Stories
Discover real-world stories of communities overcoming poverty and deforestation! Plant With Purpose, a Christian non-profit, shares examples of environmental sustainability and stewardship from all around the world. These stories show us how faith, resilience, and sustainable practices transform people’s lives as well as their environment. As rural families overcome poverty and heal the planet, embrace empowerment, renewal, and hope.
All, Dominican Republic
My faith has come from difficult moments
Sometimes it’s the hardest moments of life that produce the most growth If we were to list out the most meaningful things we’ve done throughout our life and then make a second list featuring the most difficult things we’ve ever done, I suspect we’d find a good amount of overlap. Things that are worthwhile are […]
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All, Meditations, Podcast
When it comes to the environment, is there a case for hope?
How hopeful do you feel when it comes to the environment “I’ll be honest, sometimes it can feel like there are many reasons why finding hope is difficult,” explained Plant With Purpose executive director Scott Sabin. Scott’s assessment feels very relatable. Between the rampant threats to places like the Amazon rainforest, the frequent reports of […]
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All, Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania
A Village Homecoming
Displacement affects about 10.7 Million people in Africa Displacement refers to somebody who has left their home due to force or a lack of safety, in most cases, conflict. This term differs from refugee status, since refugees are technically defined by crossing a national border. When regional conflicts came to the area of Dushirwe, many […]
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All, Environmental Restoration, Meditations, Our Response
The Role of Empathy in Environmental Protection
Terence Lester says that “to really understand something, we often need to experience it for ourselves or at least hear the story of someone who has experienced it.” This captures the importance of empathy when it comes to problem solving. And when it comes to understanding our environment and its challenges, empathy is especially […]
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All, Living Sustainably, Meditations
Rolling Up Your Sleeves for Creation Care
Perhaps you’ve been with us on the journey of environmental restoration for some time. You care deeply. You often look at the big picture of what environmental challenges look like across the globe. But for those wanting to get more involved, the big picture can sometimes look too broad. If you’re the type of person […]
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All, Podcast
The Crossroads of Faith and Sustainability
The two go hand-in-hand “I’m so happy I discovered your organization. I’m a Christian and I’ve been wondering where my love for the environment fits in with my faith!” This isn’t an unusual comment for us to hear sometimes. There are many people with a deep Christian faith who hold a belief that our responsibility […]
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All, Meditations
Overlooked Environmental Quotes from Historical Christian Leaders
Following Jesus and taking care of the planet go hand-in-hand. While today’s churches might easily overlook our role as stewards and caretakers of the planet, this hasn’t always been the case. Throughout church and Biblical history, our relationship with the natural world has often been seen as a reflection of our relationship with God. The […]
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All, Why I Support
Paddling 22 miles for Plant With Purpose
22 miles on a paddleboard is no easy feat! Will Allen and Emily Bark will be paddling 22 miles from Catalina to Palos Verdes to support Plant With Purpose this month! They have chosen to raise money to plant trees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of Plant With Purpose’s newer countries where communities […]
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All, blog
The Geotag Debate
Horseshoe Bend. Havasupai Falls. The Happy Boulders in Bishop, California. It seems like not long ago, these places were under-the-radar beauties for outdoor adventurers. A visit would’ve been a chance to escape into solitude while admiring these natural spectacles. Actually, it wasn’t that long ago. A decade, give-or-take. Today, however, these places get visitors by […]
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All, blog, Mexico
We Have Never Felt Stronger
There are times when it’s hard to feel strong. Think of a time in your life when it seems like one challenge after another kept rising up, and it started to take an emotional toll. Sometimes, it’s not just a calamity that can leave you discouraged, but a constant stream of challenges and bad news. […]
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All, Haiti
Can You Reap What You Sow?
You reap what you sow, right? You’ve heard the expression, I’m sure. It comes right out of Scripture– several times. Galatians 6:7 reads, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." 2 Corinthians explains that the point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows […]
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All, blog, Haiti
Haiti’s Challenges
Haiti’s challenges are deep and complex. One of the most famous images of Haiti contrasts its lack of vegetation with a neighboring National Park in the Dominican Republic. The difference is so stark that nature follows the political border. A flight into Haiti might provide another example of its environmental situation and the challenge it […]
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All, Living Sustainably
The environment and human health
In many ways, the effects that the environment has on human health seem a little obvious. Still, there is a variety of different ways to think about their relationship that all underscore its importance. Here are some of those ways. Biodiversity helps support resilience and nutrition. A lack of biodiversity results in the loss of […]
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All, blog, Living Sustainably
3 Perspective Shifts that Serve the Planet
1. It’s not about being the perfect environmentalist. It can be easy after learning about the urgent threats to our environment to want to do something drastic. To radically alter your lifestyle and to challenge others to do the same. These changes are good, but they can also very easily slip into the snares of […]
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All, DR Congo, Meditations
Even though they won’t benefit me now.
One principle of sustainability is doing things with benefits that go beyond your lifetime. In one of his most famous poems, "Manifesto", Wendell Berry suggests doing things that we will not live to see the benefit of: Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not […]
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