United Methodists take 'going green' to new levels

NEW YORK (UMNS) — United Methodists are "going green" at levels far beyond recycling church bulletins and eliminating Styrofoam cups at coffee hour. Throughout the country, congregations and communities are setting new standards of stewardship, said Tyler Edgar, assistant director of climate change and energy for the Eco-Justice Program of the National Council of Churches. "Churches are supporting huge local gardens that donate the produce to low-income families, erecting wind turbines reminiscent of the three crosses and engaging in local energy and sustainability initiatives that have the potential to define their communities in the coming years."
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Plastic Bags!

In various places all over this country, people are waking up to the problem of plastics bags—namely that they are ubiquitous, end up in trees and water ways, and just about never break down. News of taxes or bans on plastic bags is spreading, and some people, who are trying to be more earth friendly or who want to prepare for the inevitable in their communities, are attempting to go plastic bag-less. That means you have to remember to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store and actually use them.

Why are plastic bags so bad? Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year. Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year. Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year. Of those 100 trillion plastic bags, 1% is recycled. It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down.

So what can you do?

• Consider carrying your own reusable shopping bags. Just in time for the holidays, Target will give customers a 5 cent discount for every reusable bag they use to pack their purchases.
  
• If you do take home plastic bags from the store, be sure to recycle it! Every major grocery store has a bin up front for you to drop off your plastic bags, no matter where you received them.

Please remember, “All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it.” - Excerpted from the current UMC Social Principle, “The Natural World.”

Easy Recycling Tips

The average U.S citizen generates 5 pounds of waste per day or 1,825 pounds per year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency approximately 30% of our waste is containers and packaging. So 600 pounds are headed for the trash! That cardboard box can be recycled and the plastic bag can be recycled. Close The Loop. Recycle it and keep it out of the Landfill.

Newspaper—Recycling a four foot high stack of newspapers saves one tree from being harvested! Although these trees are grown for paper production, recycling paper consumes fewer resources (water and electricity) and produces less air pollution. Just drop off your newspapers in the bin on the church parking lot.

Aluminum—Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half gallon of gasoline. An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now! Just drop off your cans in the bin on the church parking lot.

Light Bulbs– An ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. To keep the mercury out of the landfill, you can drop off your old CFL bulbs at Home Depot and Lowes.

It is so easy to be a good steward of our environment!

Cutting your energy costs nearly in half

There is nothing that say’s being good stewards of the earth can’t benefit you personally!
These are some simple things that any individual can do to realize huge savings on long-term energy costs:

1. Save 10% or more on your energy costs simply by plugging any air leaks around your windows and doors. With Fall coming up now is the perfect time to check all windows, doors and cracks. Add or replace caulk and weather-strip cold air outside.
2. Replace your air filters. Dirty air filters will cause your furnace to work harder than necessary, which can increase your energy bills. A clean furnace filter can cut your heating bill by 5% to 15%. It will also improve the air quality in your home.
3. Install a programmable thermostat and you can save up to 15% on your energy. to save up to $180 a year in energy costs.
4. Choose ENERGY STAR appliances and electronics. Products save 20% to 30% less energy than their conventional counterparts to earn an Energy Star label.
5. Upgrade your water heater to save energy. Reducing the use of hot water will help save energy. Depending on your budget for upgrades, you may consider replacing a water heater with a more efficient one, or adding a low cost water heater jacket to help retain heat within the tank for longer periods of time. Depending on the hot water heater, you may have to unhook your unit, drain it and reinstall it, but you'll save 4% to 9% on your water heating bill with the jacket alone.

If you need help with any of these items please contact one of our pastors. Members of the Men’s Group and the Green Team will be glad to help.

5 Simple Steps to Cut Your Energy Costs Nearly in Half

There is nothing that say’s being good stewards of the earth can’t benefit you personally!

These are some simple things that any individual can do to realize huge savings on long-term energy costs:

1. Save 10% or more on your energy costs simply by plugging any air leaks around your windows and doors. With Fall coming up now is the perfect time to check all windows, doors and cracks. Add or replace caulk and weather-strip cold air outside.
2. Replace your air filters. Dirty air filters will cause your furnace to work harder than necessary, which can increase your energy bills. A clean furnace filter can cut your heating bill by 5% to 15%. It will also improve the air quality in your home.
3. Install a programmable thermostat and you can save up to 15% on your energy. to save up to $180 a year in energy costs.
4. Choose ENERGY STAR appliances and electronics. Products save 20% to 30% less energy than their conventional counterparts to earn an Energy Star label.
5. Upgrade your water heater to save energy. Reducing the use of hot water will help save energy. Depending on your budget for upgrades, you may consider replacing a water heater with a more efficient one, or adding a low cost water heater jacket to help retain heat within the tank for longer periods of time. Depending on the hot water heater, you may have to unhook your unit, drain it and reinstall it, but you'll save 4% to 9% on your water heating bill with the jacket alone.

If you need help with any of these items please contact one of our pastors. Members of the Men’s Group and the Green Team will be glad to help.

What is Stewardship?

In ancient times, a steward was a servant who managed the resources of a household. Stewardship today means wisely managing the bounty of God’s Earth household. Modern English reflects this ancient Greek understanding of stewardship.

The word ecology at its root refers to the reasoning or logic of the household—the Earth household. Economy refers to the rule of the household.

Today, we are the stewards of God’s Earth household. The Christian tradition teaches that the land belongs to God, and we are called to care for it. To do so, our economies must reflect our
understanding of the rules of nature revealed through our knowledge of ecology. Healthy stewardship integrates knowledge of the natural world with economic and social systems that ensure the long-term sustainability of the whole of Creation, including the people within it.

Everyday Stewardship
Individual Actions
• Use CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs) to reduce energy use
• Bike or use public transportation to go to work once a week
• Use water-saving devices in sinks, showers and toilets
• Use reusable shopping bags
• Unplug appliances when not in use
• Slow down, it's more fuel efficient to drive at slower speeds
• Write, call or visit your elected officials to ask them to strengthen environmental laws

For more information check out The Eco-Justice Program office of the National Council of churches website: www.nccecojustice.org

Earth Care Column: Reuse and Reduce in Many Ways

Although we can do much to clean up pollution after it's in the environment, preventing pollution is even better. We can do that by changing how we manufacture and how we behave: reduce how much you use, reuse what's left when you're done, and recycle what you can't reuse.

Some easy ways to reuse are:

• Repair as much as possible.
• Use durable coffee mugs.
• Use cloth napkins or towels.
• Clean out juice bottles and use for water.
• Use empty jars to hold leftovers.
• Reuse boxes.
• Buy refillable pens and pencils.
• Donate extras to people you know or to charity instead of throwing them away.
• Reuse grocery bags as trash bags.

Reduce - The benefits of preventing waste go beyond reducing reliance on other forms of waste disposal. Preventing waste also can mean economic savings for communities, businesses, schools, and individual consumers.

National Geographic: Simply changing a light bulb can help reverse the effects of greenhouse gases http://video. nationalgeograph ic.com/video/player/environment/global-warming-environment/this-bulb-ngv.html

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: Reduce waste, if not you, who? Anyone can educate about waste reduction — we all have the chance to be teachers! Here are resources to help you spread the word. http://156.98.19.245/download/index.html