Eco-Palms
Good news!
Altogether 984 PC(USA) congregations ordered Eco-Palms this year! Joining with congregations from other denominations, churches across the United States will be waving almost 1 million Eco-Palms this Palm Sunday. Working together, we do make a difference!
Eco-Palms Materials for Your Congregation
Download materials such as our bulletin insert, a 3-minute educational video, power points, brochures and more.
Confirmation and Delivery
I want to:
Track my shipment: Use the FedEx tracking number you are receiving by email on March 19 to track via www.fedex.com/us.
Find my order number: Check the inbox of the email account you supplied with your order. The order number arrived the day you placed your order.
Confirm that my check arrived: Call (612) 624-7418.
Order for next year: Orders for 2014 will open after the first of the year. Please make a note to return to this website in January to place your order for Palm Sunday 2014.
Thanks for your support!
Eco-Palms will arrive the week of March 18-22, 2013. Congregations that ordered Eco-Palms are receiving two emails from Eco-Palms: one email containing your order number arrived the day you placed your order, and one email containing your FedEx tracking number is arriving on Tuesday, March 19.
If you do not receive the email with tracking information by COB on Tuesday, March 19, please contact Eco-Palms staff by email or call (612) 624-7418.
Care Instructions
When your palms arrive, please open the box to make sure they are in good condition. You should store them in a cool location (such as a refrigerator or cool basement) and trim the stems 2-3 inches and place them upright in water (as you would a vase of flowers) until Palm Sunday. It is imperative you open the box immediately and air the palms out in order to prevent them from molding or deteriorating. For more information, please visit www.ecopalms.org.
2012 Eco-Palms Pricing
Case Size Price Shipping
Bunch (18-20 palms) $6.30 $11.00 total shipping (not by number of bunches)
Small Case (170-200 palms) $53.55 $13.75 per case
Medium Case (260-300 palms) $76.10 $18.75 per case
Large Case (530-600 palms) $144.35 $22.25 per case
Eco-Palms by the numbers
2012
In 2012, 879 PC(USA) congregations purchased Eco-Palms for Palm Sunday (a ten percent increase over 2011). 2012 orders totaled more than 159,000 palm fronds purchased by Presbyterians.
Altogether 4019 U.S. congregations ordered Eco-Palms in 2012, ensuring that over 808,000 palm fronds were harvested sustainably this season.
2011
In 2011 more than 800 PC(USA) congregations purchased Eco-Palms for Palm Sunday (a ten percent increase over 2010). 2011 orders totaled more than 150,000 palm fronds purchased by Presbyterians.
Altogether 3,556 U.S. congregations ordered Eco-Palms in 2011, ensuring that more than 800,000 palm fronds were harvested sustainably last season. Eco-Palms purchases provide fair wages, environmental protection and development assistance for impoverished harvesting communities in Guatemala and Mexico.
Make social and environmental justice part of your congregation’s worship
The great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13)
Production of eco-palms begins in forested areas of Mexico and Guatemala where workers, known as xaterros (sha-tare-rows), walk miles into the forest to harvest palm branches. Photo courtesy of Lutheran World Relief.
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, accented by the jubilant waving of palm branches, is re-enacted each Palm Sunday in Presbyterian and other Christian congregations worldwide as Holy Week observances begin. Unfortunately for the communities where these palms are harvested, palm fronds do not always represent the same jubilation they do for us.
In 2007 the PC(USA) teamed up with Lutheran World Relief, Catholic Relief Services and the University of Minnesota to offer congregations the option of purchasing responsibly harvested Eco-Palm branches for Palm Sunday. The palms come from communities in Mexico and Guatemala where workers are paid fairly and engage in sustainable harvesting in order to protect the local ecosystem. Learn more about the benefits of Eco-Palms.
Learn about about your Eco-Palms Carbon Footprint.
Why order Eco-Palms?
- Approximately 300 million palm fronds are consumed in the United States annually.
- A congregation of 1,250 members orders approximately 700 fronds for Palm Sunday services.
- Eco-palms are purchased directly from harvesters at five to six times the normal payment per frond.
- Your purchase of eco-palms helps improve standards of living and protect forests.
Eco-Palms and your church: your role in supporting social and environmental justice
More than 300 million palm fronds are harvested each year for U.S. consumption alone — most of them for Palm Sunday, but also for floral displays for church-related events. Your congregation’s commitment to purchase eco-palms plays an important role in protecting forests, local jobs, and sustainable livelihoods in the harvesting communities.
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Comments
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Our palms arrived on Tuesday and they are beautiful Very green. I cut the stems and put them in water. We use them to decorate on Maundy Thursday also. Thank you for a great product with an important raison d'etre.
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Carol, thank you for your feedback and thank you for supporting Eco-Palms!
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Palms arrived today in great condition. They are wonderfully full. Will make a good impact for our Easter Drama and Palm Sunday. We are honored to support this project!
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too late to get 1 bunch to Gregory, MI?
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Patti, yes, the photos represent what your congregation will receive; Eco-Palms are whole-leaf palms (not the long strips). Thanks for supporting Eco-Palms.