To become certified as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation churches take the "Earth Care Pledge" and complete activities and projects in the areas of worship, education, facilities, and outreach.

As part of our commitment to be stewards of God's earth, the Session of APC unanimously re-affirmed its 2018 approval of the Earth Care Pledge on January 21, 2024.

Atascocita Presbyterian Church's application for re-certification as a 2024 Earth Care Congregation was approved on March 3 by the Presbyterian Hunger Program of Presbyterian Church (USA). The Earth Care Team is pleased to have received this certification each year since 2018 showing APC's commitment to the Earth Care Pledge.

2025 is shaping up to be another busy year for the Earth Care Team:

• After starting a Community Garden in 2023 and getting the initial crop, our Community Garden Team is hard at work improving the soil and preparing for the spring planting (photo of fallow garden waiting for 2025 spring plantine). The 2024 harvest yielded 270 pounds of vegetables that were donated to HAAM (Humble Area Assistance Ministries for their food pantry. This spring there will be an opportunity for you to sign-up to help with the Garden.
• Continued conversion of classrooms and offices to efficient LED lighting and the use of programmable thermostats to reduce our electricity consumption.
• We'll continue our monthly articles in the Communicator newletter and our weekly "blurbs" in the Narthex News.
• We'll continue our Fifth Sunday worship focus (this year on March 30, June 29, September 28, and December 28) on Earth Care.
• The Faith Walk in the G.A.T.E. area is complete, There are stations of posts with devotionals posted on them. Bring your phone’s camera to stroll through the beauty of this quiet place alive with plants, trees, and God's creatures. Use your phone’s camera to pull up a QR code at each post to read or to listen to the meditation. This Faith Walk is designed for each of you as individuals or in small groups to wander and wonder. It is available at any time of day.
• Implementation of a battery recycling program for your all your batteries.
• Development of the second pollinator garden, this one on the west side of the building to complement the one on the east side, continues.
• Plans are being developed are:
  • present seminars on interesting Earth Care topics such as composting, how to properly recycle, recipes and cooking classes using vegetables from our Community Garden, and
  • informational Narthex displays about Earth Care.

We encourage you to do your part as Stewards of our Earth and we'd love to have you as a part of APC's Earth Care Team. We generally meet in Room 102 (or via ZOOM, upon request) on the second tuesday of alternating months at 5:30 PM. Consult the church calendar for our next meeting date or contact the church office for more information.