Eco-Palms by the numbers
 In 2011 more than 800 PC(USA) congregations purchased Eco-Palms for Palm Sunday (a ten percent increase over 2010). 2011 orders totaled more than 150,000 palm fronds purchased by Presbyterians.
Altogether 3,556 U.S. congregations ordered Eco-Palms in 2011, ensuring that more than 800,000 palm fronds were harvested sustainably last season. Eco-Palms purchases provide fair wages, environmental protection and development assistance for impoverished harvesting communities in Guatemala and Mexico.
Why order Eco-Palms?
- Approximately 300 million palm fronds are consumed in the United States annually.
- A congregation of 1,250 members orders approximately 700 fronds for Palm Sunday services.
- Eco-palms are purchased directly from harvesters at five to six times the normal payment per frond.
- Your purchase of eco-palms helps improve standards of living and protect forests.
Eco-Palms and your church: your role in supporting social and environmental justice
More than 300 million palm fronds are harvested each year for U.S. consumption alone — most of them for Palm Sunday, but also for floral displays for church-related events. Your congregation’s commitment to purchase eco-palms plays an important role in protecting forests, local jobs, and sustainable livelihoods in the harvesting communities.
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