ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE

We as God’s people are not the owners of this planet but merely the stewards for future generations. It has become increasingly clear through many scientific studies that the health of our planet is greatly imperiled. The threats of pollution and global warming will undoubtedly have significant and possible irreversible effects on the many generations still to come. We must act today to assure the healthy future of all of God’s creations. The Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) stands ready to guide the Emanuel congregation and the community at large to understand the effects of global warming, pollution and the depletion of the earth’s natural resources. As a member of New York Interfaith Power and Light (NYIPL) we join congregations of all faiths in protecting the sacredness of the earth in our own small way by taking practical steps to make our own church facilities environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

If anyone would like to join or has ideas for future projects please contact a committee member - Gerry Falco, Susan Molnar, Carol Johnson, Marianne Dietrich, David Mendenhall or Ragnhild Holmquist.

RECENT NEWS:

Our PV (solar panel) project was finally completed at the end of June and is producing lots of energy on a consistent basis. Thanks to our new source of renewable energy we will be keeping carbon and pollution out of the atmosphere and saving money that can be used in other ministries of our church! The new array is featured in the ELCA New York Synod's website. The article is entitled “Going solar”. (http://www.mnys.org/default.asp?contentID=704). (You will need to cut and paste this link).

Green Tip for the Month Green Tip - Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities but aren't the most environmentally friendly. Here are some ways you can make it better. 1) Buy skis from companies that offer skis made of rapidly growing bamboo or sustainably harvested wood. Some companies will recycle old skis into furniture. Check out Kingswood, Movements, Grown Skis, Bluehouse, Liberty, and Locomotiv ski companies. 2) Burton Eco Nico manufactures eco-friendly snowboards. 3) Waiting until it snows to ski is better than skiing on artificial snow. 90 million cubic meters of water are used to create enough artificial snow to cover a mountain for a season. That's as much water as is used by 1.5 million people in 1 year. 4) Cross country skiing and snowshoeing use only real snow. 5) Stay on designated ski areas. Straying off into surrounding areas can trample snow covered plants and disrupt animal habitats.

Now that our solar panels are installed, we want to keep working on tightening the church's energy envelope to save more energy. Our biggest problem is all the beautiful glass windows we have. They let in lots of light, but unfortunately a lot of heat energy leaks out in the cooler months. The Proprety Committee did a great job adding storm windows in the Sacristy and in Pearson Hall. Now we need to consider our options for the many other windows in the church and school wing. Any thoughts or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.