SUSTAIN grace /

 

Members of Grace attended a ‘Green Congregations’ training sponsored by the Metro Chicago Synod in 2007. We’ve experimented with some more sustainable initiatives, already, but there was a desire for more information and collective inspiration.


We possess quite a few sustainable assets as a congregation. Nevertheless, we look forward to a congregation that is more and more in keeping with being joyful stewards of God’s creation.


We’re dreaming of things like solar panels on top of our education building, of prairie grass gardens around our church, and even installing porous concrete for our parking lot.


The training also gave us resources for conducting an energy audit and finding funds to do larger projects. We’re moving forward on the audit, and plan to take Grace-filled steps to see our larger visions come to fruition.


If you’re interested in becoming active in our team please email Mark Mathyer Here.

• Garden that exists to provide fresh       

    vegetables to our local soup kitchen


• Recycling of all paper and plastic


• Majority replacement of

    incandescent bulbs with energy-

    efficient fluorescents, with plan to

    finish all as older bulbs burn out


  1. •Replacement of all fixtures and bulbs with CFLs November 2008


• Pastor rides his bike Spring/Summer/   

    Fall. Office manager walks to and from

    church


• Building use: we host a daily after-   

    school program and adult counseling

    center to maximize use of our space


• Several members walk to church on

    Sundays, two more ride their tandem

    bike every week


• Lawn service uses no chemicals


• Use of one-sided paper recycling in

    office. All paper purchased for

    bulletins is 70% recycled. Other office

    paper is 100% recycled


• Use of 50% Beeswax candles for

   ‘eternal flame’ in sacntuary


• Hosted ‘Green Season’ liturgies and

    events during the summer of 2007-8,

    with plans to do a similar season each

    summer


• When changing our baptismal

    water we use it to water our plants

    (every little bit helps!)


• We plan to use sustainable palm

    branches this Easter season, and  

    burn the palms for next year’s ashes

    (Ash Wed.), spreading the remainder

    into our garden


  1. •We are researching green roof  technology, with preliminary plans to install such a unit in 2009 or 2010


  1. •We have several trees on our     property. If one needs to be removed, we replant in another location.


  1. •We have plans to install two large bike racks near our parking lot for the students in our afterschool program, and to encourage members and guests to ride to church.

Become a Green Congregation!

Go to:  WEB OF CREATION

More resources from LSTC

(The Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago) can be found Here.