When the Rev. Rodrick Burton became pastor of New Northside Missionary Baptist Church in north St. Louis in 2013, he looked for ways to cut costs to free up money for other ministries. That led him to install solar panels to reduce the church’s energy bill.
He then proposed an environmental bus tour for Black faith leaders to help them become more in tune with the environment, and it will happen in the fall with about 20 pastors involved.
“This will help to connect the dots, to raise, lift things up on the same level,” Burton said.
“Some folks may be thinking, ‘If it’s not dealing with policing or if it’s not dealing with reforming the justice system, it doesn’t require our attention,’ and it could not be further from the truth. It’s all equal.”
In 2019, Burton’s church hosted a Green the Church summit. Attendees took a Green Bus Tour to several locations in the region to discuss how to grow food in the community, how congregations can make their church buildings more energy efficient and how they can determine if urban factories are poisoning communities of color.
The Nature Conservancy granted Burton $5,000 to host this fall’s bus ride, which is inspired by Green the Church’s bus tour.
The Black faith community should be at the forefront of environmental work, said Rebecca Weaver, cities program manager for The Nature Conservancy.
“They’re a hub to reach neighbors, to reach community members and people around this issue that affects all of us,” Weaver said.
“I think that there’s a lot of power and opportunity to work directly alongside and support the leadership of pastors and other faith leaders that are leading the charge in this effort.”
Burton hopes his work to better the environment and a Green Bus tour this fall will encourage other Black faith leaders to join the environmental movement.
He plans for the pastors to visit Jubilee Community Church in north St. Louis, where they installed a drainage system on vacant land to divert water to its urban farm. Burton also wants others to see a net-zero energy-efficient home in Dogtown, a neighborhood near Forest Park.
The tour will also stop in areas where people and companies have illegally dumped trash. Environmentalists and other advocates will talk during the ride about how that harms the environment and tarnishes the neighborhood.
