Creation Care

Restoring creation for ecology and justice

The Lord put Adam in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15

    In 2020, our church joined others in PC USA in becoming a Certified Earth Care Congregation.

    Our Creation Care Purpose

    Together, we are called by our faith to care for our neighbors here at home or across the globe and to care for this planet that God created and entrusted to us.

    Explore our church’s goals and how you can get involved….

    News / Upcoming Events

    Thanks to everyone who participated in the January 21 meeting!  We reviewed highlights of 2023, looked at goals for 2024, and shared information about three potential projects for reducing our church’s carbon emissions:

    1. Replacing our aging, inefficient boiler
    2. Replacing lights with LEDs
    3. Installing solar panels

    See the slide deck here

    Task forces have been formed to fully investigate each of these; details will be presented to the congregation on APRIL 17, at the Wednesday Night Connection.

    If you are interested in being part of one of these three task forces, please contact Linda Racine or Kris Wendland

    Hazardous Waste Dates

    Grand Traverse County will be collecting hazardous waste material on these dates in 2024:

    • Thursday, April 11  1pm – 6pm
    • Thursday, May 16  1pm – 6pm
    • Thursday, June 20  12pm – 6pm
    • Thursday, August 8  12pm – 6pm
    • Saturday, September 14  9am – 2pm

    Click here for more information about this  great recycling resources!

    Other Resources

    Click here! For a list of all the Creation Care Titles in our PCTC Library.

    Goals for 2024

    Church-wide Goals

    This year we have established four big themes, one per quarter

    For each theme we will explore actions we can take …

    • In our homes
    • In our Church
    • In our Community
    • on a State, National, or Global level

    First theme: Reduce our Carbon Emissions!

    In 2022, the General Assembly of PC(USA) encouraged us all to:

    • Reduce our carbon imprint by 25 percent in the next four years
    • Become carbon neutral, net-zero, or even climate positive by 2030

    And we’ve taken these recommendations to heart!

     

    Actons we are taking at church…

    Last year we analyzed our current emissions using  Interfaith Power & Light’s Carbon Calculator.  Here’s a high-level summary of our overall carbon emissions:

    And since Facilities is clearly our biggest source of emissions, here is a further breakdown:

    A team then met with several contractors and energy consultants to explore strategies to reduce carbon emissions AND save the church money on wasted energy!  Task forces are studying three possible actions:

    1. Replacing our aging, inefficient boiler
    2. Replacing lights with LEDs
    3. Installing solar panels

    Details (including costs, benefits, potential funding sources, and timelines) will be presented to the congregation on APRIL 17, at the Wednesday Night Connection.

    Actions we can take at home…

    Project Drawdown has identified “Top 20 High-Impact” actions we can take.  While there are many things we can do to make a difference, surprisingly, the highest-impact are eating more plants and reducing food waste!

    Pledge to Take Action!

    Commit to taking one action this winter by clicking here.

    And if you’re looking for helpful tips, check out these pages:

    Other Goals for 2024

    To maintain our certification with PC(USA)’s Earth Care Congregation program, each committee has set goas that support one of our four areas of commitment:

    WORSHIP

    • ^Continue with Blessing of the animals/blessing of bikes
    • ^Continue with communion by Intinction
    • ^Continue Outdoor worship when weather permits

    EDUCATION

    • ^Provide education information and resources for each of our four church-wide themes
    • ^Plan a creation care focus for VBS

    FACILITIES

    • ^Complete assessment on potential actions to reduce emissions (replacing boiler, replacing lighting with LEDs, installing solar panels). Determine next steps.
    • ^Create an "urban forest" on church property
    • ^Reduce the amount of lawn being fertilized with chemicals
    • ^Review/Strengthen our church's recycling process.
    • ^Reduce paper by consolidating reports and/or conducting paperless meetings
    • ^Reduce travel emissions by continuing the Ride Share program and encouraging carpooling, and by conducting some meetings on Zoom.

    OUTREACH

    • ^Continue Adopt a Highway events - Hoch Road between Keystone and Rusch Road
    • ^Communicate advocacy opportunities posted through Presbyterians for Earth Care or PCUSA's Office of Public Witness

    Resources for Personal Actions

    Following are changes we can make in our homes and lifestyles that will reduce the amount of fossil fuels we personally contribute each day.

    Think Before We Shop

    Transportation

    Cut Food Waste

    Recycling

    What We Eat

    Composting

    Single-Use Plastic

    Lawn/Garden

    Energy Efficiency

    Climate Action

    Some good things have happened in the last couple of years….

    Bipartisan COVID Relief Package

    Passed December, 2020

    Besides COVID relief, this package had some items that are good for the environment including  clean energy reforms, R&D enhancements, efficiency incentives and extending clean energy tax credits.  It also included:

    • $300 million over five years to reduce the cost of grid-scale energy storage systems
    • Boosts to carbon capture and direct air capture technologies
    • A commitment to phasing out hydrofluorocarbons. This is a big deal, as HFCs are a class of potent greenhouse gasses!

    Source: https://www.eenews.net/articles/year-end-deal-includes-major-energy-environment-wins/

    Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act

    Passed November 6. 2021

    In addition to investments in roads, bridges, broadband, and water infrastructure, this Act includes some important environmental and climate investment.

    Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/06/fact-sheet-the-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/

    The US passed the Inflation Reduction Act

    Passed August 12, 2022

    The largest climate package in US history–models predict it could help us reach 40% emissions reduction by 2030
    How does it accomplish these cuts?

    • Deploying clean energy
    • Methane pollution fee
    • Electric vehicle incentives
    • Building electrification and efficiency
    • Innovation and domestic green manufacturing
    • Natural climate solutions (forestry and agriculture)

    Source: https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/08/experts-senate-passed-bill-will-yield-myriad-climate-benefits/

    You may be eligible for tax credits or upfront discounts as you make your home or business more energy efficient.

    To explore potential savings, click here: https://www.rewiringamerica.org

    Our current path gets us to 40% by 2030

    While a great first step, our current policies don’t get us where we need to go–50% by 2030; net zero by 2050.  And these policies primarily affect just US emissions.  What about the rest of the world?  Climate change is a global issue.

     

    We need to….

    • Close the last 10% of our 2030 Paris commitment gap, then keep working to reach net zero by 2050
    • Advocate for policies and practices that ensure environmental justice

    Stay tuned ….

    As the PC (USA) Office of Public Witness or other PC (USA) agencies send out calls to action we will post them here and on the Creation Care table in the hallway next to the Welcome Center.  We will also let you know about other issues that provide an opportunity for faithful action  in line with the recommendations from the 225th General Assembly.