Georgia Interfaith Power & Light Announces Inaugural ReWilding Grant Recipients

Dec 16

Decatur, Ga. — Faith-based environmental nonprofit, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), has awarded over $11,000 to twelve congregations across Georgia to pilot a new ReWilding program for sacred grounds. Sustainable land use is a pivotal and often overlooked climate solution. Projects across these congregations include invasive species removal, vegetable gardens that will supplement food pantries, native plants and pollinators, and rain gardens. These solutions manage food production, restore natural habitats, and help mitigate the worst impacts of rising temperatures and climate change.

Award Recipients include Ahavath Achim Synagogue (Atlanta), Antioch Baptist Church (Albany), Cumming First United Methodist Church, Chestnut Ridge Christian Church (Marietta), Fayetteville First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church LaGrange, Morningside Presbyterian Church (Atlanta), Roswell Community Masjid, Temple Beth Tikvah (Roswell), St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Columbus), St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (LaGrange), and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta.

“We know investment in the ecological health of faith communities has a rippling effect—improving the physical, spiritual, and financial well-being of entire neighborhoods and ecosystems,” says GIPL’s Program Director, Hannah Shultz. “When you plant more trees or build vegetable gardens, you offer new life to a community.”

A second round of grant applications will open in Spring 2025. Visit gipl.org/rewilding to learn more.

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Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that inspires and equips communities of faith to organize, implement practical climate solutions, and advocate across Georgia on issues of climate change, environmental justice, and community resilience. An affiliate of the national Interfaith Power and Light movement, GIPL envisions a Georgia where all people can flourish in a healthy environment, a stable climate, and resilient communities.