In the heart of the Southeast United States, where tradition and community run deep, faith communities are rising to address one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Rooted in their spiritual convictions and guided by a shared sense of stewardship for the Earth, these congregations are pioneering efforts to protect our planet.
St. George Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Image Courtesy of St. George Catholic Church
In response to Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home in the Laudato Si, the St. George Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, LA, formed a Creation Care Ministry. Jo Dale Ales serves as the ministry’s coordinator.
In partnership with the staff at St. George, the ministry formed an action plan to address the six areas identified by Pope Francis in his encyclical to the Catholic Church: Ecological Education, Response to the Cry of the Earth, Response to the Cry of the Poor, Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles, Ecological Spirituality, and Community Resilience and Empowerment.
Although their action plan may seem ambitious, the team has started by making small changes that can have a big difference. The staff began changing some of their daily habits, like adding recycling bins, eliminating the use of Styrofoam cups, and installing refillable water bottle stations.
The ministry team has also hosted a screening of “The Letter: A Message to Our Earth,” implemented educational resources and teaching, and planted several olive trees—a symbol of peace—on their campus.
“God created everything, and calls us to be co-creators with him. It is a faith thing, it’s not just a political thing,” Karen Fawley, director of adult faith formation at St. George said. “It’s just common sense. We should take care of God’s gift to us.”
Georgia’s Interfaith Power and Light Green Team Summit Draws Dozens of Congregations
Image Courtesy of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
Earlier this year, communities of faith gathered in Decatur, Georgia at Oak Grove Methodist Church for the Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) Green Team summit. As part of the event, the GIPL awarded several congregations the Power-Wise award, recognizing those congregations for excellence in energy efficiency while embracing new sustainable practices.
To date, the Power-Wise Program has completed 432 energy audits, funded 469 energy projects, and granted $1,100,326 in efficiency funds. Grant dollars can be used toward a professional energy audit, analysis of energy data of the entire congregation’s campus, customized energy-efficiency projects and an implementation plan, personal audit review and debrief with a GIPL consultant, and eligibility to apply for energy efficiency matching grants of up to $7,000 each year for up to six years.
In addition to the Power-Wise Program, GIPL also offers resources, advocacy, and support for congregations that want to be more water-wise, solar-wise, zero waste, or help with rewilding efforts.
The ReWilding Pilot program begins with three congregations in metro Atlanta this summer 2024. Selected congregations will be decided by July 5. The program focuses on helping faith communities turn their congregational land back to their more natural processes to foster a more resilient ecosystem. This includes reforestation efforts, managing food production and consumption, attracting pollinators and wildlife, and generally improving land use. Specifically for these Atlanta congregations, the ReWilding program will include removing invasive species, updating landscaping policies, installing lawn alternatives, planting native plants, developing community gardens, planting trees, preparing permeable parking lots, adding rain/flood gardens, and more.
Dozens of congregations with Green Teams now exist all across Georgia, and all it takes to form a team is a group of three or more individuals who care about creation to come together within their community of faith.
The Youth Leaders Initiative of North Carolina
Image Courtesy of Youth Leaders Initiative
In the Research Triangle of North Carolina, high school youth have joined together to relaunch the Youth Leaders Initiative (YLI), a faith advocacy group sponsored by Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle (ICCT) and the North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light.
Students and their adult leaders began by visiting local youth groups at churches and houses of worship to present information about creation care. They currently have students from Christian, Jewish, and Hindu communities of faith, with hopes to broaden to Muslim representation as well.
The current co-president, Aven Schwartz, believes that representation from many different faith perspectives is an important asset and goal for the YLI because it shows unity. Schwartz is Jewish, while the group’s other co-president, Elizabeth Boltz, is a Christian who is also a member of the Epworth UMC’s climate care committee.
According to an article in EducationNC, the group’s primary focus is engaging religious beliefs about the sanctity of creation in order to inspire action, such as solar energy installations, pollinator gardens, and recycling and composting projects. Other projects are coming together throughout the area as a result of the YLI’s efforts, including a stream clean up in Raleigh at the House Creek Tributary, completed by the Hayes Barton United Methodist Church’s “Climate Bears” youth leadership team.
Individuals who are interested in participating as a youth leader with YLI are expected to want to learn, communicate, and act on climate issues in their faith communities; lead their faith communities in the work of climate justice, attend a monthly network call, and attend at least one of two in-person retreats each year. You can learn more about the YLI here.
Florida Backyard Creation Care Grassroots Effort
Image: Filip Urban
Jiri Hulcr is the founder of the Florida Backyard Creation Care group, which meets at the United Church of Gainesville, a Creation Justice Church. The group aims to help Floridians preserve their backyards as part of a new movement to care for nature out of deep spiritual awareness and responsibility.
The initiative includes Christians, biologists, and concerned citizens who are advocates for taking four simple steps to make a big difference in Florida’s own Garden of Eden.
Step One: Leave a Patch of Your Lard to the Lord
Step Two: Grow a Tree
Step Three: Love Your Neighbor – Protect Their Wooden House
Step Four: Don’t Kill the Defenseless – Avoid Pesticides
Read more about each of these initiatives.
The Florida Backyard Creation Care initiative has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for billboards promoting these four simple steps to Floridians along North Florida’s country highways. You can learn more about this campaign here.
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Root and Vine