Environmental Ministries

PC(USA) Environmental Ministries exists to equip and connect you, your church, and your presbytery for your earth care ministry. Join us in this vital, meaningful work for God’s creation.

Presbyterians congregations are doing Christian education as it pertains to caring for God’s creation in classrooms, in Vacation Bible School, in informal outdoor settings, on mission trips, at camp, through book groups, webinars, and more! Here are some sample resources and publications for study as well as webinars on “Creation Care: Basic Bible” and “Earth Care in Christian Education.”

Children/Youth

• Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table (middle school version). Hard copy version, click here.
• Vacation Bible School from Synod project Living Waters for the World
• To peruse an ecumenical review of available curriculum, click here.
• 5 session VBS or children’s class by New Community Project, available here.

Young Adults

•  Eco-Stewards program

Adults

• Lent 4.5
• Season of Creation (worship and education resources)
• Northwest Earth Institute’s Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice and Sustainability

Books and Studies

From Westminster John Knox Press and The Thoughtful Christian

Books

• 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth – 2009
• Darwin, Divinity, and the Dance of the Cosmos – 2007
• Inhabiting Eden: Christians, The Bible, and The Ecological Crisis – 2013
• Renewing The Face Of The Earth: A Theological and Pastoral Response to Climate Change – 2008

Downloadable Studies

• The Green Study Pack (6 sessions – all available for individual purchase as well), includes:
  Air Pollution: Inside and Out
  A Return to Recycling Land: Conservation and Renewal
  Being Green at Home
  Being Green in Daily Life
  Water: Precious Gift and Endangered Resource
• An Inconvenient Truth – 2007
• Serve, Not Rule – 2014
• What the Bible Says About Ecology – 2012
• What Would Jesus Drive? – 2006
• Genesis and the Goodness of Creation – 2011

Webinars

• Many webinar recordings on a whole host of topics are available through the Presbyterian Hunger Program webinar page.
• November, 2014 “Creation Care: Basic Bible” webinar with Bill Brown and Trisha Tull, recorded on the PHP youtube channel.
• Monday May 12, 2014: “Earth Care in Christian Education” Webinar. At minute 3, Daisy Rhau begins the children’s presentation. At 17:20, Erin Pratt begins the youth presentation. At 33 minutes, Vickie Machado goes over the Eco-Stewards program. At 40:50, William Seaman explains the adult education initiatives at his church.

Mission Trips

• Project Homecoming (New Orleans)
• Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center
• International hunger/poverty networks with Presbyterian Hunger Program and Joining Hands
• Rebuilding Appalachia (Housing Development Alliance or SWAP, and connect with mountain top removal organizations in the area.)

Resources for Greening Congregational Outreach

Advocacy

• Contact Congress through the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness (OPW)
• Join campaigns for eco-justice via Creation Justice Ministries
• Take action with the Presbyterian Hunger Program
• Web of Creation “Public Ministry and Political Advocacy Action Plan”

Sustainable food practices

• Become involved in direct farm marketing or other sustainable food practices at your church. Use GreenFaith’s “Repairing Eden” for ideas.
• Glean leftover produce from farmers’ markets or farms, to donate
• Organize a community garden with these downloadable pdfs: “Garden Safe, Garden Well” or “Food Sovereignty for All”
• Participate in the Food Week of Action and World Food Day

General resources and suggestions for outreach

• Visit urban parks, nature centers, wilderness areas for day or overnight trips
• Organize an environmental justice/environmental racism tour of your community to explore blighted areas and work with justice leaders
• Donate used materials instead of throwing them away
• Share, speak with, or teach at another congregation, to encourage their Earth Care activities
• Share or rent office space within the church with local nonprofit groups to reduce the building footprint
• Include environmental action and education in your church mission trips, domestic and abroad
• Network with other houses of worship and organizations in your area that are active in earth care
• Share the Earth Care Congregations program by connecting with other congregations in your presbytery and/or by hosting informational tables and sessions at presbytery events, at community events, or in partnership with other churches or religious communities
• Host an alternative transportation day (bike/walk/carpool to church)
• Habitat for Humanity Restore collects reusable and surplus building materials
• Become a group member of Presbyterians for Earth Care
• Sponsor an e-trash recycling or household hazardous waste day for the community
• Purchase Sweat-Free clothing (no sweat-shop labor used)
• Sign up to join the Environmental Ministries Action Network to stay connected with PC(USA) Environmental Ministries, others in your presbytery working on earth care
• Contact the Presbyterians for Earth Care Regional Representative for your area to learn about opportunities to be involved in earth care
• Volunteer with one of the community organizations supported by Presbyterian Hunger Program grants (look at this map for your area of the country)
• Mission trips through Living Waters for the World, Solar Under the Son, PCUSA World Mission, and Presbyterian Hunger Program/Joining Hands reflection-action trips.

Resources for Greening Congregational Facilities

Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy, and Tips to Save

• Contact your utility company to see if they offer free or low-cost energy audits for churches
• Contact your local or state government to learn about incentive programs for energy audits
• Determine how well insulated different parts of your church are, and add insulation where necessary and effective
• Install an insulation blanket on water heaters seven years of age or older, and insulate the first three feet of the heated water “out” pipe
• Install an energy-efficient electric or gas water heater
• In areas of infrequent water use, consider “tankless” water heaters to reduce “standby” storage costs and waste
• Set your water heater to 110–120 degrees Fahrenheit where appropriate (some local health codes require higher temperatures)
• Install seven-day programmable thermostats
• Install thermal shades for windows to conserve heat in winter
• Install tinted windows to reduce solar heat gain in summer
• Clean or change your HVAC filter once a month
• Utilize natural light where possible
• Utilize natural cooling and ceiling fans to avoid use of air conditioning
• Check ductwork to ensure that joints are sealed
• Include responsibility for best environmental practices in facilities manager’s job description or under the building and grounds committee
• Establish a fund for energy improvements in the church’s budget
• ENERGY STAR for Congregations: Environmental Protection Agency program to assist churches with energy efficiency. Participating churches receive technical help and may use the Portfolio Manager system to track and reduce energy.
• Explore LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification
• PC(USA) carbon neutral guide
• Interfaith Power and Light congregation carbon calculator
• Purchase ENERGY STAR products
• Learn more about clean energy
• See if your utility/state offers green power
• Perform two preseason checks to maintain HVAC systems each year

Water conservation

• EPA WaterSense: learn about faucet aerators and ways to conserve water
• Repair leaking pipes, fixtures and seals and consider purchasing low-flow toilets and waterless urinals
• Install controls that turn faucets off automatically, and/or put reminder signs near faucets to not let water run unnecessarily

Recycling/Waste

• Identify and use recycling locations
• Purchase recycled paper and office products
• Donate to charities that accept unneeded items that cannot be recycled
• Use refill kits for ink cartridges and toner cartridges
• Recycle ink cartridges and toner cartridges that cannot be refilled
• Use labeled recycling bins for aluminum, glass, plastic, metal and cardboard

Food

• Purchase fair trade coffee and tea (sustainably grown)
• Prepare vegetarian recipes or vegan recipes
• Find and support your local farmers’ markets
• Be a pick-up location for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

Buildings

• Make your own less-toxic cleaners with vinegar, baking soda, salt, borax, etc.
• Use low volatile organic compound (VOC) content paints, varnishes and cleaning supplies
• Explore green design and remodeling options if your church is rebuilding or renovating
• Purchase used items for renovations
• Recycle or donate used items if your church does renovations

Grounds

• Eliminate pesticides with organic gardening
• Use integrated pest management (IPM) methods
• Select plants for church grounds that are native to the area, in an attempt to decrease invasive species and reduce the need for watering.
• Consider diverting gray water for irrigation rather than using fresh water
• Use a rain barrel or cistern to store rainwater for later use
• Compost yard waste and food scraps
• Become certified as a “Community Wildlife Habitat” from the National Wildlife Federation
• Create pollinator habitat from the Xerces Society’s “Pollinator Conservation Handbook”
• Use Audubon Society resources to create habitat for birds, bats and butterflies
• Plant shade trees to reduce heat and to help storm water management
• Learn about storm water management issues and strategies from the EPA
• Plant a rain garden or install a bioswale
• Create a green roof on your church
• When repaving the church’s parking lot, consider a permeable paver