Rooted in Faith: Action for Food, Health, and Climate Resilience

As climate change accelerates, its adverse impacts, particularly rising food insecurity, demand urgent global action. Already, weather extremes exacerbated by climate change are the primary drivers of food crises for 87.5 million people. Access to nutritious food is vital to community resilience, but increasingly challenging —especially in marginalized regions and the Global South. Meeting this challenge requires innovative and community-rooted action at both local and global levels. As drivers of social care and community, faith-based organizations play a critical role in creating sustainable, nutritious, and equitable food systems. Many faith-based organizations and their communities are driven by an ethical and moral responsibility to care for the health of ecosystems that humans and other life forms depend on, shaping unique faith-informed food system interventions —from implementing programs to advocating for policy change. As a social nexus, faith-based organizations can drive meaningful change for climate, health, and food security at both the global and local levels. This hybrid event will explore the global risk that climate change poses to nutritious diets and highlight the potential of plant-based and plant-forward diets to improve sustainability, nutrition, and fellowship in contemporary food systems. Exemplifying the concept of “thinking globally, acting locally,” this panel will explore how shifting toward plant-based and plant-forward diets at a community level can help reduce global greenhouse gas emissions while providing more nutrient-dense meals. By integrating perspectives from a variety of faith, cultural, and community backgrounds, panelists will examine how to bridge disparities in access to healthy diets while reducing emissions and safeguarding the natural world through actionable solutions. This event will be held at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Center on 24 September from 4- 6 p.m. and is hosted in collaboration with Bread for the World, the Interfaith Public Health Network, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Mercy For Animals, and Chili on Wheels. In addition to a robust panel discussion, this event will serve light plant-based refreshments, exemplifying how climate-friendly and nutritious food can be both accessible and tasty. In-person and virtual attendance options are available.