New Alliances Prove It's Easy to Go Green
June 19, 2008 — -- "I'm on the left," says the Rev. Al Sharpton, the radical face of American liberalism.
"I'm on the right," says the Rev. Pat Robertson, the evangelical voice of Christian conservatism.
Sitting cozy on a sofa on the beach against a backdrop of pounding surf, two political opponents find unlikely agreement on one common cause: the environment.
"Let's face it, we're polar opposites, except on one issue," says the brash Sharpton.
"That would be the planet," chimes in silver-tongued Robertson. "Taking care of it is extremely important ... so get involved. It's the right thing to do."
"There you go again," chides Sharpton.
This surprising pairing was orchestrated by environmental champion Al Gore in a new television ad that is funded by the Nobel laureate's Alliance for Climate Change.
It was a surprising love fest.
"It's the first time they ever met, and it was kind of cool," Brian Hardwick, the group's communications director, tells ABCNEWS.com. "It was sincere, and they had a real connection that was actually inspiring to watch."
The ad -- one of the group's first of a series called "Unlikely Alliances" -- was filmed at Virginia Beach and created by the Martin Agency, which has produced the also surprising and popular Geico commercials.
"We wanted to make the point that people from all walks of life can disagree on other matters but need to come together to urgently solve the climate crisis," Hardwick says.
Its tone and message reflect an emerging movement of religion and the environment that crosses all denominations and political affiliations. The ad dovetails with a new report by the Sierra Club, "Faith in Action."
In the report, Sierra, the oldest and largest grass-roots environmental organization in the United States, highlights groups of all religious affiliations -- including evangelicals, Quakers, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, Unitarians and Episcopals -- working to protect "God's creation" in each of the 50 states.
