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.
In both words and actions, Mount Olive is committed to a green future. The Advisory Committee for Care of the Earth/Climate Justice (an arm of the Vestry) provides guidelines and resources to encourage the parish’s members and friends to live in faithful harmony with the earth.
An important step came in 2017 when the congregation, as part of a $2.7 million renovation, installed an innovative geothermal system to heat and cool its buildings, adding to an array of solar panels already in place. This shift toward renewable energy drastically reduced the congregation’s reliance on fossil fuels. The overall goal is to make Mount Olive carbon neutral by 2030.
Click here to contact the Advisory Committee’s co-chairs. Click here for more specifics about the church’s 2017 renovation and geothermal installation (“A Bold Step Forward”). Click here to see reports on the performance of the solar panels.
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.
- Explore Responding to Climate Change: A Guide for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion, a downloadable resource from The Christian Century.
- 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.
- Refer to The Money-Saving Guide to Going Green at Home for a list of kid-friendly tips on “the frugal basics.”
- 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.
