INTEGRITY OF CREATION RESOURCES

Worship

• General Creation Care resource from The Episcopal Church

• Episcopal Church Foundation

• Prayers of the People

  • The Book of Occasional Service (starting page 283):

  • Or try these simple tweaks to the forms in the Book of Common Prayer:

    • Form I – For the good earth which God has given into our care, and for the wisdom and will to serve and conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.

    • Form IV – Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may work for health, wholeness and justice for all living things, to your honor and glory.

    • Form V – For a blessing upon all human labor, and for a right relationship with all creation, that the world may be freed from poverty, famine, and disaster, we pray to you, O Lord.

    • Form VI – For a just and proper care for all creation.

• Outdoor Worship

  • Church of the Wild

  • Holy Hikes

  • Forest Bathing Print your own forest therapy trail signs.

  • Canoeucharist 

  • Labyrinths

• Preaching

  • Preaching When Life Depends on It: Climate Crisis and Gospel Hope

  • EcoPreacher Resources

  • From the Lutherans

• Altar Guild

  • Consider using potted plants on the altar instead of imported flowers

  • Make sure palms for Palm Sunday are sustainably sourced

• Special Seasons and Services

  • Season of Creation

  • Rogation Days 

  • Earth Day and

  • Blessing of the Animals

 

Education

• Book Studies

  • "Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change" by Jim Antal

  • "Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World" by Katharine Hayhoe

  • "Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis" by Leah D Schade & Margaret Bullitt-Jonas

  • "A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions" by Katharine Hayhoe and Andrew Farley

  • "Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy" by Joanna Macy

• Creation Care Curriculum

  • Love God, Love God’s World, from the Episcopal Church

  • An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice

  • Educational Resources for All Ages, from Creation Justice Ministries

  • Wake Up World, from the United Methodist Church

• Bulletin Inserts

  • Creation Care tips that follow the lectionary

  • Creation Justice Ministries

• Organize Outdoor Excursions

  • Birdwatching classes/trips

  • Canoeing/Kayaking

  • Sierra Club hiking trips

  • Coastal tours

  • Biking expeditions

• Individual Choices – share in discussion groups, newsletters, bulletin inserts, bulletin boards

  • Food:

    • Organize your own Local Food Festival. Invite members to bring their favorite dish to share with the featured food. Create a collection of recipes and recommended local food sources.

    • Invite your local Agricultural Extension Office to present programs on composting, backyard food and pollinator gardens.

    • Offer cooking classes for adults and children, featuring in-season produce.

    • Organize a food giveaway when harvests are abundant, and people are anxious to share.

    • Offer classes on canning local produce.

  • Home Energy Use

    • Household Carbon Footprint Calculator

    • Energy Star Choices

  • Reduce Consumption

    • Single-use plastics

    • Fast Fashion & Faith

• Earth Care Pledge Drive – encourage parishioners to sign a pledge card to care for the Earth. Provide a list of suggested actions to take.

• Choose a stewardship theme of “Simple Living” to explore all year long how our consumer choices affect the Earth.

 

Facilities

• Hospitality

  • Purchase Fair Trade coffee and tea

  • Switch from single-use disposables (Styrofoam, plastics, paper) to washable dishes for coffee hour and receptions.

  • Offer plant-based options at all church feeding events

  • Organize trips to local u-pick farm

• Building

  • Have a professional building energy audit done

  • Install insulation blankets around water heaters or switch to tankless heaters

  • Install programmable thermostats

  • Clean/change HVAC filters monthly

  • Check that buildings are sealed properly to prevent air leaks

  • Establish a fund for energy improvements in the church budget

  • Repair leaking faucets, pipes and seals

  • Install controls that turn lights off automatically

  • Helpful resources at Energy Star for Congregations

  • Resources from Interfaith Power and Light

  • Net Zero Church

• Grounds

  • Community Gardens

    • Square Foot Garden Project

    • Cooking Classes

    • Gardening Classes – check with your local extension office

    • Set up a compost bin

  • Sacred Grounds – Wildlife & Pollinator Gardens

  • Replace manicured green lawns with meadows

  • Plant shade trees to reduce heat gain and help with stormwater management

  • Plant fruit trees to feed our neighbors...ALL of our neighbors

  • Install a rain garden or bioswale

  • Consider using permeable pavers when repaving parking lots

 

Outreach

• Episcopal Public Policy Network

• Moving Forward: A Guide to Climate Action for Your Congregation and Community 

• One Home, One Future

• Sustaining Earth, Our Island Home: A Call to Action for All Episcopalians

• Community Recycling

• Community Food Waste Management

• Trash/Beach Cleanups

  • International Coastal Cleanup

• Cooling Centers: Extreme Heat – How Can Churches Respond?