Michael Schut, Episcopal Church Economic and Environmental Affairs Officer, announced two milestones regarding the partnership between the Episcopal Church and GreenFaith.

First, he said, generous tuition subsidies are still available. And, thanks to the positive initial response, the deadline for applications has been extended to May 1 for participation with GreenFaith.

In 2010, the Episcopal Church partnered with GreenFaith, a leading national religious environmental group, to assist churches of all sizes in their efforts to “go green.”

“The initial launch of our collaboration with GreenFaith’s Certification Program generated a lot of enthusiasm – over 50 parishes or organizations expressed interest,” Schut explained.

Goals of this partnership, Schut explained, include supporting the development of faithful, strong environmental leadership; helping congregations learn to reduce their operating costs; and modeling creation care, spirituality and justice throughout a congregation’s life and practice.

The GreenFaith Certification Program is a two-year, holistic process engaging an entire congregation through education, worship, environmental justice advocacy, building and grounds, and developing relationships with the larger interfaith community. Among the tools and resources provided by GreenFaith to participating churches are webinars, web-based resources, and phone/email support.

Tuition subsidies

The Economic/Environmental Affairs Office and GreenFaith are underwriting 50% of the tuition of 30 churches nationwide, enabling selected churches to enroll for a total discounted cost of $250 – $750. For more information about the subsidies, visit

http://greenfaith.org/success-stories/episcopal-church-partnership-certification

Application deadline for tuition subsidies for the program is May 1.

Webinars

GreenFaith is offering free hour-long webinars to help congregational leadership understand the program and to answer questions and address concerns.

“Sign-up for one of the upcoming webinars to find out how you can join this holistic two-year greening program,” Schut said. “It’s well supported by excellent staff and has the potential to save your congregation money as well as re-vitalize ministry within your community.”

Webinars will be held:

Thursday, February 10, 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central/6:30 pm Mountain/5:30 pm Pacific/4:30 pm Alaska/3:30 pm Hawaii.

Wednesday, February 16, 3 pm Eastern/2 pm Central/1 pm Mountain/noon Pacific/11 am/10 am Hawaii.

Recordings of the webinars will be available online afterwards for those institutions that cannot participate.

To participate in the webinars, contact Stacey Kennealy, skennealy@greenfaith.org.

According to GreenFaith’s Executive Director, the Rev. Fletcher Harper, the program is the nation’s first interfaith environmental certification program designed specifically for houses of worship. The program empowers churches, mosques and temples to become strong environmental leaders by carrying out a substantial number of environmental leadership activities over a two year period