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Caring for God's Creation Love and gratitude for God's creation lie deep within religious life. From mountaintops to forests, green pastures to still waters, stars in the sky and lilies of the field, we experience the grace of our Creator and the gift of our presence here. With Earth in grave environmental peril, many religious Americans are seeking to respond through our faith. Through the many gateways and galleries of this website, we offer resources and accounts of how people of faith are acting upon God's mandate to be stewards of our precious Earth. Partners in Stewardship The National Religious Partnership for the Environment is an association of independent faith groups across a broad spectrum: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Council of Churches U.S.A., the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network. Each Partner — in common biblical faith but drawing upon its disctinctive traditions — is undertaking scholarship, leadership training, congregational and agency initiative, and public policy education in service to environmental sustainability and justice. Together, they seek to offer resources of religious life and moral vision to a universal effort to protect humankind's common home and well-being on Earth. |

Benedictine Women of Madison, Madison, WI The monastic community of the Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, WI have been hearing and practicing a lot concerning stability: Their new strategic plan focuses on growing their community in ways that will bring stability and strength to the work of the sisters; Ecumenical Board member Judith Rock claims stability is more countercultural today than celibacy; and a local environmental expert noted that the root system of prairies like...
Read moreDunkirk, NY Though few people may now be familiar with the concept of “gleaning” — the ...
Read moreEnglewood Presbyterian Church, Homewood, AL Presbyterians promoting curbside recycling in Homewood, AL are working with the city to increase awareness. Englewood Presbyterian Church members felt that they city needed to do more to promote recycling. They set up a meeting with Homewood Mayor Barry McCulley and managers from the city’s recycling contractor, Allied Waste, to discuss its promotion of the curbside residential recycling program. Through their discussions, they learned that the city’s agreement...
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Redwood Rabbis, Northern California Jewish, Non-denominational While many Jewish congregations may celebrate Tu B’shevat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees, with simple rituals of tree-planting or the eating of new fruits, nuts or wine, in 1997, the Redwoods Rabbis of Northern California took their observance of the holiday to a new level. As part of their ongoing advocacy to protect Headwaters Forest -- the last unprotected old growth redwood forest on the Pacific coast,...
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Northaven United Methodist Church, Dallas, TX Most Texas car shows show off the biggest and boldest new cars, trucks, and SUVs out there, according to Rev. Eric Folkerth of Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX. So when church members proposed a hybrid car show four years ago, the idea was a semi-serious joke. Now that joke has turned into a rallying event for the church’s annual Earth Day Celebration. Fuel efficiency has become a...
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Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel Boise, Idaho In 2003, Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel moved their...
Read moreMark Cerbone, Buffalo, NY A version of this article by Tricia O’Connor Elisara originally appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of Creation Care magazine. Toxic fumes turned Mark Cerbone into a vigilante when his eldest daughter Sage began attending public school in Buffalo, NY.
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Racial Justice Ministries, Justice and Witness Ministries United Church of Christ When many church members go to Mexico, it is often on a mission trip to build churches or houses, ...
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Connecticut Catholic Conference The CenterEdge Project emerged as a coalition building effort of the Connecticut ...
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Kern Road Mennonite Church, South Bend, IN Kern Road Mennonite Church in South Bend, IN, has built a summer Sunday tradition on biking to church. A few families of cycling enthusiasts started the practice by simply picking some Sundays to bike to church and letting others know about it. Soon other families joined them, and now up to a dozen families participate.
Read moreA Rocha In the Algarve, a beautiful Mediterranean landscape in this southernmost region of Portugal popular with European tourists, a British-based ...
Read moreAu Sable Institute of Environmental Studies Grand Rapids, MI A partnership in missions is flourishing on the ...
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Florida Catholic Conference Water quality and sustainability are critical concerns facing Florida residents, but the Florida Catholic Conference has undertaken more than education efforts to motivate responsible and just stewardship of this precious resource. With help from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Diocese established the “Inheritance Project,” marking a turning point from previous efforts; what had been an educational campaign began to incorporate legislative advocacy and coalition building as well. In June 2001,...
Read moreBrackenhurst Environmental Program Kenya Baptist Kenya is an African nation where indigenous trees and whole forests are rapidly disappearing. The ...
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