Green Sanctuary Activities

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Worship (W), Religious Education (RE), Environmental Justice (EJ) and Sustainability (S). Some of our activities at People’s fall into more than one category.

WORSHIP

  • Assist with design of and participate in one or more worship services each year, including lay services and youth services. (W)
  • Work with the Minister to integrate environmental concerns into our worship. (W)
  • Assist in maintenance of the church’s outdoor labyrinth and its native plant border. (W, S)

EDUCATION: Sharing information about living more sustainably

  1. Working with adults in the church and beyond
    • Write “Green Spot” and “Climate Corner” articles presenting practical information in the church’s monthly newsletter and weekly emails. (S, EJ)
    • Host workshops on topics such as Composting and Home Energy Efficiency.
    • Present environmental lectures, films and discussions featuring local scholars. (RE, EJ, S)
  1. Working with our children and youth:
    • Assist Religious Education in integrating environmental themes into the curriculum. (RE)
    • Offer specialty classes. (RE)

WALKING THE TALK: Reducing our environmental impact

  • Participate in Net Zero Task Force to develop plans for getting People’s Church to net-zero carbon releases by 2030. (S)
  • Collect Styrofoam for recycling four times a year. (S)
  • Organize grounds clean-up days. (S)
  • Use fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee. (S, EJ)
  • Conduct periodic roadside cleanups along 10th (S)
  • Co-sponsor and participate in Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival. (S)
  • Maintain membership in Michigan Interfaith Power and Light. (W, RE, S, EJ)

ADVOCACY: Working for a just and sustainable world

  • Regularly participate in activities organized by Hope for Creation (local interfaith group dedicated to promoting climate action). (EJ, S)

OTHER THINGS WE’VE DONE

WORSHIP

  • Developed meditation/reflection cards for use on the church Nature Trail. (W)

EDUCATION

  • Created “Tap Water is People’s Water” campaign to encourage people to drink tap water and avoid bottled water as much as possible (2014). (S)
    • The project included a children’s artwork contest to develop a campaign sticker for reusable bottles. (S)
  • Hosted environmental lectures by local scholars (RE, EJ, S):
    • Four-part series on Ecology and World Religions
    • Flora and Fauna of the Palmer Nature Preserve
    • The Paris Climate Accord
    • Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region
    • The Green New Deal
  • With YRUU, qualified to have our grounds certified as a National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat in 2019. (S)

WALKING THE TALK

  • Arranged for installation of solar panels on church addition. (S)
  • Participated in Light the Way program through Consumers Energy, which included an energy audit and energy efficiency improvements to the building. (S)
  • Developed Land Management Plan for church grounds to enhance ecosystem health, control invasive species, and reduce water and energy use for grounds keeping (2018). (S)
  • Helped redesign the kitchen user guide to include more environmentally friendly practices. (S)
  • Updated Memorial Garden policies. (S)
  • Collected unwanted electronics for recycling. (S)
  • Assisted Michigan Nature Association at stewardship workdays at Edwin and Margarita Palmer Memorial Nature Sanctuary. (S) Ed Palmer was a former minister at People’s.

ADVOCACY

  • Advocated for ISAAC (local interfaith advocacy organization) to adopt an Environmental Justice task force (2012). (EJ)
  • Collected signatures in support of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s efforts to prevent construction of a pipeline (2016). (EJ, S)
  • Collected signatures for Michigan Interfaith Power and Light petition asking auto industry to maintain fuel efficiency standards (2020). (EJ, S)