Genesis Covenant Task Force

The Genesis Covenant Task Force is a working group of the BCE. Its task is to help churches in the diocese meet the challenge of the Genesis Covenant. The Genesis Covenant was passed at General Convention this year; it commits the Episcopal Church to reduce the carbon footprints of all its facilities by 50% within 10 years.

Because the Genesis Covenant was proposed by the Diocese of Olympia, the Task Force has been working for over a year to test ways of calculating emissions from energy use and to test ways of reducing carbon footprints. The Task Force spent time learning how carbon emissions are measured and about ways the emissions can be reduced. It tested a carbon calculator at six churches. The Task Force also oversaw a project with Seattle City Light at four churches to test how retrofits of lighting might reduce carbon footprints.

The Task Force is now ready to recommend the use of three carbon calculators: the EPA's Portfolio Manager for Houses of Worship: Interfaith Power and Light's Cool Congregations: or Seattle Climate Partnership's calculator. Each of the calculators has different features which may make it a better fit for a particular parish. The Task Force will be providing information to help churches make the choice of calculator and providing hands-on training early in 2010. If your church would like to be one of the first to step out in faith and implement the Genesis Covenant, let us know.

For more information please contact Patricia Helmer