The award-winning environmental ministry of Haygood United Methodist Church in Atlanta got started in 2007, when the climate gave congregant and stay-at-home mom Willa Paton-Smith a wake-up call. “We were experiencing a level-four drought and record temperatures, and it just felt like this is something we should be concerned about,” she told Sojourners. Today, the Green Team she leads is helping sustainability spread throughout the church’s ministries, from reusable mugs at coffee hour to a recycling plant tour during Vacation Bible School. Greening your church building can mean not only shrinking its carbon footprint, but also hosting educational events and getting active in policy advocacy. “Coming out of these things, there’s always some political problem that has to be dealt with,” says Paul Burks, a retired minister and leader in the Earthkeeping Task Force at Christ Church, a United Methodist congregation in Santa Rosa, California. So how can you get started?
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