Resources for Congregations' Buildings, Grounds, and Operations

As a physical plant, a congregation -- like any school or business -- has an environmental impact by the way it uses energy, water, and maintenance and office supplies, as well as the design and materials of its building and the way the surrounding property is landscaped. There are many possibilities for making the design, landscaping, and operations of congregations and other religious agencies and organizations more responsible in their use of the God's gifts of natural resources.

General

• "Conducting an Institutional Environmental Audit" is included in the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life's book, To Till and to Tend, as well as in the Program Bank on COEJL's website.
• ELCA Environmental Audit Guide for Congregations, Schools and Other Groups (PDF) is a tool for assessing current practices, with a check-off list that you can use to measure your progress as you take steps to make your congregation a model of environmental stewardship.
• The Lord's House: A Guide to Creation Careful Management of Church Facilities, by Frederick W. Krueger. Practical information, checklists, and forms that lead you step by step to better creation-care of your church building, including how to become more energy efficient, how to do landscaping and care for the grounds, and how to construct creation-friendly buildings. Green Cross/Macalester Park Publishing Company (included in the Evangelical Environmental Network's church kit, Let the Earth Be Glad, but can be ordered separately from EEN).
• The "Building and Grounds" section on the Web of Creation covers energy, water, toxic products, paper, waste and recycling, architecture, landscaping, and composting.

Energy Use

• The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Program assists congregations in finding ways to reduce their energy consumption.
• "Energy Stewardship Congregations Brochure" and "Energy Stewardship Guide for Congregations" are two resources from the National Council of Churches of Christ's Eco-Justice Program to help congregations consume less energy.

Solid Waste

• A "Recycling and Waste Reduction Program" for synagogues can be found in the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life's book, To Till and to Tend, as well as in the Program Bank on COEJL's website.
• "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Save Forests".

Purchasing

• Responsible Purchasing for Faith Communities, published by the Center for a New American Dream, gives eight simple and concrete changes churches can make in their purchasing practices that will help promote the care of Creation and justice for people.

Toxic Products

• The "Healthy Families, Healthy Environment" website of the Evangelical Environmental Network includes a section on what churches can do to maintain their buildings and grounds as healthy environments.