Ben Lowe is the executive director for A Roche, a Christian organization dedicated to the practice of creation care. Part of its mission is to help people rejoice in the beauty, diversity, and complexity of the natural world, and (get this!) commit to delighting in and treasuring God’s good creation.

Delighting in creation. What a wonderful, important, energizing idea.

So often we encounter news headlines about climate change that are steeped in terror or cynicism. The world is ending, they say, and we are to blame. Lowe believes there is another way to approach conservation: one that is rooted in God’s call to steward the earth and the ultimate hope of the Gospel.

It’s that and his organization’s grassroots efforts with communities and churches to make ecosystems healthier one, small step at a time that made this interview so rich.

“It’s easier to despair when you’re not involved on the ground,” he told me. “Just getting your hands dirty is a great antidote to despair.”

Don’t miss this special episode of The Thing with Feathers as we dive deep on what it means to work together to restore right relationships with creation—including our neighbors.

And don’t forget to check out the work Ben and A Rocha are doing, both within the US and around the world.