The Au Sable Institute, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Consumers Energy Foundation, is seeking five houses of worship to participate in the Sacred Grounds initiative. The program is designed to mobilize people of faith to better understand their responsibility in caring for the earth. Houses of worship receive technical assistance, planning support, and native plants to install gardens on their property or within their neighborhood. The deadline to apply is March 17, 2023, and a copy of the application can be downloaded by clicking here.
“We’ve been really pleased with the success of the Sacred Grounds program bringing houses of worship and community members together across faiths and other differences around the common, shared interest of caring for the earth and caring for each other,” said Manja Holland, NWF Habitat and Education Manager. “Au Sable Institute’s decades of educating students in northern Michigan about the environment and their established connections to communities of faith makes them a great partner for this program.”
The Sacred Grounds program is a component of Au Sable’s Good Things Grow Here initiative which aims to implement 50 community led habitat restoration projects throughout northern Michigan by 2024. Support for this project has been generously provided through a Planet Award of the Consumers Energy Foundation.
“Houses of worship are cornerstones of our communities. People look to them for spiritual guidance, perspective, and leadership. We need faith communities to lead the way in caring for the earth if we hope to influence behavior and affect change.” says Paul Wiemerslage, project manager for Au Sable Institute.
Houses of worship located in Grand Traverse, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Crawford counties are eligible for participation Five houses will be selected to participate in the program. Each house of worship will be awarded up to $4000 in native plants and technical assistance from Au Sable Institute to construct their garden. Interested houses of worship should contact Paul at 231-587-8686 or email paul.w@ausable.org for more information and to learn about how to get involved. Houses of worship outside of the funded area are still encouraged to inquire about participation. A full announcement of the opportunity is here.