christian environmentalism
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.
About Our Work, Tanzania
When Mothers Rise, We All Rise.
How empowering women transforms families, communities, and the future One of the most powerful drivers of change in Plant With Purpose’s work around the world is the very intentional inclusion of women. In many rural communities, women carry enormous responsibility. They care for children, manage households, grow food, and often keep families together through hardship. […]
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About Our Work, Ethiopia
Welcome Belaynesh!
Meet our Ethiopia Country Director We are very excited to introduce you to one of our newest leaders at Plant With Purpose, Belaynesh Tesema—our Ethiopia Country Director! Belaynesh is not new to us, as she has been our Finance and Administration Manager for several years, and we are pleased to share that she was recently […]
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Why I Support
Why I Partner with Plant With Purpose
My name is Nicole O’Brien. I am a full-time watercolor painting artist. I live in rural northeast Iowa on a farm surrounded by animals and agricultural fields. Hence, the name of my business, “Color Splash Ranch.” The subject matter of my art is usually nature and the creatures that inhabit our planet....
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Living Sustainably, Why I Support
Poverty, Trees, and the Joy of Getting Your Hands Dirty
Kathy Kellogg-Johnson is a longtime supporter of Plant With Purpose and an expert in healthy soil. Her family-owned company, Kellogg Garden Organics, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year! For an entire century, they have been providing organic soil and products for farmers all across the country. Kathy generously spoke to us about the relationship between people, trees, and healthy soil. Check out her interview below.
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About Our Work
Why Do We Plant Trees?
Farmers who partner with Plant With Purpose have planted 76.6 million trees to date, and are projected to plant another 11 million in fiscal year 2026! But tree planting hasn’t always been our goal. When our CEO Scott Sabin first joined Plant With Purpose as an intern in 1993, he wasn’t particularly interested in planting trees. In fact, tree planting seemed like a distraction from the “real” mission of reducing rural poverty. Today, people new to Plant With Purpose may also wonder: what is the connection between helping people thrive and planting trees? The answer lies in the unique geographies of the watersheds we work in, where trees and livelihoods are inextricably intertwined.
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Ethiopia
Ethiopian Church Forests: An Ancient Key to Biodiversity
In the past 20 years, Ethiopia has been devastated by deforestation. Extensive agriculture, cattle herding, and increased population pressure, reduced forest cover to just 4.2% by 2000. Since then, the species richness of Ethiopia’s forests has been declining, and the remaining forests are fragmented, impoverished, and have only a fraction of the diversity they once had.
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Why
Why Should Churches Care About Trees?
Several years ago, my home church nearly cut down a 60-foot sycamore tree to build a new parking lot. Removing the tree seemed like the obvious choice—more room for families, more space for ministry. But some hesitated. Wasn’t this tree part of our story? Could we build around it instead of removing it? In the end, the church chose to save it, making it a prominent feature of the new campus.
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Photo Essays
How Cacao Trees are Transforming Lives in the Dominican Republic
At the end of March, Plant With Purpose hosted a Vision Trip to the Dominican Republic (DR). I, along with several donors and Plant With Purpose U.S. staff, had the privilege of visiting our partners in the DR and seeing the incredible work they’re doing to transform their communities. Just a few hours into our […]
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Climate Solutions, Meditations
Eco-discipleship: The act of studying and learning from creation
The Good News of Jesus is Good News for all of creation. One of the core ideas underlying the practice of ecological discipleship (eco discipleship), is drawing closer to God through study and engagement in the natural world. Musician Audrey Assad expresses, “I used to laugh at people who called nature a church. It mystified […]
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blog
Rational Hope: A Way Forward
Why are some vulnerable rural communities able to thrive in spite of the pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened our awareness of the turmoil in our world. Though we are isolated with family inside our homes, we are also increasingly concerned about the events happening outside. Extreme climate events such as flooding in Sudan and […]
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Meditations, Sustainability
We're Resurrection People, After All!
The following is a letter from our Creative Director, Philippe Lazaro, on what happens when a global pandemic runs into Easter- a day where we celebrate resurrection. What a month it’s been. To echo a Tweet by Andy Crouch I read, “Honestly, I hadn’t planned on giving up this much for Lent.” There’s something oddly […]
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Meditations, Sustainability
Restoring civility is a necessary step towards sustainability
A divisive social climate contributes to an unsustainable global climate It’s a presidential election year in the United States, and unsurprisingly political tensions and anxieties run high. There has been no shortage of words about the way our world is extremely polarized and divided. Spend more than a small amount of time online, and you’ll […]
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Meditations, Sustainability
I’m concerned about climate. Why should I support a Christian environmental organization?
“The faithful have a long tradition of ministering to and seeking justice for the most vulnerable and providing the action we need to achieve a just and healthy world. As such, the faithful are leading on climate solutions today.” –Kara Ball, Blessed Tomorrow Plant With Purpose is a Christian environmental organization. It’s a key part […]
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Sustainability
What is regenerative agriculture and why is it so exciting?
“Do you want to know the most exciting thing about regenerative agriculture? It’s the word “regenerative.” It means we actually have the ability to bring seemingly dead, practically infertile soil back to life!” –Sheryl Karas, Center for Regenerative Agriculture Systems at CSU Chico Excitement around regenerative agriculture, sometimes called regenerative farming, is booming. Perhaps it’s […]
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Meditations, Sustainability
Eco-Discipleship: How God calls us to learn from nature
We often overlook the way nature teaches us about God It’s not uncommon to hear people explain how a little time in nature helps people feel closer to God. But the idea of spending time in nature as a spiritual discipline can still be startling for many people. “I used to laugh at people who […]
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