Ministering climate change: InFACT co-sponsors national conference with keynote Al Gore

Back to News
June 25, 2019

Faith leaders are among our nation's most trusted voices when it comes to ethical living, so it makes sense that they would be on the forefront of climate change initiatives. Keeping them informed about food and its impact on climate change was the goal of the On Food and Faith: Ministry in the Time of Climate Change conference sponsored by the Center for Earth Ethics, the Climate Reality Project, Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO)—and The Ohio State University's Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation (InFACT).

Held this past May 30 – June 1 at MTSO's campus in Delaware, Ohio, this was the Center for Earth Ethics' fourth annual ministerial conference and the first held in central Ohio and co-sponsored by InFACT. The 130 attendees were selected through an application process for the in-depth training, says Andrew Schwartz, deputy director of the Center for Earth Ethics. “Through the ministers' training we're trying to put a moral and ethical lens on the climate change issue to see what our traditions have to say about it, and then the thrust of the conference is geared towards what we can do about it.”

A highlight? Former Vice President Al Gore—father of Center for Earth Ethics' Director Karenna Gore—who spoke at the conference's start.

“He comes to every one of our trainings and provides the scientific background and the why and how behind climate change,” says Schwartz. “It's a fun partnership, and he gets really into it."

View a recap of the On Food and Faith: Ministry in the Time of Climate Change conference and what topics were brought to the event.