For many, the movement to "go green" can seem superficial.
But that's not the case for Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Howard County, Maryland. The church, which has been an institution in the county since its founding in 1894, has made a lifelong commitment to sustainability. And in the 121 years since its founding, that legacy of environmental stewardship has helped the church flourish.
In 2014, Emmanuel received Interfaith Power and Light's Cool Congregation Blue Medallion certification, awarded to churches with demonstrated commitments to carbon footprint reduction. And through their Green Team's hard work, they've switched the full church (and numerous congregation members) over to 100% wind power with Groundswell!
A few weeks ago, we stopped by Emmanuel UMC to speak with Liz Feighner, congregation member and head of the church's Green Team. Feighner has been a Laurel, MD local for over 20 years, and is a longtime volunteer with HoCo Climate Change and Transition Howard County, two local environmental groups. She knows closely the amount of work Emmanuel congregation members have put into the climate change movement.
“Green is a big part of what we do here," she says.
While we were in the area, Feighner offered to show us an up-close look at their sustainability successes.