Green Team Meeting Notes 10/25/2017
Present: Mark Bohrer, Fran Fink, Steve Fink, Bill Schroeder, Janet Clarke
Away: Iric Rex, Terry Ebner, Marty Mason, Candy Dann, Susan Johnston
Mark to add Marty Mason to Green Team committee mailings!
Next meeting: Thu Nov 16
1) Harvest Dinner Recap
· Great family event, kids and families made scarecrows and pasta
· Good turnout, although fewer than 2016
i. probably around 50 in attendance vs maybe 65 in 2016
ii. Next year: focus on the personal invitations, and signup for little jobs
· Dana spoke about church giving, which matched well with the theme of the Giving Garden
· Slide show of Giving Garden played during pasta/activities time and dinner
· Emily spoke about the Giving Garden, and a short green Ted video about Nokia corporate environmental responsibility.
i. We did lose > 50% people before the green video
2) MA Interfaith Power & Light – you’re invited to the Nov 1st annual conference!
· If you’re interested, contact Bill Schroeder, to carpool from Andover: WESchro721@aol.com
· Theme: “Paris: We’re Still In!”
· First Parish in Framingham, Scott Hall, 24 Vernon St., Framingham, Nov 1, 2017, 7 PM – 9PM
Global warming is a moral issue that we are called to address--and soon. Learn how Massachusetts can lead by passing laws that will move us to a clean energy future. Hear what congregations are doing to reduce carbon pollution, engage their communities, and witness publicly.
i. Why Massachusetts Needs a Carbon Pricing Law: Senator Mike Barrett
ii. Solar Access 4All :
· Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Bethel AME, Andrea Nyamekye, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, Joel Wool, Clean Water Action
iii. Advocating for 100% Renewable Energy for Framingham
· Larry Decker, First Parish, Framingham & Mike Croci, Sustainable Framingham
ii. Living Our Values: Joan Rachlin, Temple Israel, Boston
iii. A Vision of Carbon Neutrality, Jim Nail, St. Dunstan’s, Dover
3) Divestment - Report from Bill Schroeder
· Candy and I met with Kate Jagger last Thursday to talk about ways to approach the fossil fuel divestment/socially responsible investing discussion in the congregation. Kate had a number of good suggestions, including:
i. Make it a conversation and not a specific proposal. If you start out with a proposal, then the proponents are on the defensive. And other valuable suggestions aren't gathered easily.
ii. There is money available from the Science and Faith fund that could be used to facilitate the discussion. Maybe pay for guest speakers. Maybe pay for child care at discussion sessions
iii. The church is about to roll out a Planned Giving Drive. Would be good to not draw attention away from that.
· We agreed that the next steps should be:
i. Get team of proponents together. See if Board of World Service or Social Justice Coalition want to engage on the fossil fuel divestment. This can become a church movement.
ii. Go to council - ask for them to endorse the conversation
iii. If endorsed, make an initial plan for how to hold the conversation.
4) Retreat Planning - Green Retreat for the Future 2.0
- Highland Center Date set: Oct 5th – 7th – Columbus Day weekend 2018
- Steve making progress on organizing a retreat committee
- In discussion: lead in program: storytelling seminar in Spring 2018
o Storytelling seminar
§ ACTION: Janet – write up a short promo summary of story telling seminar
· Talk to Dana and Alex, who are interested in idea of story telling
§ Connect to Earth Day? Invite confirmands ?
- Retreat - Similar format & structure, Explore area, Science projects, Guest speaker
o Steve presented the Why/How/What for the retreat (include)
- Market as Family Christmas gift December 2017
o Retreat theme: Successes, inspiration, stories!
- Storytelling: start with a family environmental project, what is the story?
- Everything good that’s happening that we don’t always think about
o For example: Candy talked about how acid rain was solved
o For example: Steve presents about his house, with pictures
o For example: kids show what they’ve done, what they care about << this is powerful
§ kids especially have moral authority
o For example: Bill tell the story of MIPL, what, why, who
- Have readout afterwards on the stories at church, at a service
5) Two funds at church could support Green Team activities, if money needed for anything - Seeds of Faith Fund and Science Fund
Parking Lot
Plans for Earth Day 2018
- have a green/solar house tour.
- invite North Parish, Christ Church, many congregations
- See if there is a local solar tour
- ACTION (Mark): contact staff – date for Earth Sunday in Spring
Church Greening
Creeping non-environmentalism
Was is there a mini-kitchen in library? Refrigerator, microwave, coffee makers...when kitchen is not so far! Steve will talk to Alex.
