Thomas Philbrick (Wheaton College ’15) is currently working for an agricultural law firm in Missouri, equipping himself for a future that will focus on bringing reconciliation between agriculture and the environment.

Y.E.C.A. would like to congratulate Thomas Philbrick as the February winner of our Faithful Neighbor Award for Climate Stewardship.

Each month Y.E.C.A. 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.

Thomas was raised on a small, draft-powered farm in rural New Hampshire, where he developed a love for creation and skills for sustainable living. He is currently applying to law school while writing articles about land conservation and agricultural policy on his blog, “Enviroculture.” His desire is to work with public policy to shape a legal system that supports and advocates for environmental justice. He says, “The agricultural sector is very taxing on the environment. I want the use of land to be closely linked to the stewardship of land.”

Thomas continues, “There must be a connection between one’s faith and one’s vocation. I want to bring change to agricultural and environmental law, but I want to do so with a Christian purpose – I desire to be a steward of the earth by both representing the environment and showing that it does not have to be estranged from the utilization of the land, namely agriculture.” This passion also extends beyond the United States. He summarized his experience with Eastern Ugandan farmers by saying, “The farmers face an unbelievable amount of difficulty because of the legal system, and climate change is making their crop and animal production increasingly difficult.” Thomas believes that climate change will play a major role in the future of national and international law, and he looks forward to bringing a Christian perspective to public policy that acknowledges climate change and acts on behalf of land and the environment.

Read more about Thomas and environmental stewardship at his blog: https://enviroculture.wordpress.com/.

If you would like to nominate someone you know for the YECA Faithful Neighbor Award for Climate Stewardship, visit our nomination page here.