The Theology of Compost: Finding God in the Dirt

 

Princeton Seminary’s Farminary

by Rev. M. Courtenay Willcox

There are so many things to say about compost, and I can add specific observations about my own compost pile, which is neither beautiful nor bodaciously effective, but it is still effective enough, and that is enough. What makes a beautiful compost pile?

The compost pile at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Farminary mirrors the mysterious, beautiful choreography of what creation set in motion. It is a big, dark, steamy, warm-to-the-touch pile that is turned regularly. Organic material is breaking down. It doesn’t smell rotten; it smells rich. It flips the idea of wealth. In Farminary terms, being rich means having robust compost and being able to run your fingers through the loam. It gets under your fingernails and stays with you. It retells the story of dirt, of death and resurrection, and makes it clear that death is never the end. Much has been written about this particular pile of compost, a centerpiece of the Farminary’s regenerative agriculture farm and part of Princeton Theological Seminary’s curriculum. The farm’s mission focuses on theology, ecology, and food justice, while encouraging students and visitors to learn about compost, stewardship, agrarian rhythms, and “living soil,” a vibrant ecosystem. Much has been written about this particular pile of compost, a centerpiece of the Farminary’s regenerative agriculture farm and part of Princeton Theological Seminary’s curriculum.

Eleven years ago, Farminary's brainchild, Dr. Nate Stuckey, suggested joining agriculture with theology to then-Seminary President Craig Barnes. Before it became the Farminary, the parcel of land had been a cow farm, then a sod farm, then a Christmas tree farm. Serendipitously, the seminary owned the 21 acres. When Nate began, the soil was completely depleted and unproductive. Over the last 11 years, the Farminary acreage has experienced a resurrection of sorts. In addition to compost, the three-season farm produces various vegetable varieties, all planted in the rich compost. It also supports roaster chickens, laying chickens, sheep, goats, miniature cows, and an apiary. As I walk through the grounds, I am fed and consider my call to tend and care for the earth. There is a dawning here that perhaps I need to do more of this earth-connection work.

An article from the Presbyterian News Service reports,

 “The Farminary is a … context for theological reflection. Over the past decade, it has become a vital space for spiritual formation, communal healing, and deep engagement with the ecological challenges of our time, … Dr. Nate Stucky, Director of the Farminary Project, says, “It’s a place where the rhythms of the land shape our understanding of God, community, and calling.”^[1]

There is a symbiotic relationship between the Farminary’s fecundity and the seminary’s refectory. They feed each other: the Farminary supplies the refectory with fresh, organic vegetables, eggs, and chicken, and the refectory returns its scraps to the Farminary, which are sufficient to feed the dirt. The Farminary also provides food to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and a food distribution center in Trenton. There is also a symbiotic relationship among some of the plants on the farm. Our tour guide and seminary professor, Rev. Dr. Kimberly Wagner, reminds us of the Trinity Garden, the three sisters: corn, squash, and beans. They are planted together in sequence. Corn is planted first, then beans, which put nitrogen into the soil and climb the corn stalks, and finally squash, whose leaves shade the beans. These plants grow together in synchronicity. In regenerative agriculture, there is also the concept of restoring the dirt. Nothing says this to me more clearly than the movable chicken pen. I watched as the 10-foot-by-10-foot chicken-wire pen was pulled from its resting place, with about 25 chickens moving along with their enclosure, to another location. This gives the chickens a new supply of bugs to eat, and the soil benefits from chicken manure.

There is a deep theology in the Faminary’s compost pile. After my recent tour of the farm, I observed four components of compost. It became a conversation point. I spent considerable time in a lively discussion with Farm Manager Larry Rogers about the finer points of compost. I loved it and learned from it. I was grateful to Larry for his generosity with his time and shared knowledge.

The second is that the compost pile removes and uses refuse from the farm and the seminary’s refectory. Food scraps and other organic material are not sent into the waste stream but find a second life in compost. Garbage is different than trash.

Third, there is the process of composting. It is a dying that results in resurrection. There is a breaking down and a heating up of everything in the pile. It takes organic material, such as eggshells, banana peels, and coffee grounds, and transforms them. No longer in its original form, garbage is transformed into humus and then used to feed and enrich next year’s crops.

The final component is that compost is restorative and productive. This rich loam helps rebuild depleted soil, feeds growing plants and vegetables, and supports herbivores, such as cows and goats, and omnivores like chickens. In this sense, creation, the earth, and all that is associated with it, become our conversation partner, modeling both an understanding of creation and an understanding of God. John Calvin said that the more you know yourself, the more you know God, and the more you know God, the more you know yourself. The Farminary takes this one step further, helping each of us understand that the more we know creation, earth, and soil, the more we know God, and the more we know God, the more we can love, appreciate, tend, and care for the earth. And it all starts in the compost pile.

 

Courtenay Willcox is a transitional pastor at Northampton Presbyterian Church, Moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care, and a very grateful Gigi to three remarkable granddaughters 

Docs Offer a Guide to Regenerative Agriculture

 

by Eric Diekhans

I grew up in the Midwest, surrounded by farms. Cornfields and pastures framed my neighborhood, and my grandparents had a small farm in southern Illinois—much of it leased from a coal company. Driving down country roads in winter and early spring, I never thought twice about the long rows of barren earth left after the corn or soybeans were harvested.

Then I watched the twin documentaries *Kiss the Ground* and *Common Ground*, and my eyes were opened to the powerful forces shaping modern farming—and to the possibility that those same fields could help save the planet.

Both films center on regenerative agriculture, a set of practices rooted in Indigenous traditions that focus on restoring soil health rather than extracting from it. What makes these documentaries compelling is not just the science but the people.

In *Common Ground*, we meet farmers who took enormous financial risks to abandon conventional methods. One farmer describes watching his soil turn to dust after years of chemical use, then slowly come back to life after he introduced cover crops and stopped tilling. Within a few seasons, earthworms returned, water soaked into the ground instead of running off, and his yields stabilized without expensive synthetic inputs. Another story follows a rancher who shifted to rotational grazing—moving cattle frequently to mimic natural herd movements. Instead of degrading the land, the animals helped restore it, with their hooves aerating the soil and their manure feeding the microorganisms below the surface.

These stories highlight something easy to miss when we look at farmland from the road: soil is not just dirt. It’s a living ecosystem.

Modern industrial agriculture, built around monocrops such as corn and soybeans, relies heavily on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified seeds. These inputs can boost short-term yields, but they carry a cost. Tilling breaks apart soil structure, leaving it vulnerable to erosion. Chemicals kill not only pests but also beneficial microbes and insects. Over time, the soil loses its ability to retain water and nutrients, creating a cycle of increasing dependence on more inputs.

Regenerative agriculture flips that model. Practices such as cover cropping, composting, no-till farming, and diverse crop rotations rebuild soil organic matter. This organic matter acts like a sponge, holding water during droughts and reducing runoff during heavy rains. Healthy soil also fosters a vast underground network of fungi and microbes that exchange nutrients with plant roots, making crops more resilient and reducing the need for fertilizers.

Perhaps most striking is the role soil can play in combating climate change.

Both films argue that regenerative agriculture is not just about sustainability—it’s about reversal. Through photosynthesis, plants draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the soil as organic carbon. When soil is healthy and undisturbed, that carbon can remain locked underground for decades or even centuries. But when soil is tilled and degraded, much of it is released back into the atmosphere.

Regenerative practices increase the soil’s capacity to store carbon, effectively turning farmland into a carbon sink. Some scientists and advocates in the films suggest that, if adopted widely, these methods could draw down a significant share of excess atmospheric carbon. While that claim is debated, there is broad agreement that healthier soils mean less carbon in the air and greater resilience in our food systems.

The films also challenge a common assumption: that livestock is inherently harmful to the environment. While cattle do produce methane, regenerative grazing can offset some of that impact by sequestering carbon in soil and restoring grasslands. The key is not eliminating animals but managing them differently.

Still, the documentaries only briefly touch on the barriers to change. Transitioning to regenerative agriculture can be costly and risky. Farmers may face several years of lower yields as their soil recovers. It requires new knowledge and equipment, and often a willingness to go against decades of conventional wisdom.

Which brings us to a broader question: why does our system make it so hard to do the right thing?

Today’s agricultural economy is shaped by powerful agribusiness interests and government subsidies that favor large-scale monocropping. Farmers are often locked into a system in which growing corn and soybeans is the safest financial choice, even though it degrades their land over time.

Here’s a not-so-crazy idea: what if even a fraction of the billions of dollars in federal farm subsidies were redirected to support regenerative practices? What if farmers were rewarded not only for what they produce but also for how they care for the land?

The fields I grew up seeing as empty during the off-season are anything but. Beneath the surface lies one of our most powerful tools for healing the planet. The question is whether we’re willing to invest in it.

Eric Diekhans’ fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and the anthology Uncensored Ink. He is the recipient of a local Emmy for Children’s Television and an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in screenwriting. He is a member of Lake View Presbyterian Church in Chicago. (www.ericdiekhans.com)

Good Soil: A Review

 

Jeff Chu

By Mindy Hidenfelter

In the growing field of compost theology, the ecological practice of composting intersects with spiritual renewal. The connection between farming, faith, and life experience is highlighted in Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu.

Author Bio from Jeff Chu’s website:

Writer, reporter, editor. Editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. Teacher in residence at Crosspointe Church in North Carolina. Parish associate for storytelling and witness at the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley in California. Ph.D. student in theology at the University of Stellenbosch. Minister of Word and sacrament in the Reformed Church in America (RCA). Cook. Gardener. Author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America (Harper, 2013) and co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times best-seller Wholehearted Faith (HarperOne, 2021). For a while, I also served as co-curator, with Sarah Bessey, of Evolving Faith. Resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where my husband and I moved in 2020.

Before that, I was a seminarian at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I worked as a farmhand at PTS’s Farminary. Don’t be deceived: When I got to the Farminary, a 21-acre experiment in sustainable agriculture that doubles as the world’s best classroom, I didn’t know anything about farming and I had more experience killing plants than nurturing them. But my work there changed me. That land taught me about the story of life, death, and new life that God has written into creation. Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand, my memoir about my time at the Farminary, published by Convergent, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

In brief, author Jeff Chu finds himself working at Princeton Theological Seminary’s 21-acre “Farminary.” In his book, Good Soil, “he unpacks what he learned about creating ‘good soil', both literally and figuratively, drawing lessons from the rhythms of growth, decay, and regeneration that define life on the land.” (from the dust jacket).

Many notable authors and podcasters have crafted thorough reviews of Good Soil, as well as related conversations with Jeff Chu on compost theology. Here are a few you can check out to learn more:

Book Review in The Presbyterian Outlook by Amy Pagliarella (March 25, 2025)

Evolving Faith Podcast Hosted by Sarah Bessy and Jeff Chu (Season 1, Episode 3, July 8, 2020)

Jeff Chu: Cultivating a Theology of Compost, interview by Katie Noah Gibson (March 21, 2025)

Jeff Chu: Good Soil podcast with Kate Bowler (Season 14: April 1, 2025)

Mindy Hidenfelter serves as the Coordinator for Presbyterians for Earth Care.  She holds degrees in forestry/wildlife science and natural resource management and has experience in urban forestry as an ISA Certified Arborist in both state government and the non-profit world.

Building Resilient Communities Through Sustainable Food Forests

 

Rev. David Gill with Ark. IPL trainers and interns 
at Providence Park on International Day of Forests

by Scharmel Roussel

“Wisdom requires that we look honestly at how our land, our food, and our policies affect the health of our neighbors,” according to Rose Rains, an intern with Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light working in community gardens and edible orchards.

Rose and other AIPL interns are working to establish food forests, supported by grants from American Forests’ Catalyst Fund and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Seven interns attended the national conference of Presbyterians for Earth Care in October 2025 and left with a renewed commitment to sustainable urban agricultural methods that conserve water, protect soil health, add valuable tree canopy coverage, and feed low-wealth neighbors facing profound food insecurity.

“This is not simply an economic issue,” according to Rose. “It is a spiritual and moral issue. When families must choose between medical co-pays and groceries, we must ask whether our systems reflect our values.”

At the PEC Conference, interns met Joyce and James Skeet, who led a workshop on “Soil to Soul Awakening.” Three interns later traveled to the Skeets’ Spirit Ranch in New Mexico for hands-on biochar training. Since the trip, AIPL interns have been working to integrate biochar systems into community gardens in Little Rock, using knowledge gained from the trip, funded by the travel budget provided by the American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant. Interns are also presenting hands-on biochar workshops for fellow urban farmers through AIPL’s extensive network of growers.

“When we made biochar, we gathered large branches of juniper, ponderosa, and pinyon pine from the surrounding area,” said intern Philip Cottingham about the trip to Spirit Ranch. “This firewood comes from trees deteriorated by rampant beetle damage.”

“Wood burns evenly (in the process),” Philip continued. “When the biochar is removed, it must be inoculated with compost (blended and mixed with compost). The biochar acts as an attractor to microbes, replenishing microbes back into the soil…”

After the New Mexico trip, Rose was inspired to join a March 2026 walk to Washington, D.C., calling for faith-based action on food and public health. Rose set out on a purposeful walk from the historic VERTAC Superfund Site in Jacksonville, Arkansas, to Washington, D.C. The march was a call to re-center national policy around stewardship, nourishment, and the biblical mandate to care for “the least of these.”

“When soil is compromised, food is compromised. When food is compromised, bodies are compromised. And when bodies are compromised, families and communities struggle to flourish. Scripture calls us to stewardship — of land, of people, and of future generations,” Rose said of her symbolic walk.

In Washington, D.C., Rose is asking for:

● Re-evaluation and strengthening of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

 ● National adoption of the Double Up Food Bucks Program, which increases purchasing power for fresh produce

● Broader expansion of fruit and vegetable prescription initiatives nationwide

Rose emphasizes that these efforts are rooted in prevention, not partisanship.

“Churches have long led the way in feeding ministries, food pantries, and benevolence funds,” according to Rose. “What would it look like if our national systems reflected that same heart for nourishment and dignity?”

On March 21, 2026 – International Day of Forests – Rose, Philip, other AIPL interns, and volunteers planted 100 fruit and nut trees at Providence Park and shared another 40 trees with volunteers and neighbors. Additionally, 45 shade trees were planted for canopy. Providence Park is the site of a tiny-home village opening in 2026 to house chronically homeless adults moving off the streets and into permanent homes. Providence Park will have a community kitchen and dining hall for residents, as well as wraparound services, including an on-site clinic for mental health, dental, and other healthcare services.

In preparation for the International Day of Forests, Megan Ruth Wilkins, Educator and Trainer for the American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant, worked closely with Providence Park staff on preparations that included soil, mulch, irrigation, tree and berry bush orders, tree protectors, garden tools, gloves, first-aid kits, lunch, refreshments, and all the details for a successful event for more than 50 people. Interns mixed biochar tea to nourish trees and prepared a bacterial spray to help trees defend against diseases. The March 21 event received advance local television coverage.

Providence Park will hold a grand opening on May 1. The following week, an interfaith prayer gathering is planned, with prayers and meditations for each tree – one by one.

Similarly, Jimmy Parks, AIPL Urban Agriculture Manager, and Trainer/Intern Kevin Holloway prepared for planting in the vegetable beds and in the pollinator gardens near the edible orchard.

The orchard and vegetable gardens will be part of a food forest at Providence Park, providing vulnerable residents with nutritious, locally grown food produced using sustainable methods. The edible orchard will be surrounded by a living fence of berry bushes on trellises. The American Forests’ Catalyst Fund grant has funded an extensive irrigation system for the edible orchard site.

“For us, the food forest is about caregiving and building relationships,” said Errin Stanger, Founder and CEO of Providence Park. “We are drawn to walk alongside the most vulnerable, and our heart is to serve and care for those most in need. Our vision is to cultivate a community of love and service—growing food, dignity, and connection alongside our formerly chronically homeless neighbors.”

Currently, interns and volunteers are learning about tree equity while planting and maintaining fruit trees, nut trees, and berry bushes. Later, when previously unsheltered residents are ready to learn and work, they may also gain employable nursery skills. Workforce development is part of the intention at Providence Park.

AIPL supports vegetable gardens, edible orchards, and food forests at more than 20 locations in low-wealth areas of Pulaski and Faulkner counties in Central Arkansas.

AIPL employs more than 20 part-time trainers and interns. AIPL earned the 2026 “Restoring Creation” award from PEC. A webinar titled “Canopy of Creation: Trees, Faith, and the Work of Justice” was offered to a national audience on March 16.

Scharmel Roussel is Executive Director of Arkansas InterFaith Power & Light.

2025 Earth Care Award Winners Announced

 

Four Earth Care Award Winners Honored 
at Presbyterians for Earth Care Annual Gathering

Presbyterians for Earth Care (PEC) recognized two individuals and one congregation/organization for their exceptional environmental achievements at PEC’s virtual Annual Gathering on January 11, 2026.

William P. Brown, the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA received the William Gibson Eco-Justice Award for his long-term dedication to teaching and preaching on environmental issues in the Old Testament. He is also a co-founder of Earth Covenant Ministry, an organization of Presbyterian Churches in the Atlanta area that later became part of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light was presented with the Restoring Creation Award for working in community gardens and backyard gardens for more than a decade. Many of the garden locations have been on church properties, where congregations have been engaged. Drew Hill and Hudson Davis received PEC’s Emerging Earth Care Leader Award for showing exceptional promise as future leaders. Drew Hill, a young adult from Santa Fe, NM is passionate about social progress, protecting the environment and serving the public. From an early age, Hudson was captivated by prehistoric and modern animals and the sanctity of nature.

William Gibson Eco-Justice Award
William P. Brown

Dr. Brown has received numerous awards, grants and academic chairs. In addition to teaching and preaching on environmental issues, Dr. Brown has written twelve books and was editor of “Engaging Biblical Authority”. He is currently completing a major commentary on the Psalms for the “Old Testament Library Commentary” series (WJK). Next will be a commentary on Genesis 1-11 in the new Interpretation series (WJK). He has also assisted with writing creation care overtures for General Assemblies.

Restoring Creation Award
Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light (AIPL)

AIPL’s network of growers had 21 community garden locations, 7 new partners, and several small backyard gardens in low-wealth communities. AIPL has involved a total of 74 interns, trainers, and students and has engaged more than 22,000 people each year learning about growing some of their own food in sustainable ways. AIPL provides 13,725 pounds of nutritious fresh produce and other food items to food pantries and no cost markets. A total of 43,300 pounds of organic matter was diverted from landfills over a 2-year period. AIPL interns also shared organic waste from its gardens with chickens at on-site coops and added organic matter to onsite compost bins. AIPL is reaching even more people in more low-wealth communities by awarding ten $2000 grants.

Emerging Earth Care Leader Award
Hudson Davis and Drew Hill

Hudson Davis is a 24-yr old scientist serving the Mammoth Site, located in Hot Springs, South Dakota.  As the Assistant Science Educator, Hudson lives out his childhood dreams of being a paleontologist while getting to pass on the power of curiosity about the natural world to the next generation. Hudson embodies his faith while teaching about the amazing world we live in. He runs classes and tours at the site and leads the summer camp program, a free week-long program. During the summer Hudson serves as a supervisor for the Mammoth's Site Internship Program, helping mentor six to eight college paleontology students. Hudson also helps design exhibits for the museum and dig for fossils of ice age animals in local caves. 

 

Drew Hill is a young adult from Santa Fe, New Mexico, passionate about

social progress, protecting the environment, and serving the public. Raised in the community of First Presbyterian Church Santa Fe, Drew served as a youth deacon and elder prior to graduating high school, working as summer staff at Ghost Ranch Retreat Center, and serving as a PC (USA) Young Adult Volunteer in Washington D.C. He received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree at the University of New Mexico, graduating in 2024. Drew also served as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAD) to the previous General Assembly. Since completing his degree, he has worked as a District Staffer for Congressman Gabe Vasquez. Drew has worked with the Advocacy Committee on PEC overtures for the 2026 General Assembly and serves on the CANOPY Advisory Committee.

From Action to Advocacy to Interfaith and Beyond: Connecting isms

 

"The Great People's March" at COP30 in Belem, Brazil    

Photo credit: Simon Chambers/ACT

by Courtenay Willcox

We are stronger together, and today, the interfaith community is standing up to many isms, including racism, authoritarianism, consumerism, White Christian nationalism, militarism, sexism, and antisemitism.

I am in awe of the faith communities who are speaking up (hear our own Rev. Margaret Fox from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis) and standing with and protecting residents who are marginalized, afraid, traumatized, dehumanized, and singled out because of how they speak, the color of their skin, and even the jobs they hold and the places in which they work.

I was moved by an interview with Ahmed bin Hassan, who shared a video he took of himself being confronted by ICE and Border Patrol while working as a ride-share driver, waiting in line at the Minneapolis airport. When asked by an interviewer if he was afraid of ICE, he said, “I am a Muslim man, and my faith tells me to fear God.” He went on to say that he could have been startled or fearful, but he wasn’t because of many past interactions with law enforcement in his American life. He said the agents identified him as not being “one of us. You’re not an American, you know?” because of the color of his skin and his accent. Hassan was unflappable, and at the end of his interaction with Border Patrol, he said, “I kept on recording, because even if I end up losing my life, this is going to show people that law enforcement is getting used in a very weird way to dehumanize people.”

I’m grateful to people like Ahmed bin Hassan, who have a faith that compels them to act.

Activism is showing up in our world in clear ways in Minneapolis, and it is also showing up in Presbyterians for Earth Care as we work to stand up against the desecration of the world God has given us to steward, because our faith moves us to action. Activism and advocacy are involved in writing overtures that will go before the General Assembly this summer so that we can better care for creation through regenerative agriculture, to make amends for the harm humans have done to the earth, not to mention calling on the PC(USA) to hold corporations accountable for their actions through divestment.

Environmentalism resists the degradation of creation and of the people who reside on this earth. We are called to stand with each other and the environment that surrounds us. Sometimes it gets complicated and messy, and we’re are required to exercise discernment about our call. What is it that is ours to do, and how are we to act as God’s people?

In this week’s lectionary, the famous verses from Micah about doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly, are paired with the Beatitudes, which mention longing for justice (Matt. 5:6), practicing mercy (v. 7), acting with authenticity and single-mindedness (v. 8), and making peace (v. 9). These are kingdom-shaping, kingdom-making practices, and here, we have good instruction about our path to creation care, and against many of the isms that we face in our world. It is my prayer for each of us that we are able to hear our call clearly and continue to find faithful, thoughtful, and creative ways to love our neighbor and the beautiful world that God has given us to steward.

Courtenay Willcox is a transitional pastor at Northampton Presbyterian Church, Moderator of Presbyterians for Earth Care, and a very grateful Gigi to three remarkable granddaughters.

PEC’s Advocacy Committee Develops Overtures for the 227th PCUSA General Assembly

 

by Fred Milligan

Three Overtures sponsored by the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery call for further extension of policies already approved by PCUSA General Assemblies on environmental justice issues.

“On the Importance of Regenerative Farming Practices in Caring for Creation” calls for education for Presbyterians through PCUSA church-wide programs, such as the Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Hunger Program, on regenerative farming consistent with the 2014 General Assembly “Food Sovereignty for All” overture. It also calls for advocacy in public policy that promotes regenerative farming and supports small farms, similar to the policy adopted by the 2022 General Assembly.

“Changing Course for a Green Future” calls for completing, by 2030, the ongoing gradual divestment of Presbyterian Foundation and Board of Pensions investments from companies that earn over 50% of their profits from fossil fuel extraction, production, transport, and marketing. This would bring the church’s financial practices into alignment with the current climate science consensus and with other commitments the PCUSA has made during the 2022, 2024, and several previous General Assemblies.

“The Green Future Endowment Fund” provides for the creation of a “just transition” fund, first recommended by the 218^th General Assembly in 2008 but not implemented. This fund would provide grants to churches, through a needs-based process, to reduce fossil fuel use. The fund would also provide grants to support communities and habitats adversely affected by climate change and other environmental justice-related concerns, as part of a just transition away from the current fossil fuel-based economy and toward one based on renewable energy sources.

Please visit the PEC website for more information on how your congregation or presbytery can help promote these earth care overtures.

 

Rev. Fred Milligan, H.R., is the Co-Facilitator of the PEC Advocacy Committee.

CANOPY: A Gathering of Young Activists

 

by Emma Marshall

In January, a group of young adults (ages 18-35) from across the country gathered on Zoom. One member shared on-the-ground updates from her experience attending COP30 as part of PC(USA)’s denominational staff; another taught the group how to construct a meaningful land acknowledgement or Indigenous People’s Month statement for one’s congregation. The conversation was rich and exciting, even Spirit-filled.

 

The group was CANOPY, the Creation Action Network of Presbyterian Young Adults. Since September, this group of 40-odd young people has gathered in virtual space to connect, teach and learn, and take action in solidarity with God’s creation. All leaders in their own right in congregations, on campuses, in workplaces, across the country, and within the denomination, CANOPY members long for many things: connection with other faithful young people, tools to promote creation justice in their communities, accountability for churches and the denomination, opportunities to act and serve, and the development of friendships and mutuality.

 

These many longings have brought CANOPY together, and several months into the work, our advocacy and activism are beginning to take shape. Specific issues in creation justice have come to the fore. One concerns the rights of Indigenous people and movements for Indigenous justice, including #LandBack; recent progress in the Presbytery of San Gabriel has made this issue especially salient. The other concerns the impact of global conflict on climate - from Gaza to Venezuela to the Congo, where land and resource stewardship are implicated in violent conflict, and the conflict itself degrades land and resources. Several CANOPY members are also working with the PEC Advocacy Committee on overtures for GA227, stepping up to participate in decision-making and discernment in the faith community they claim as their own.

 

CANOPY’s work continues to develop and evolve as our bonds and connections as a group strengthen, deepen, and multiply. Watch this space—we can’t wait to tell you where we’ll go next.

 

Emma Marshall has been Presbyterians for Earth Care's Young Adult Organizer since June 2025. She completed an MDiv at Princeton Seminary in May 2025 and is in her final semester of an MSW degree at Rutgers University; she is also a candidate certified ready to receive a call in the PC(USA). She spends lots of time with her dog, Daphne, roaming the hiking trails and antique shops of central New Jersey.

Ocean with David Attenborough

 

by Nancy Corson Carter

When I joined my local “Climate Crowd” to watch Ocean with David Attenborough, I was mesmerized by the film’s beauty, and the sense of urgency to do something. Trusting our theme for this edition of Earth News: Our Voices Matter, I hope that you will see this amazing documentary and find ways to take action, sharing your insights with your communities. As Christians, we are surely called to care for God’s Creation with justice for all.

The film’s 2025 release was scheduled to coincide with the World Ocean Day on June 8th, as well as June’s United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice, France, and also midway through the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). As world leaders decide the future of our seas, Ocean with David Attenborough explains why ocean recovery is crucial for stabilizing our climate and securing a healthier future for everyone.

The film’s official trailer clearly states its significance: “Stunning immersive cinematography showcases the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen—from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. Yet, the film remains optimistic, with Attenborough highlighting inspirational stories from around the world to convey his message: “The ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen.”

The 99-year-old Attenborough, after 70 years of documenting natural history, reminds us that Earth’s oceans, covering about 70% of the planet, have been both revered and feared by humans since our first arrival. But only now are we discovering what they mean for our world. “My lifetime,” he tells us, “has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last one hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations, and dazzlingly complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man.”

In his lifetime, he saw scuba gear change everything—a new world of wonder became visible and the open ocean too, the “last great wilderness,” “our final frontier,” opened to new discovery. Some creatures, like tuna and sharks, were found to make planet-wide migrations, while submarine mountains were discovered up to three miles high!

We observe giant kelp—the tallest plants in the ocean—being “gardened” by sea urchins. We see a world in delicate balance filled with visually stunning color and movement, with “jungles” off our coasts that rival any on land. He notes the shallow, wide coastal reefs that affect all eight billion of us—the phytoplankton carried there and deposited from the deep sea produce half of the air we breathe.

Yet, alongside this glory are modern ocean bottom trawlers that scoop and smash all this life (“All for a few scallops,” someone mourned.), leaving bleak scenes of everything else scraped flat and destroyed.

Such a stark contrast is caused by the relentless destruction of these “vast factories” that can instantly ruin fragile 200-year-old sponge gardens or deploy 50-mile-long bait lines to attract millions of sharks, leaving few survivors! With much of their prey lost, seabird colonies in every ocean are in their final stages of collapse.

Attenborough tells us that “less than 3% of the ocean is fully protected, yet scientists say we must protect at least one-third to survive.” Three billion people rely on fish for food, yet around 400,000 industrial ships continually strip the ocean. Is this legal? Unfortunately, this overfishing on an industrial scale is subsidized by governments. “Vast factories now travel the seas, day and night, nowhere out of bounds, even in the open ocean.”

Unfortunately, the trawlers have now even reached Antarctica, where they hunt krill, the main food source for penguins, whales, and many other animals. The huge ships fish everywhere to make fortunes from products like pet food and health supplements.

However, despite lamenting that “we have drained the life from our ocean,” Sir David announces a remarkable discovery that can lift our spirits— the creation of no-take zones, reserves protected from fishing. In these zones, he sees “a bit of magic” at work.

The “magic” was first created in the Channel Islands just off California, in the U.S. Our no-take zone there has demonstrated how life is restored after only five years. Not only did the no-fishing rule allow animals to recover within the safety zone, but there are also significant spillovers into surrounding unprotected waters! This success is being proven along the Mediterranean and off the French Coast, as well as in other locations, notably in a special Hawaiian marine area.

Papahānaumokuākea (pronounced Pa-pa-hah-now-mo-koo-ah-keh-ah) is a Hawaiian ocean sanctuary that is sacred to Native Hawaiians and recognized worldwide for its significant cultural and ecological importance. Its name means "the place where the gods dwell," symbolizing the union of the ancestral parents, Pāpā and Wākea, who created the Hawaiian Archipelago. The designation of this Marine National Monument protects one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world, preserving its pristine waters, colorful coral reefs, and sacred cultural sites. 

These are promising beginnings. We can find hope in Attenborough’s statement that “even the blue whale has begun to return within a decade of banning its being hunted—a baby blue whale born today would live 100 years IF we continue to protect her!” 

He continues: “This could be the moment of change. Nearly every country on Earth has just agreed, on paper, to achieve this bare minimum of protecting a third of the ocean. Together we now face the challenge of making it happen.”

Those of us who recognize that God’s incredible gift of Creation must not be wasted are called to accept this challenge. We know that the ocean provides the life force of our planet Earth. As Attenborough reminds us, “If we save the sea, we save our world!”

Ocean with David Attenborough is on Disney+ and Hulu; also, from National Geographic Society: If you are an educator for a school, university, library, or museum, or organizing a non-profit event, you can request access to the film through their website. This allows you to show the film for educational and charitable purposes without charging viewers.

Nancy Corson Carter, professor emerita of humanities at Eckerd College, has published THREE poetry books, Dragon Poems The Sourdough Dream Kit, and A Green Bough: Poems for Renewal (most recent) and three poetry chapbooks. Some of her poems, drawings, and photos appear in her nonfiction book, Martha, Mary, and Jesus: Weaving Action and Contemplation in Daily Life, and in her memoir, The Never-Quite-Ending War: a WWII GI Daughter's Stories.