The Big EASY: A Jewish Teen Summit on the Environment

Sharon Leshner is a BBYO/Panim teen member from Marlton, NJ. This entry is the first in a series of reflections on the Big E.A.S.Y. (Environmental Advocacy Starts with You) Teen Summit in New Orleans. Check back for updates from participants.

In nine days I will be gearing up, hopping on a plane and on my way to New Orleans for The Big EASY: A Jewish Teen Summit on the Environment.  I will be joining more than 80 teens from across North America to learn about the environment, participate in local service, and meet with people directly affected by Hurricane Katrina and the recent oil spill. (more…)

Deepwater Horizon: It Still Hurts

Rev. Mitch Hescox is the President/C.E.O. of the Evangelical Environmental Network.

In our fast-paced and self-indulgent society, it’s easy to be grabbed by a news headline, think how terrible it is, and then return to our thoughts, internal worries, or circumstances. From the end of April to mid July, as we watched crude oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, the America public responded with fear and indignation. If we are honest, most of our fear stemmed from concerns over increased gas prices and the worry from changing vacation plans to the price of Gulf Coast seafood. Shortly after July 16, 2010, Fox and CNN moved on and so did our fears and concern. However, the fear and worries are very much real and present for many Gulf Coast residents. Just as Hurricane Katrina’s impacts, after five years, remain, so the Deepwater Horizon Spill’s residue lingers as another terrible blow on the Gulf’s inhabitants. (more…)

Commemorating Six Months of Oil on the Gulf Coast

Today marks six months since the Deepwater Horizon exploded and began pouring millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Since the disaster began, the 18 partner groups in the After the Spill Campaign have come together to provide direct service and resources for relief efforts, to stand in solidarity with Gulf Coast residents, and to advocate for a just and effective federal response to the disaster. Throughout the month of October, there were numerous days of prayer, solidarity, and action in Jewish and Christian communities, and just last week, we reiterated our commitment to the long-term and sustainable restoration of the Gulf Coast in this Huffington Post op-ed.

In the days to come, we join communities and organizations across the Gulf Coast as they host events to commemorate the six-month anniversary of the spill, stand with those continuing to confront its impacts, and celebrate the strength and resiliency of Gulf Coast communities. Here are just a few examples: (more…)

After the Spill, We Can’t Forget the Gulf

Jim Wallis is President and CEO of Sojourners. This piece originally appeared on God’s Politics.

It is hard to imagine that it’s been six months since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Like many tragedies that we see on TV, it seemed to be what everyone was thinking about and talking about for a short while, and now it is mostly forgotten. For a moment, we were all fixated on the lives lost, livelihoods destroyed, and dark crude oil spreading out over the ocean. After a trip with an inter-faith group of religious leaders to survey the damage of the spill, I said that our country was ready for an “epiphany.” This could be a moment, I thought, of spiritual and moral clarity that our lifestyles as consumers and our addiction to oil were not sustainable.

Unfortunately, the disaster came during a campaign year, and Beltway pollsters decided that environmental issues weren’t worth talking about. The House of Representatives passed a bill to help mitigate and deal with many oil spill issues, but the Senate abdicated their leadership and has not done the same. (more…)

Gulf Coast Justice

Casey Schoeneberger, Lobby Associate, NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. This piece originally appeared on the NETWORK blog.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast five years ago this past August and September. These cataclysmic disasters provided an opportunity to rebuild an area safer and better than what the storm and man-made errors had destroyed, but unfortunately that opportunity was missed. Sadly, five years later, the government and the American people have yet another opportunity to rebuild the Gulf Coast following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP and our country have yet to respond adequately to this spill, but a window of opportunity remains available to demand accountability.

Last week, Marge, Laura and I had the chance to sit down and discuss the oil spill with Salvador Samiento from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and Stephen Bradberry, the 2005 RFK Center Human Rights Advocacy Award winner.  Mr. Bradberry is the Executive Director at the Alliance Institute in New Orleans, which works to empower individuals and organizations to gain a seat at the table when it comes to determining how their communities are shaped following disasters. (more…)

The Religious Mandate To Not Abandon The Gulf

Yesterday, as part of the launch of After the Spill, Rachel Cohen of the Religious Action Center published an op-ed in the Huffington Post on the religious community’s commitment to long-term oil spill response and Gulf Coast restoration. As we approach the six-month anniversary of the start of the spill, with public and media attention moving on to the Election and the next big crisis, faith communities around the country remain dedicated to sustainable restoration and renewal of the Gulf. We know that the transgressions of  justice brought on by this oil gusher will be with the residents of the Gulf for months and years to come, so we commit to stand with the residents of the Gulf as well.

As the piece explains, we as people of faith “remain focused on pursuing environmental and economic justice, and we refuse to let the Gulf disappear from public attention.” (more…)

AftertheSpill.com Launches!

As the six-month anniversary of the BP oil disaster approaches, faith communities in the Gulf and across North America have come together to launch this site. After the Spill: Religious Communities Restoring the Gulf is an interfaith oil spill response and Gulf Coast restoration campaign organized by faith communities committed to long-term restoration following the BP oil spill disaster. The press release launching the site is below, including a statement from Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. (more…)

Blog Action Day: Oil & Water

As part of Blog Action Day 2010, the RACblog did a series of posts on a variety of water-related issues, including the Gulf oil spill. Here’s a selection from the piece on the Gulf:

It’s been nearly six months since the Deepwater Horizon exploded and began dumping 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout the summer, we watched the oil, and over a million gallons of untested chemical dispersants, gush into the Gulf and despoil this precious ecosystem for months and perhaps years to come. And, although the well was capped in July, oil continues to wash up on the shores of Louisiana (as this recent video shows) and communities across the Gulf Coast continue to unpack the long-term impacts of this environmental and economic disaster.

Read the full post, and learn more about Blog Action Day, on the RACblog.

Five Ways to Get Involved in Gulf Coast Restoration

As the six-month anniversary of the BP oil spill disaster approaches, the need for resources to meet the human needs across the Gulf Coast is as great as ever, even as media and public attention wanes. Now is the time for our communities to engage in partnership with local faith and non-profit organizations in long-term, sustainable Gulf Coast restoration.

We’ve compiled a list of ways you and your community can get involved with Gulf Coast restoration and rebuilding. Check out the PDF below – print it out, email it around, and distribute it widely! (more…)

VIDEO: Faith Leaders Visit the Gulf

As the devastating impacts of the BP Oil Disaster continue to unfold, a group of national religious leaders from different faiths joined together in July to bear witness to the damage caused by the BP oil disaster in the Gulf Coast, and to testify about what they have seen. Convened by the Sierra Club, leaders of different faiths joined together to reflect, restore, and renew.

[Video after the jump] (more…)