Action for Environmental
Protection and Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change
Resolved, that this 213th Annual
Council join with those calling for a national inter-faith conference
to launch a multi-faith campaign on climate change, to be known
as the "Genesis Covenant," and be it further
Resolved, that this 213th Annual
Council respectfully requests that within 30 days of the passage
of this resolution the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
write to the Presiding Bishop to express our support for the "Genesis
Covenant," and be it further
Resolved, that this 213th Annual
Council directs the Executive Board to establish an annual prize,
to be known as the "Lee-Atkinson Energy Savers Award"
to be awarded to that parish or Diocesan organization that has
made the most significant energy savings during a one-year period,
and that the standards for the award be recommended by the Diocesan
Committee on the Stewardship of Creation to the Executive Board
by March 31, 2008, for approval and adoption and be it further
Resolved, that this 213th Annual
Council calls upon each of the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese
of Virginia to conduct an in-house environmental audit of its
energy use, consumption patterns, and plant use management, the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for guidance
and ideas; and be it further
Resolved, that this 213th Annual
Council recommends that the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and
its individual parishes and organizations work with the Diocesan
Committee on the Stewardship of Creation and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Energy Star for Congregations program to identify
ways to save energy and reduce energy costs.
Background:
The Millennium Development Goals, adopted
by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, promote,
inter alia, the protection of the earth's environment and
the reduction of poverty. The two goals are clearly linked, as
the health and wealth of individuals, communities, and nations
around the world depend on the natural resources of creation.
Humans have been charged with the care and protection of creation
(Gen. 2:15). Actions to protect creation are actions to protect
the most vulnerable-the poor, the sick, the very young, and the
very old. And activities that enable parishes to conserve resources
and money allow them to better reach out in mission activities.
After many years of study and research
on the issue, the clear and urgent consensus in the international
scientific community is that global climate change is a significant,
growing threat and that human activities have a substantial effect
on the rate of climate change and its ultimate impacts. Our Presiding
Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, is inviting leading representatives
of many faiths to meet in Seattle in April 2008 to develop a unified
program to address climate change by religious organizations in
the United States. The effort, known as the Genesis Covenant,
was proposed by the Right Reverend Steven Charleston, President
and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School. The sponsors of the
Resolution believe that unified action by the country's religious
communities has the potential to be a catalyst for wide-ranging
positive change on this issue. Similar resolutions have recently
been adopted in the Dioceses of Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island.
The Diocesan Committee on the Stewardship
of Creation has funds available to assist a limited number of
parishes to conduct energy audits. Additional assistance may be
available through other sources, and parishes are encouraged to
contact the Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, the Environmental
Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for guidance and ideas.
The Committee on the Stewardship of
Creation has its roots in the foresight and courage of two Episcopal
Bishops, The Right Rev. Peter James Lee, Bishop of the Episcopal
Diocese of Virginia, and The Right Rev. Robert P. Atkinson, Bishop
of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia and Assistant Bishop
of Virginia. It is a just response to their dedication to develop
and name an award that recognizes these two visionaries.
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