Feb. 19, 2004
Los Angeles, Calif. – To broaden its outreach on air quality issues, the
South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) today hosted an
Interfaith Summit on Air Quality titled Our Faith ~ Our Planet.
The event, at the USC Davidson Conference Center in Los Angeles, was an
educational forum on environmental stewardship and air quality issues in the
Southland featuring civic leaders, educators, and clergy from various
faiths.
“We believe people from all faiths are concerned about environmental
issues, and we see this as an excellent way to unite them for the common
cause of protecting our shared earth,” said William Burke, AQMD’s Governing
Board Chairman.
Those attending the free Interfaith Summit included civic leaders,
educators, clergy and leadership from various faiths. The event began with
breakfast at 8:00 a.m., followed by presentations from community leaders
representing Bahá'í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim,
Native-American, Roman Catholic and other religious communities. The program
included workshops on an array of environmental topics, including a keynote
address on air quality by Wendy James, Coalition for Clean Air Board
President, and two working sessions – one energizing youth to become clean
air advocates and the other presenting effective tools community members can
use to help clean the air, from lobbying legislators to establishing carpool
routes.
“We realize that our faith leaders are a vital link to the communities we
serve,” Burke said. “The Interfaith Summit provided an excellent
opportunity for members of our agency to meet with them, along with other
civic leaders and educators, to learn how we can work together to improve
our region’s air quality.”
Additionally, a panel discussion entitled Interfaith Perspectives on
Environmental Stewardship featured several speakers, including Christopher
Key Chapple, Associate Academic Vice President and Professor of Theological
Studies at Loyola Marymount University; William A. Dyrness, Ph.D., Fuller
Theological Seminary; the Rev. Leonard Jackson, First African Methodist
Episcopal (FAME) Church; Rabbi Zoë Klein, Coalition on the Environment and
Jewish Life of Southern California (CoejlSC) and Mohamed Fathi Osman, Ph.D.
, Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation.
The event wrapped up with a working lunch where attendees presented
action plans to educate and empower their communities to be effective
advocates for clean air and a healthier environment.
More than 25 groups and organizations partnered with AQMD for this
groundbreaking event, including the University of Southern California Center
for Religion and Civic Culture, City of Los Angeles Human Relations
Commission, Los Angeles Interfaith Environmental Council, Southern
California Ecumenical Council, CoejlSC, FAME Renaissance, Justice and Peace
Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Board of Rabbis of
Southern California, Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment,
Loyola Marymount University, California Interfaith Power and Light,
Coalition for Clean Air, Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation, San Fernando Valley
Interfaith Council, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, First Nations Tribal
Family Center, Inc., Soka Gakkai International, American Lung Association,
and the Los Angeles Bahá'í Center.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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