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.
For most tomato pickers in the US, a bucket brings in 50 cents, a piece rate that has remained virtually unchanged for more than 30 years. Because the rate is set so low, a worker has to pick more than two and a quarter tons of tomatoes per day – the weight of a young elephant – to make the minimum wage. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is transforming all of this.
As the cost of unsustainable products like plastic, oil, gas, and coal continue to rise, projects with positive environmental effects are now having better and better ROIs... and that's true for both large corporations as well as sustainable investments you make in your home and lifestyle.
Can solar power help eradicate extreme poverty in the developing world? Many social entrepreneurs think so, and are investing their time and money in a variety of technologies. Here are a few more seeking funding...
Throughout most of human existence, population growth has been so slow as to be imperceptible within a single generation. Reaching a global population of 1 billion in 1804 required the entire time since modern humans appeared on the scene. To add the second billion, it took until 1927, just over a century. Thirty-three years later, in 1960, world population reached 3 billion. Then the pace sped up, as we added another billion every 13 years or so until we hit 7 billion in late 2011.
“Summer leather” is one trend that has me scratching my head in confusion. Besides the obvious reason of leather sticking to you in very uncomfortable ways as it gets warmer, I’ll give you five more reasons to reconsider this trend and still look your best this season...
For decades, farmworkers – the more than one million men and women who work in fields and orchards around the country – have been leading a struggle for justice in our food system. They have been building awareness and mobilizing the public, successfully securing some rights, higher wages, and better working conditions.
Got a dream green home you'd love to build? Sure, you'll probably want to include solar panels in the building... but that's just one element. Green building involves making the most efficient use of the materials that go into the building, and creating a space that allows for sustainable use of resources needed to live in that home.
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
