This is a video study of how resources and health have been distributed over the planet in the last 200 years!
If you have watched the SoL Course Listings in the last couple of years, you will know that we have been studying ways to "Green Our Organization." We are looking at the whole gamut of things we can do to affect our church's contributions and responsibilities for environmental stewardship, and we want to make recycling and energy efficiency hallmarks of UPC's relationship to God's creation.
You will know that, after services, ushers pickup bulletins and paper for recycling. You will have observed that we are trying to make our AC and heating more programmatic rather than simple thermostat cranking. The CE Building, Admin Building, and the Children's Center have programmable thermostats, but the Sancturary is, for now, a slightly different system that sometimes requires physical change.
You will have seen the wonderful garden of plants that Lucy maintains between the CE and the Admin buildings. You will note that we have bins in the kitchens for recycling of plastics and glass, and the Admin workroom has a large green container (by the copy machine) for recyclable paper. You can see the two trash cans outside the Administration building for Glass and Plastics, and thanks to Trinity (Mike Schweitzer), our "recyclables" are being picked up and processed by them. Anastasia recycles ink jet cartridges in her office, Bill Spinks recycles computers and cell phones, and there is a tub in the Admin workroom for recycling household batteries. Our goal is to make our church even more green.
So featured here will be some of the projects, activities, resources, and goals that come with greening our congregation. Please help us, and if you have suggestions for resources or projects, please email the church and the staff will begin to consider them. We have not, contrary to Presbyterian fashion, yet organized a committee for this, but we are increasingly committed to being more environmentally friendly in our operation and our mission. If recycling and greening are part of your passion, please let the church office know, but in the mean time -- reduce, reuse, and recycle!
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Green
How can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time? Staff members at the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental organization, share ideas on how to GO GREEN and SAVE GREEN at home and at work.
Climate change is in the news. It seems like everyone's "going green." We're glad you want to take action, too. Luckily, many of the steps we can take to stop climate change can make our lives better. Our grandchildren-and their children-will thank us for living more sustainably. Let's start now.
We've partnered with the Million Car Carbon Campaign to help you find ways to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint. This campaign is uniting conscious consumers around the world to prevent the emissions-equivalent of 1 million cars from entering the atmosphere each year.
Keep reading for 10 simple things you can do today to help reduce your environmental impact, save money, and live a happier, healthier life.
Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.
Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.
Save water to save money.
Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.
Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.
Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.
Eat smart.
If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs.
Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free.
Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.
When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't.
Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.
Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.
Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.
Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.
Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you'll be happy when you don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).
Keep electronics out of the trash.
Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible.
Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem.
“We are trying to have workers become as trendy as local and organic has become in the industry,” Saru Jayaraman, co-director and co-founder of ROC, told us. “It’s going to take the three stakeholders - workers, good employers, and consumers - working together to actually change things."
Her name is Cynthia Neftin, and she is the owner of Oxnard, California-based Café Nefola, whose motto is “healthy, local, fresh and natural.” An additional tag line – “from fat to fit, this is it” – leaves returning customers and new visitors in no doubt as to the restaurant’s orientation.
"People are realizing that we can't rely on the industrial food system much longer. The awakening that's happening is our greatest opportunity," says New Mexican farmer and activist Miguel Santistevan. This awakening has sparked the revival of local, sustainable food systems.
The world quietly reached a milestone in the evolution of the human diet in 2011. For the first time in modern history, world farmed fish production topped beef production. The gap widened in 2012, with output from fish farming—also called aquaculture—reaching a record 66 million tons, compared with production of beef at 63 million tons. And 2013 may well be the first year that people eat more fish raised on farms than caught in the wild.
You care about the environment, you shop at farmers markets regularly, and you’ve even invested in low-flow toilets for every bathroom in your home. There's more you can do... if you're willing to get a little weird.
Cool off this summer with a batch of all-natural, homemade fruit and herb infused water. There’s no need for pricey equipment or shopping lists; only your favorite produce, water and a container.
Think an environmental protest song has to involve a performer like the guy above? Guess again: "Habeas Corpus / Home at Bay" speaks to concerns surrounding the Keystone XL pipeline through a dance/rap fusion.
Pork is by far China’s favorite protein, which helps to explain the late-May announced acquisition of U.S. meat giant Smithfield Foods Inc., the world’s leading pork producer, by the Chinese company Shuanghui International, owner of China’s largest meat processor. China already buys more than 60 percent of the world’s soybean exports to feed to its own livestock and has been a net importer of pork for the last five years. Now the move for Chinese companies is to purchase both foreign agricultural land and food-producing companies outright.
Interested in learning how to build a house by hand with centuries-old timber framing techniques? Then consider taking part in this 10-day workshop at Dancing Rabbit ecovillage in August.
Native peoples’ efforts to protect their crop varieties and agricultural heritage in the US go back 500 years to when the Spanish conquistadors arrived. Today, Native communities throughout the US are reclaiming and reviving land, water, seeds, and traditional food and farming practices, thereby putting the culture back in agriculture and agriculture back in local hands.
We have the technologies for a global clean economy, but they will not deploy in significant numbers without greater public policy certainty and incentives,” said Andrew Liveris Chairman and CEO, The Dow Chemical Company.“Even without the optimal policy environment, however, we are investing in energy efficiency, in research, development and the deployment of clean technologies, and we are designing innovative financing mechanisms to support investments.” Read more here
