the President's recently announced energy plan." "We are releasing this letter to encourage discussion of religious and moral values," said Mark X. Jacobs, Executive Director of COEJL. "Among the signers are Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals. What has brought us together are common values and a common vision for our nation's energy future." The letter, which suggests that "conservation is a personal and a public virtue," outlines five major values: stewardship, intergenerational responsibility, justice, prudent human action, and global leadership. For further information, contact: COEJL, 433 Park Ave. S., New York NY 10016; www.coejl.org; or NCCC Eco-Justice Working Group, 475 Riverside Dr., New York NY 10115; www.ncccusa.org. Home     Table of Contents