'Green' church moves heaven, earth closer
January 8, 2008
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January 7, 2007
SHELBURNE, Vt. — All Souls Interfaith Gathering has a reputation for being all-inclusive.
The small congregation, founded in 1999, recognizes just about every faith you can think of. No one is turned away. And that includes Mother Earth.
ASIG prides itself on being one of the greenest churches in one of the greenest of states, and nothing proves that more than its spanking new sanctuary building, which opened in October.
It's a model for ecological correctness: locally harvested wood, bamboo flooring, compact fluorescent lights and a furnace that will heat the facility using grass, corn or wood pellets. The congregation expects to go through 30 to 35 tons of wood pellets this first winter in the new building.
Even the air conditioning is provided by using water from an artesian well...
It's all part of a trend in the religious world in which more worshipers are looking to save the environment as part of their spiritual journey.
Dozens of ecumenical groups are tackling everything from global warming to "eco-palms" for Palm Sunday services. The National Religious Partnership for the Environment, for instance, says it represents 100 million Americans, an alliance of major faiths combining religion and ecology.
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