As Obama seeks re-election, his former church expands its vision
Congregation's plan for 27-acre sustainable community is part of its growing 'green ministry'
Though it has been planned for decades, Moss said the latest vision for Imani Village has grown out of the Green for All movement, a nationwide crusade to alleviate poverty by harnessing the energy of the green sustainable economy. Founded by Van Jones, Obama's former environmental czar, Green for All emphasizes the importance of educating minority communities that, organizers say, historically have been victims of economic and environmental injustices and left out of the quest for a solution.
Green for All initiatives include tapping alternative energy, training ex-convicts for green jobs and urban agriculture. The Imani Village enterprise will include all of the above and then some.
"You have this hip-hop generation of pastors who perhaps have their ear closer to the ground when it comes to things like Green for All," said the Rev. Ambrose Carroll, a Berkeley, Calif., pastor who has led the Green for All charge among faith communities. "The church ought to be a part of that conversation (about healing the environment), sometimes even in the forefront."
