Earthwise Congregation
In 2009 at the 27th General Synod, the United Church of Christ passed the Earthwise resolution, creating a special designation for churches committed to being a voice of change and hope in the face of the climate crisis. Earthwise Congregations would agree to:
Strive to meet or exceed meaningful targets for reducing global warming pollution.
Establish an Earthwise Congregation Committee.
Urge governments and businesses to respond to global warming.
Act as a voice of hope in the climate crisis.
Recognizing that we already met most of these requirements, our congregation voted to become an Earthwise congregation in April 2010. Since then we have continued to live out our commitment to the environment through worship, education, advocacy, and service opportunities.
As part of our commitment to being an Earthwise congregation, we promote healthy environmental practices in our own church community. Our Green Team maintains a list of guidelines to make our church more environmentally friendly. These guidelines have become important values in the life of our congregation and include recycling, reducing the use of paper products, using environmentally friendly cleaning products, eliminating pesticides and planting native species on our church property, and encouraging the consumption of locally grown and organic foods.