The Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN)

What are the best ways to green a congregation?

The best way to green a congregation is whatever is actually possible for you to do. It is not at all helpful to say, "Our work doesn't matter unless we can get solar panels on the roof and start recycling graywater and produce our own clothing from leftover paper and get our church off the grid." That's the road to paralysis and lack of change. Start small and accomplish what you can, create a community invested in change, then move to bigger things. That's how everything on earth grows, and everything in heaven too – note how the church itself got started. Take a lesson from that! Good things to start with might be recycling, waste reduction, including waste of water and energy, and educating the congregation about environmental issues. You can get an energy audit with the help of Interfaith Power and Light, which works specifically with churches on energy issues. If you are interested in building a church from scratch, or renovations, there's also a good Green Building Guide available from the National Council of Churches. But start small, realistic, and doable!

If you don't find the answer to your question, please send your question to
info at eenonline.org (replace the "at" with the appropriate symbol).

The EpEN is a national network of active lay and clergy persons within the Episcopal Church, USA, who share a common concern for the environment and a common belief in the presence of God in all Creation and who work to make these concerns and beliefs known throughout all Provinces and Dioceses within the church. Members come from around the Episcopal Church USA. The activities of the EpEN are focused on the areas of Reflection, Education, and Action.

If you would like to contact any of these groups or to find out more about the EpEN, please click on the links on the left.