TUCSON, Ariz.- From ending the use of Styrofoam cups at church functions to protesting the construction of the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, Christian churches across the nation have begun to focus on increasing their environmental action.

“People want to hear this message. We’ve had at least 10,000 congregations become involved across the country,” said Gretchen Killion, the conference developer for The Regeneration Project, a national organization that focuses on giving Christian churches the information and resources they need to become more environmentally active in their communities.

“We hope that it will provide the impetus for changing people’s day-to-day habits and really making a difference in the world around them,” Killion said.

Focusing on the environment has been the norm for some churches for years. But many other churches have just begun to take steps to reduce their negative environmental impact.

“Congregations are taking action from changing how they serve coffee and food to how they do buildings and energy efficiency,” said Cassandra Carmichael, the director of the Eco-Justice Programs of the National Council of Churches of Christ. “Advocacy actions are being taken at all levels in the country,” Carmichael said.

Changes These Churches Make

Changes in church practices range from smaller actions like serving all vegetarian meals and cutting down on paper plate and cup use to building “green” facilities and auditing energy and water use on the church campus.

Many churches also offer classes and seminars to their local communities on how they can lessen their environmental impact in their day-to-day lives.

“There are all sorts of different ways they change habits and make a difference in their community,” Killion said. “But they’re all important.”

10 Steps to an Environmentally-Friendly Church 1-Replace incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs. 2-Cut down on paper use 3-Invest in energy 4-Recycle 5-Start a compost at the church 6-Start a community garden 7-Replace old heating and cooling systems 8-Turn computers off overnight 9-Build "eco-friendly" church buildings 10-Turn down the thermostat, especially when no one is in the building! Source: St. Mark's Presbyterian Church

Arizona Church Involvement

In the past few years in Arizona, thousands of Christian churches have become involved in “Earth care," a movement of caring for the earth from a religious perspective, according to Jan Olav Flaaten, the executive director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council, based in Phoenix.

“This movement towards environmental awareness is not necessarily new, but it’s gaining more and more interest,” he said.

He listed ways that churches in Arizona have changed their habits, from the types of light bulbs they use to the construction of their church buildings.

“But we have seen greater interest in congregations and groups of churches forming green committees and committees on energy use,” he said.

The Arizona Ecumenical Council has an Earth Care Commission, headed by Pastor Doug Bland of Community Christian Church in Tempe, Ariz. The commission is made up of 15 members who represent over 1.5 million people in numerous Arizona congregations.

The commission gives churches ways to understand their connection with the Earth and how to act from there, Bland said.

To aid the environment, churches such as St. Mark's Presbyterian Church in Tucson and Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Phoenix have taken steps such as changing air conditioning and heating units to reduce electricity waste and replacing light bulbs in all of the buildings.

A Closer Look

Nationally, churches have taken action for the environment at legislative levels as well. According to Dan Millis, the director for the Sierra Club Borderlands Campaign in Tucson, a number of faith communities became involved in fighting the environmental impacts of the wall surrounding the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

“The 600 miles of barriers are a barrier to the migration of endangered species, and the border wall has resulted in habitat loss and erosion and hydrology issues,” Millis said.

A number of churches and faith communities sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano at the end of January to protest the wall and its environmental impacts.

“I have seen more faith communities become involved in the border issues, and how the environment has been changed by the border issues,” Millis said.

Groups such as the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. signed the letter hoping to become more environmentally active in their national and international communities.

Lasting Impact

Church members and leaders hope this increased awareness and involvement will have a lasting impact.

The movement in Christian communities may have started out small, but the idea seems to be spreading, according to Killion. Since The Regeneration Project's start, she said, the popularity of the movement of churches to become more environmentally-friendly has greatly increased.

“It was a strange idea when it was started, to become environmentally involved. People would wrinkle their nose at our founder for her ‘crazy’ environmental ideas. Now it’s making sense to people,” Killion said.