“Our focus on the environment moves us not simply to admire and rejoice in the beauty that surrounds us, but also to recover and renew our gratitude and reverence for the wonder of creation of which we ourselves are a part. In so doing, may we indeed be faithful stewards of the world God has given into our care. ” - Bishop Frank Griswold
For information more see:
The Episcopal Ecological Network
Environmental Stewardship Council Biblical and Scientific Introduction
The St. Matthew’s Environmental Stewardship Council will help parishioners understand and implement ways they can get personally involved in being better stewards of our resources.
The Environmental Protection Agency suggests approaching environmental stewardship with the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
First, try to REDUCE the resources consumed and simply avoid generating any pollution or waste. This could include: purchasing durable, long-lasting goods, seeking products and packaging that are as free of toxins as possible, buying products that can be used again after their original use, or simply using less material, energy or water resources through conservation practices. Preventing pollution is cheaper than either waste management or cleanup, and it offers greater protection of the environment. It also helps conserve our natural resources.
During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person in the US creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day. REUSE of products, when possible, is better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again. Reuse items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or reselling them. The Huffman Hall Reuse and Recycling Center takes digital devices, ink jet cartridges, eyeglasses, and prescription containers for reuse.
RECYCLING reprocesses/remanufactures materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. In addition, it generates a host of benefits:
- Environmental - saves energy and raw materials
- Financial - creates jobs and stimulates green technologies
- Socio-political - reduces need for landfills and incinerators
For more on the three Rs see: Environmental Protection Agency.
Our paper recycling in the St. Matthew’s parking lot bin is going strong. Please see Paper Recycling Bin Tracking for its success story. The Huffman Hall Reuse and Recycling Center additionally takes batteries CDs and DVDs for recycling.
The Huffman Hall Reuse and Recycling Center also takes batteries, cell phones, laptops, ink jet cartridges, game machines, GPSs, iPods/MP3 players, CDs and DVDs for recycling. The barrels outside the church administrative offices take Styrofoam. In general we try to make it easy to recycle/reuse items that city services will not take. While we do make a modicum of money that helps fund further efforts, our motivation is really to make it easy for each of us to be a better steward.
Reduce Reuse and Recycle Resources:
A complete detailed list of what is accepted and how to prepare it for our Reuse and Recycling center may be found at Recycling and Resources List. The second page lists other material recycled by other centers as well as resources that can help us rethink and Reduce waste in the first place.
Contacts:
You are invited to join the Environmental Stewardship movement and help the St. Matthew’s fellowship learn to be better stewards of our resources. Contact Gloria Bankler at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , the chair of our Environmental Stewardship Council, for further information. If you have tips you have found useful, please forward them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to share them with the rest of St. Matthew’s.
Tips:
A catalog of the Tips published in the Weekly Word may be found by clicking here.