MCLA Green Living Seminar to Explore the Church's Role in Addressing the Climate Crisis

Print Story | Email Story
NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host the next installment of its Green Living Seminar Series on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, Room 121.
 
The presentation is free and open to the public and will be recorded and available at mcla.edu/greenliving.
 
Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, author of "Climate Church, Climate World," will present "How the Church Can Engage with the Urgent Moral Crisis of Climate Change."
 
The talk will explore the history of the Church's ecological concern, the shifts needed for religious leaders to harness the power of faith to restore the natural world, and how congregations can remain political without becoming partisan, stated a press release. Rev. Dr. Antal will also address how communities of faith can respond to the rise of Christian Nationalism, the importance of proclaiming truth in the face of climate denial, and how individuals and institutions can embrace grief, acknowledge discontinuity, and accept their vocation in this moment.
 
Rev. Dr. Antal serves as Special Advisor on Climate Justice to the head of the United Church of Christ. During his tenure leading the 350 UCC churches in Massachusetts, he preached on the climate crisis in more than 400 settings.
MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series brings environmental experts, scholars, and practitioners to campus throughout the academic year to engage students and community members in conversations about sustainability, ecology, and our relationship with the natural world.
 
For more information, contact Elena Traister at elena.traister@mcla.edu or 413-662-5303.

Tags: MCLA,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Q&A with State Representative Challenger Andrew Fitch

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Sept. 1, voters in the First Berkshire District will decide whether they want to send a new representative to Beacon Hill in Boston.
 
Andrew Fitch, currently a city councilor in the district's largest municipality — and the commonwealth's smallest city — is challenging former North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, who won the First Berkshire seat in a 2017 special election, in the Democratic Party primary.
 
There is no Republican on the primary ballot for the First Berkshire seat so the primary will effectively be the election for the seat. 
 
The two candidates met for their only debate on Aug. 13 at Williams College. iBerkshires.com reached out to both candidates to follow up on some of the points raised in the debate and get their thoughts on some other issues facing the district.
 
Below are excerpts from a conversation with challenger Andrew Fitch:
 
Question: From the very beginning, you talked about the campaign as a listening experience, and this week you're continuing that with the bike tour …
 
Andrew Fitch: Knocking on doors that have never been knocked on before. … I was riding through, I believe it was Hinsdale coming into Windsor, and they started to yell at me, 'No!' And then the guy was like, 'Wait a second. That's Andrew Fitch.' They actually knew who I was, and they were actually wanting to chat with me.
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories