Green Team Meeting Notes
7/20/2017
Your building and facilities ought to
exemplify your theology!
·
Quote
from Trinity United Church of Christ, South Side of Chicago
Mark Bohrer, Candy Dann,
Bill Schroeder, Fran Fink, Steve Fink, Susan Johnston
Away: Janet Clarke, Iric
Rex, Terry Ebner
Discussion, welcoming Susan
J
·
We
asked Susan where she's coming from, with the environment. It is her most
important issue.
·
Talked
about the environmental movement
Church Picnic readout
·
Ended
up with very little "throw away trash", everything else was recycled
or composted!
o Wally was supportive –
setup at 6:30AM that Sunday with Steve
·
ACTION:
Candy – send a "we all did it!" blurb for SC weekly buzz
Open discussion - Pass
along good news, about what we do, what we all can do
·
Ideas
for our church members – what they can do (composting, energy efficiency)
·
Ideas
for other churches – share
o For example - Share plan
for no waste picnic – like a "case study"
·
Starting
the conversation – speaking up with friends
·
Getting
the message out
Next possible idea: Make a
church green video! Let's investigate...
·
Steve
posits using people he is currently working with on Andover projects
·
Do
one about the church & a green story
·
Involve
the whole church, bring in other groups, trustees, giving, youth, etc.
o This could be used Jim
Antal and MACUCC – he may have ideas for us
o This could also be used by
Mass Interfaith Power & Light
·
Why,
What, How – on one topic, one thing we've done? Or more future looking, vision?
Both?
·
Fit
in the retreat? Use the video to promote the retreat?
·
NEXT
STEP:
o ACTION: input to a Story
board: Candy – evolve historical presentation
o Next meeting – talk about
this extensive
Retreat Planning
·
Green
Retreat for the Future 2.0
o Plan for Fall 2018!
o Retreat - Similar format
& structure, Explore area, Science projects, Guest speaker
o Speaker is
(for example) UCS, John Rogers?? Deval Patrick?
·
Market
as Family Christmas gift December 2017
o Booklet handout?
§ Successes, inspiration,
stories!
·
Lead
in: In House Multi-generational event – Oct 2017 – Harvest Dinner
o Afternoon internal retreat ?
mini science fair?
o Lead in to Harvest Dinner
or do this at Harvest Dinner?
§ Have readout on the
projects
Church Greening
·
Creeping
non-environmentalism
o Was is there a mini-kitchen
in library? Refrigerator, microwave, coffee makers...when kitchen is not so
far! Steve will talk to Alex.
Giving Garden – status update
from Fran
·
more
land is being prepped
·
same
area being farmed this year, as last
·
many
local church groups and some businesses are volunteering
Harvest Dinner
- NOT on church calendar
October 14th
- ACTION: Mark will contact
Alex and Linda H – to get this on church calendar
Church Divestment - Bill
-
Trustees of the Trust
Funds are receptive to the topic, if there were funds with low overhead
expenses that were fossil free
o
There are a number of fossil
free ETF funds run by State Street Funds
-
How should we move this
forward this year?
o
Can we advance this with
the church year, to get the membership onboard, to lay the groundwork for a church
vote?
o
Candy’s Recommendation:
Ask Ron Hill (an investment advisor), to get him onboard early
-
What’s the ask of the
TOTTF? Is this an action done over time (say 5 years)? Like the UCC General
Synod
Parking Lot - Previous
Meeting Notes
Connecting church to green activism
·
Next
Step #2: Green elements of Lupine Road
·
Making
Lupine Road super green
- make project “as green as we can make it”
Church Greening
·
redesign
the lighting for the steeple altogether-
o one got hit by lightning
recently and now Wally is using Buddy Electric to rebuild it. I asked
Wally to please ask Buddy Electric to at least give a quote on what it would
take to convert it to LED, as an option.
o What about outlining the
steeple in LEDs, which might have some cool side effects like being able to
switch colors (add rainbows, bathe it in pink for Breast Cancer awareness,
etc).
·
Recycling
o When we get new equipment,
we need to start a re-education campaign. "Leave it Better than you
found it!" Apparently, among Wally's list of issues are that people leave
the bathrooms frequently with paper towels on the floor. Also pizza boxes
are left with pizza inside. And, cardboard boxes are not broken down.
Also, people put items with food or liquids into the recycling. We
need to own some of this! Within Fellowship Hall, we need to kick-off
with some signs around welcoming our new recycling containers, letting people
know that they are starting out nice and clean and hope to stay that way and
that only happens if they DON'T put stuff with liquids or food into the
recycling containers.
o Fellowship Hall - We will
request/order two pairs of three-part slim jims (one extra large black one for
trash with a wide mouth lid, one blue with blue circle lid for bottles and cans
and one blue with blue slotted lid for paper, each will have a sign holder
attached to the back so it is close to eye level at least for some of us and
they will be permanently connected together and will think about whether to
also order dollies so they can be easily moved).
o Youth Center - We will
request/order a pair of slim jims (one black one for trash and one blue for
recycling)
o Third Floor - We will request/order a pair of
slim jims to be stationed next to the water fountain (one black one for trash
and one blue for recycling)
o LIbrary - I have added one
blue recycle basket on the inside side and will also add one on the other side
near the exterior door. They just barely fit but Wally agreed that we
need a pair in BOTH locations.
o Classrooms on 2nd floor -
don't need anything at this time but Wally will keep one trash basket lined and
one blue recycling basket unlined in each room.
·
Fluorescent light bulbs - these can be taken
to the Recycling Center in North Andover on Holt Road. They don't ask for
IDs there and they do accept FLs as well as many other recyclable items at no
cost. They also accept construction and demolition materials at a fee.
o Ballasts - I will check but these are likely
"Hazardous Waste" and need to be take to an HHW event and will cost
us something for disposal but possibly Buddy Electric has a way to properly
dispose of them. I asked Wally to check with Buddy Electric also.
