Schut named environmental officer

By ENS Staff, October 20, 2008 [Episcopal News Service] Michael Schut, advocate and educator in environmental ministry, has been appointed staff officer for Economic and Environmental Affairs for the Episcopal Church. He will work at the new Seattle regional office.

Since March, 2008, he has worked as Environmental Program Manager at Seattle Tilth, a natural soil building organization. He is also a freelance speaker and writer. 

From 1995 to 2006, Schut was a staff member of Seattle-based Earth Ministry, a Christian organization committed to environmental care. He has written three books. The latest, Money and Faith: The Search for Enough, brings together environmental and economic themes, with an "emphasis on equity, justice and systemic change," according to Schut.

"I am delighted to announce the appointment on behalf of the Presiding Bishop," said the Rev. Brian Grieves, Director of the Advocacy Center of the Episcopal Church. "There is high anticipation in the church that the filling of this position in our Seattle regional office will make visible the church's commitment to addressing the twin concerns of building both a sustainable environment that protects creation and a sustainable economy that overcomes poverty."

Schut majored in biology at Wheaton College and earned an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. Between college and graduate school he worked for several years in environmental safety, international development, and environmental education.  

One of Schut's first tasks, according to Grieves, will be to help the national church assess its carbon footprint and recommend a plan for reducing and offsetting that footprint.

» Respond to this article