FRIENDS OF THE ECO MINISTRY FOR THE EARTH
MESSAGES ABOUT
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND ACTIONS
In October of 2024, we began to send one or two emails per month to the Friends of the Eco Ministry about environmental issues and actions. We will be keeping those messages on this webpage to make them available to the entire church membership.
Note: if you want to receive articles on a timelier basis, please send us an email at [email protected] to join as a Friend of the Eco Ministry for the Earth and please consider joining our ministry. We meet monthly on the first Sunday of the month via Zoom at 1:15 PM.
HERE IS A LIST OF ARTICLES TO DATE. Scroll down the webpage to find the full content of the articles.
Feb 17, 2024, Action Item on Climate
You are probably being bombarded with messages about taking action to stop the current administration's overreach. Here is something you can act on locally.
NC WARN is an important watchdog group helping to hold Duke Energy (the third largest corporate polluter in the US) responsible for its actions impacting the climate crisis. Our April Share the Plate will support NC WARN. Currently, NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity are supporting an unprecedented lawsuit that the Town of Carrboro has brought against Duke Energy Corporation. Duke Energy has been a key leader in a decades-long, national campaign of deception that has delayed the urgently needed transition off fossil fuels.
You can support this action by urging Governor Stein to stop Duke Energy from expanding fracked gas and suppressing renewable energy. Click on the link below to send an email - it's already written but you can edit if desired - or sign your group on to a letter.
SueDukeEnergy.org
Dec. 5, 2024, Microplastics in our bodies and how to reduce them
Many people in our congregation have expressed interest in addressing the problem of too much plastic in our environment. You probably have heard that one important aspect of the problem is how it gets into our food and water, and then into us. For learning more about this, we'd like to recommend the excellent We Are All Plastic People Now. This 56-minute PBS special (free to stream) is an investigation into the way chemicals from plastics find their way into our bodies and what we know about the consequences for our health.
So, what can we do about it? At a policy level, we can urge the FDA to require the food industry to remove these chemicals from food production and packaging. You can sign a petition here.
As individuals, we can take actions to reduce our exposure to them by following the suggestions outlined in this Consumer Reports article. (Hint: avoid plastic containers for foods and drinks whenever possible.)
The Eco Ministry is working on adding more information about plastics to our website, and we'll update you when that's complete.
Nov. 15, 2024, Tips to Reduce Thanksgiving Food Waste
Did you know that Americans waste over 300 million pounds of food from
Thanksgiving dinner alone? This means over 100 billion gallons of wasted water (to grow/raise this food), emission of over 700 metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), and about $2 per person wasted (over $600 million). (Source)
Here are some tips:
Your turkey belongs on your plate, not in the trash! – tips from NH Health
Department
U.S. Department of Agriculture – a little old, but useful
Blog with comprehensive info from an organic waste recycling company
Nov. 9, 2024, Leave Your Leaves
The Community Church's Eco Ministry for the Earth encourages you to "leave your leaves" in your yard this autumn rather than raking or blowing them to the curb. Leaves are nature's fertilizer, essential to the health of your trees and other plants, and essential for the health of the ecosystem that supports beneficial insects and wildlife, including birds. Find out all about the whys and hows at this website including options for using your leaves.
https://newhopebirdalliance.org/bird-friendly-certification/leave-the-leaves/
Please also consider obtaining a free yard sign per instructions on the webpage and encouraging your neighbors to participate in this program.
Oct. 10, 2024, Suggestions from the Connections Fair
At September's Connections Fair, the Eco Ministry asked for church members' ideas about what we should focus on this year. We got lots of answers! Some of them are topics that we address in some way on Eco's website, and we want to make sure you're aware of the resources there. So, here are some of the top suggestions we got, along with relevant links to our website.
The number one (most-mentioned) suggestion we got was PLASTIC. This is a good one, since we are all increasingly aware of the downsides of all the convenient plastic items we use. There is waste, pollution, harm to wildlife, and microplastics in our drinking water and food, to name a few. We are thinking about ways we can encourage reduced plastic use locally, but in the meantime you can read about how to recycle many plastics on our Reduce, Reuse and Recycle page. We also will be working on a new web page detailing how you can reduce plastic in your everyday life and will announce that when it is published.
A number of the suggestions we got are things that the Eco Ministry has worked on at the church, such as SOLAR PANELS, COMPOSTING, CARPOOLING TO CHURCH, and discouraging HELIUM BALLOONS. You can read about those on the Eco-Friendly Church page.
Still others are topics that each have their own page on Eco's website, such as the CLIMATE CRISIS, ELECTRIC CARS (Transportation), BIODIVERSITY, and ENERGY USE.
Whether you submitted a suggestion or not, we hope you will find something useful in the information we have gathered on our website.
Oct. 1, 2024, Recycling Opportunities for anything with a plug
Here is a great way to recycle your old stuff with a company called Anything with a Plug. Dennis, the owner, is passionate about keeping things local and out of the landfill. They take a huge variety of items with a plug, reuse what they can and recycle the rest locally. Scroll down to the bottom of their home page to see a full list. You can drop things off at their location in Raleigh, have them picked up, or, more conveniently, you can take them to one of their free mobile drop off events in our area. See the list of upcoming events on their website.
Note: if you want to receive articles on a timelier basis, please send us an email at [email protected] to join as a Friend of the Eco Ministry for the Earth and please consider joining our ministry. We meet monthly on the first Sunday of the month via Zoom at 1:15 PM.
HERE IS A LIST OF ARTICLES TO DATE. Scroll down the webpage to find the full content of the articles.
- Feb 17, 2024 Action Item on Climate
- Dec. 5, 2024 Microplastics in our bodies and how to reduce them
- Nov. 15, 2024 Tips to Reduce Thanksgiving Food Waste
- Nov. 9, 2024 Leave Your Leaves
- Oct. 10, 2024 Suggestions from the Connections Fair
- Oct. 1, 2024 Recycling Opportunities for anything with a plug
Feb 17, 2024, Action Item on Climate
You are probably being bombarded with messages about taking action to stop the current administration's overreach. Here is something you can act on locally.
NC WARN is an important watchdog group helping to hold Duke Energy (the third largest corporate polluter in the US) responsible for its actions impacting the climate crisis. Our April Share the Plate will support NC WARN. Currently, NC WARN and the Center for Biological Diversity are supporting an unprecedented lawsuit that the Town of Carrboro has brought against Duke Energy Corporation. Duke Energy has been a key leader in a decades-long, national campaign of deception that has delayed the urgently needed transition off fossil fuels.
You can support this action by urging Governor Stein to stop Duke Energy from expanding fracked gas and suppressing renewable energy. Click on the link below to send an email - it's already written but you can edit if desired - or sign your group on to a letter.
SueDukeEnergy.org
Dec. 5, 2024, Microplastics in our bodies and how to reduce them
Many people in our congregation have expressed interest in addressing the problem of too much plastic in our environment. You probably have heard that one important aspect of the problem is how it gets into our food and water, and then into us. For learning more about this, we'd like to recommend the excellent We Are All Plastic People Now. This 56-minute PBS special (free to stream) is an investigation into the way chemicals from plastics find their way into our bodies and what we know about the consequences for our health.
So, what can we do about it? At a policy level, we can urge the FDA to require the food industry to remove these chemicals from food production and packaging. You can sign a petition here.
As individuals, we can take actions to reduce our exposure to them by following the suggestions outlined in this Consumer Reports article. (Hint: avoid plastic containers for foods and drinks whenever possible.)
The Eco Ministry is working on adding more information about plastics to our website, and we'll update you when that's complete.
Nov. 15, 2024, Tips to Reduce Thanksgiving Food Waste
Did you know that Americans waste over 300 million pounds of food from
Thanksgiving dinner alone? This means over 100 billion gallons of wasted water (to grow/raise this food), emission of over 700 metric tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), and about $2 per person wasted (over $600 million). (Source)
Here are some tips:
- Plan your meal– calculate how much food you actually need for the number of people coming and make (and follow) a shopping list.
- Find new ways to use leftovers – think beyond turkey sandwiches, search online for “Thanksgiving leftovers recipes” for hundreds of ideas.
- Save leftovers – put them in the fridge within two hours after serving or freeze leftovers for future meals.
- Give away extra food -- give leftovers to your guests to take home or to someone you know who may not have had a Thanksgiving dinner.
- Compost – as you cook, save scraps for the compost pile and put uneaten vegetables, grains, and fruits into the compost.
Your turkey belongs on your plate, not in the trash! – tips from NH Health
Department
U.S. Department of Agriculture – a little old, but useful
Blog with comprehensive info from an organic waste recycling company
Nov. 9, 2024, Leave Your Leaves
The Community Church's Eco Ministry for the Earth encourages you to "leave your leaves" in your yard this autumn rather than raking or blowing them to the curb. Leaves are nature's fertilizer, essential to the health of your trees and other plants, and essential for the health of the ecosystem that supports beneficial insects and wildlife, including birds. Find out all about the whys and hows at this website including options for using your leaves.
https://newhopebirdalliance.org/bird-friendly-certification/leave-the-leaves/
Please also consider obtaining a free yard sign per instructions on the webpage and encouraging your neighbors to participate in this program.
Oct. 10, 2024, Suggestions from the Connections Fair
At September's Connections Fair, the Eco Ministry asked for church members' ideas about what we should focus on this year. We got lots of answers! Some of them are topics that we address in some way on Eco's website, and we want to make sure you're aware of the resources there. So, here are some of the top suggestions we got, along with relevant links to our website.
The number one (most-mentioned) suggestion we got was PLASTIC. This is a good one, since we are all increasingly aware of the downsides of all the convenient plastic items we use. There is waste, pollution, harm to wildlife, and microplastics in our drinking water and food, to name a few. We are thinking about ways we can encourage reduced plastic use locally, but in the meantime you can read about how to recycle many plastics on our Reduce, Reuse and Recycle page. We also will be working on a new web page detailing how you can reduce plastic in your everyday life and will announce that when it is published.
A number of the suggestions we got are things that the Eco Ministry has worked on at the church, such as SOLAR PANELS, COMPOSTING, CARPOOLING TO CHURCH, and discouraging HELIUM BALLOONS. You can read about those on the Eco-Friendly Church page.
Still others are topics that each have their own page on Eco's website, such as the CLIMATE CRISIS, ELECTRIC CARS (Transportation), BIODIVERSITY, and ENERGY USE.
Whether you submitted a suggestion or not, we hope you will find something useful in the information we have gathered on our website.
Oct. 1, 2024, Recycling Opportunities for anything with a plug
Here is a great way to recycle your old stuff with a company called Anything with a Plug. Dennis, the owner, is passionate about keeping things local and out of the landfill. They take a huge variety of items with a plug, reuse what they can and recycle the rest locally. Scroll down to the bottom of their home page to see a full list. You can drop things off at their location in Raleigh, have them picked up, or, more conveniently, you can take them to one of their free mobile drop off events in our area. See the list of upcoming events on their website.