Compiled and written by GCBL intern Amanda Heimburg

Environmental responsibility and stewardship of Creation are intrinsic in the beliefs and practices of many religions. Faith-based groups are a great untapped resource to help spread the word about and put sustainability into action.

This section will outline the sustainability initiatives at some of the religious communities in Northeast Ohio. Many are simple realignments of everyday actions with beliefs grounded in holy texts. Some cost very little, such as not purchasing products that are damaging to the environment or starting a recycling program. (One notable opportunity for congregations considering or just starting down the path to sustainability is Entrepreneurs for Sustainability faith-based organizations Sustainability Implementation Group starting up in 2009).

In addition to the write-ups of individual congregations, this section offers resource links, a Best Practices round up and a Ten Point Checklist to green your house of worship.

If your congregation is involved in a sustainability initiative and is not included in this list, please email us and include as much information as you can (look at the bold subheads on the congregation write-ups as a guide to answering, what is my congregation doing to promote sustainability?)

Local Resources

• American Jewish Committee Energy Task Force (Energy Task Force of the Cleveland Chapter)
• Ohio Interfaith Power and Light
• Cool Congregations Carbon Footprint Calculator
• Northeast Ohio congregation sustainability best practices
• Ten point checklist to green a congregation

National/International Resources

• Energy Star for Congregations
• Solar Today article on greening religious buildings
• US Green Building Council LEED rating system
• National Religious Partnership for the Environment
• Faiths United for Sustainable Energy (FUSE)
• Catholic Climate Covenant
• Canfei Nesharim
• Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
• Episcopal Ecological Network
• Evangelical Environmental Network
• Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
• National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Programs
• New Community Project
• Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
• US Council Catholic Bishops