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Buildings, Grounds, Operations and the Environment
“Stewardship” has usually been understood,
especially in Protestant Christianity, as the
responsible use of “time, talents, and treasures”
on behalf of the mission of the church. Today,
however, a more expansive understanding of stewardship
is growing. For many congregations, stewardship
now includes the wise use of material resources
— water, energy, wood, chemicals used in
lawn care and cleaning, and even coffee –
in ways that serve the churches’ responsibility
to care for the earth and promote social justice.
Churches have:
- Reduced their consumption of nonrenewable
and polluting forms of energy by:
- Upgrading their insulation and heating,
ventilation and cooling systems;
- Replacing incandescent light bulbs with
energy-saving compact fluorescents;
- Purchasing electricity from renewable sources,
such as nonpolluting wind farms;
- Installing alternative energy sources, such
as photovoltaic solar panels, on their own
buildings.
Some have participated in programs to support
congregations in reducing their energy consumption,
such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
Energy
Star Congregations or one of a number of state
Interfaith Power
and Light projects.
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- Reduced their consumption of paper and plastic
by:
- Switching from disposable to washable cups,
plates and utensils;
- Recycling office paper and other waste;
and
- Buying recycled products.
- Made socially and environmentally responsible
purchasing choices by:
- Buying fair trade and organically grown
coffee;
- Using non-toxic cleaners, and
- Eliminating environmentally harmful lawn
care products.
- Practiced good earthkeeping on their own church
grounds by:
- Ecological landscaping that reduces the
need for water and chemicals
- Providing habitat for God’s creatures;
and
- Restoring prairies or other threatened ecosystems.
Find information on making
religious facilities and operations more environmentally
responsible:
• For
congregations
• For
schools
• For religious
agencies
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