The Genesis Covenant

By Michele Bende, Chair Commission on Environment and the Integrity of Creation

During the summer of 2009, at National Convention, the Episcopal Church voted to adopt the Genesis Covenant, which is a commitment made by national religious bodies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of church facilities by 50% over the next 10 years.  Greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides and ozone that are produced by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) greatly contribute to global warming.  By committing to the Genesis Covenant, The Episcopal Church has made a public endorsement of the holiness of creation and our responsibility to protecting and stewarding the earth’s resources.  This commitment will require thoughtful and intentional actions on our part to reduce our energy consumption.  Our Bishop and Standing Committee have embraced this commitment and are encouraging the congregations of our diocese to jump on the bandwagon.  Some actions will be fairly simple, such as changing light bulbs and beginning recycling programs.  Others will take a while to enact: replacing disposables with dishwashing, converting to energy efficient appliances and air conditioning as things wear out and, as technologies improve, installing and using alternative energy sources. One of the first things a congregation can do to get an idea of what changes they can make, is an environmental audit, which is a checklist that sums up how energy and resources are being used by a church.  The Commission on Environment and Integrity of Creation will  provide information on environmental audits and make suggestions on how to get started.  We can also point you in the direction of some wonderful Sunday School or Study Materials that will help parishioners understand why Christians should care for creation.  At the upcoming diocesan convention, the commission will request that each congregation commit to doing an energy audit by mid-2011.  Members of the commission will be in touch with each congregation to provide guidance and material to complete the audit.   In the meantime, material can be found on the Diocesan website and you can contact  Commission  on the Environment chair Michelle Bende at (334)897-0406 mtbende@centurytel.net or other members of  the commission listed on the Diocesan webpage.   Also, you can check out The Genesis Covenant and a great list of resources at http://genesis.eds.edu/resources.htm