Who We Are:

Eco DioChicago is the Diocese of Chicago’s creation care committee, formed in August 2024 as a working group and made a committee at the 2025 Annual Diocesan Convention. Our group is committed to promoting care for creation and environmental justice as priorities for our diocese and parishes through growing connections, providing useful and encouraging resources, and advocating for our mission in the diocese and our parishes. 

Diocesan resolution F-187 gave Eco DioChicago the charge to: 

• Empower parishes to create and network with green teams/creation care teams,
• Share a guide of creation care theological resources, and 
• Create and share a guide to help parishes reach Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHz) emissions by 2030. 

Resources:

• Guide to Clean Energy Advocacy (March 2026)
  Empower your congregation to become effective advocates for clean energy policies and practices, with actionable steps to drive change in your community and beyond.
• Developing Your Congregation’s Green Team (March 2026)
  Learn how to start and build a dedicated and passionate Green Team within your congregation, equipped with tools and strategies to lead sustainability initiatives and inspire collective action.
• Eco Theology and Faith Formation Resources Guide (Published 2025)
  Deeply integrate creation care into your faith journey with this updated guide, offering theological reflections, educational materials, and practical resources for all ages.
• Green Churches Network: A Community List-serve (February 2026)
  Connect with like-minded episcopal communities, share best practices, and access a wealth of resources by joining this newly forming network of church Green Teams/advocates across the Diocese of Chicago. Email ecodiochicago@gmail.com to join.
• Coming Soon: Reaching Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions as a Church
  Stay tuned for a comprehensive roadmap to help your church achieve net-zero emissions, combining spiritual commitment with practical solutions for a sustainable future.

What We’re Working On:

• New! We are working on hiring a new part-time Grassroots Educator to assist with the Caring Light Campaign. Learn more.
• New! In March, we launched our newly developed Advocacy Guide and Creating a Green Team Guide!
• New! In February 2026 we started a Green Churches list-serve for the five congregations who received the Episcopal Charities Energy Audit Grant. This is a place to share resources with and encourage one another in our work to care for creation. Email ecodiochicago@gmail.com to join.
• In Fall 2025, Eco DioChicago launched the Caring Light campaign with Illinois Solar for All to educate communities and churches about solar resources for which they may qualify. This campaign runs through 2026. Learn more >>
• We continue to work on developing a Net-Zero Resource Guide, to help congregations achieve Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHz) by 2030 and to apply for grants to support that ongoing effort. This new resource should be coming to you in mid-2026.

Beginning Your Net-Zero Creation Care Journey

Congregations that achieve net-zero follow a tried and tested method:

1. Lean into the Theology of Caring for Creation and Find a congregation champion (often a lay leader with clergy support) to begin the work and to perhaps start a green team, either specific to your parish or a joint effort of nearby parishes that can occasionally meet virtually. Encourage your parish to start with spirituality of creation care, leveraging theological resources and perhaps joining creation care Compline. This is especially helpful to grow clergy support for prioritizing the next steps.
2. Obtain a professional energy audit. This should be the ASHRAE Level II comprehensive audit that covers much more than the simple level I audits offered by your utility. Eco DioChicago has resources and connections to help your parish find a h free or reduced cost level II audit.
3. Make a plan based on your audit report: look for low-hanging fruit initially for efficiency gains and also make plans for larger projects in a realistic timeframe.Eco DioChicago can provide you with a planning framework and sample Energy Savings Plan.
4. Start work on larger projects that will help significantly reduce your parish’s reliance on greenhouse gas emissions and save you money for years to come!

Connect with us:

Are you interested in getting involved or have some questions? You can reach out via email to Ellie Simpson or join our Facebook group @ Eco DioChicago