“As I’ve been asked to make some personal reflections on the energy audit at St. Thomas More Parish sponsored by NCIPL, let me offer these few comments. We had a major building project in 2007-2010 during which we had incorporated several energy-saving features. However, we did not have sufficient capital to do all that we wished during construction. When NCIPL contacted us about a free energy audit, we were approaching Advent, 2011 and the start of our liturgical year of energy reduction that we in the Environmental Stewardship Ministry sponsor. We said “yes” because we figured that we’d hear some […]
Community United Church of Christ, Raleigh
Community UCC, Raleigh & Raleigh Friends 814 Dixie Trail, Raleigh and 625 Tower St, Raleigh In May of 2007, Community United Church of Christ (CUCC) concluded that global warming (climate change) is real and will be a disaster for everyone, rich and poor. We also concluded that it hurts the poor more than the rich. Quoting the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change: “People who are poor are least able to adapt to climate change…” and “… millions … will suffer from hunger, thirst, floods and disease unless drastic action is taken…” In response, we initiated a CUCC Focus called […]
The Catholic Community of St. Thomas More, Chapel Hill
The Environmental Stewardship Ministry of The Catholic Community of St. Thomas More was founded in 2008 to foster Christian environmental stewardship and establish and improve environmental management practices in church and school facilities and grounds. The ministry developed directly from the “Sustainability Committee” that for four years was part of the New Building Committee until the completion of the building project. The foundation of the ministry lies in the principles of the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor.
The Environmental Stewardship Ministry organized its yearly initiatives in a repeating three-year block corresponding to the Catholic liturgical calendar in order to highlight the connection between environmental responsibility and Christian spirituality. Year A (2011) focuses on waste reduction and an increase in recycling. Year B (2012) aligns with energy use reduction. Year C (2013) is focusing on water use reduction.
Temple Emanuel, Winston Salem
Temple Emanuel, Winston Salem 201 Oakwood Dr Winston-Salem, NC 27103 Temple Emanuel’s climate change leadership is spearheaded by “Temple Emanuel Environmental Movement” (TEEM), which was formed in 2008. The goal of TEEM is to bring together people of different faiths, socio-economic backgrounds, races, ages and cultures, and to educate them about the importance of caring for the environment through their day-to-day actions, voting, and consumer purchases. TEEM strives to build strong alliances in the community and with different faiths. TEEM began its work by hosting a monthly environmental movie/speaker series in 2007. A typical audience is between 50 to 100 people. […]
Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill
Chapel of the Cross 304 E Franklin St Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Contact: Graham Swift, grahamgswift@aol.com Chapel of the Cross’s Environmental Stewardship Committee was formed in 2002 in response to the concerns of parishioners regarding threats to our environment, especially climate change, and the understanding that we as Christians believe that we are called to be good stewards of God’s creation. The committee’s goals and activities are summarized in this statement: “Believing all creation is interconnected and a gift of God to us, we commit to take an active and holistic approach to environmental stewardship through education, service, and sustainable practices.” […]
Unitarian Coastal Fellowship, Morehead City
Unitarian Coastal Fellowship 1300 Evans St, Morehead City, NC Contact: Penny Hooper, pjhooper@ec.rr.com This small congregation in Morehead City is home to a large Green Sanctuary Committee which helps UCF to develop strategies to operate in accordance with the Seventh Principle of our Unitarian Universalist Faith: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part”. This Seventh Principle calls us to be a “Green” congregation and to maintain a “Green” house of worship. UCF received the National Wildlife Federation’s classification of a Green House of Worship in 2010 by following the NWF guidelines for planting […]
United Church of Chapel Hill
United Church of Chapel Hill 1321 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Contact: Kathy Shea, tkmjshea@mindspring.com To Believe is to Care, To Care is to Do” has long been the bumper sticker associated with United Church of Chapel Hill (UCCH). The fruits of this strong commitment to bring faith to action are evident in the activities of the United Earth Ministry group at United Church and the strong support of Senior Co-Pastor, Rick Edens. From Fasting from Carbon through Low-Carbon Cooking during Lent to beginning the process of going solar, UCCH is an outstanding community leader in the […]
Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Raleigh
Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Raleigh 8849 Ray Rd. Raleigh, NC 27613 Contact: Carl Sigel, cwsigel@aol.com The Environmental Stewardship group at Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Raleigh has a mission to bring Creation Care from the periphery of our parish life to a more central position. This objective is in harmony with The Episcopal House of Bishops Pastoral Teaching on the environment issued in September 2011 which states we have an ecological crisis, and “Christians cannot be indifferent to global warming, pollution, natural resource depletion, species extinctions, and habitat destruction, all of which threaten life on our planet.” Many of […]
Central United Methodist Church, Charlotte
6030 Albemarle Road | Charlotte, NC 28212 Contact: Karen Carpenter, thecarps3@yahoo.com In 2011, Central United Methodist Church (CUMC) Charlotte was one of four churches in the nation to win Interfaith Power & Light’s “Cool Congregations Challenge,” awarding effort by faith-based congregations to address global warming at the grass-roots level. The $1,000 award recognized Central in the category of sustainable grounds and water conservation. Demonstrating ways to reduce its carbon footprint and inspire its members and others in the community, Central started a community garden last spring with 24 plots, including some raised beds. To preserve water and enrich soil, volunteers […]
Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church, Warrenton
Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church 224 Parktown Road, Warrenton, NC 27589 Contact: Rev. Bill Kearney, handsincorporated@earthlink.net Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church is located in Warren County, a Tier 1 county with high rates of chronic disease. In partnership with Dr. Molly De Marco of the UNC- Chapel Hill Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church has for over five years planned and implemented health promotion programs to improve the health of the church, the greater Warren County community, and the climate. Through their unique community-based participatory research partnership the “Harvest of Hope Garden Project” was […]