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Biblical stories paint a colorful picture of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, with crowds enthusiastically greeting him by waving palms and carpeting his path with fronds from the plant.

That color is increasingly green -- figuratively, at least -- with more Catholic and Protestant denominations using "eco-palms" harvested in an environmentally friendlier and less wasteful way.

About 600,000 eco-palms were ordered for Sunday's celebration, USA Today reports, representing about 1.5 percent of the 35 million to 40 million palms sold annually for services in the United States.

The trend seems to be gaining interest in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.

This will be the second year the congregation at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Shadyside, will distribute them.

"I think the emphasis of a congregation's using eco-palms is the joy of knowing our liturgy is supporting low-income workers, their communities and the earth," says the Rev. Janet Grill, pastor. "And it is worth the cost to pay a little more to help to care for our environment."

Bruce Randolph, owner of the Pittsburgh-based Business Communications Resources, who has worked with many diverse Christian faith traditions for more than 15 years, says the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation is one of the organizations making an effort to guarantee that the palms sold to churches, coming primarily from forests in South America, are harvested in a fashion that is friendly to the environment and does not take unfair advantage of the native people who are doing the work.

The commission reports that limiting the amount of palms taken for sale prevents over-harvest, which not only depletes native wild species of palms but also harms indigenous forest growth balances.

"Programs like eco-palms give churches the opportunity to be intentional about implementing a spiritual calling, such as taking care of our planet," Randolph says.

What makes the eco-palms different is the way they are harvested, according to RaeLynn Jones Loss, a research specialist at the University of Minnesota.

More than 50 percent of the palms are wasted by traditional methods, Jones Loss says. Harvesters in the eco-palm program are trained to be more selective. They cut only the best fronds, resulting in 5 percent to 10 percent waste.

About 25 percent of the eco-palm program's proceeds go back to the communities where they were harvested, paying for things such as scholarships, Jones Loss says.

The eco-palms can cost more, depending on the type. A typical order of 200 eco-palms costs $47.50, Jones Loss says, compared to $21-$23 for traditional palms.

Members of St. Andrew have been pleased with the new approach, Grill says.

"It is especially wonderful for children, because they are more fun to wave and harder to stick in someone's eyes," she says, laughing. "This is an opportunity to teach them about taking care of the world God has given us."

That's one of the reasons that the Rev. Emil Payer, pastor of St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Roman Catholic Church, Kittanning, requests eco-palms from suppliers.

It also is about an ongoing effort to find new ways to protect the environment, he says.

"God gave us all of the wonders of creation, and we have an obligation to protect the resources and use them wisely," he says.

The Rev. Larry Kemp, pastor of Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Castle Shannon, likes the idea, too, and suggests that his congregation will consider it next year. "This is the type of effort that fits into our desire to be good stewards of creation," he says.

Sue Black, an elder in Congruity Presbyterian Church, Jeannette, and congregational support coordinator for the Greensburg-based Presbytery of Redstone, Presbyterian Church (USA), says her denomination tries to be at the forefront of ecological-justice issues. Redstone has 85 congregations in Westmoreland, Fayette, Somerset and Cambria counties.

She believes publicity and education are needed to make more churches aware of the availability of eco-palms.

"The intent to be good stewards of the environment is strong," she says.

The Rev. Erin Cox-Holmes, associate general presbyter of the Kiskiminetas Presbytery, based in Yatesboro, expects some of its 88 congregations to take part in the program next year.

"We will certainly use eco-palms next year," says the Rev. Robert Wilson, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh. "We strive to find ways to be aware of our destructive patterns of living and seek to change," he says.

The Rev. Brian Evans, pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran, White Oak, says the faith community should be leading society toward more sustainable practices.

"But, generally speaking, we are woefully negligent," he says.

The Rev. Peter Goetschius, pastor of Poke Run Presbyterian Church, Washington Township, sees eco-palms as a small effort on the part of the church to make a statement that it cares for the earth.

It is why the Lutheran World Relief Organization is encouraging its congregations to support the eco-palms trend, says the Rev. Kirk Bish of McCandless, assistant to the bishop and synod secretary of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"We view creation as a gift from God," he says.

Sue Washburn, communications consultant for the Redstone Presbytery, and a church elder, agrees.

"We need to be intentional and educated about our consumerism -- from the cars we buy to the coffee we drink to the palms we wave."

USA Today contributed to this report.

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