Level Two

Celebrate

1. Incorporate prayers for the planet into your worship service on a regular basis.
2. Plant trees at your house of worship or in an urban area that needs more trees. Dedicate the trees with a prayer service.

Educate

1. Begin conversations with members and leaders about divestment of church funds from fossil fuel exploration and extraction and other environment-sensitive investments. Contact IREJN to schedule a presentation on divestment.
2. Organize intergenerational environmental programs, such as trail/beach clean-up and hikes in your area. Save the Sound and CT River Conservancy offer shore and river clean-ups throughout the year. Connect with the CT Land Conservation Council to find your local land trust.
3. Institute “Walk/bike/carpool to service” days.
4. Find more opportunities for children and youth to support environmental action, conservation and sustainability.
5. Host a book group for your community.

Reduce

1. Shift communications from paper to electronic media
2. Ban styrofoam from use.
3. Shift to organic lawncare and native plants and grasses.
4. Shift to reusable dishes and utensils.
5. Insulate/weather-strip pipes/walls/ceilings/doors/water heaters.
6. Shift to environmentally sensitive cleaning products.
7. Install low-energy LED exit and emergency lighting signs with Techniart.
8. Schedule a building energy audit with your utility through the Small Business Energy Audit Program with Energize CT. Dive into collecting data to track your baseline energy use.  Document actions by recording participation, results and possible revisions or next steps.  Take pictures.
9. Run a weatherization campaign for individuals through the Home Energy Solutions program with Energize CT with a goal of 50% of your congregation’s households participating. Encourage your house of worship participate in IREJN’s Home Energy Assessment Competition.
10. Install and use programmable thermostats.
11. Develop a car pool system for activities conducted by your faith community.
12. Purchase clean energy for your buildings through your utility.
13. Install a bike rack at your house of worship.

Connect & Advocate

1. Promote IREJN’s statement “The Time is Now: The Theological Basis for Saving the Planet.”
2. Get involved with local and regional environmental and conservation organizations like Sierra Club, 350.org, the League of Conservation Voters, Audubon, the Sunrise Movement or IPL’s “Cool Congregations.”
3. Promote a partnership model between your congregation and environmental justice communities, following their lead in taking action on environmental issues. 
4. Track environmental legislation during the Connecticut legislative session and support it with letters to the editor, testimony in public hearings, and calls/emails to legislators.