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Renewal Project

Renewal Project is an excellent resource and gateway to finding new material and success stories when it comes to religion as the environment.

Teva Day School

Teva is a program that was founded by and supported by Hazon. Teva provides outreach to people of Jewish faith and teaches children about their faith and the environment.

Engaged Organizations: Jewish Climate Initiative

The Jewish Climate Initiative is an organization that strives to respond to climate change with Jewish ideals. They are focused on ethics, policy, and science.

The Fossil Free United Methodist Church is on a mission to get the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church to invest in clean energy companies. Their website highlights what they are doing in their congregations and potentially your congregation.

On their website you will find their strategy to educate, support and converse with individuals, congregations, the General Conference and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. They’ve posted blogs of what they’ve done and progress that they have made on their mission to clean energy. You will also find a webinar that you can schedule with your group along with other resources to support the fossil free mission. Fossil Free UMC addresses the effects of fossil fuel divestments but promotes the long term benefits of investing in fossil free energy on their legislation page.

Theology and Ecology: How to Keep Updated

The relationship between faith groups and the environment is constantly developing and expanding. One way to stay informed or learn more is to explore the insightful websites and articles posted below.

The National Catholic Reporter is a news source that reports on church and social issues, and they publish a regular column called Eco Catholics. They keep an updated list of articles about the Catholic faith and it’s relation to issues related to the environment.

The United Methodist Women is a faith community with a huge focus on environmental justice. They have made climate justice one of their four social justice priorities and started an organization, “Be Just. Be Green.” Their website includes tools to aid in sustainable living and advocacy in a theological way, a carbon footprint calculator, articles on climate justice, and a simulation experience to better understand environmentally downgraded communities.

The United Methodist Church on Relief focuses on alleviating human suffering around the globe. One of their initiatives is to end undernutrition and hunger through sustainable agriculture and food security. Their program focuses on partnering with organizations that empower families to create sustainable and self-sufficient solutions to assist in food security. Articles related to faith groups and sustainable agriculture can be found on their website.

Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to protect, restore, and rightly share God’s Creation. Based on the priorities of its members, with a particular concern for the vulnerable and marginalized, Creation Justice Ministries provides collaborative opportunities to build ecumenical community, guides people of faith and faith communities towards eco-justice transformations, and raises a collective witness in the public arena echoing Christ’s call for just relationships among all of Creation. Their website contains resources for action and an updated blog.

GreenFaith is an interfaith coalition for the environment that works with houses of worship, religious schools and people of all faiths to help them become better environmental stewards. Their mission is to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership. They believe that protecting the earth is a religious value, and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.

Engaged Organizations: United Methodist Church and Sustainable Agriculture

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is a non-profit organization that aims to alleviate human suffering around the world. They are a ministry through the General Board of Global Ministries that believe all people have God-given worth. They advocate for hope and healing in more than 80 countries around the globe. One of their initiatives is to work towards sustainable agriculture and food security.

This program focuses on partnering with organizations that empower families and communities to create self-help and sustainable solutions to food security. They are currently partnering with eighteen organizations to implement food security projects in twenty-two countries including the United States. Their key priorities include:

Providing resources and technical support rural families need to grow or buy enough food to maintain a healthy and productive life.

Building the capacity of farmers, pastoralists and fishermen to reverse the trend of poor land and water resource management.

Strengthening the impact of agricultural projects by improving household health and nutrition behaviors with a specific focus on pregnant women and children under age 5.

Supporting the introduction and use of appropriate agricultural technology that is suitable to the knowledge, skills, capacities, interest, and economics of people and communities.

In conjunction with these priorities, the UMCOR places a focus on nutrition. Through their sustainable agriculture and food security program, they educate farmers, raise awareness of global undernutrition, and urge governments in developing nations to support sustainable agriculture. Additionally, they endorse the Scale up Nutrition framework which works to improve nutrition around the globe, especially in young children. Their initiative, called the 1,000 Days Movement, works to improve the nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life which can have an exponential impact on the future of these lives. The UMCOR encourages faith communities to support and work with the Scale Up Nutrition movement and assist in the end of undernutrition through sustainable agriculture.

Engaged Organizations: GreenFaith: The Interfaith Partners for the Environment

GreenFaith is one of the oldest religious-environmental organizations in the United States. They were originally named Partners for Environmental Quality and were founded by Jewish and Christian leaders in New Jersey. They believed communities needed an organization to connect religious traditions with the environment. Their early work included promoting the use of renewable energy in religious institutions, convening a conference that drew leaders from religious, academic, governmental, and business sectors to talk about environmental protection, and encouraging the use of green energy to the general public. In the early 2000s, they had their first Environmental Health and Justice Tour in Newark where they explored the different proportions of suffering to urban communities. It was then that they changed their name to GreenFaith.

Since then, GreenFaith has launched programs all over the state of New Jersey and beyond. Lighting the Way is one of their programs that installed solar panels on religious institutions around the state. Between 2004 and 2006, they organized Sustainable Sanctuaries and Green Flag, GreenFaith Schools Pilot Program. Both took initiative to integrate environmental care into the worship of religious communities and faith-based schools to help “green” their establishments. Since then, the have been honored at Windsor Castle, featured in documentaries including Renewal, and recognized with the Energy Star for Congregations Special Award from the EPA.

In order to accomplish these impressive goals, GreenFaith has stayed committed to their beliefs that protecting the earth is a religious value and environmental stewardship as a moral responsibility. Additionally, their three core values, spirit, stewardship, and justice, are what they use to guide their work and define their goals. Spirit is their belief that religious traditions are sacred and that people grow spiritually through a strong relationship with the Earth. Stewardship is their belief that religious members have the opportunity to lessen their impact on the environment. Justice is their belief that all people deserve a healthy environment regardless of their race or income.

Engaged Organizations: Earth Ministry

Earth Ministry is an organization that engages faith communities in environmental stewardship and advocacy. Based out of Seattle, Washington, their mission is to inspire and mobilize the religious community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future. They support many programs in including Faithful Advocacy, Greening Congregations, and Washington Interfaith Power & Light. In addition, they have been working to ban toxic chemicals, protect wildlife habitat and public lands, and promote clean energy for a stable climate and sustainable economy. Earth Ministry has a country wide reach and their website contains many helpful and informative resources.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Environment Justice Program

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops considers Environmental Justice to be a core issue that requires the action of all Catholics. Their response to this issue has been the Environment Justice Program. This is a program of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development that educates and motivates Catholics to a deeper reverence and respect for God’s creation. They encourages Catholics to address environmental problems, especially as they affect poor and vulnerable people.

Engaged Organizations: Catholic Rural Life

Catholic Rural Life is a national, Catholic nonprofit organization dedicated to the importance of rural America. Their mission is to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ for the social, economic, and spiritual development of rural America while strengthening and sustaining the Church. They advance their mission through three distinct areas of impact: ethical food and agriculture, rural outreach and ministry, and stewardship of creation.

Engaged Organizations: Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services strives to carry out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. They promote human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies. A major initiative includes fighting the effects of climate change on the poor.

Engaged Organization: The Catholic Climate Covenant

The Catholic Climate Covenant is the US Catholics response to the Church’s call to care for creation and care for the poor. They are based out of Washington, DC, and are supported by 14 national partners. Among their many ambitions, they aim to teach Catholics on climate change, equip them to care for creation and the poor, and inspire leaders to take actions. They have helped 140 Creation Care Teams lead their communities, organized 7 national press conferences, and helped supporters send over 10,000 letters in support of climate change. Additionally, their work has been mentioned in over 3,000 media stories. Their website includes environmental programs, teachings, and resources.

Carbon Fasting

Many faith organizations, including Interfaith Power & Light, Earth Ministry, and Creation Justice Ministries, promote carbon fasting as a way to make small, personal changes while also drawing attention to society’s unsustainable uses of carbon. Especially in the time of Lent, they encourage everyone to be more mindful of their carbon footprint and as a Lenten discipline, participate in self-imposed restrictions of carbon use. There are many resources provided on how and why to take part in a carbon fast.

Engaged Organizations: Cool Harvest

Cool Harvest is a food, faith, and climate program created by Interfaith Power & Light. Cool Harvest focuses on responding to climate change by educating members on climate-friendly food choices. Their website aims to provide resources in order to help others understand the harsh toll modern agribusiness takes on the atmosphere. They provide tips and recipes on food and gardening and also informational movies and stories on the success of others.

Engaged Organizations: Creation Justice Ministries

Creation Justice Ministries is a grassroots organization that works to support ecumenical creation care. Born from the National Council of Churches USA, this group has a long history of advocating for creation justice on local and national levels. Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care and environmental justice policies of major Christian denominations throughout the United States. They seek justice for all of God’s creation, including the human beings who live in it. They do so by drawing on the rich heritage of Christian scriptures and traditions which not only say to till and keep the Earth, but also to act for racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Engaged Organizations: The General Board of Church and Society

The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. They are defined by its five areas of ministry: Public Witness, Advocacy Administration, Ministry of Resourcing Congregational Life, United Nations Ministry, and Communications. Their website contains ways to get connected, topics to explore, and ways to take action.

Engaged Organizations: JustFaith Ministries

JustFaith Ministries is a nonprofit organization that forms, informs, and transforms people of faith by offering programs and resources to assist in their commitment to build a more just and peaceful world. They strive to prepare people of faith for the call of the Gospel to help heal the world and experience a deeper faith and more fulfilling life by doing so. Since 2001, over 50,000 people have completed a JustFaith Ministries program. A quote from Jack Jezreel, their founder, on the organizations goals: “We change people – and people change the world.”

Earth Day 2017: Know the Creator through Creation

The Catholic Climate Covenant has produced Know the Creator through Creation, an educational program to help celebrate Earth Day. This is the second year they have offered this resource that includes prayers, scripture readings, videos, discussion questions, and suggested activities to help teach about climate change. Their goal is to increase climate literacy and assist Catholics in embracing their call to care for creation. There are three different age specific programs between 30 minutes to an hour long.

Engaged Organizations: Lutherans Restoring Creation

Lutherans Restoring Creation is resource for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They are a grassroot movement of Lutherans that believe being earthkeepers is a foundation of the Christian vocation. Their goal is to incorporate care for creation into the organizational patterns, worship life, educational programs, and lifestyle of members at home and work. Their website includes programs, events, resources, and ways to get involved. It also includes their ideas on an Eco-Reformation that they believe is necessary to help the church encompass care for all of God’s good creation.

Engaged Organizations: The National Wildlife Federation: Sacred Grounds

For over 40 years, The National Wildlife Federation has been assisting congregations and faith-based organizations in creating wildlife friendly yards and landscapes through their program Sacred Grounds. Sacred Grounds was created to give people of all faiths the opportunity to connect with nature at their place of worship. They do so by offering an online certification process about proper gardening and other tips to connect with nature.

Center for Spirituality in Nature

The Center for Spirituality in Nature is a center located in Arlington, Virginia, that offers spiritual experiences in nature with the aim to draw people closer to their relationship with God. They offer programs that explore the theological, spiritual, and ecological connections between the Earth and all its creatures. They are partners with the Wild Church Network and their work has been mentioned in The Washington Post and Interpreter Magazine.

Bowling Green Church Installs Solar Panels

Peace Lutheran Church in Bowling Green has installed solar panels on the south side of the building that are expected to save up to 25% of their utility bill. The solar panels are one of three projects that are a part of the churches mission of Creating Christ Connected Community. The other two projects include helping a Syrian Refugee family and building a new playground.

Engaged Organizations: Green Muslims

Green Muslims is a resource for the Muslim community to help promote spiritually-inspired environmental education, reflection, and action. They offer programs to help share knowledge, different community actions, and leadership development. Their website includes tool kits that they develop to teach practical tips on protecting the environment and volunteer opportunities for youth. Green Muslims has also put together a project called Green Scripture, which is a resource that includes verses from the Qur’an and sayings of the prophet Muhammad relevant to aspects of nature and environmental stewardship.

Earth Connection

Earth Connection is an outdoor school in Virginia that aims to teach students how to be comfortable and feel at home in the wilderness. They focus on teaching students about the resources and history around them. Their class offerings range from how to stay safe while being in the outdoors, to teaching of the enjoyment of nature on a deeper, more spiritual level.

My Jewish Learning

My Jewish Learning was launched in 2003 with the initiative to empower Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning. Their website includes helpful guides on celebrating, eating, living, mourning, praying and studying. Their study section includes Science and Ecology, which includes articles written on Jewish Science, the ethical treatment of animals in Judaism, sustainable Jewish eating, nature and the environment, and more environment related posts.

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