Toolkit

The Creation Care Toolkit provides faith groups, organizations, and individuals with meaningful actions and a path for deepening their commitment to a more caring and sustainable world. Start with the basics with our "Planting Seeds" suggestions, then move up through "Nurturing Growth" activities, and the movement-building work of "Deepening Roots." We hope that this resource will provide the guidance you and your community need to grow, moving from initial interest to deep and continued commitment.

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PLANTING SEEDS
NURTURING GROWTH
DEEPENING ROOTS
Children & Youth
Clean Cleaning
Conversations & Classes
Creation Care Team
Energy
Food
Investments
Landscaping
Legislation
Media
Nature
Neighbor
Prayer & Meditation
Transportation
Voting
Waste Reduction
Water
Worship

PLANTING SEEDS Children & Youth

Youth classes, workdays, native plant sales, and other children's events are a great way to plant the seeds of creation care with the next generation.

NURTURING GROWTH Children & Youth

Youth camps and retreats focused on creation care expands young people's knowledge of nature and the environment.

DEEPENING ROOTS Children & Youth

Integrating teachings about creation care into regular programming reinforces that creation care values are central tenets of faith.

PLANTING SEEDS Clean Cleaning

Eliminating the use of cleaning supplies that include harmful or toxic chemicals is a great first step to greening your home and facilities.

NURTURING GROWTH Clean Cleaning

Once you've assessed the cleaning supplies that you are currently using, the next step is finding healthier, more environmentally friendly alternatives.

DEEPENING ROOTS Clean Cleaning

Maintain eco-friendly cleaning practices and encourage congregation and community members to use green cleaning supplies at home.

PLANTING SEEDS Conversations & Classes

Gathering to learn about creation care helps spread the word and foster an active and engaged community.

NURTURING GROWTH Conversations & Classes

Book studies and film series focuse on creation care helps deepen the knowledge of your congregation and community.

DEEPENING ROOTS Conversations & Classes

Don't just make it a one-time thing. Make your educational offerings a regular part of your congregation's calendar of offerings.

PLANTING SEEDS Creation Care Team

Gauging interest and gathering members of your congregation is the first step toward creating a Creation Care Team.

NURTURING GROWTH Creation Care Team

Establishing an active Creation Care Team that meets regularly allows for the coordination of the sustainability efforts at your congregation.

DEEPENING ROOTS Creation Care Team

Working with other Creation Care Teams in your region multiplies your impact and amplifies the message of creation care.

PLANTING SEEDS Energy

From lowering the temperature of your water heater to posting signs reminding people to turn off the lights when they leave the room — cutting your congregation's carbon footprint starts here.

NURTURING GROWTH Energy

LED lightbulbs and other more energy-efficient technologies might have higher up-front costs but will quickly pay for themselves in energy savings.

DEEPENING ROOTS Energy

Make your facilities part of the clean energy infrastructure network by installing solar panels or EV charging stations. Advocate for policies that make clean energy accessible to all.

PLANTING SEEDS Food

Begin exploring food sustainability and how it can benefit your congregation, community, and planet.

NURTURING GROWTH Food

Meet with your local farmers and food cooperatives, and see if you an source your pantries locally.

DEEPENING ROOTS Food

Go deeper by planting a community garden, hosting a farmers market, and working toward food justice.

PLANTING SEEDS Investments

The first step is to find out whether your congregation's investment portfolio is in line with your values.

NURTURING GROWTH Investments

Learn about responsible investment options that support clean and renewable energy, fossil fuel divestment, and environmental justice.

DEEPENING ROOTS Investments

Continue the work by divesting from fossil fuels and reinvesting in sustainable solutions that are in line with your values.

PLANTING SEEDS Landscaping

Get to know the land where you worship and live, the species that call it home, and how it impacts our community.

NURTURING GROWTH Landscaping

The choices we make about what we plant and how we maintain our landscaping can have wider affects on wildlife, forests, and our environment.

DEEPENING ROOTS Landscaping

Start a community garden, make your land available for farming or affordable housing, and turn congregational property a public asset.

PLANTING SEEDS Legislation

Brush up on your civics and learn how you can influence government and pass laws in line with creation care through the democratic process.

NURTURING GROWTH Legislation

Get active and support creation care aligned policies and reforms through advocacy and outreach to your elected leaders.

DEEPENING ROOTS Legislation

Get involved in the political process by attending advisory boards and commissions, join a political party, or volunteer on an election campaign.

PLANTING SEEDS Media

Let the world know about the work your faith community is doing to advance Creation Care and provide valuable resources and stories.

NURTURING GROWTH Media

Make Creation Care and environmental stewardship a regular feature of your congregational communications.

DEEPENING ROOTS Media

Spread the word to the wider community, promote the Creation Care work of your congregation, and encourage others to get involved.

PLANTING SEEDS Nature

Get out into nature, familiarize yourself with native flora and fauna, and get inspired by the Creation around us.

NURTURING GROWTH Nature

Help foster an appreciation of nature among your fellow parishioners, friends and family by hosting a nature event.

DEEPENING ROOTS Nature

Reach out to your wider community and offer a nature event, Earth Day Vigil, or a prayer service that is open to the public.

PLANTING SEEDS Prayer & Meditation

Explore the Creation Care principles within your own faith tradition through text and field trips to sacred places.

NURTURING GROWTH Prayer & Meditation

Make Creation a regular focus of you and your congregation's prayer and meditation practice.

DEEPENING ROOTS Prayer & Meditation

Connect more of your faith groups worship services, children's activities, and special events to fostering a committed Creation Care community.

PLANTING SEEDS Transportation

Reduce your fossil fuel consumption by reducing the amount of car trips you take, carpooling, and taking public transportation.

NURTURING GROWTH Transportation

Help your congregation learn about and access alternative, more eco-friendly forms of transportation.

DEEPENING ROOTS Transportation

Support development principles and infrastructure investments that reduce the need to commute long distances by car.

PLANTING SEEDS Voting

Bridging partisanship and artificial divides begins with listening with compassion.

NURTURING GROWTH Voting

Find out the deadline for registering, primary and general election dates and help get out the Creation Care vote.

DEEPENING ROOTS Voting

Help lower barriers to voting and advocate for the protection of voting rights and our democratic institutions.

PLANTING SEEDS Waste Reduction

Reducing the waste we generate starts with reducing our consumption, especially of single-use plastics.

NURTURING GROWTH Waste Reduction

Find out how to recycle and give a second life to the things you do buy. Take part in litter cleanups.

DEEPENING ROOTS Waste Reduction

Organize your community to reduce the use of single-use plastics and styrofoam. Support plastic reduction policies at the state level.

PLANTING SEEDS Water

Assess how much and how water is used by your congregation to identify where step can be taken to conserve.

NURTURING GROWTH Water

Upgrade your water systems, fix leaks, and take part in workdays to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff.

DEEPENING ROOTS Water

Become a water guardian by making a more significant commitment of time and resources to protecting water quality.

PLANTING SEEDS Worship

Make nature and care for Creation a centerpiece of your worship services and faith practice.

NURTURING GROWTH Worship

Move Creation Care from an occasional topic to a regular theme of your faith teachings and sermons.

DEEPENING ROOTS Worship

Work to make Creation Care a central pillar of your faith community.

PLANTING SEEDS Neighbor

Being a good neighbor starts with honoring and respecting our community's diversity and unique histories.

NURTURING GROWTH Neighbor

Develop your skills and competencies as an ally to marginalized communities and those most affected by pollution and climate change.

DEEPENING ROOTS Neighbor

Stay plugged and involved in issues affecting marginalized communities and those most at risk from climate change.

Toolkit

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