Green Church Mission Moment –
by member Michael Dodge in worship on April 20, 2008
 
Mission Moment

Speaking to the congregation today is an honor for me. This is about a spiritual and technological journey that I have taken over the past year.  Inspired by Dr. Mike Dent’s Earth Day message last year at this time on being faithful stewards of the earth, I decided to take personal action.  It was an awakening of sorts for me.  My research began with the topic of climate change, and the human impacts associated with it. Employing some practical steps has enabled me to make a significant reduction to my carbon footprint.
 
Particularly profound, is the realization of how easy it is to make an impact.  By taking simple actions, my electrical consumption has been reduced by 40%.  This new rate of consumption was achieved in 1 day.  The steps taken were: the changing of household lighting to compact fluorescent bulbs, utilization of the no-heat option for the dishwasher, drip-drying of dishes, hang-drying of clothes, and turning my computer off when not in use.  As a direct result of this reduction in electrical consumption over the past year, 1,560 lbs of coal were not burned into the atmosphere.  It took only 4 months to recoup the cost of the compact fluorescent bulbs.  With the addition of insulation, and by lowering the thermostat 2 degrees this heating season, I have reduced my natural gas consumption by 20% in comparison to the previous heating season.  I like this example because it is easily quantifiable with raw figures, and it illustrates practicality.
 
It doesn’t require major lifestyle modification to make a difference.  I’m a technology buff; I work in the communications industry, so I like my electronic gadgets. And I enjoy going to the mountains for recreation.  We can all continue pursuing the things we like to do, we can just be smarter about how we live, play, and work.  I ensure my electronics are off when not in use, and I carpool with friends when going to the mountains.
 
Many of us are cognizant of living green.  But we can always do more, myself included.  Employ the 3 Rs of waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle.  Take mass transit, cycle, walk, combine trips, carpool, consider a fuel efficient vehicle for your next purchase, adjust the thermostat by 2 degrees, utilize a programmable thermostat, consider purchasing renewable energy credits to offset your carbon footprint. Think about renewable energy sources for your home such as a solar water heater or solar cells for electricity.  As solar technology becomes more common, the economies of scale continue to make this technology more affordable. Americans are known as mass consumers.

We live in a society where it is fashionable to have the newest latest greatest widget.  For every product produced, there is an associated volume of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from the manufacturing process, and the transportation-to-market process.  We can change the paradigm by reusing goods.  Go to re-sale shops, go garage-sale surfing, and take your own reusable bags to the grocery store.
 
This is such an important topic.  It transcends political affiliation.  It requires engagement and cooperation on multiple levels.  It requires social, spiritual, technical, political, and scientific collaboration.
 
The Trinity Green Church Mission has been recently formed to educate and inspire our congregation into action.  We want to provide the framework that enables the individual to take effective steps in reducing one’s carbon footprint.  We want to create more success stories.  We are developing a congregational energy audit program which will evaluate interested members’ consumption, and make recommendations for efficiency.

There will be additional presentations, interactive discussions, and articles in the Vision on green topics.  If you’re interested in volunteering with this mission, we’re recruiting for congregational energy auditor.  If you would like to be on our mailing list, please send your information to Marty Sorensen or to me.  Our contact information is in the Weekly Vision.  And, I invite you to stop by the Green Church Mission table in Fellowship Hall for discussion, volunteer sign-up, and mailing list sign-up.
 
Thank you and have a Happy Earth day Tuesday, April 23.