New York, February 6, 2006 -- A Commonweal publication stressing the protection of children's health and removal of toxic chemicals has suggested one means of accomplishing those goals: support the National Council of Churches.

In a January 2006 publication entitled, Faith, Values and Action, Opportunities for Religious Leadership to Protect Children's Health by Promoting Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals, author Christina Clarke includes a section on the Council and its work on social and environmental justice issues.

"The NCC plays critical leadership roles for . . . churches committed to social justice," Clarke writes. "The Council is now poised to play a major role in toxic campaigns."

Clarke urges charitable foundations to support the Council because "developing NCC capacity on an issue is the most efficient way to get information and campaigns to mainline faith groups."

The article cites the work of Cassandra Carmichael, coordinator of the NCC's Eco-Justice Working Group, who led "a multi-level public campaign on the international Kyoto treaty on climate change" in the Spring of 2005. "An e-advocacy alert went to an integrated database of 490,000 addresses," Clarke reports. "They generated 40,000 letters and 1,000 calls to Congress in less than 48 hours."

Commonweal is a nonprofit health and environmental research institute in Bolinas, California. Founded in 1976, Commonweal conducts programs that contribute to human and ecosystem health — to a safer world for people and for all life. (Photographs from the Commonweal Web site.)

Contact NCC News: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2252; or Leslie Tune, 202-544-2350.