By Emma Wilcox

In 1998 the Reverend Tom Carr, pastor of the First Baptist Church in West Hartford, gave a sermon about the importance of caring about God's creation. Inspired by his speech, a member of the First Baptist Church's choir approached him about becoming involved in the issue of the "Sooty Six" power plants. Carr quickly immersed himself in the campaign, heading to the state capitol to talk with legislators and to testify on the Sooty Six legislation, and continues today as a director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network.

Even before the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network became a formal organization in 2001, its creators and activists were active in the "Sooty Six" campaign. According to Carr, the campaign became "a galvanizing issue for religious communities' involvement in Connecticut." He went on to say that issues like the "Sooty Six" help get "communities to reclaim ancient traditions of caring for God's creation," as they intertwine issues of social and environmental justice. "It is children, the elderly, and the poor that are often the most profoundly affected by environmental degradation."

The Reverend Carr has many fond memories of the campaign, including of a demonstration at the Bridgeport Harbor power plant. Around 75 people attended, and so did many news crews, including ABC news. During the demonstrations leaders from different religions read from scripture, and the new "Clean Air Choir" sang clean air hymns. He also recalls the demonstration held right after Governor Rowland vetoed the Clean Air Bill. Disappointed citizens tossed dirty socks (a play on words as soot is also known as sulfur oxides or SOx) over the fence in front of the Governor's mansion. At both these events, what impressed Carr the most was how positive everyone remained.

To Reverend Tom Carr the reasons why the "Sooty Six" campaign was so successful had to do with the multiple perspectives and varied knowledge of everyone involved. "We didn't have to know everything because we could rely on other people. Everybody played their own part. Legislators couldn't say 'Oh, here comes that environmental group again' because the people who were coming to speak were from all over with all different types of backgrounds."

The Interreligious Eco-Justice Network continues to engage people of diverse faiths in dialogue and education about the importance of God's creation and is a leader in promoting clean energy and energy conservation throughout Connecticut.

For more information about their work, please visit www.irejn.org