Greening Guides

The following are in-depth guides on how to set up a care of creation effort in your congregation.  Please note they are all rather long.

http://www.webofcreation.org/FinishedCompleteGC.pdf
This website outlines a five-part program that sets realistic and achievable goals. Within the program, goals are separated into five categories: worship, education, building and grounds, lifestyle at home and work, and public ministry. The program illustrates how to decentralize responsibility and ensure that all members of the congregation are involved in the process.

http://www.futerra.co.uk/downloads/ForCreedandCreation.pdf
This guide instructs congregations how to customize their environmental goals, and make them realistic. The guide sets goals for your congregation proportionate to the number of people, amount of time and effort your congregation is willing to use. Once your congregation has a customized plan of action, the guide explores established practices, and gives myriad alternatives to energy-consuming items.

http://www.faith-commongood.net/gss/index.asp
This website provides a resource kit, with guidebooks, workshops and posters to help your congregation adopt better greening practices. The resources stress the importance of education, and provide videos and other tools to help your congregation educate its members. The website also provides a packet on how to identify clean energy practices, and implement them within your congregation’s building of worship.

http://ew.ecocongregation.org/gettingstarted
This website illustrates a three-step process by which individuals can make a difference in their religious community. First, the congregation must ‘get going’ and create an action plan. Second, the congregation must ‘get cracking’ and use the available resources to implement the action plan. Exemplary congregations that follow Eco Congregation’s steps shall be rewarded the Eco Congregation Award.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/business/small_business/congregations_guidebook/Cong_Guide.pdfThis guide focuses on the measures and products that can save congregations money as well as reduce their negative impact on the environment by improving their energy efficiency. It includes links to other website and PDF resources, such as local government commission funding opportunities. There are guidelines for starting and managing energy-saving projects, calculating the benefits of savings, as well as brief guides for other green measures congregations can make.

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