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The PCUSA program of Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns accompanies all who wish to reflect on, live out, and act on economic and environmental decisions as part of our faith and values with:
- resources and presentations for reflection on economic and environmental justice issues, including environmental racism;
- avenues for living in a more justice-focused economy, such as fair trade coffee and palms, and for connecting earth care and Christian worship through Earth Day Sunday and Tread Lightly for Lent resources;
- actions via taking the Climate Care Challenge, becoming a Climate Ambassador, signing up for Action Alerts, or accompanying our congregation in becoming an Earth Care Congregation.
Currently, there are two Foothills Presbytery churches who have earned the Earth Care Congregation designation: Fourth Presbyterian Church, Greenville and North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian. Members of these churches who are active in their Earth Care efforts would be happy to share their experiences to help your congregation begin work in Sustainable Living and Earth Care.
Needed now more than ever, help your church to be more active in earth care and increase the interest in becoming more involved in being stewards of God’s earth? One starting point can be to use “Earth Care Congregations: A Guide to Greening Presbyterian Churches” (Disponsible en Español)
To become certified as Earth Care Congregations, churches take the “Earth Care Pledge” and complete activities in the fields of worship, education, facilities and outreach.
Working with members in each of these four fields, Green Teams expand environmental activities in our churches and help congregations to connect their faith with sustainable living. Included are a variety of specific activities from which you can select the ones that best match your church’s level of energy and engagement.
What is a Green Team?
A Green Team (or Environmental Stewardship Team, or Creation Care Committee) is a core group of people in a congregation who are committed to raising awareness about the urgent need to protect God’s Creation and to work for environmental sustainability and responsibility. Green Teams develop sustainability in church life by increasing energy efficiency and conservation, decreasing consumption and waste, and, if possible, encouraging the use of clean, safe, renewable energy. Your group may also choose to engage in issues of public policy and to advocate for ecological and climate justice.
The Importance of a Green Team
Every congregation can find ways to better preserve and protect God’s Creation as an aspect of faithful discipleship. Forming a group that can inspire, implement and/or oversee environmental progress in your church is essential for long-term success. A Green Team avoids burnout by dividing and sharing tasks. By praying together and by creating opportunities to reflect on how protecting God’s Creation connects with their faith, Green Team members can offer each other a sense of community and moral support. A group also shows church decision makers that there is a constituency that supports real change.
Starting a Green Team
To start a Green Team, begin by talking to friends within your congregation that might be interested in forming the core group with you. Talk with your clergy and staff to gauge their level of interest and support. Be sure to speak with whoever is in charge of facilities; begin to form alliances and to develop an understanding of how the church buildings work. Once you have gathered several committed people, announce the first meeting in your church's bulletin and during announcement time at worship services. Your Green Team can include any number of people, as long as you conduct meetings and choose projects that keep your scale in mind.
What should we do during our first meeting?
Organize a potluck if the group is small enough! Invite everyone to share what led him or her to come to this meeting. Discuss goals and brainstorm possible projects, drawing on the suggestions below, if desired. Choose your first project, and set up a basic plan for how to complete it, with delegated tasks. Then set up a time to meet regularly to check in with one another.
What should we choose as our first project?
During your first meeting, after brainstorming, choose one project that can be quickly and
inexpensively accomplished so that you build confidence and create momentum within your
team. Be sure to consider the energy and interest of your group, the pace of change within your
congregation, and how much support you have from clergy and staff.
Initial projects to make church life more sustainable:
There are many different ways to start treading more lightly on God’s green Earth. Below are a number of possible activities. Consider this a guide to prompt brainstorming for your own congregation, rather than a checklist.
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Set up a bulletin board and post news articles and photos that relate to Creation care.
- Provide Eco-Tips for publication in your church’s service leaflets or newsletters.
- Minimize waste during coffee hour by replacing Styrofoam cups with mugs.
- Connect your church with local recycling, composting, or e-waste resources.
- Replace incandescent lighting with CFL bulbs and LED lights for your Exit signs.
- Transition church land to organic greenscaping and/or community gardens.
- Organize carpools to church services and events.
- Encourage local, organic, and vegetarian-friendly foods at church events.
- Ditch bottled water and serve tap water at church events.
- Conduct an energy audit through your local utility company, or with the assistance of Interfaith Power & Light.
…or anything else! Be creative. Choose something fun.
Consider using this guide from Creation Justice for 52 ways to make an impact all year round!
Further Green Team Projects:
In addition to the ideas above, here is an expanded list of projects that could supplement
“greening” church life by further engaging church members in environmental and climate
justice:
- Encourage your pastor to preach about climate change and to develop special worship services that honor God’s Creation. Celebrate an annual Creation Sunday, or an entire Season of Creation.
- Host a movie night for your church and your local community. Watch a film like “Renewal,” “Chasing Ice,” or “A Climate of TRUST,” and hold a discussion afterwards.
At the end of each Foothills Presbytery eNews edition, there is a link to the Assembled by the Foothills Presbytery Stewardship of Creation Enabler, this is a newsletter within the eNews with helpful articles/links to locate helpful resources to live out the goals for Sustainable Living and Earth Care Concerns.
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