Dr. Faith B. Harris is a 21st century example of “hands-on earthly faith.”

As steering committee chair of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, she leads the nonprofit organization in its work to grow healthy communities and advance climate justice through education, advocacy and worship.

VAIPL works with churches, synagogues, temples and institutions and people from all faith backgrounds to preserve the planet.

“We conduct panel discussions, workshops, conversations and provide resources from the Bible and Christian theology speaking to caring for our environment and the gift of creation God has given us,” Dr. Harris says.

“In Richmond, we need to get communities and churches to be proactive in order to address some of the issues we know that are coming down the pike regarding the crisis associated with climate change, energy renewal and climate justice.”

The Richmond-based group is one of 44 affiliates of the 30-year-old National Interfaith Power & Light.

Dr. Harris, an ordained Baptist minister, says from the start, her call to the ministry was “to celebrate life in all the myriad ways life is expressed on Earth.”

“I believe the more in sync we are with our world, including all that is in it, the healthier emotionally and physically we will be,” she says.

“I make the time to serve VAIPL because it is committed to engaging diverse communities of faith, helping them to live more faithfully as citizens of the Earth.”

Born in Fort Dix, N.J., Dr. Harris was the fourth of five daughters born to Franklin A. Harris and Sylvia E. Walker of Pittsburgh. Because her father was career Army, the family moved around.

“We lived in France, Thailand, Kentucky, New Jersey and Northern Virginia all before my 14th birthday,” Dr. Harris says.

She grew up loving the outdoors.

“Nature touches me in places deep down in my soul and in my consciousness in ways that just listening to a sermon or reading and thinking theology can,” she says.

She discovered VAIPL after volunteering for its sister organization, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a faith community advocacy voice focusing primarily on issues of economic and racial justice.

Moving from public policy to environmental issues was a natural fit, she says, because of her belief that the faith community is to lead in protecting God’s gift of the Earth to mankind.

“In the Christian faith, a lot of times we think of and talk about light as the metaphor for Christ Jesus and the power of God,” Dr. Harris says. “But power and light is a double entendre. It refers to the fact that they were looking at the issues of energy and power, trying to promote renewables. We know sea levels are rising, storms are going to be much more severe and temperatures are getting warmer. At some point, there will be problems with having enough fresh water for the global population.”

That’s why action is critical, both on the individual level and the global level with policy, she says.

Churches and other faith institutions “can save a great deal of money by going solar, or they can reduce their energy bill by changing their lighting to LED.”

Individuals, she suggests, can get involved by doing little things around the home — “recycling, having rain barrels and using LED lights.”

“Don’t cut your grass too short to avoid water run-off, which immediately flows into the storm drain and goes into waterways instead of saturating the soil.” She also recommended that people stop using commercial pesticides and instead use natural remedies to get rid of weeds and pests.”

Once the earth’s waters are contaminated by pollution or all of the fresh water has been depleted or harmed by industrial waste or fracking, she says, there will be no more.

“We have a moral responsibility to care about (the earth) and to do our best to mitigate climate injustices and to help people to recover,” Dr. Harris says.

“Open your eyes and stop ignoring the changes to the Earth and educate yourself, then take action to get into the struggle to save the Earth.”

Meet this week’s Personality and faith-based environment advocate, Dr. Faith B. Harris:

Occupation: Ordained Baptist minister and community organizer; assistant professor at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and director of its Johnson A. Edosomwan Center for Faith, Leadership and Public Life.

No. 1 volunteer position: Chair of the steering committee, Virginia Interfaith Power & Light.

Date and place of birth: Oct. 13 in Fort Dix, N.J.

Current residence: Varina.

Alma maters: B.A. in international missions and Bible, Moody Bible Institute, 1991; master’s of divinity and doctor of ministry, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University, 1997 and 2012; and master’s of sacred theology, Boston University School of Theology, 2010.

Family: Husband, Dr. Ray McKenzie Jr., pastor of Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Varina and instructor of homiletics at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, VUU; five adult stepchildren; and 11 grandchildren.

Virginia Interfaith Power & Light’s mission: We are people of faith collaborating to grow healthy communities and advance climate justice through education, advocacy and worship.

How VAIPL accomplishes its mission: We work within and among the various faith communities to help them think through their energy usage, environmental impacts and plan for adaptation to the climate crisis. We educate their members on the importance for people of faith to care for our environment and ask them to take action. We do this through climate, energy and social justice workshops, prayer vigils, newsletters, emails and collaboration with other faith and climate organizations on key issues.

VAIPL’s No. 1 challenge: Encouraging faith communities across Virginia to understand what is at stake if we do not join the global community and hold ourselves accountable to act responsibly toward our environment. Of course, like many small nonprofits, we are always seeking volunteers and financial support to build the capacity to do our work more effectively.

How VAIPL is funded: We receive donations from individuals in addition to grant funding from our national affiliate and foundations. We welcome gifts from congregations and faith communities as well.

Three top issues for VAIPL: Environmental justice, climate crisis and renewable energy.

VAIPL’s role on these issues: VAIPL advocates for environmental justice, which aims to achieve equity for poor, black and brown people in distributing environmental benefits and burdens. VAIPL raises awareness about the climate crisis and the means to adapt to its impacts among people of faith. VAIPL advocates for statewide policies that will mitigate pollution and adapt to impacts, such as making solar power accessible to all people.

How important is sustainable living in our society today: Sustainability is very important and we should all seek to do our very best to reduce, reuse and recycle. I think the most important of these three Rs is reduce and for more than one reason. I have been on a journey in my own life to live more simply. I am much more mindful and reflective of all my purchases, asking myself whether having one more anything will really enrich and enhance my sojourn on this Earth. My husband and I both drive eco-friendly cars, which I count as a major step to reduce our carbon footprint. Another important part of sustainability is building and strengthening our communities and our democracy.

The difference between weather and climate: The simplest difference is explained this way: Climate is the weather over a long period of time and what we have come to expect for a region whereas weather is the actual day-to-day temperatures and events we experience.

The difference between climate change and global warming: Global warming is an older somewhat outdated term for climate change, but they have the same definition. They essentially express the reality that human actions releasing dangerous carbon pollution such as burning fossil fuels at high rates and methane from gas fracking and factory farming are causing the global temperatures to increase at such a rapid rate that is does not give species and the planet adequate time to adapt, increases the severity and frequency of hurricanes, flooding events and wildfires and threaten our way of life.

How to become a volunteer: Kendyl Crawford, our director, is always happy to talk to persons interested in volunteering. She can be reached at kcrawford@vaipl.org. We encourage readers to visit our website at vaipl.org and register to receive our newsletter and emails. There is also a link to volunteer!

How I start the day: My outlook on life is that each day is a page in the mystery story of my life. I seek to not merely be the protagonist in that story but the author shaping the final outcome. Additionally, I always start my day with a good cup of coffee, meditative moments to check on my sense of well-being, as well as ascertaining the welfare of my husband, Ray, and our doggy, Puff Daddy.

A perfect day for me is: I am not sure that I need perfect days, but I do appreciate peace, harmony and beauty, which come as a consequence of the days spent with family and friends listening to music or not, visiting museums and libraries with grandchildren, going to the movies, working in my garden, shopping for food and gadgets, canning, trying out new elaborate recipes, going out to eat with good conversationalists, teaching and talking with students, reading novels, theology, history books and the days for book club meetings.

Something I love to do that most people would never imagine: I find great inspiration from walking the labyrinth at the park on Westwood Avenue in the city, riding my bike around my neighborhood and camping outdoors.

A quote that I am inspired by: “The direction of God’s activity in history is toward individuals and communities of greater quality — persons and communities who can integrate greater complexity and alienation without losing integrity.”  — James N. Poling and Donald E. Miller.

How I unwind: Taking a power nap, spending time near a body of water, preferably the beach, meditating, listening to music, playing silly online games like Fishdom, reading a good book, simply having a long talk with a friend or all of the above.

The person who influenced me the most: The women in my family — my grandmother, mother and older sisters — have had the most important influence in my life each in their own way. My grandmother and mother taught us to be honest, loyal to family and friends, as well as hard-working. They were both women of deep faith. My mother always expressed a great passion for the beauty of life. She taught me to love music, art and nature. My three older sisters taught me the value of perseverance and the virtue of sharing. Their lessons are why I am committed to justice for everyone and every living thing.

What I’m reading now: “Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage” by Dianne D. Glave and “Blanche Cleans Up” by Barbara Neely.

If I’ve learned one thing in life it is: Hard work, faith and perseverance are critically important values. Working hard and having faith in the value of something does not necessarily mean that success will follow. Work hard and believe anyway.

My next goal: To grow emotionally, spiritually and intellectually in order to better serve the people and the world.