God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.
- Genesis 1:31
Bea Johnson, a member of our parish, was recently featured in both the Marin Independent Journal and The New York Times for her family’s efforts to move towards a zero-waste lifestyle. Read more here.
Bea’s blog is www.thezerowastehome.com.
At Church of Our Saviour, we recognize that God has given creation into our care for future generations. Our prayerful goal of being faithful stewards of all the earth and its resources informs our mission:
- Helping Church of Our Saviour become a model for addressing environmental issues that impact both the local community and larger world.
- Becoming a resource for information and activities that raise environmental awareneess in our parish and in the greater community.
For our social functions, coffee hours, and other events, we have replaced all of our disposable tableware and are now using regular tableware, cleaned each week with a new energy-efficient and water conserving dishwasher.
We also recently completed an audit of our parish facilities to shrink our carbon footprint and improve sustainability, and are participating in the Smart Lights program with PG&E rebates.
Church of Our Saviour was also the first religious institution in Marin County to neutralize its facility’s carbon footprint through the PG&E Climate Smart program.
Our members participate in the annual California Coastal Cleanup.
We are also advocating for practices of environmental sustainability in the greater Mill Valley Community, including a more robust recycling program, raising awareness, and collaborating with other organizations.
We hosted our first Green Faire in September of 2008. Representatives from the Marin Municipal Water District and Sloat’s Nursery shared information about water conversation and environmentally-friendly gardening. We also learned about solar energy and environmentally-friendly products to use at home from two of our own parishioners.
In May, 2011, we embark on a month-long ministry initiative to promote conservation and environmental stewardship amongst all our members, piloting an intergenerational faith community program with Cool the Earth.
For more information about this ministry, contact Mark Tarpey-Schwed.
