Plastic Bottle Recycling

Plastic Bottle Recycling

By Karen Digby on behalf of the Sustainability Team at St. Francis... for the FORUM on February 3rd, 2013.

    Did you know that according to the Washington State Department of Ecology, people within the United States use four million plastic bottles per hour?  And, of every four bottles used, only one gets recycled! Why is this big deal?  Well for one thing when plastic bottles are thrown into the garbage, instead of being recycled, they end up in landfills where they can take anywhere from 100 to 400 years to decompose.  What a waste-literally!  Recycling plastic to make new plastic requires only two thirds of the amount of energy that would be needed if starting from scratch. Almost four barrels of oil can be saved by when one ton of plastic bottles are recycled. Recycled plastic can be used to create new products such as auto parts, carpeting, even clothing.  Recycling plastic can even create enough energy to light a sixty watt light bulb for six hours!  Does recycling sound like something you could do?  Great, then here are just three ideas to help you start.   Happy recycling! 

1.       Place plastic non-returnable (for cash) bottles into recycling bins.  Washtenaw County has a curbside recycling program… see:  http://www.recycleannarbor.org

2.       Storage.  Plastic bottles are a handy way to store small items such as paper clips, nails, etc.

3.       Creative (or not)? Save money on gifts this year by creating your own unique, hand-made items. Check out this web site with savvy ideas for the beginner to the advanced artist in you:   http://earth911.com/news/2010/07/26/6-ways-to-reuse-plastic-bottles/

http://earth911.com/news/2012/12/27/12-amazing-recycling-and-waste-statistics-from-2012/

http://schools.fwps.org/panther/files/2012/05/recycling-fast-facts-handout-2012.pdf

http://www.recycleannarbor.org/?module=Page&sID=resources-plastics-explained

http://www.recycleannarbor.org/?module=Page&sID=resources-a-to-z-recycling-guide

For more information or to join our Sustainability Team, call Scott (734-821-2121), or visit:  stfrancisa2.com/sustainability

Sustainability: creating new beginnings for the beginner

Sustainability: creating new beginnings for the beginner    By Karen Digby on behalf of the Sustainability Team at St. Francis... for the FORUM on January 27th, 2013.

           Over the past few months, you may have been noticing more and more information about sustainability in our parish bulletin.  What exactly is sustainability, you may ask, and what does it have to do with me?  Well, quite a lot actually.  In fact it is relevant to everyone living and breathing on this earth today, as it will be for generations to come.  The concept of sustainability was first developed in 1987, by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations.  Basically the concept is defined as being able to meet people's needs for various resources, in the present time, in an efficient, effective, yet responsible manner, that will still allow them to meet the same needs of their children (our children) in the future.  This means reducing or even eliminating certain things such as water pollution and waste, food wastage, carbon emissions into our air, overuse of electricity and gas.  It also means learning to save, reuse and recycle things such as plastic, clothing, even things we consider to be garbage!  All of this so that future generations will be able to survive and live in harmony with the earth and their environment, as people have been used to doing in the past.

         You may think," I don't know how to start doing this."  "What difference can I make, if I do?" The Sustainability Team here at St. Francis, wants to help show you the way.  Our articles here in the parish bulletin will suggest different ideas for you to try out at home, at work, at school, anywhere during the week.  Learn more and you will want to join our Sustainability Team!  What better a way to become a steward of the resources God has given to you.  What better a way to make a difference in the lives your family, friends, community. 

               The future of our world and that of our children's is our responsibility to God and self.  As is written in Leviticus 25: 23-24, "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land."

            For more information or to join our Sustainability Team, call Scott (734-821-2121), or visit:  stfrancisa2.com/sustainability

 

·    marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/greenwash-brigade/define-sustainability-please

·    christianteens.about.com/od/understandingyourbible/qt/ScriptureEnvironment.htm

Sustainability Planning Session Saturday, January 26 from 1:00pm - 5:00pm

We welcome you to our St. Francis Parish Sustainability Planning Session Sat, Jan 26th 1-5pm with a skilled facilitator in the School Music Room.

If on Saturday you suddenly find you're available to attend the afternoon session but have not yet registered, PLEASE ATTEND! You're welcome to support as much/as little of the session as your schedule permits.

We're all eager to share thoughts and ideas as together we continue to lay the groundwork for a more sustainable parish and world.   At the session we'll explore how Sustainability fits into our Catholic identity and consider practical ways to move forward during Lent, Easter and well beyond.  Sustainability covers many areas of life and specific segments of sustainability will resonate with some but not all individuals. It's an expansive subject, and we'd like to know how sustainability resonates with you.    The four hour session will be necessary, inspiring and time well spent. Hope to see you there!

We ask participants to be prepared to describe a future vision of St. Francis Parish, that builds on our identity as a Catholic community concerned about any number of the aspects of sustainability.

Several pre-reading items will be sent to you as soon as you RSVP.

Thanks to Steve Lavender & Jane Vogel for preparing the agenda and Kelly Gauthier and Scott Wright for their thoughts and contributions to the preparation for Saturday's Planning Session.

If you have any questions or general comments

Please join us!  RSVP HERE, or to Scott (734-821-2121) (swright@stfrancisa2.org).
Are you aware of colleagues who may want to join us? Please forward this note to them.

Sun Come Up - a film on environmental refugees

Sun Come Up - a short film and discussion at St. Francis Parish Thursday, February 7th in the School Music Room, focuses on some of the world’s first environmental refugees, the people of the Carteret Islands in the south Pacific. 

The St. Francis Peace & Justice Committee is sponsoring this presentation.  The film will be introduced by a brief presentation on ocean levels around the world and followed by a discussion period. We will conclude by 8:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.   Please RSVP to Scott ( 734-821-2121) (swright@stfrancisa2.org). 

A2 climate action plan

Happy New Year!

This is a great site, The Ann Arbor climate action plan.  Check out the homeowner and renter sections!

http://www.a2energy.org/climate