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In 1991 Tien-si Chen was contracted to build a home addition. The woman who hired him to do the addition wanted the work completed with used materials she acquired from garage sales and throw away piles. Mr. Chen completed the addition and fell in love with sustainable building. He began applying sustainable techniques to his projects.

The remodel in 1991 used recycled materials and also employed passive energy design. He explained how he orients his projects to use the south, north breezeway creating air flow, using shade from trees on the property which reduces energy use. Mr. Chen explains that this is “taking part of nature that God has provided for us and using it in our every day living”. He referred to Frank Lloyd Wright and sharing that each time Frank Lloye Wright designed a building he turned it 60 degrees immediately because doing that creates a relationship with the sun, wind and shade. “Forces of nature that God created for us. He (God) created an environment and when we know how to use it we can benefit from it.” explained Mr. Chen.

He approaches his work as an opportunity to create a solution using green architecture. Applying these techniques to the entire building system from the air conditioning system to the plumbing. He is currently working on a new project in which they are separating all the water flow. For example sewer, shower,  and rainwater will flow through different pipes in order to reclaim any possible water that is appropriate to reuse. This is a huge redevelopment project that I am unable to name at this point. When Mr. Chen receives permission from the development a follow-up will be posted to identify the project. He has worked on several projects for the same development company, applying sustainable techniques each time.

Mr. Chen is also connected with a man in Nigeria and is working on large projects there such as a 300 bed student housing building and an eco village. The eco village is a self-sustaining project using wind power and gas from reclaimed methane. This particular project is in the proposal stages.

Passionate about sustainable architecture, Mr. Chen loves to offer solutions for energy efficiency and to promote preservation of the earth he holds dear as he believes it is a gift from God. I asked him about his connections with the directors of these large projects which vary in geographic location from Chicago to Nigeria. My question specifically was “In the board rooms, are people hesitant about your political affiliation and Christianity?” He directly replied, “In that arena, it never comes up.” As we discussed this I discovered no one asks him his political or religious affiliation when they need an architect who is passionate about sustainability. He explained that many of the people he works for are Democrats, supporting Obama and on the opposite side of the spectrum politically. Mr. Chen concluded our conversation by stating “Creating a sustainable future is not political.”

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• Green Building Talk: Legendary Green Architect Peter Pfieffer’s “Greening the Kitchen” Presentation

Photo Credit: Riah’s Photography with permission

Citing the Koran, the Hebrew Bible, and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the interfaith body declared global warming “a moral issue” in An Interfaith Declaration on the Moral Responsibility of the U.S. Government to Address Global Warming:

“All of our traditions call us to serve and protect the poor and vulnerable. And it is the world’s poor, who contribute the least to this problem, who will suffer the most from global warming.”

The group asks fellow people of faith to see beyond their differences and make the protection of life on earth a priority. But besides working on global warming soluations, faith communities must prepare to care for those who will be displaces and impoverished by its effects.

Advertisements, meetings with elected officials, and campaigns in individual congregations are planned for the near future.

Christian Post Reporter
Episcopal Life Online
An Interfaith Declaration on the Moral Responsibility of the U.S. Government to Address Global Warming

Don Bosch is the author and managing editor of the blog, The Evangelical Ecologist.

What motivated you to begin blogging about Christian environmentalism?
I became a Christian on a beautiful Oregon beach in 1978, and ecology has been calling since 1990. I started The Evangelical Ecologist in 2004 because I didn't see a lot of green evangelical thought onto the web, and wanted to help fellow Christians find trustworthy environmental information and resources.

What are some myths surrounding Christian environmentalism, and why aren't they true?
How about "Christians don't care about the environment?" I haven't met anybody, Christian or not, who thinks trashing the planet is a good idea. We might disagree on environmental approaches but I've never found Christians rejecting the need for it. Likewise, dominionism - polluting earth because we're in charge of it - is a myth perpetuated more in secular circles than the Church. Another is that Christian ecology is relatively new. Mendel was studying peas in a monastery 150 years ago. John Muir was a Christian. St. Francis and Francis Schaeffer, Mennonites and the Amish; all were green way before it was popular.

What are your personal motivations for environmental stewardship? Religion? Social justice?
Religion and social justice are human constructs. My relationship with God and what he made motivates me, and so does using ecology as common ground to share God's love with non-Christians. We're called to love God with all we've got and love our neighbor as ourselves. And all living things by extension.

Are Christians motivated differently than secular environmentalists?
We're all recycling and swapping light bulbs and driving less, so it's not so much "what" than "why." Look at all the religious terms used in secular discussions on the environment! People want a moral basis for ecology regardless of their faith, but Christians actually have one. God made the universe. He gave the earth to people to take care of it. Adam disobeyed God and brought sin and death into the world, bringing on a pollution problem (among other things). Christ's death on the cross dealt with that sin, and gave us an opportunity to restore our relationship with our Creator. Christians believe Jesus will return someday, and we know he'd better find us busy at creation care and His other business when he does. Ecology is entirely consistent with and supported by the Bible.

Do you think there is an unfulfilled desire among conservative Christians for broader faith-based environmental movements?
Yep. Christians approach ecology carefully because of things like population control, radicalism, bloated government, humanism, and earth (Gaia) worship that have been associated with the movement over the past 30 years. Christians will get more involved as they find ways to do so without compromising their faith. When they see how pollution harms unborn babies for instance, they realize pro-green is pro-life. By the way, most Christians treat ecology the same way they tithe; it's a personal thing they do quietly. A movement? Maybe not like you're thinking of it.

What about the Christians' role in the global warming debate?
We need to be engaged and we need to get smarter. I chuckle when some call global warming a moral issue, but it frankly troubles me when religious leaders do. We mustn't mistake scientific hypothesis for moral truth. Christian ethics bring us to the table but we need to listen to sound, scientific arguments both pro/con to do what's effective for the climate without ignoring moral issues like energy needs and poverty. Reduce greenhouse gasses, sure, but calling CO2 "sinful" only gets everyone hot under the collar.

Anything else?
I wrote a series called, "The Uniqueness of Christian Ecology," and an article called, Knowing the Gardener that might be useful to folks wanting to know more about Christians and ecology.