Giving the environment some help

I chaired a most productive meeting tonight. It was a meeting of people from the parish interested in the environment. We used a church documents for the basis of the discussion. I won’t bore you with the details of the theory part of the evening, but the practical I’m quite impressed with.

First, I’m to write to the local supermarket, asking them to install a recycling bin for plastic shopping bags as well as to put a sign in a prominent place advising people that they’re more than welcome to bring their own bags to take groceries home in (string, calico, or whatever.

Next, I’m to organise an evening on the environment for parishioners next year. The two guest speakers will be a local lady who has done much work and is very knowledgeable in the area of flora, and a guy from a nearby city who has just retired from the water authority. The purpose will be to encourage people to establish gardens that are environmentally friendly and appropriate for this part of the world, and to conserve water. I’ll also enquire about a suitable speaker for a night on Celtic spiritualty, which has a very strong emphasis on the sacredness of creation.

Then comes the establishment of an annual competition sponsored by the parish. The competition is to be for children between the ages of 8 to 13, and they can contribute an entry in any medium or form that answers the question: “What can children your age do to make a difference to the environment?” The competition will be open to any child in the area covered by the local newspaper.

We’ve decided not to use poly-styrene cups for parish functions and encourage people to bring their own mug, as well as have a supply of mugs on hand for visitors. It will mean there’ll be washing up, but people will take their own cup home and wash it there.

Those who mow the church lawn will be instructed not to use the grass catcher, but to allow the grass to be spread on the lawn as it is cut.

And finally I’ll obtain sufficient copies from the local authorities of brochures detailing noxious weeds and poisonous plants. These will be distributed on a given weekend with the parish newsletter so all households have a copy.

All in all, it was a good meeting.