Trinity Presbyterian Church

Trinity’s Earth Shepherds & The Green News Trinity Times Submission October 2009 “ Christians are supposed not merely to endure change, nor even profit from it, but to cause it” ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick We will be leading the following three-week Adult Education Class on Oct. 4, 11, and 18: Creation: How to Care? Week 1: Air Pollution—What are its causes and effects? What can we do to help address it? This session will explore the many small steps we can take to improve the environment, and also protect ourselves from the threats of air pollution in our homes and communities. Week 2: Recycling—Did you know that recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil (enough to run the avg. car for 1,260 miles); 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough for the avg. home for 6 months); 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space; and 60 lbs. of air pollution. This week’s study explores the values expressed by a decision to recycle, and offers a wonderfully practical guide on enhancing recycling in home and community Week 3: Land—Scripture teaches that God has given us the earth as a gift, but how we utilize this gift does not always respect its value. Habitat destruction, unsustainable farming practices, desertification, wasteful packaging, and waste production all lay waste to the land that supports us. This study will explore how we have harmed the land AND what we’re doing to restore it. Hope you can join us! ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ Have you noticed Trinity’s shift to all reusable dinnerware? That’s right, With the help of Women at the Well and Deacons, TES has plastic cups that are reusable, and ceramic Trinity mugs so that we can cut down our paper usage. For sometime we have been using the church’s china and silverware, so these new purchases will complete the transition. It should be noted that there will be times (such as outdoor services or events) when we will be using disposable dinnerware - but rest assured we will first be using up what we have, and then we will be switching to 100% post-consumer waste and/or biocompostable products made from sugar cane or corn. merely due to safety issues. We ask that all comply. NO MORE! MUCH WISER CHOICE! So what do we do with all those dishes? USE THE DISHWASHER!!!! It means that the dishwasher is going to be used after each event and coffee hour. This is a much better (no waste and believe it or not it will save tons of water) then washing by hand. So, if you would like training on how to use the dishwasher, so you can help out, or if you are going to be running an event, just ask Debbie O’Halloran or Jodi Abraham, and they will be happy to help you in using the dishwasher, or going over eco-friendly options available for your event. Trinity’s Earth Shepherds & The Green News (continued) Trinity Times Submission - October 2009 We as a church conducted an Energy Audit through GreenFaith earlier this year. The information we received responding to the audit results were amazing. They have given us a clear path to follow to reduce our energy and water costs. So, we want to encourage everyone to go ahead, try it out, do your own Home Energy Audit. It may lead you to find ways that you can save! There are numerous websites that offer self-audit tools. One can be found at: www.hes.lbl.gov; www.energystar.gov; www.energysavers.gov or search the web for one you feel more comfortable doing! You con also contact your local energy supplier and ask if they offer to do them for customers. It doesn’t matter which you choose, it just matters that you choose one. Remember it only takes a small step, to help heal the world! ****************************************************************************** News of what's to come: Trinity’s Butterfly Garden: We, with the help of P&F, and the generosity of time and talent of Roy DeBoer, Jr., we will be installing a butterfly Garden! According to Roy, he “received an education this summer about various species becoming endangered. It is not for lack of flowers on which to feed, but for lack of native "weed" species that are no longer around in abundance, and with which many butterfly species have very specific ties. It is sort of like Koala bears only eating a certain kind of eucalyptus...well, butterflies only lay eggs on species specific types of plants. Most notably, Monarchs and others are becoming endangered” Thankfully, he also learned how we could help. We will be preparing the soil at the Fall Work Day in October, and then begin planting the wildflower and grasses that are specific to the butterflies found in this area, around Thanksgiving. The flowers and grasses may take a year to really flower, but the end will be beautiful, as well as provide a natural habitat for the butterflies to thrive in. Watch for further information, or join us on workday to help out! This will certainly be a beautiful project and have such a benefit for God’s creation! Possibility Growing: Research is being done to see the feasibility of constructing a Congregational/Community Garden. Many towns are beginning to offer residents land to use for their own gardening needs. Well, we feel that this is a great way to offer the congregation, and surrounding community a place to grow their own vegetables or flowers, but more importantly, it naturally leads to fellowship, gives people a chance to live a more sustainable life and also gives people time to enjoy the great outdoors while caring for God’s creation. Trinity to switch to Green Cleaning products and 100% recycled paper: In case you haven’t noticed, our weekly bulletins are now being printed on 100% recycled paper. We are continuing our search for a supplier that provides 100% recycled colored paper. This has proved difficult, but we will continue searching. We are also looking into suppliers that provide green cleaning products. We don’t realize that on a day-to-day basis we are exposing ourselves to harmful ingredients at home, work and really anywhere we visit. For that reason, Trinity wants to provide our congregation healthy place to worship. More information will be coming, once we find the right fit for trinity’s cleaning needs. Many Educational Opportunities will be available throughout the year, for all ages. Please try to participate. It is so important that Trinity not only follow greening guidelines, but that we provide YOU with the information you need to be well informed about what is available to make the world a cleaner, safer place, as well as providing you with an understanding of why it is so important for you to help Deacons to looking into providing Fair Trade Coffee: The Deacons are looking into purchasing Fair trade Coffee through the Presbyterian Coffee Project. The Presbyterian Coffee Project offers a special link between congregations and communities around the world. Churches can now reach out to neighbors overseas not only with the prayers and offerings we give, but with the goods and products we purchase. A warm cup of coffee (or tea) in our hands is perhaps the most tangible daily connection we have with farmers around the world. It represents warmth, hospitality, fellowship, hard work, and life's pleasures both fine and simple. Buying fair trade through the Presbyterian Coffee Project ensures that more of the money we spend on coffee reaches the hardworking farmers who actually grow it. Participating congregations testify that the Presbyterian Coffee Project is a great way to help people in need while enjoying fellowship and an excellent cup of coffee. Fair trade practices complement our mission with farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well as our commitment to stewardship of the natural environment. By using fair trade coffee in our congregations, offices and homes, Presbyterians help guarantee that farmers will earn the income they need to feed their families, educate their children and improve their communities. Fair trade is a simple solution that means the difference — quite literally — between surviving and not surviving for small-scale coffee farmers. If anyone is interested in purchasing any of the products sold by the organization, we will be happy to order them for you. The Presbyterian Coffee Project offers a full line of fairly traded coffees (in bulk whole bean, packaged whole bean and drip grind, percolator grind and pillow pack varieties), as well as fairly traded teas, cocoa, chocolate bars, sugar packets, and more. *****************************************************************************HHave you visited our Creation Care Library yet? The library is located in Trinity’s Media Center and offers books, articles, magazines and video/DVD’s for all ages, so that you can continue learning about why we believe it is our responsibility to Care for God’s Creation