African American church leaders have partnered with the nonprofit Green For All and the US Green Building Council to combat climate change. The “Green the Church” campaign seeks to include 1,000 churches, representing congregants that total in the millions.

“The black church has always joined hands with other faith traditions and stood on the front lines as they did in Selma, Alabama, fifty years ago this week. Likewise this must be true in the fight against climate change,” said Green the Church founder Ambrose Carroll.

The clip above outlines the direct ways in which climate change affects the Black community, from the health issues that arise from environmental degradation to the food issues that develop on a broader scale.

Not only that, but the churches are looking to save money by using sustainable energy and support the green economy. Moreover, they’re hoping that this way of thinking will trickle down to parishioners, who would certainly welcome the chance to lower energy bills and other climate-related expenses.

Even before this press release landed in our inbox, the Green the Church Summit took place, bringing together church leaders to talk about this issue in Oakland, CA.

Black churches are a key way to reach African-American audiences with messages of all kind. They also serve critical roles in organizing African Americans behind a cause, event or other manner of campaign. Tapping into this trusted resource is a brilliant way to communicate with the Black community.

Moreover, a quick search of “climate change” will find that lots of groups — religious denominations, various industries, even FEMA — are now urging concern over climate change because of the unique ways that it will impact people based on where they live, where they work, or what they do in day-to-day life. This is one strategy that environmental activists are using to target important demographics to spread their message of urgency.

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