The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints works to care not only for people in need but also for the earth.
Caring for the earth is closely tied to caring for those in need. Individual and community well-beings are connected to a healthy natural environment, making environmental sustainability an integral part of the Church’s mission, explains the section on environmental stewardship in the Church’s Caring for Those in Need 2024 Summary.
In 2024, the Church expanded its Sustainability Office, which coordinates global initiatives through these key priorities:
- Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.
- Conserving water.
- Avoiding material waste.
- Minimizing transportation emissions.
- Designing and constructing sustainable buildings.
- Practicing sustainable agriculture and ranching.
In a 2024 address about environmental stewardship, Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé said that as members of the Church, “we seek to minister to our neighbors — near and far — to make the world a better place for all."
The Church’s sustainability manager, Jenica Sedgwick, works under the direction of the Church’s Presiding Bishopric, which manages all of the operations of the Church — meetinghouses, temples, distribution, bishops’ storehouses, welfare and self-reliance operations, humanitarian work and other investments.
“The thing that we focus on is how to integrate the principle of environmental stewardship, or sustainability and our care of the earth, into the daily normal business operations of the Church,” Sedgwick said on the Church News podcast. “So it’s not a separate silo, it’s not something we think about on the side. This is really a priority that is being integrated into the way that the Church operates.”
Humanitarian work
Environmental sustainability is a component of many Church humanitarian projects, explains Caring.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Food security, energy independence and clean water access are all supported by greater climate adaptation and resiliency.
For example, in Uganda, the Church supported WaterAid in installing a motorized borehole to increase water access to villagers. In Sudan, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, with help from the Church, installed solar-powered water pumps and trained local water committee members in proper maintenance and management.
And in Kurdistan, the Church supported Catholic Relief Services’ effort to construct four schools powered by solar energy.
Materials Use
The Church is reducing waste to protect the environment and conserve resources, with current efforts aimed at reducing waste, repurposing materials and implementing sustainable practices.
The efforts include large-scale recycling, e-waste diversion and innovative reuse initiatives.
At the Church’s flagship printing center, all excess paper scraps are carefully bundled and returned to paper suppliers to be turned into new pulp.
Church stores in Latin America and Brazil are replacing plastic bags and packaging with biodegradable or reusable alternatives, using sustainably sourced wood and even making recylable T-shirts for youth conferences.
Reducing water usage
The Church is working to complete a water conservation project in 2025 that will enable a savings of an estimated 500 million gallons of water in its first full year of implementation.
The project involves installing smart irrigation controllers in more than 3,000 meetinghouses across six states in the western United States. It is one of several projects the Church is undertaking to conserve water at its properties worldwide.
The Church’s waterwise landscaping efforts on Temple Square have included planting 30% more trees, removing 35% of the landscape’s turf grass, adding more water-efficient plants to the flower beds and reducing the annual number of flowers and plants used in landscaping by 30%.
Solar panels and energy independence
The Church is striving to make its multiple properties on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, energy independent by 2026.
These properties include Brigham Young University–Hawaii, the Laie Hawaii Temple and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
For example, BYU–Hawaii already has approximately four acres of solar panels sitting atop the university’s parking structures and rooftops, with three battery banks for energy storage.
Hundreds of Church meetinghouses and buildings have solar panels installed around the world, with more projects expected to come online in the next few years.
Sedgwick said that as the Church’s Africa West Area, which includes Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone, adds more solar power and invests in batteries, the area has been able to use its buildings at night for BYU–Pathway Worldwide classes, missionary discussions or other events.
In Brazil, solar panels on the buildings have become a missionary tool — as people learn about the Church’s sustainability efforts, they want to learn more about the Church and the gospel, Sedgwick said.
What can people do to care for the earth?
As part of its Caring for Those in Need 2024 Summary, the Church listed the following ways that individuals can care for the earth.
- Use reusable or biodegradable bags and water bottles.
- Properly dispose of toxic waste, including batteries, medications and paint.
- Learn to repair or upcycle products instead of replacing them.
Several volunteer opportunities are listed on the JustServe platform — through JustServe.org and the JustServe app — where people can find ways to help care for the earth. And Global Youth Service Day and Global Youth Service Month are this April, allowing youth to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to help those in need and care for the earth.
