Welcome

Welcome to our newest resource for local churches. With the price of energy and resources going up, many churches are looking for ways to be more efficient and effective stewards of resources, both financial and material. One place that is often overlooked is the cost of utilities and the cost of running the church. Heating is a necessary cost for the cold winter months, and cooling is necessary for the hot summer months. These are, most often, the two periods during the year where the churches energy bills will most likely be the highest. There are also costs associated with supplies for fellowship and coffee hour. In many churches' storage rooms, there will often be boxes upon boxes of foam or paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils that after taking up valuable space in church closets, will be used for an hour-long church function, and will spend hundreds of years in the local landfill or dump. As church schedules fill up with Bible studies and administrative meetings, the hundreds of lights and outlets in the church building are utilized more than ever, leading to high electricity bills. These are some of the areas where upkeep and operations of the church could be streamlined to cut costs incurred from the life of the church. We hope this page will be a one-stop shop for churches and congregations to look for ways to cut costs while being able to maintain essential parts of their ministries and being better stewards of God's Good Creation.

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Developing Sustainable Congregations and Churches

 

"God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.' God said, 'See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so." Genesis 1:28-30

1. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources
2. Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss
3. Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
4. Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dweller
United Nations Millenium Development Goal #7

"Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, politica, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God's creation."
2008 Social Principles ¶160.I

We've all heard the terms being thrown around in the public discourse. Global Warming. Climate Change. Sustainability.
The first two terms are self-explanatory. The third, however, seems to need more clarification.
Sustainability is simply the concept of doing things in a way that it does not drain, or otherwise end in a net loss. Reusable cups or flatware are items that would aid in increasing the sustainability of a restaurant, for example. While reuseable cups or flatware may cost more at the onset, in the long-run, the investment pays for itself, as the establishment does not have to purchase a new box of cups every time they run out. .

 

We can look at our churches and congregations in the same lens. What are some items that are thrown away every week? Some examples are coffee cups, paper worship bulletins, offering envelopes, paper towels, and other single-use items.
Eventually, the costs add up. If we think of items that are more durable, we can think of the light bulbs that provide churches with light, electronic equipment (such as computers, printer, and copiers), and other appliances the church may own. God has granted us stewardship of creation – a creation that reveals God’s radical love for the world and God’s economy of abundance.  Too often, humankind has exploited this abundance to lead lives of convenience and low-cost goods. Too often, we look for the cheapest item with no thought to the true cost of the item. In most, if not all instances, we neglect the costs that are associated with bringing low-cost consumables that we might not necessarily see, but nonetheless, exist. These costs are not always monetary - often times, there are social costs and adverse impacts on our brothers and sisters hundreds or thousands of miles away.

 

Learn.

Facts on Water:

• In recent years, at least 44 states in the U.S. have issued advisories warning residents not to eat fish caught in lakes and streams because of high levels of toxic mercury.
• Worldwide, over one billion people lack access to clean and affordable water, and over 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation.
• Every year, over two million children die from diseases related to poor water quality or sanitation. That's almost 1 child every 15 seconds.
• At least 25 gallons of fresh water are needed to produce 1 pound of wheat. (1/5 a bag of flour in the United States or 3.6 cups)
• At least 2,500 gallons of fresh water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef. (That's only four 1/4 lb. hamburgers)
• Most showers use five to seven gallons of water every minute.
• The recommended basic water requirement per person per day is just over 13 gallons.
• In Gambia, the average person has access to only 1.18 gallons.
• In the U.S., the average person uses over 132 gallons.

  (image by FEMA)

Facts on Consumption:

• Less than 2% of the world's population lives in the United States, yet U.S. residents consume 24% of the world's aluminium, 21% of the world's beef, and own 35% of the world's motor vehicles.
• If everyone in the world lived acording to the U.S. standard of living, we would need FOUR planets' worth of resources.
• The average U.S. resident consumes over 200 pounds of materials daily (products can require 30 times their weight in raw materials, shipping, and packaging) and throws away 1,460 pounds of trash every year.
• The world's population is projected to increase from six to nine billion in the next 50 years.
• By 2025, half of the world's population - 3.5 billion people - will live in areas facing water shortages.
• The world's forests are disappearing at the rate of 37 million acres per year. This is equivalent to a forest the size of Illnois.
• Every 20 minutes, a distinct species of plant or animal becomes extinct.

Links and Resources

General Board of Church and Society Resources

Festival of God's Creation / Earth Day Sunday

United Methodist Resources

• The General Board of Discipleship Camp and Retreat Ministries webpage. Find resources on how to start Green Ministry teams at your local church.
• United Methodist Women Environment webpage How your congregation's UMW can get involved in Greening and Creation Care ministries.

Ecumenical Resources

• NCC Eco-Justice Working Group Resources (includes resources on steps to greening a church)
• The Green Seminaries Initiative An ecumenical effort to emphasize Creation Care and Green Ministries education opportunities for future clergy and leaders of the chruch.

Latest Reports from the U.N.

• U.N. Millenium Development Goals Report (2010)
  
• U.N. MDG Gap Task Force Report
  

Act.

Our Call to Stewardship

We are called to care for God’s gift of creation. God calls us to "keep" the Garden. This means that we are called to be the reflection and image of God, through acts of love and justice towards all of Creation.

Our Call to Justice

As our world and our economy becomes increasingly globalized, interconnected, and interdependent, we must grapple with the reality that our consumption choices and energy uses profoundly affect and impact the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters on the other side of the world. We must also examine the ways our lives affect the lives of people in our local cities and municipalities. Often, the consumption choices we make in material goods and energy production disproportionately affects already poor and marginalized communities.

It is Easy to be Green!

Here is a short list of things you can do in your church or congregation to save energy and reduce its carbon footprint! These often allow you to cut energy costs too!

• Think about starting an "Ugly Mug" program.
  
  Try to reduce or eliminate the use of disposable coffee cups and utensils for church coffee hour, fellowship, and other events. Assign groups to be in charge of kitchen duty every week. Small congregation? No problem! A modern electric dishwasher only uses 4 to 6 gallons of water per cycle. By contrast, most faucets flow at a rate of two gallons per minute. Not only can you do the dishes more quickly, you can also save water and cut down on the church's water bills too!
  
  
• Switch out all your lighting to CFLs or LEDs.
  
  Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are miniaturized versions of white office ceiling lights. While the bulbs are currently somewhat costlier to purchase, in the long term, they end up being a cost savings. CFLs also last longer (10,000 hours on average) than an incandescent bulb (700 - 800 hours). Some groups even say that the bulbs end up paying for themselves in as little as six months. CFL bulbs are made to be as bright as a traditional incandescent bulbs, while using up to 70% less energy. For example, the CFL equivalent for a traditional 60 watt bulb is 13 - 15 watts. This is up to an 80% reduction of wattage for the same amount of light. You can maintain the same level of lighting in your entire building while cutting down on the church's electricity bills. The story doesn't stop there! Light emitting diode based light bulbs are little more than two to three years away from hitting the mainstream. LEDs are incredibly energy efficient, emit very little heat, and have an extraordinarily long life of over 50,000 hours. That equals over four years of continuous use!
  
  
• Install Energy Efficient Windows.
  
  It is estimated that up to 30% of a building's heating and air conditioning is lost through windows. Replacing old windows with more energy efficient windows will help cut down heating costs in the winter and air conditioning costs in the summer. The cost savings can be even more important with record high energy prices. This can be especially beneficial for older church buildings that have noticible drafts or do not have a central air conditioning system.
  
  
• Consider installing solar panels.
  If you have a larger congregation, and have been considering ways to cut energy costs without cutting critical programs, solar panels may be a viable option for your church. There are multiple options for financing and purchasing solar power. Several states have incentives and benefits for purchasers and producers of solar energy. This method requires a level of up-front investment, with a break even on that investment within a few years, with an additional return on investment over the term of the contract. (image courtesy of Dietrich Krieger/wikimedia.org)

Stories from Local Congregations

Highlands UMC, Denver, CO "We have been working towards this goal at Highlands UMC for a few years now. Started small, with recycling bins inside, replacing light bulbs with CFLs and motion-sensitive lights that turn off automatically, and took a big step last year in deciding to install solar panels through a Power Purchase Agreement. We have just completed a study of Green Church: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice by Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter, and are creating an action team to move forward. It's exciting to be part of a church that cares so much about creation!"

Broad Street UMC, Columbus, OH
"The collaboration of an active Environmental Justice Team AND a member of the Board of Trustees whose primary area of work is Green Initiatives has been critical for Broad St. UMC to move forward. We've reduced our carbon footprint (CFC's, utility reduction, increased attention to thermostats & light switches, real plates/flatware/glasses for church meals and meals for the homeless), installed bike racks in cooperation with the city, annual Environmental Justice Award to a lay member, Earth Day service annually, special courses, Annual Walk/Bike/Bus/Car pool to church day, added recycling, and more."

Pawling Avenue UMC, Troy, NY "We have just started an "Earth Advocacy Committee" at Pawling Avenue UMC. Only two of us at the first meeting. We discussed some ideas, left booklets on reducing energy (from the power company) in the narthex, and made plans to buy some "Pillow Pack" coffee samplers through Equal Exchange, to give the congregation a chance to try Fair Trade coffee. Trustees have already replaced most of the light bulbs with CFL's"

Korean UMC of Greater Washington, McLean, VA
"Our Green Ministry Team consists of three sub-teams: Education Team, Practice Team, and Promotion Team. Education Team works for enhancing awareness about the needs of green lifestyle through various kinds of teaching events. Practice Team oversees the church activities to make them more environment friendly. Promotion Team collects and distributes informations about green lifestyle to the congregation on a regular basis. God blessed Korean UMC of Greater Washington with many committed people for green ministry and lifestyle who have been the main force of this valuable ministry."

Palmyra UMC, Palmyra, VA
"we have a "green team" which is raising awareness and helping us individually and collectively. Some of the things we have done include partnering with Nike for tennis shoe recycling; producing a handbook to tell about community recycling opportunities; add a green reminder to the bulletin each week; encourage double-sided copying; reducing the number of bulletins by encouraging re-use at the second service. We are also considering ways to be more green in our next building project."

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sustainability?

The concept of sustainability is simple. It is continuing to live or operate at a level that doesn't require an increasing level of resources. This term is used in economic as well as environmental circles. An example of sustainability in personal finance, for example, would be spending at an amount that doesn't run one into debt - living below ones means. Environmental or ecological sustainability means consuming natural resources or energy in a way that allows nature to "break even" or even have a net gain in terms of environmental impact.

What is meant by "carbon footprint"?

Everything we do to interact with our environment inputs some measure of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The obvious sources of carbon dioxide are ones that are heard about often; driving a car, using electricity, and flying a plane. These are sources that we are able to see easily because we directly have control over these actions. However, there are an immesurable amount of sources of carbon dioxide emissions that we don't necessarily have control or a say over. Did you know, for example, that cows in the United States alone account for over two percent of all greenhouse gas emissions? This surprising amount could be attributed to the fact that number of cattle has increased in direct relation to an increased demand for beef. The amount of gases produced does not reflect the true impact. According to research conducted by the United Nations, methane, the primary gas produced by cows, traps up to 40 percent more heat than carbon dioxide. This is just the cows. However, if we continue up the chain, we can see that one pound of beef produced with traditional processes uses up to 2,500 gallons of water. In California, almost 20 percent of the entire state's energy use can be attributed to the energy required to treat and move water. Every action we take has a long string of processes attached to it. If a person were to cut beef consumption to one day per week, this action alone could conserve over 170,000 gallons of water and over 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

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