Date of interview: November 2, 2004
Reverend Peter Anderson
Size of congregation: 180
Denomination: Independent
Interview with congregants: Debbie Moltrop, Gary Davis, Barry & Kelly King, Ann Gnagey & Tom Baribault, and Nancy Carey

Activities: In the preliminary phone interview with Pastor Anderson, he explained that the congregation itself does not have very many environmental initiatives, but that most of the earth-care actions taken are by individual congregants in their daily lives. He said that he encourages congregants to live simply on the earth and to "live out their Christian faith in a lifestyle that honors God."

He mentioned that he encourages participation in Green-Up Day, a day of voluntary action across Vermont to pick up litter and clean up our environment that takes place each spring. However, the congregation does not have an organized group that participates in this project.

Motivations: Many of the congregants with whom we spoke during the in-depth interview cited religious motivations for the environmental initiatives that they take in their individual lives. Some of these congregants are involved in the dairy industry and try to protect their land by keeping their cows out of rivers in order to avoid water pollution or using the methane from the cow manure to produce electricity or compost. Other congregants with whome we spoke are involved in other environmental fields such as wildlife rehabilitation or the production or renewable energy technology.

Challenges: One of the challenges that these congregants mentioned facing on an individual level was dealing with the stereotypes surrounding "alternative" lifestyles. They also mentioned the physical challenges of living with fewer amenities.

Finally, a few of these congregants mentioned the importance of creating a distinction between caring for the earth and worshipping the earth. They mentioned that the earth is God's creation and therefore we must work to minimize our impacts on it and not damage it through our actions, but we must also remember to only worship God and not God's creations.

Interfaith Environmental Awareness and Action in Vermont:
A Service Learning Project with Vermont Interfaith Power & Light