The National Religious Partnership for the Environment was founded in 1993 by major American faith groups across a broad spectrum and is the major instrument for inter-religious collaboration and response to issues of environmental justice and sustainability. The Partnership has distributed educational materials, over several years, to every Catholic parish, virtually all synagogues, and over 250,000 evangelical and mainline Protestant congregations.

With funding from the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation and close associates in the foundation community, the Partnership has helped organize hundreds of affiliated regional projects: over 30 Catholic state conference, diocesan and parish initiatives; Interfaith Climate/Energy campaigns in 21 states; and eight regional Jewish affiliates. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops completed and published a three-year study stressing the imperative of international economic justice for action on climate change, and it has established a coalition of national agencies to address children’s environmental health (Catholic Health Association, National Catholic Education Association, National Council of Catholic Women) et al. Last year, the Evangelical Environmental Network organized the widely-publicized "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign. In acknowledgment of the Partnership’s work to mobilize the faith community, its Executive Director was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award in 1999.

For more information visit: www.nrpe.org

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