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Rabbi Daniel Swartz wants to stand on the metaphorical corner where social justice meets the environment.
"The people who are most affected by air pollution in the present and by global warming in the future [projections] tend to be the most economically and politically vulnerable," says Swartz.
The Reform rabbi and green activist has found his latest bima as executive director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light.
Launched in November, the group aims to help congregations across the Washington area reduce their own contributions to global warming. GWIPL facilitates bulk buying of clean energy, energy efficiency improvements, and energy education and resources for clergy and lay leaders.
"This is a great job for a Jewish boy because I get to help people do good by buying wholesale," quipped Swartz, citing group purchases of compact fluorescent bulbs.
The Silver Spring resident draws inspiration from as far afield as Jewish mystic Nachman of Bratslav and Pope John Paul II.
In the 1989 document Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All Creation, the late pontiff argued that "the ecological crisis is a moral crisis not solvable through technology alone -- we have to understand that some of the things we are doing are morally wrong," paraphrased Swartz.
This activist traces his passion for things...