Is the LDS Church on the threshold of a big push into environmental sustainability?

The message in a Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium panel discussion Friday at the Sheraton Hotel seems to concur.

"You see the rumblings already started," said Mark D. Thomas, a panelist for "40 Days and 40 Nights: The Growing Role of Religions in the Urgent Fight for Environmental Sustainability."

He believes the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is ideally suited for helping the environment and said construction of the City Creek Center project in downtown Salt Lake City is a prime example. City Creek Center is a private development project of an LDS Church-owned company.

The 20 acres of residential, retail and office space under construction was highlighted last month in "Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet," a national report of the Sierra Club.

The report featured the LDS Church's efforts to revitalize downtown "in a green manner" through City Creek Center. The project is taking part in a pilot program of the U.S. Green Building Council that promotes environmentally responsible and sustainable development.

Thomas, a business consultant and a Latter-day Saint, believes enormous things are about to happen in church concern for the environment.

"I have a notion in the next few years you will see some surprises," he said, advising people to stop and look around, and talk to their bishops and others about ways to save energy and help the environment. He believes creativity is the key to solving environmental issues.

"With a small effort, we may save ourselves," he said. "Once the LDS Church is involved, it will change the (Utah) market."

Steve Ritchey, a computer consultant, panel moderator and board member of Utah Interfaith Power & Light, which sponsored the session, agrees.

Utah Interfaith Power & Light has made a commitment to do its part to save energy and help fight human-induced climate change. It seeks to mobilize a religious response to climate change. It has nine Utah churches as members, but Ritchey said that's small in comparison to the 2,000 or more congregations in the state.

Elaine Emmi, environmental representative from the Salt Lake City Quakers, said, "I found every religion has an environmental component."

She's excited about the "green" prospects for the City Creek Center but said she was told the LDS Church "can't be political" as to why it hasn't directly joined the interfaith group.