February 28, 2024 //
In 2023, a group of St. Stephen’s parishioners began gathering to exchange ideas on how we, as individuals and as a parish, might live into our faith through caring for God’s creation. Through the conversations, the Creation Care Committee was formed and this active team has been hosting events and sharing information with our parish ever since.
In addition to education, the committee is looking at ways we can reduce our community’s environmental impact. As an active parish, we produce a hefty amount of trash each year. One of the key ways we can collectively reduce our “landfill-bound” trash is Organics Recycling (also referred to as “compost”.)
Our parish has participated in paper, metal, and plastics recycling for years. The committee recognized the opportunity to do more as our organic waste (food scraps, food-soiled paper, etc.) was still making its way to landfills. Spearheaded by committee member Henry Brantingham, conversations began with parish staff about bringing Organics Recycling to St. Stephen’s.
“Waste sort studies, like the one Hennepin County conducted in 2016, continue to show that organic materials are the largest proportion of our trash — making up about 25 percent of the trash stream,” shared Henry.
“With the large number and scale of events held within our parish,” added Molly Reichard, Minister for Community Engagement, “we knew that we could make a material reduction in our garbage by recycling our organics.”
Following a time of research and exploration, the decision was made to bring organics recycling to our parish. The team quickly got to work arranging for a new organics recycling service to pick up this waste and procuring new containers to collect the organics waste for recycling. The team has concentrated this collection in the locations most frequently used for special events and fellowship.
After starting with the main kitchen, we have now added organics collection in the Gathering Space and Commons Room where weekly gatherings such as Wednesday Night Dinner, Sunday Coffee Hour, and most other events are held.
HOW YOU CAN HELP REDUCE OUR PARISH’S LANDFILL WASTE
Reducing waste in our parish takes everyone’s cooperation. There are simple things that each of us can do that only take a few seconds and make a BIG difference.
When throwing away your waste, take a moment to place it in the right bin. This will help us to recycle as much of it as possible. Look for signage on and around waste containers to guide you in which containers to use for different types of waste.
As a rule:
GREEN = organics recycling (or “compost”)
BLUE = paper, plastic, and metal recycling
BLACK = landfill trash
One of the best ways to reduce waste is to not create it. Consider using “real” plates, glasses, linens, and silverware for events you may be planning. If you do choose to use disposable dining items, please use the certified compostable items that our parish is now providing. We discourage the use of plastic or decorated/colored paper products or table coverings as they are largely not recyclable.
Give us your feedback! Making this type of change in a community the size of St. Stephen’s will take time. We’ll have learnings and will continue to improve this process as we live into the change together. Please share your observations and ideas for improvements with our Creation Care Committee.
Interested in learning more about Organics Recycling at Home? Check out a Creation Care Corner article on the topic by Henry Brantingham.
MORE FROM OUR CREATION CARE COMMITTEE
Have you checked out the Creation Care Corner? Each week in our Sunday email and print communications, you’ll find helpful hints, stories, and other information from the committee on a wide variety of topics to help us consider how we can all be caring for God’s creation.
Interested in learning more about or joining the Creation Care Committee? All are welcome! Contact the Committee Chair Marillene Allen through the parish office at office@ststephens.com for details.
