So what does it really look like to be
Creation Wise? You might recognize it more than you realize. Take
Oakhurst Presbyterian Church for instance. Here's a congregation who includes a variety of folks who in their daily lives embrace recycling, buy fair-trade coffee and share the wonders of gardening with others for example. They decided to bring those practices under the roof of their church (well, not gardening inside exactly, but you get the point). They have a small but active community garden on site and also work in conjunction with the larger community garden just down the road.In addition to recycling the usual items at the church's curbside, they also encourage upcycling through their church's Clothes Closet accessed by neighbors in need. This effort keeps discarded clothes from going to the landfill and finds a new home for them. Clothes that are not used are then donated to
Re:loom, a local organization that turns old clothes into beautifully woven rugs and handbags (another great form of upcycling). Oakhurst Presbyterian also encourages its members to bike or walk to worship services on specific Sundays of the year to collectively reduce their carbon footprint by driving less. Hosting an "Alternative Transportation Sunday" is an easy way to encourage your own congregation to earn points to green certification.Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, as well as St. Luke's Episcopal Church, always serves fair-trade coffee during fellowship gatherings and other "coffee" hours. A commitment to buying and serving fair-trade products shows care for creation and support of justice for workers around the globe. Many congregations provide fair-trade coffee and other goods for purchase so members can enjoy them at home on a regular basis. Some of those sales also support the mission and outreach of the congregation. This is another way you can earn points towards becoming
Creation Wise. 
And then there are congregations who have worked hard to make their buildings very energy efficient, including solar panels on the rooftop like Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. As you can see, small and big changes make a congregation
Creation Wise. The point is, though, each of these congregations committed to doing something to proclaim their commitment to caring for this good creation.So take a look around your own congregation, you just might be on the path to becoming
Creation Wise. Then, take a look at GIPL's
Creation Wiseguide and see just how many points you've already earned. And finally, make a commitment to earning more points in the coming year so you can be included in the drawing to earn $2500 from GIPL in 2014!
Contact us at GIPL if you need more ideas on how to get started on the certification process. We're here to help!
So what does it really look like to be Creation Wise? You might recognize it more than you realize. Take Oakhurst Presbyterian Church for instance. Here's a congregation who includes a variety of folks who in their daily lives embrace recycling, buy fair-trade coffee and share the wonders of gardening with others for example. They decided to bring those practices under the roof of their church (well, not gardening inside exactly, but you get the point). They have a small but active community garden on site and also work in conjunction with the larger community garden just down the road.In addition to recycling the usual items at the church's curbside, they also encourage upcycling through their church's Clothes Closet accessed by neighbors in need. This effort keeps discarded clothes from going to the landfill and finds a new home for them. Clothes that are not used are then donated to Re:loom, a local organization that turns old clothes into beautifully woven rugs and handbags (another great form of upcycling). Oakhurst Presbyterian also encourages its members to bike or walk to worship services on specific Sundays of the year to collectively reduce their carbon footprint by driving less. Hosting an "Alternative Transportation Sunday" is an easy way to encourage your own congregation to earn points to green certification.Oakhurst Presbyterian Church, as well as St. Luke's Episcopal Church, always serves fair-trade coffee during fellowship gatherings and other "coffee" hours. A commitment to buying and serving fair-trade products shows care for creation and support of justice for workers around the globe. Many congregations provide fair-trade coffee and other goods for purchase so members can enjoy them at home on a regular basis. Some of those sales also support the mission and outreach of the congregation. This is another way you can earn points towards becoming Creation Wise. 
And then there are congregations who have worked hard to make their buildings very energy efficient, including solar panels on the rooftop like Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. As you can see, small and big changes make a congregation Creation Wise. The point is, though, each of these congregations committed to doing something to proclaim their commitment to caring for this good creation.So take a look around your own congregation, you just might be on the path to becoming Creation Wise. Then, take a look at GIPL's Creation Wiseguide and see just how many points you've already earned. And finally, make a commitment to earning more points in the coming year so you can be included in the drawing to earn $2500 from GIPL in 2014! Contact us at GIPL if you need more ideas on how to get started on the certification process. We're here to help!