2017 Annual Report of the Green Team

2017 Annual Report of the South Church Green Team

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The Green Team is an ad-hoc committee within South Church. Its purpose is to promote good environmental stewardship in the church's facilities, and also in our homes and the wider community. The committee also works to foster action on Climate Change.  We meet on the 3^rd Thursday of every month during the regular church year. We welcome new members and new ideas. Everyone is welcome to participate!

Looking back through the 2016-17 South Church year:

Last June, we helped make the all-church picnic a “green” event again by setting up and demonstrating how to compost food waste, paper products and recyclables, and how throw away trash can be greately reduced, almost to zero. Our goal was to show that it’s easy to do this at your home once you know how.

On October 2^nd, 2016 we hosted the 4th annual Harvest Dinner to celebrate the 2^nd year of the Giving Garden. This year’s family evening included homemade pasta making in fellowship hall, activities for kids, a vegetarian/low impact pot-luck dinner, and several videos to share and discussion time after dinner. An enjoyable night for all ages.

We hosted another “Sustainable House of Worship” workshop at South Church on February 12^th, presented by Interfaith Power & Light, for people of all faiths to learn the best ways to reduce energy consumption at their houses of worship. This was attended by 10 members from 4 different congregations in the area. (We might have had twice this number if a snowstorm that day hadn’t kept numbers down!)

At the Earth Day service on April 23^rd, we welcomed our MACUCC conference president, Rev. Jim Antal. After the service, we hosted a get-together luncheon for church members who wished to take part in a Q&A session with Rev. Antal.

On April 29^th, dozens of church members joined with other members of faith communities from around the US – and with many other groups – at the climate rallies and marches in Washington, DC, and in Boston. In DC, more than 200,000 people turned out to let their voices be heard.

Throughout the year: we coordinated and worked on energy efficiency improvements at the church related to air-sealing, and plans to insulate and air-seal the “chimney” that goes from the boiler room to the attic (on the other side of the front wall of the sanctuary). More improvements can be done! We can use your help!

Throughout the year: We had discussions on divesting from fossil fuels with the Trustees of the Trust Funds, the church committee responsible for investing the church’s endowment. We hope to bring the divestment discussion to the church membership in the near future.

This coming year: We hope to work with ACT and Habitat to help make the affordable housing units as green as possible.

BIG PLANS: We are planning an all-church retreat on nature, the environment and creation care in the fall of 2018, at the AMC Highland Center at Crawford Notch, NH.

Mark Bohrer, Candy Dann, Bill Schroeder, Steve Fink, Fran Fink, Janet Clarke, Iric Rex, Terry Ebner   www.southchurch.com/greenteam.htm