couldn't resist!
couldn't resist!
ARTICLE #1
What would Jesus drive?' gas-guzzling
Americans are asked
Oliver Burkeman in New York
Wednesday November 13 2002
The Guardian
The midwestern United States, equally devout in its worship of
God as in its worship of gas-guzzling four-wheel-drive vehicles,
is about to be asked to choose between the two.
"What Would Jesus Drive?" is the slogan dominating a
television advertising campaign about to blanket cities in Iowa,
Indiana and Missouri, along with the southern state of North
Carolina.
The question presumably did not arise in first-century Galilee,
but the Christian group behind the ads believes the answer would
not include sports utility vehicles, the fuel-inefficient,
environmentally unfriendly monsters that rule America's roads.
"We have confessed Christ to be our saviour and Lord, and
for us, that includes our transportation choices," the Rev
Jim Ball, of the Washington-based Evangelical Environmental
Network, said.
"Most folks don't think of transportation as a moral issue,
but we're called to care for kids and for the poor, and filling
their lungs with pollution is the opposite of caring for
them."
The campaign's slogan is inspired by What Would Jesus Do?, a
phrase ubiquitous among young Christians in the US who sport it
on bracelets, clothing and customised Bible covers.
"We take seriously the question What Would Jesus Do?",
Mr Ball said. "What Would Jesus Drive? is just a more
specific version. What would he want me to do as a Christian?
Would he want me to use public transportation?"
A coalition of religious groups, led by Christians and Jews, are
due to launch a related campaign later this month in Detroit,
America's car capital, where they have called for a meeting with
representatives from the big three manufacturers, Ford, General
Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
Though all three companies have begun to launch hybrid cars
powered partly by electricity, SUVs, vans and pickups still
account for half the new vehicles sold in the US. TV ads abound
declaring them "professional grade" and built
"like a rock".
Car companies say they are only responding to demand.
"If people would be demanding tailfins on cars, we'd be
making tailfins on cars," said Eron Shosteck, of the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
At least one car maker is fighting on the same territory as Mr
Ball: Chevrolet has been touring a series of nationwide
evangelical rock concerts entitled Chevrolet Presents: Come
Together and Worship, prompting condemnation from non-Christian
groups.
"This may be a sign of the times," Rabbi James Rudin,
spokesman for the American Jewish Committee, said recently.
"But it's not a good sign."
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian
Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk
ARTICLE #2
Going for a Sunday Drive
Evangelical Campaign Focuses on Environmental Awareness
By Katherine Ellison
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, November 8, 2002; Page A03
The Rev. Jim Ball has come up with a question he hopes will make millions of church-going Americans think twice before buying another SUV.
It's: "What would Jesus drive?"
Ball, a native of Baton Rouge, La., directs the Evangelical Environmental Network, a "biblically orthodox" nonprofit working with groups including the large relief organization World Vision International and the International Bible Society. The organization is launching a barrage of ads, mostly on Christian radio stations and cable television, urging consumers and automakers to start thinking of gas mileage as an ethical statement, noting that auto emissions are significantly contributing to climate change.
"Most people don't think the kind of car they drive has anything to do with their faith," said Ball, 41. "We want to show them it does."
The national campaign may be going against the consumer tide: gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans outsold cars for the first time in the United States last year. But the endeavor is part of a broader effort by some religious leaders in recent years to make ethical stands on environmental issues.
Concern has escalated among some prominent religious leaders that politicians and voters alike are paying too little attention to the threat of climate change, which scientists warn could lead to more frequent and heavy storms, floods, and epidemics spread by mosquitoes migrating to warmer climes.
Last year, for instance, Roman Catholic bishops in the United States unanimously backed a statement calling for immediate action on the threat. And last February, more than 1,200 religious leaders of different denominations signed a letter to U.S. senators urging specific measures such as increasing vehicle fuel efficiency and regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
"Somebody's got to represent the long-term future, and the long-term future doesn't get much market share. So we have to do it," says John Briscoe, development director for the National Council of the Churches of Christ.
Over the past three years, activist groups organized by the Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign, a project of the National Council of Churches and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, have sprung up in 21 states to educate Jews and Christians on the benefits of conservation and clean fuels. Scores of churches and synagogues have pledged to cut down their own energy use, while encouraging individual members to do the same.
Now the climate campaign is turning its attention to transportation. On Sunday, congregations in 15 states plan to coordinate events including press conferences with elected officials, sermons on fuel efficiency and displays of hybrid electric autos in their parking lots.
Later this month, the campaign will send mailings to 100,000 Jewish and Christian congregations and synagogues, discussing the relationship of fuel economy to religious teachings about stewardship and justice. Additionally, some 50,000 e-mails will be sent to individual churchgoers, giving them an opportunity to send a message to automobile manufacturers.
The pressure on automakers is intended to culminate on Nov. 20, when the mainline Christian and Jewish groups and the evangelical environmentalists hold their joint press conference in Detroit. NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar has asked chief executives of the "Big Three" automakers for a meeting that day to begin "a new conversation about cars and their impact on global sustainability, security, health, and justice."
"We'll be showing up in Priuses," said Briscoe, referring to Toyota's high gas-mileage hybrid car. "The key message is: You make it, we'll buy it."
To be sure, automakers have yet to buy this argument. The popularity of sport-utility vehicles has pushed the average gas mileage of new cars to its lowest point since the early 1980s. "The crux of the issue is that we make 50 different models that get 30 miles per gallon or better, and very few consumers buy them," said Eron Shosteck, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "We can't control the price of gas, and as long as gas is an inexpensive commodity, there is no incentive for consumers to use less of it."
Shosteck contends that car manufacturers don't fear the religious pressure, since they're "acting morally and responsibly" in giving consumers a choice.
On the other hand, the industry has long fought politicians' attempts to improve fuel economy standards -- most recently in Washington, during debate over a proposed energy bill earlier this year, and in California, where Gov. Gray Davis (D) recently signed a law requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by cars and light trucks.
During the battle in Congress, religious groups joined mainstream environmental organizations in lobbying for tougher fuel standards but with little success: In September, House and Senate negotiators agreed on fuel economy rules that according to one government study would actually increase oil consumption.
"We lobbied hard, and we got our heads handed to us," Briscoe says. "So we decided that if vinegar won't do the trick, what about honey?"
The intent is to combine sweet talk with muscle. "The religious community does have some force," says Doug Grace, director of the Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign. "After all, we changed civil rights."
The Evangelical Environmental Network, formed in 1994, successfully demonstrated its own clout back in 1996, with a $1 million crusade to save the Endangered Species Act, which it called a modern Noah's Ark, from an attempted rollback by Republican House members. The network took out TV, radio and print ads, mailed "Let the Earth Be Glad" kits to 33,000 evangelical churches, and led other religious and secular groups in the effort to rescue the law.
The "What would Jesus drive?" ad campaign will target four states with a heavy evangelical presence: Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and North Carolina. Ball anticipates spending up to $65,000 on the blitz, supported by the Energy Foundation, based in San Francisco. He is also planning events on college campuses and a "Creation Sunday" celebration in the spring with the same theme.
"Jesus wants his followers to drive the least-polluting, most efficient vehicle that truly meets their needs -- though first he might look at other ways to get around." Ball said. "He'd definitely be in favor of us taking public transportation."
ARTICLE #3
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) _ Car buyers in four states will
soon hear a religious appeal to their environmental conscience:
``What would Jesus drive?''
A Pennsylvania-based environmental group is planning television
advertising in North Carolina, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri to urge
consumers to park their pollutive SUVs _ Jesus would prefer a
cleaner auto, the group contends.
``Economic issues are moral issues. There really isn't a decision
in your life that isn't a moral choice,'' said the Rev. Jim Ball,
executive director of the Evangelical Environmental Network,
which is sponsoring the ``What Would Jesus Drive?'' campaign.
The Wynnewood, Pennsylvania-based group will begin running
television ads this month in eight cities to urge consumers to
park their sport-utility vehicles and to buy fuel-efficient cars.
The ads contend that the devout ought to consider the SUVs'
effect on the earth.
But it's a small voice in a sea of SUVs, minivans and pickup
trucks _ last year they accounted for half the new vehicles sold
in the United States. The average fuel economy for all 2003 model
cars and passenger trucks dropped to 20.8 miles per gallon,
reflecting what automakers and many buyers say is a higher
priority on comfort and family needs than conserving gasoline.
Automakers say they'd be happy to sell more fuel-efficient
vehicles if that's what Americans wanted to drive.
``If people would be demanding tailfins on cars, we'd be making
tailfins on cars. But people aren't demanding tailfins,'' said
Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile
Manufacturers, a coalition of 13 companies that produce most of
the country's vehicles. ``People want power. Consumers want
power.''
Ball and a network of like-minded mainline Christians and Jews
hope to alter those buying habits.
Global warming and smoggy air worsened by vehicle exhausts
threaten the health of humans, plants and animals worldwide, and
the faithful are called to preserve God's creation, Ball said in
a telephone interview.
``We think he is Lord of our transportation choices as well as
all our other choices,'' said Ball, an ordained American Baptist
minister. ``When you need a new car, you should buy the most
fuel-efficient one that truly meets your needs.''
The Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign plans to send mailings
this month to 100,000 congregations and synagogues discussing the
relationship between fuel economy and religious teachings about
stewardship and justice.
The campaign is a joint effort of the National Council of
Churches and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.
The organizations plan a Nov. 20 news conference in Detroit,
where they have requested meetings with executives from the Big
Three automakers and the United Auto Workers' union, campaign
director Douglas Grace said.
The groups plan to frame their arguments in moral _ as well as
economic _ terms by promoting hybrid and fuel-cell powered
vehicles, as well as other fuel-saving technologies. Hybrids run
on both gas and electricity, and use less fuel than traditional
engines. Fuel cells, a technology developed to power space
vehicles, makes energy from a chemical reaction with no harmful
emissions.
``We're trying to show the technology is there, that consumers
are interested in it, and they're interested in buying
American,'' Grace said.
The Big Three _ Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and
DaimlerChrysler AG _ plan to mass market SUVs and pickups with
hybrid technology starting next year. Toyota and Honda began
selling a limited number of hybrid cars this year.
ARTICLE #4
___
APGroup Targets Car Pollution Via Ads
By EMERY P. DALESIO, AP Business Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Car buyers in four states will soon hear a
religious appeal to their environmental conscience: "What
would Jesus drive?"
A Pennsylvania-based environmental group is planning television
advertising in North Carolina, Iowa, Indiana and Missouri to urge
consumers to park their pollutive SUVs — Jesus would prefer
a cleaner auto, the group contends.
"Economic issues are moral issues. There really isn't a decision in your life that isn't a moral choice," said the Rev. Jim Ball, executive director of the Evangelical Environmental Network, which is sponsoring the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign.
The Wynnewood, Pa.-based group will begin running television ads this month in eight cities to urge consumers to park their sport-utility vehicles and to buy fuel-efficient cars. The ads contend that the devout ought to consider the SUVs' effect on the earth.
But it's a small voice in a sea of SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks — last year they accounted for half the new vehicles sold in the United States. The average fuel economy for all 2003 model cars and passenger trucks dropped to 20.8 miles per gallon, reflecting what automakers and many buyers say is a higher priority on comfort and family needs than conserving gasoline.
Automakers say they'd be happy to sell more fuel-efficient vehicles if that's what Americans wanted to drive.
"If people would be demanding tailfins on cars, we'd be making tailfins on cars. But people aren't demanding tailfins," said Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a coalition of 13 companies that produce most of the country's vehicles. "People want power. Consumers want power."
Ball and a network of like-minded mainline Christians and Jews hope to alter those buying habits.
Global warming (news - web sites) and smoggy air worsened by vehicle exhausts threaten the health of humans, plants and animals worldwide, and the faithful are called to preserve God's creation, Ball said in a telephone interview.
"We think he is Lord of our transportation choices as
well as all our other choices," said Ball, an ordained
American Baptist minister. "When you need a new car, you
should buy the most fuel-efficient one that truly meets your
needs."
The Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign plans to send mailings
this month to 100,000 congregations and synagogues discussing the
relationship between fuel economy and religious teachings about
stewardship and justice.
The campaign is a joint effort of the National Council of Churches and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.
The organizations plan a Nov. 20 news conference in Detroit, where they have requested meetings with executives from the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers (news - web sites)' union, campaign director Douglas Grace said.
The groups plan to frame their arguments in moral — as well as economic — terms by promoting hybrid and fuel-cell powered vehicles, as well as other fuel-saving technologies. Hybrids run on both gas and electricity, and use less fuel than traditional engines. Fuel cells, a technology developed to power space vehicles, makes energy from a chemical reaction with no harmful emissions.
"We're trying to show the technology is there, that consumers are interested in it, and they're interested in buying American," Grace said.
The Big Three — Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG — plan to mass market SUVs and pickups with hybrid technology starting next year. Toyota and Honda began selling a limited number of hybrid cars this year.
Bell said the e-mails and meetings will be supplemented this
month by TV ads running in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C.; Fort
Wayne and South Bend, Ind.; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa;
and Springfield and Kansas City, Mo.
___
On the Net:
What Would Jesus Drive campaign: www.whatwouldjesusdrive.org
Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign: www.protectingcreation.org
