Mount Olive strives to achieve a “gentle with the earth” approach to every aspect of parish life.
Through the Mount Olive Vestry, the Advisory Committee for Care of the Earth/Climate Justice encourages Mount Olive members and friends to live faithfully by caring for the earth. The committee guides and provides resources for the congregation, its committees, and all who gather here.
For more information, contact the Climate Justice Committee co-chairs.
To learn about A Bold Step Forward, Mount Olive’s 2017 renovation, which was an outgrowth of the congregation’s commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2030, click here.
One component of A Bold Step Forward was the installation of solar panels on a portion of our roof. These solar panels help us care for the earth by cutting our carbon footprint. Click here to see reports from our monitor, SolarEdge.
How you can participate
- Read and live into “Gentle with the Earth.”
The statement, adopted by the congregation in 2017, says, in part: “The world we serve is not just the people of the earth; it is also the world in which humans live, the environment—earth, air, water, soil. God’s creation includes all creatures: our sisters and brothers, the plants, the rocks, the atmosphere, the animals, other humans.” - Watch for news in the Olive Branch newsletter.
- Join congregational discussions and advocacy opportunities.
- Educate yourself about climate justice issues and lower your personal carbon footprint.
- Find out about the “Paris Pledge for Action,” a commitment from thousands of organizations worldwide to actively support the 2015 Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. The pledge says, in part: “We realize that dangerous climate change threatens our ability and the ability of future generations to live and thrive in a peaceful and prosperous world.”
Investigate the history of Mount Olive’s involvement in the climate issue, including our partnership with Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light.- Check out these resources from the Interfaith Power & Light Cool Congregations Program and Green Christian.
- Consult this directory of climate justice statements and organizations.
- Sign up to receive climate justice action alerts, so you can take quick action to influence policy makers. Alerts will include those from Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light and the ELCA Action Response. Remember that communications via letter or phone that ask questions are more powerful. When phoning, be sure to state your name and address, zip code, or congressional district.
- Join the ELCA Action Network, which addresses numerous justice issues.
