Presbyterian Dr. Tom English was a participant in an interesting activity in early August. He was part of a group of four that presented the Patriarch Bartholomew with the National Religious Coalition on Creation Care’s “Steward of God’s Creation Award.” The presentation took place on an island near Istanbul. The Patriarch leads a denomination of about 1/2 billion people. His environmental statements are praised by Pope Francis in the Laudato Si encyclical in sections 7, 8, and 9. Bartholomew will actively participate in the Paris COP21 meetings.
Dr. English earned degrees in environmental engineering, electrical engineering and physics. After attending the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, he felt compelled to confront major environmental challenges and concentrated his efforts on making a difference. At the U.S. EPA, he directed an $80 million/year Energy & Environment Program. Dr. English advised President Carter’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and the government of Sweden on the safe disposal of high-level nuclear waste, and he has made eight White House presentations on climate control. In addition, he directed major environmental programs for IBM, GE, JPL, EPA and the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, which led the Manufacturing Group’s effort to voluntarily reduce toxic environmental releases by 86%. Dr. English is a former Vice Moderator of the national Steering Committee of Presbyterians for Earth Care.
To read more about this presentation to Patriarch Bartholomew, click here.