Eco-Palms
Orders have opened for 2016. Order Deadline is February 20, 2016
Confirmation and Delivery
I want to:
Track my shipment: Log in to the Eco-Palms website and click on your tracking number.
Find my order number: Check the inbox of the email account you supplied with your order. The order number arrived the day you placed your order.
Confirm that my check arrived: Call (612) 624-7418.
Thanks for your support!
Congregations that order Eco-Palms will receive an email from Eco-Palms containing your order number the day you placed your order. The week before Palm Sunday (March 14-18) customers can use the website to log in to their account and click on their tracking number and go straight to the FedEx tracking page.
If you can not access your tracking number that week, please contact Eco-Palms staff by email or call 651-487-7189.
Nearly 1,000 PC(USA) congregations ordered Eco-Palms in 2015! Joining with congregations from other denominations, churches across the United States will be waving almost 1 million Eco-Palms this Palm Sunday. Working together, we do make a difference!
Eco-Palms Materials for Your Congregation
Download materials such as our bulletin insert, a 3-minute educational video, power points, brochures and more.
Care Instructions
When your palms arrive, please open the box to make sure they are in good condition. You should store them in a cool location (such as a refrigerator or cool basement) and trim the stems 2-3 inches and place them upright in water (as you would a vase of flowers) until Palm Sunday. It is imperative you open the box immediately and air the palms out in order to prevent them from molding or deteriorating.
2016 Eco-Palms Pricing
Case Size Price Shipping
Bunch (18-20 palms) $6.30 $11.50 total shipping (not by number of bunches)
Small Case (170-200 palms) $56.55 $14.50 per case
Medium Case (260-300 palms) $76.10 $20.55 per case
Large Case (530-600 palms) $144.35 $26.50 per case
Eco-Palms by the numbers
2015
In 2015, 995 PC(USA) congregations purchased Eco-Palms for Palm Sunday. 2015 orders totaled more than 183,640 palm fronds purchased by Presbyterians.
Altogether 4216 U.S. congregations ordered Eco-Palms in 2015, ensuring that over 965,840 palm fronds were harvested sustainably this season.
Make social and environmental justice part of your congregation’s worship
The great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13)
Production of eco-palms begins in forested areas of Mexico and Guatemala where workers, known as xaterros (sha-tare-rows), walk miles into the forest to harvest palm branches. Photo courtesy of Lutheran World Relief.
Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, accented by the jubilant waving of palm branches, is re-enacted each Palm Sunday in Presbyterian and other Christian congregations worldwide as Holy Week observances begin. Unfortunately for the communities where these palms are harvested, palm fronds do not always represent the same jubilation they do for us.
In 2007 the PC(USA) teamed up with Lutheran World Relief, Catholic Relief Services and the University of Minnesota to offer congregations the option of purchasing responsibly harvested Eco-Palm branches for Palm Sunday. The palms come from communities in Mexico and Guatemala where workers are paid fairly and engage in sustainable harvesting in order to protect the local ecosystem. Learn more about the benefits of Eco-Palms.
Learn about about your Eco-Palms Carbon Footprint.
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.
