coejl_logo
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
spacer UCCC Logo
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Spacer National Religious Partnership for the Environment logo
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
Spacer  National Council of Churches of Christ
National Council of Churches of Christ
Spacer Evangelical Environmental Network
Evangelical Environmental Network
God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations.(Gen 9:12)

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 distinctive 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.

Contact Us  |  FAQs  |  Resources  |  Sitemap

Events: Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign

Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign Signing

50 Jewish leaders commit to reduce energy use, advocate for energy security: leaders across the political and religious spectrum celebrate Tu B'shvat by setting goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 14% by 2014.  Read the declaration...  List of signatories...

St. Francis Pledge

Catholic Climate Covenant: Care for Creation. Care for the Poor.
Take the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor.  Join Catholics taking action in our families, parishes, schools, and communities to reduce our carbon footprint, care for the "least of these" (Mt 25) and raise our voice on behalf of Creation and the poor.

Events: Upcoming NCCC Eco-Justice Events

Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2013 The 11th annual Ecumencial Advocacy Days will be held April 5th-8th, 2013.  Join the NCC and other Christian advocates in Washington DC to seek Food Justice for a Healthy World.  To register, click here.

Mission 4/1 Earth The United Church of Christ has announced an all-church initiative to complete 1 million hours of earth care, 100,000 tree plantings, and 100,000 advocacy letters on environmental issues during the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost (April 1st-May 19th).  To learn more and get involved, click here.

Events: The Creation Care Teaching Institute

Evangelical Environmental Network
 
 
The Teaching Institute is for Christians who are passionate about their care for God's creation, and are looking for ways to become further equipped and engaged on their area of passion.  Click here for more information.  
 
 


Partners Encourage Congress to Take On Climate Change

NRPE's four partners have all written individual letters to the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change. 

Please click on the partners to read the individual statements:



RECENT NEWS

< >
Rwanda Clean Water Project

Evangelical

Rwanda Clean Water Project

Fermi Project, Suwanee, GA Adapted from an article, “From Nightmare to Dream Come True” by Jeff Shinaberger, in the Summer 2007 issue of Creation Care magazine. Like many Biblical inspirations, this story begins with a dream, or moreover, a nightmare. Jeff Shinaberger dreamt of a boy, about eight years old, four feet tall, no shirt, wearing only ripped up mud-stained pants, with an extended belly. He watched the boy dip a glass into a filthy puddle...

Read more
Milking An Experience for All It's Worth

Jewish

Milking An Experience for All It's Worth

Adamah Fellowship Program at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village, CT Aitan Mizrahi always knew he wanted a profession that was based on do-it-yourself, off-the-grid skills, and he wanted his line of work to be in line with a Jewish way of life. He was in his mid-20s when he found the perfect opportunity to combine Jewish text and teachings with practical thought and hands-on agricultural experience. Adamah: The Jewish Environmental Fellowship (Adamah) at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center...

Read more

Jewish

Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

Beginning from its founding in the 1980's, Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation has been a leader in the world of green congregations. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, members of Adat Shalom, led by Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, place an emphasis on low ecological impact and a commitment to combating environmental degradation. The middot (values of the Jewish faith) teach a lesson of respect for Creation and care for fellow human beings, tenets that the Adat Shalom congregation has embraced with zeal. Beginning...

Read more

Interfaith

Partnering for Advocacy

Earth Ministry, Seattle, WA A unique partnership in Seattle, WA, is uniting people of faith with community environmental leaders to decide advocacy priorities and win legislative battles. Earth Ministry, an ecumenical environmental justice group works with advocacy organization, Priorities for a Healthy Washington, to select four environmental priorities each year. Earth Ministry then mobilizes the faith community to legislative advocacy based on those priorities.

Read more
Land Stewardship Committee

Catholic

Land Stewardship Committee

Mary Help of Christians Church Parkland, FL When the Mary Help of Christians Church in Parkland, Florida constructed its church, they also established ...

Read more

Catholic

Earth Connection

What is EarthConnection? EarthConnection is a non-profit environmental learning center located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was designed to provide an environmentally educational and reflective experience for both individuals and organizations, geared towards enhancing environmental stewardship and green practices. Organizations that EarthConnection works to “green” can include religious, educational, business and other organizations. The facility has hosted several summer greening institutes and over 14 different states have been represented at these institutes. The EarthConnection building itself is extremely energy efficient, and is sustainable...

Read more
Engage the Environment

Jewish

Engage the Environment

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles, CAJewish, Reform Movement The Wilshire Boulevard Temple kicked off its first ...

Read more
Sprawl Education Project

Catholic

Sprawl Education Project

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA In the crowded metropolis of Los Angeles sprawling ...

Read more

Mainline Protestant

Recycling Program

Maplewood Mennonite Church Fort Wayne, IN Maplewood Mennonite Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has just about 147 members, typically with 89 ...

Read more
Wind Power

Interfaith

Wind Power

Main Line Unitarian Church Devon, PA In the Main Line Unitarian Church of Devon, Pennsylvania, ...

Read more

Evangelical

Creation Care and Church Renewal

Minter Lane Church of Christ Abilene, TX It was a difficult time at Minter Lane Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. Marge Wood describes ...

Read more
Getting Yourself Into A Pickle

Jewish

Getting Yourself Into A Pickle

Adamah Fellowship Program at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, Falls Village, CT Beginning in the 1990’s, Zelig Golden became interested in community agriculture and dreamed about farming through experiences he’d had on farms in Idaho and South America.  In 1998 he became the first program director of the Northwest Jewish Environment Project in Seattle, Washington (a COEJL affiliate), which drew connections between Judaism and environmental protection.  Some of his training to undertake this task came from Adam Berman, Executive Director of...

Read more
Downtown Church Spurs Green Renewal

Mainline Protestant

Downtown Church Spurs Green Renewal

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Cleveland, OH In a city struggling with economic hardship, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, OH, stands for green renewal. In 2002, the cathedral, in conjunction with the Diocese of Ohio, expanded its buildings using green building principles and became an example of urban revitalization as well as sustainable development. As the city’s first downtown green renovation, the project won the Cleveland Engineering Society’s Excellence in Renovation Award and was a ...

Read more

Interfaith

The Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation

Santa Rosa, CA The Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation, based in Santa Rosa, California, is surrounded by the awe-inspiring grandeur of the California Redwoods forest, and has not taken the beauty of its environment for granted. In 2000, the efforts of the group, which manages and coordinates the voices of seven self-supporting religious programs, were among those acknowledged by President Bill Clinton when he cited religious voices as part of the rationale for declaring the “roadless rule.”

Read more