This past Sunday, PAM gathered to draft a proposal of greening CCUMC. The effort of "greening" our church must begin somewhere, and though our steps are small, they were taken with tremendous energy and determination. There couldn't have been a more dedicated and focused group of folks gathered together. The proposal was a short document, but it incorporated grand hopes. Because our church is a small, intimate faith community, we began by proposing small things like phasing out non-biodegradable, non-recyclable products (e.g. paper cups, styrofoam cups, plastic utensils, etc.) and then moved slowly but steadily towards proposing increasing usage of electronic forms of communication in lieu of paper products. Other recommendations included the installation of electrical hand-dryers in the bathrooms, writing resolutions to the California-Nevada Annual Conference of the UMC, partnering with sister churches, researching the feasibility of installing solar panels (in conjunction with the roof project), etc.
An important question that we have yet to articulate is WHY we choose to do this. It must be for more reasons than just b/c we must be good stewards of the resources that have been gifted to us. I think it is a good question to ask now and continue asking, so that we keep fresh in our mind the motivation and necessity for greening our local, regional, and global communities. What can improve if we continue taking these small steps? What is at stake if we do not take them at all?
One small step to take is to inform ourselves. An interesting and informative website that we might visit is EcoIQ Urban Greening.
The EcoIQ.com Urban Greening website is for everyone interested in making smart choices about the green and living environments of communities -- the trees, parks, trails, gardens, rivers, beaches, lakes, harbors, wetlands, watersheds, and so on -- choices that are both economically and ecologically intelligent.
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