by Rick Greene

MISSION GRANTS TEAM MEMBER

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15 ESV

“…we can create communities of practice—pluralist, humble, and rooted in shared responsibility. We can teach again what it means to live for the common good.” Rev. Cameron Trimble, author and spiritual leader

From the birth of the environmental justice movement, the United Church of Christ has been making a profound difference in caring for God’s creation. Through the Just World Covenant program, the UCC guides congregations in discerning how they can best embody a commitment to care for God’s creation by becoming a Creation Justice Church. Similarly, the Disciples of Christ is a denomination that emphasizes unity in Christ and wholeness in a fragmented world. They are known for their commitment to environmental stewardship and social justice, particularly in areas like racial reconciliation and climate change. 

The three R’s are an important part of sustainable living. As singer Pete Seeger said, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: a formula for a greener, cleaner future.”

• Reduce the amount of waste produced
• Reuse items as much as possible before replacing them
• Recycle items whenever possible

By following these principles, we reduce the amount of waste created, which minimizes the space needed for landfill sites. 

It is estimated that 76% of items in landfills can be recycled or composted--but recycling has never been easier. When people recycle correctly, they can make a difference for the environment and the community. Nowadays, most communities have their own recycling programs, with varying policies on curbside collection, drop-off locations, and use of compostable bags, among other things. Typically, the recycling programs include items such as paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, glass bottles and jars, metal cans, cartons, and cups. Some communities have special shredding days for destruction of confidential papers, or other programs to recycle furniture, yard waste, electronics, and even cars.

Franklin County’s rate of recycling (54%) exceeds the national average, and the County is trying to reach a 75% recycling rate by 2032. Increased efforts in Central Ohio focus on increasing recycling rates, expanding composting programs, and finding creative ways to reuse items. One new program available to Franklin County residents includes a specialized recycling program for harder-to-recycle plastics. Through Rumpke’s new partnership with Hefty, plastics such as chip bags, granola bar wrappers, plastic film, plastic cutlery, and Styrofoam are now accepted in Hefty Renew bags which can be taken to a SWACO drop-off site.

One goal of the First Community’s Environmental Justice Team is to provide education about environmental issues in the Church and the community. In the past, participants have visited SWACO’s Franklin County Landfill and the Rumpke facilities. Soon, the team will offer the opportunity to visit the Rumpke Resource & Recycling Center in Columbus—a new facility that is the largest and most technically advanced recycling facility in North America. Rumpke supplies recycling to manufacturers within a 250-mile radius of Columbus and 80% of its materials go to Ohio companies. As the Environmental Justice team looks for more opportunities, like an ongoing battery recycling project, the church has several initiatives focused on recycling and the environment.

Other Mission and Justice teams are involved in Reuse-Reduce-Recycle activities, including:

•  Gun Violence Prevention Team: The GVP began collecting donated guns in 2022 that were subsequently used by local artist Stephen Canneto to create sculptural furniture. These instruments of death and destruction were reused for a creative purpose.
•  Tri-Village Trading Post: Church and community members donate goods which are then sold in the shop as well as eBay sales, consignment store sales, and recycling of metal.
•  Refugee Ministry: Operating as a CRIS Arrival Team, the group provides supplies to newly-arrived refugee families. Often this involves a call to First Community for donations. Those donations, and others from the team, help resettle incoming families while also reusing household items and furniture.
•  Mat Makers: This group crochets and knits sleeping mats from plastic grocery bags to be used by those sleeping outside on the ground. About 800 donated grocery bags are recycled into “plarn” (plastic yarn) to make a 3x6 foot mat. These are then donated to various organizations for distribution to their clients, including Joshua’s Crossing Resource Center, Open Shelter, and our own Heart to Heart food pantry.
•  Eyeglass Collection: The Lions Clubs in Ohio collect and reuse eyeglasses and sunglasses as part of the global mission to combat blindness. In just about any home, there is an old pair of eyeglasses no longer being used and that same pair of eyeglasses can change another person's life. There are collection receptacles at FC North, FC South, and the Annex.
•  Pill Bottle Collection: We now collect empty plastic pill bottles, from prescription and over-the-counter medications. The clean containers are donated to Matthew 25: Ministries. This organization reuses the bottles while providing medical needs to disaster areas of the world, as well as the United States. Despite being plastic, most recycling programs do not accept these bottles, so the program keeps them out of landfills where they’ll take decades to decompose. In less than a year, we’ve contributed 2,000 pill containers to this effort.

Other church ministries have initiatives focused on environmental consciousness, as well:

• recycling cans in common areas and offices (including paper cups, but not the lids!)
• bottle filling stations
• old fixtures replaced energy-efficient models
• motion sensors installed to eliminate waste for lights, soap and paper towel dispensers
• sprinkler systems run outside high-demand times
• HVAC temps within reasonable ranges, adjusting for unoccupied times, and systems are replaced with newer efficient units as needed
• strict adherence to SWACO’s guidelines for removing unwanted paint, flammables, etc.

As Genesis tells us, God gave the stewardship of the earth and its environs to the human race. Rev. Cameron Trimble asks that we create communities that live for the common good. In addition to the resources cited, we pray that God grants us the wisdom to care for the earth. Let us to act now for the good of future generations and all God’s creatures.

If you would like more information on the church, programs or activities mentioned, please visit fcchurch.com or email Mission@FCchurch.com.  

Sources

• Franklin County Sanitary Landfill
• Hefty Renew Program
• Just World Covenant programs
• Recycle Right
• Rumpke
• Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio
• UCC Creation Justice Churches