“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
—Genesis 8:21-22
The holidays are a wonderful time to reflect on the wonder of creation, the new birth that God gives to all living things through the gift of Jesus Christ. If you are looking for ways to walk softly upon the earth
during this season, here are a few eco-tips:
- Shop locally. Buying gifts from local merchants can dramatically decrease packaging waste and reduce the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from long-distance delivery, all while supporting our local economy.
- Freeze leftovers. Minimize food waste, and enjoy warm and delicious reheated dishes throughout the winter months!
- Decline single-use plastic or paper bags. Get more mileage out of your reusable grocery bags by taking them along while shopping.
- Recycle! Wrapping paper, Christmas cards, trees, and even holiday lights can be recycled. Drop off used strings of lights through the annual free collection at Moorestown Hardware, sponsored by Sus- tainable Moorestown.
- Consider giving the gift of a donation in honor of a loved one, to an environmental cause or organization, or by purchasing carbon off- sets (carbonfund.org). Offsets are also a great and inexpensive way to make up for the carbon emissions from your holiday travel.
The Green Team would like to thank all who came out to help pack produce for the annual Thanksgiving packing event sponsored by our local mission partner NJ Farmers Against Hunger.
Together with volunteers from the Green Team, , Boy Scout Troop 61 (OLGC Moorestown), and elsewhere in the
community, we packed nearly 800 bags of fall produce for distribution to local food banks, including 72 bags that accompanied the Thanksgiving baskets for Bridge of Peace. Also, a big thanks to Linda McDevitt and to Wegman’s of Mt. Laurel who secured a donation of reusable gro- cery bags for distributing those baskets!
We wish everyone a blessed holiday season, and look forward to the new year as we continue in our mission to reveal the connection of our congregation and community to God’s presence in the natural world.
To learn more, join the Green Team, contact Brian Lestini. Our next meeting will be Monday, Dec. 2 at 7 PM. —Brian Lestini