Green and Godly Grow in Ranks

April 22, 2005 — -- What do you envision when you hear the term "environmentalist?"

Perhaps a long-haired, sandal-wearing, granola-eating someone comes to mind. But in recent years, people from much different, traditionally more conservative groups have been speaking out on behalf of green causes -- including the Bible-thumping, khaki-wearing kind.

It's a development that established environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council, are quietly celebrating since they say a greater diversity of voices pushing environmental issues, particularly from the political right, can only have a positive effect on policy.

At the same time, these historically liberal and conservative groups have been keeping a respectful distance from each other. Don't, for example, call evangelical Earth advocates environmentalists.

"We prefer the term 'creation care,'" said Rich Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. "It's not because environmentalist is a bad word, it's simply that there are those on the political right who will attempt to smear and discredit us if we accept the mantle. Plus we, as evangelical Christians, need to develop our own voice on this subject."

The face of environmental advocacy has evolved significantly since Earth Day was first celebrated 35 years ago today. Commemoration of a day recognizing the importance of environmental issues was originally pushed through by a democratic senator, Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who had been partly inspired by teach-ins opposing the Vietnam War.

"I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda," Nelson later wrote.

Rather than anti-war causes, Cizik and his group consider abortion among their other main concerns. In fact, while Nelson sought to steer anti-war sentiment toward environmental concerns, Cizik sees a clear link between opposing abortion and cleaning up the planet.