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Greening of the Church

We've all seen the road signs - ”Local Farmers Market" in Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, and many crossroads in between. With just a short drive from our homes we can acquire some of the freshest produce, meats, plants, herbs, and breads this side of the Mississippi. We can enjoy a stroll in the fresh air, talk with many friendly people or quickly move on our way.

Most of us at some time in our past have been exposed to curb side, tent side, and open air small farmer’s markets.  We already know these traditions, but the hustle of life offers plenty of excuses why we’re too busy to stop and enjoy the market environment, and the season passes us by. So we ask, "What is the big deal?"  The answer lies in the many opportunities for us to adopt greener buying habits.

Most of the local farmers are using growing practices that promote sustainable agriculture and provide healthier alternatives for using pesticides. We can support their endeavors. 

Our eco-friendliness has not reached its peak just yet. 

Now is a good time to explore Co-ops and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) in our area. Simply log on to www.localharvest.org, type in your zip code, and then choose either "farm" or “CSA.”  Our nearest sources will be provided.  Many CSA’s offer weekly or monthly boxes of what is available. Fresh eggs, meat, and greens may be just a short distance from us. Local grocery stores are also setting up organic sections.  

As we shop proudly with our reusable cloth bags, we should look for the green signs. The store managers will gladly guide us to them. A comment of appreciation to the store may go a long way with our future choices and options. We all want our food to be as healthy and fresh as possible and to live as “Green Christians” -- being good stewards of God’s creation. This is what “Greening of the Church” is all about.

 

SHARE WITH US ALL, HELP US OUT,

GIVE US YOUR STORY!

 

Susan Coley
St. Theodore’s Green Team

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More from St. Theodore’s Green Team

We’ve gotten some good suggestions from you all of simple things we can do to reduce our “carbon footprint”.  Here are some reminders:

1. Wal-Mart has bins in all stores where you can recycle plastic shopping bags
2. When cooking, use a pan with a bottom that is the same size as your burner to use the minimum amount of energy
3. When washing dishes by hand, turn off the tap between rinsing.

Most people recycle no more than 11% of their household waste, but with a bit of thought we can easily push that up to 80%.  An average family currently uses up to 600kg of paper every year.  If this was recycled, each family could save 7 trees.

Gwen Rakes
Green Team Chair

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