First Presbyterian church

Working with God in the Community.

Green Initiative

FPC was honored by being featured in the May-June “Green Issue” of the Union-Recorder’s Milledgeville Scene magazine which spotlighted our church’s efforts in environmental stewardship.  The in-depth article detailed some of our current plans as well as our efforts in the early ‘90s.  At that time, FPC banned the use of styrofoam products (which are neither recyclable nor biodegradable) and its recycling efforts were instrumental in Milledgeville’s starting a city-wide recycling program.
Text Box: In February 2009, the Green Initiative Task Force was established to reinforce and expand FPC’s environmental stewardship practices. Now an official committee which reports to the Session, it is composed of a diverse group of members under the leadership of Deacon Debbie Harshbarger. Building upon FPC’s proud history of environmental advocacy, the goal of the committee is to increase awareness in the church and the community about ways we can be better stewards of God’s Creation.

Debbie Harshbarger,

Coordinator
Recent Programs and Activities

Since its inception, the Green Initiative has organized several events designed to raise awareness and encourage environmental responsibility on the part of members of the church and the community. Members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal have joined us on a couple of occasions and we look forward to possible collaborations in the future.

 

· The first annual St. Patrick’s Day “Green” Luncheon was held to support the youth summer mission trip.  The youth prepared a delicious vegetarian menu with spinach lasagna.  It was enjoyed by a large, appreciative crowd which contributed generously to help fund the mission trip.

 

· On March 22nd, Sam Collier, a volunteer with GIPL (Georgia Interfaith Power & Light) and The Climate Project based in Nashville, Tenn., came to FPC to make a presentation based on Al Gore’s award-winning movie An Inconvenient Truth.  Sam has led his own church, Oakhurst Baptist in Decatur, through a “greening” process.

 

· In celebration of Earth Week. Jim and Jere Bowden presented a Sunday morning workshop and sermon on the topic of “going green” and environmental stewardship.  Jim is the retired PCUSA pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia and Jere is an advocate for extensive environmental activities in the Athens-Clarke County area.

 

· The Green Corner:  a new special feature appears in our monthly newsletter, Church Currents.  Between publications, ongoing displays are placed in the Green Corner in the Fellowship Hall.

Milledgeville Scene:

Raising Awareness:

478-453-0797

theharshbargers@yahoo.com

First Presbyterian Church ■ 210 S. Wayne St. ■  Milledgeville, GA 31061

(478) 452-9394 ■ fpchurch@windstream.net

 

Linda  McKnight presents Jere and Jim Bowden with  a plant.

Reducing our Carbon Footprint:

On Earth Day, we viewed the compelling 35-minute documentary, Kilowatt Ours, about energy use in the Southeastern U.S. and conservation methods which can help us reduce our carbon footprint.  This video was provided to us by Georgia Interfaith Power & Light as a means of explaining the sources of our energy and the effect they have on human lives and the environment. Anyone interested in viewing this documentary can contact Debbie - FPC has a copy of it.

 

Georgia Power customers are encouraged to request a free home energy audit by calling Randy Wilson at 454-5543.  Three helpful outcomes of the audit for each home are: specific suggestions for making our homes more energy efficient and reducing our power bills, a free, installed insulation wrap for the water heater (if desired), and a free CFL (see below).  At this time, Tri-County EMC only provides audits for customers who are planning home renovations.

 

Everyone is encouraged to replace as many incandescent bulbs as possible with CFLs - Compact Fluorescent Lamps.  Though the initial cost is higher, CFLs use a fraction of the energy of typical bulbs and last for years – thereby saving the customer both the cost and the trouble of repeatedly replacing bulbs as well as providing a substantial decrease in monthly power bills!  Lowe’s is one local source of these, with a wide variety of choices available.  FPC is the only facility in town which currently recycles non-functioning bulbs and non-members are welcome and encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity!

 

The first annual “Candlelight Progressive Dinner” was held on March 28th from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. to celebrate “Earth Hour,” a world-wide event in which cities and communities around the globe participated by turning off all non-essential electric lights and appliances during the designated hour.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and Rot!):

FPC members are urged to reduce the number of plastic shopping bags they acquire, or eliminate them entirely, by carrying REUSABLE BAGS instead.  Plastic non-biodegradable bags are made from oil and production of them contributes to greenhouse gas pollution.  They also end up littering our roadsides and waterways where they create an ugly mess and endanger wildlife.

 

In addition to purchasing reusable bags which are increasingly available at grocery and retail outlets, FPC members have supported the efforts of the award-winning Green Exstream Team of Oak Hill Middle School.  The Team created a spacious and durable reusable canvas bag, at cost, for the bargain price of $5.  Information about the OHMS Green Exstream Team can be found at the website:  www.greenexstream.com.   If you are interested in purchasing a bag, please contact Debbie as noted above.

 

Recycling Guidelines for city and county residents have been emailed to all members and are available for use by all community residents interested in proper disposal of household waste. (Please note that the Baldwin County Commissioners are currently discussing changes to their plans for waste disposal and our church guidelines will be updated as needed in the future.)

 

Members who would like to have a Recycling Partner to assist in proper disposal of recyclable items which are not picked up in their particular neighborhood can contact Susan McGill at susan.mcgill@baldwin.k12.ga.us.

 

Resident “Green Thumb” and committee member, Lin McKnight, the owner of Birthflowers, is a fountain of information about environmentally-friendly gardening practices.  Lin has contributed a feature on “Composting” for the June newsletter, Church Currents. If you have questions, contact Lin at  birthflowers@yahoo.com.  Lin and Linda McKnight are also spearheading the effort to establish the Milledgeville Community Garden which is available to all members of the community.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, Green Initiative members Donna Gautier and David & Elizabeth Baarda take responsibility for properly disposing of recyclable items

Text Box: Recycling Center (next to the Sanctuary): — Clothing and empty prescription/medicine bottles (small, with personal labeling removed) for The Open Door Ministry of Atlanta (contact Faye Heal with questions at faye.heal@gcsu.edu). — Cell phones for In Our Best Interest (a domestic violence support group) — Ink jet cartridges and toner cartridges for Big Brothers / Big Sisters — Used wrapping paper and greeting cards for the Baldwin Senior Citizens Center — Non-functioning CFLs to be discarded safely by the Baldwin County Environmental Office — Used batteries to be discarded safely by Crank ‘N Charge, Radio Shack and Central Ga. Battery. Text Box: Recycling Center (next to the Kitchen): — All food-grade aluminum products that are collected in the kitchen entryway benefit Habitat for Humanity. — CLEAN glass, aluminum products, cardboard and “mixed” items (including regular paper, paperboard, newspapers, plastic food-grade containers, steel and tin cans) as well as those ubiquitous plastic shopping bags. Text Box: Church Office Recycling —Bin for office mail and paper waste including the weekly Sunday bulletins which are collected by the deacons after church.

For Information or Questions Contact:

A greener church facility is emerging!

The Green Initiative has also taken responsibility for ordering and supplying environmentally-friendly kitchen, office and janitorial supplies.   FPC now uses kitchen and bathroom paper products made from chlorine-free, 100% recycled paper.  For fellowship receptions, biodegradable plates made from renewable bagasse (sugar cane waste) are now used.   A designated (bright blue!) waste receptacle is used to collect standard paper reception supplies that can later be recycled by Green Initiative members.

 

However, rather than throw away all the undesirable products we currently have on hand, and thereby create equally irresponsible waste, we will phase out environmentally-unfriendly products as we re-supply with those which are produced with environmental responsibility in mind. New products are being developed and marketed every day in the U.S.  Though few have been available locally, environmentally-friendly and affordable items are starting to show up on store shelves. If you discover some of these and want to share the news, contact Debbie!

 

The Property Committee, under the leadership of Roy Phillips, who is also a member of the Green Initiative, is researching and planning “green” upgrades for our building and facility as part of a long-range plan dependent upon suitability and affordability.

 

Thanks to everyone for your continued and increasing stewardship of God’s Creation.

Photo by Jessica Luton.