Conservationists of creation

Salt shakers
July 2005

Conservationists of creation
Christians must think of their relation to the earth as primary, said Sister Chris Loughlin, coordinator of the Religious Lands Conservancy Project.

“We really don’t have a choice. The earth is connected to our system of life. We must conserve and protect it. We cannot continue to abuse it and override the system,” she says. "We are connected spiritually, socially and economically to the land.”

The Religious Lands Conservancy Project is a partnership between the Crystal Spring Earth Learning Center and the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition. Formed in the mid-1990s, the project aims to bring religious communities and land conservationists together to develop new tools to help preserve land owned by religious organizations. U.S. religious communities are frequently large land holders. Their stewardship of land holdings—often properties considered desirable by private developers—may be the last line of defense for delicate eco-systems or vanishing farmlands.

“Education is critical to getting our message out, and it is by far the most important element to our project,” Loughlin said. “We’re starting out locally, with groups in Massachusetts and the East Coast. Our partnership is with the Massachusetts Land Coalition, but we want to make this a national effort."—Kelly Nolan

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