Petition Text: 22462-CS-NonDis-O

The United Methodist Church is committed to protecting and preserving the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church reminds us that "all creation is the Lord's and we are responsible for ways in which we use or abuse it" (¶ 70). Many of our churches already sponsor recycling and other "environment friendly" projects.

We commend to our churches and United Methodist families a new, "human scale" program to help save the earth. The Global Action Plan, based in Woodstock, New York, along with local organizations nationwide, sponsors the Household EcoTeam Program. This program can be organized by small groups of friends, family members, neighbors, or co-workers, who form an EcoTeam to support one another in working on monthly action areas such as reducing garbage, improving home water and energy efficiency, Eco-wise consuming, etc. There is a parallel program for children, "Journey for the Planet." Workbooks and other materials are available to EcoTeams at nominal cost.

The Household EcoTeam Program is similar in many ways to the Methodist Class System, which did so much to energize and build the Methodist Church. This same organizational method can now be used in local churches to preserve and protect the environment and to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

We commend the EcoTeam Program to our churches and direct the General Board of Church and Society to make information on it available to the Church.

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Petition Text: 22462-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference