Annie Lord is an MS student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where she studies water conservation and energy resources and oversees the Badger Catholic Club’s Vita Pura ministry.
YECA would like to congratulate Annie Lord as the February winner of the Faithful Neighbor Award for Climate Stewardship.
Each month YECA is recognizing a young Christian in this country who is striving to live out what Jesus said was most important: loving God fully and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Climate change is already impacting our neighbors and God’s creation here in the United States and around the world, and we believe God is calling us to faithful action and witness in the midst of the current climate crisis.
Annie Lord is an MS student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where she studies water conservation and energy resources and oversees the Badger Catholic Club’s Vita Pura ministry. Vita Pura (Latin for “the pure life”) focuses on serving God through simple living, strengthening the Church community, and resource stewardship. Annie believes that at the end of the day, the most important part of our mission is to know, love, and serve God. She sees creation care, limiting her use of environmental resources, and climate awareness as a critical part of that mission. She explains, “It is important – and sensible – to care for the water and energy resources on earth. By living simply and loving God, we become more invested both in our faith and in authentic ways to care, heal, and prepare society for a better future.”
Annie’s passion for simple living and reducing her environmental footprint is found in seeing how our lifestyles and faith are directly connected. She says, “Caring for the creation is an intuitive way to connect ourselves and our communities with Christ. Every person has an inherent responsibility to the environment, and it is important to understand that our actions impact more than just ourselves. Being able to talk with people and demonstrate that there is a way for everybody to live simply helps communicate that all parts of Christian ministry work together. Whether it be living simply or serving the poor, all these efforts help develop our faith. We can all learn from each other.”
Learn more about Vita Pura and living simply at the Vita Pura blog: http://www.badgercatholic.org/category/vita-pura-2/
If you would like to nominate someone you know for the YECA Faithful Neighbor Award for Climate Stewardship, visit our nomination page here.