August 3, 2016
Putting faith in the environment Learn & Play
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Fuel your day the healthy way
Community Voices
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By Charlotte R. Beard
Photo by Sara Hardin Reverend Rodrick Burton stands in front of New Northside Missionary Baptist Church. Visible on the roof are solar panels that were installed over two years ago, a decision motivated both by the desire to become more energy efficient and by a determination to lead by the Bible’s example.
Around Town
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Business
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Ninja warrior
New Northside Missionary Baptist Church gains national attention for focus on sustainability By Sara Hardin On an average Sunday morning, the streets surrounding New Northside Missionary Baptist Church are lined with parked cars as Reverend Rodrick Burton speaks to his congregation. The church features a beautiful steeple, but something else about its exterior sets it apart on closer inspection: solar panels cover a section of the building’s roof. The panels were installed over two years ago, a decision that Burton says was motivated both by the desire to become more energy efficient and by his determination to lead by the Bible’s example. “I really wanted our church to have solar panels. One reason was for cost, but I also wanted to be an example of a good steward,” explained. Burton. “I wanted our church to be a model to other African-American churches, to show the pragmatism of sustainability and saving money, but also the importance being a good steward of the Earth. That’s what the Bible calls for everyone to be. As a faith leader, I believe the faith community should be leading and modeling, not squandering the resources we have. Churches should be modeling how to be
sustainable, recycling and being good stewards. That’s what I’m trying to do too, and New Northside is on board.” While speaking at an environmental issues presentation last year, Burton caught the attention of John Hickey, Director of the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter. Inspired by the passion in Burton’s delivery, the chapter began to seek out ways in which their grassroots environmental organization could collaborate with Burton and New Northside to further their message of environmental protection to more citizens and their communities. The partnership has been thriving since late last year. “At the end of the day, all of our efforts are targeted on curbing climate change. A big strategy in doing that is focusing on environmental justice, and looking at communities that will experience the worst climate impact,” explained Rajiv Ravulapati, Conservation Program Coordinator for the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter. “Here in St. Louis, that tends to be low income black and Hispanic populations on the north side. They tend to be closer to pollution and they’re the ones
that tend to have more food deserts. We wanted to engage Rev. Burton in saying, ‘These are the issues we’re working on this year. What are you working on, and how can we work together?’ Any time we ask Rev. Burton if he’s willing to do a project,
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