Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability

A Biblical Foundation for Creation Care

Humanity was made to reflect God in action, in wise and loving stewardship, in delight, and in great interest for the good of what He made.

Students are emerging from the academy into a culture that is increasingly separated from the natural world and divided philosophically as to its value.

As the rest of the creation permeates our daily lives, the Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability certificate program at Covenant cultivates student’s abilities to...

   articulate a faithful perspective on the physical world

   pursue creation care personally as a commitment to reconciliation

   become vocational leaders in the growing environmental workforce

General Requirements

Four semesters of participation in Campus Stewardship Committee (CSC)
40 hours of environmentally-relevant public service
Organize and implement at least one of the following: a public-speaking engagement, a reading group, or a sustainability initiative or service project

Course Requirements

Complete one course in each of the following categories:

Cultural/Social Perspectives
Historical Perspectives
Scientific Perspectives

Complete the following during senior year, spring semester:

BIO 383: Interdisciplinary Seminar in Environmental Stewardship

View the course catalog for details

Program Support

Covenant's campus is situated in the mountains of southern Appalachia. Students take advantage of the diverse expertise of faculty and community partnerships including the City of Lookout Mountain, the Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga Audubon Society, the National Park Service, and others.

Courses are also supplemented by the Au Sable Institute with programs ranging from Northern Michigan, Washington State, Costa Rica, and India that offer faith-based perspectives on all dimensions of creation care.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
- Genesis 1:26

Integration of Faith & Learning

Students who complete the certificate requirements will be uniquely equipped to:

live in the church as sources of interest and wisdom in stewarding creation well
serve as leaders in the community with interest/practical knowledge concerning individual and systemic sustainability solutions
heal broken relationships between the church and other stakeholders over environmental concerns

Listen as Dr. Heath Garris discusses the science and politics of climate change and how the church can respond to the challenges of this potentially divisive issue.