As the global green movement spreads, several religions are joining the efforts of environmentalists and become more eco-friendly while encouraging followers to do the same.

The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have an average age of 86 years old, however the relatively new notion of environmentally-friendly living isn't lost on them. They recently spent $56 million to convert their 280-acre site into a sustainable facility and have added more than 200 holes, each 450 feet deep to create a geothermal unit, using the internal temperature of the earth to provide heating and cooling to the mother house. They have also installed energy-efficient bulbs in the lighting fixtures, as well as eco-friendly flooring and recycled doors, windows and bricks. Their rennovations has resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in water usage and the heating bill, which has saved over $200,000 each year.

The sisters aren't the only ones taking action. A Jewish rabbi and the minister of a baptist church have also taken measures to introduce sustainable practices to their staff and patrons, such as making meeting venues energy efficient, encouraging employees to shut down computers each night and showing members how they can introduce green living at home.

Unfortunately MSNBC uses subpar embed code, so you can't watch the video report directly on Ecollo, but hit the jump to see the clip and learn more about the motivation of religious leaders to increase environmental awareness amongst their believers.

» MSNBC