Environment Committee

Made in God's own image, human beings are both an integral part of the ongoing Creation and the stewards who must protect all that God has given. The Environment Committe at St. Andrew's sets out to engage in the work of environmental care and stewardship, focusing on three broad areas:

• Theology of the environment
• Environmental stewardship within St. Andrew's
• Environmental stewardship in the broader world

Join us! Typically we meet on a Monday evening, every other month. Our next meeting will be announced on the home page and in the Sunday bulletin. Another great way to get involved is by signing up for our Google group, where members can coordinate actions, share resources, and discuss ideas via email.

Activities in the 2010-2011 Church Year

The Environment Committee is sponsoring two adult forums in September and October 2010 to look at the condition of our local rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. The second of these sessions will be held on Sunday, October 3, at 9:30 am in the Rector's Lounge. Additional activities field trips and clean-ups of local waterways. Additional information will be posted on the website as soon as possible.

Past Activities of the Environment Committee

Since 2007, the Environment Committee has been a growing ministry of St. Andrew's, supported by the concerns of the congregation regarding stewardship of the Earth and its resources. Here are some examples of our ministry in action.

Adult forum: The Story of Stuff

The Environment Committee sponsored a two-part Adult Forum on 19 and 26 October 2008 inspired by the short documentary The Story of Stuff. The film explores our country's materials economy—the ways we extract Earth's resources and then use them to produce, distribute, consume, and eventually dispose of, well, stuff. Both provocative and factual, the film points out the incredible rate at which we today are exploiting God's Creation, and touches on some of the motivations and effects of our consumption. In Adult Forum we will watch the film and use it to spark discussion about the theology of conservation, stewardship, wealth, and compassion. How should we as Christians respond? How can we do God's work in our own lives?

St. Andrew's parishioner meets with Bishop James Jones

Robert Bindschadler, a parishioner at St. Andrew's and glaciologist at NASA Goddard, was invited to a lunch meeting with the Right Reverend James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool. Bishop Jones is a fervent and active environmentalist who has a particular interest in uniting the environmental movement with traditional Christians to reduce and alleviate climate change. Dr. Bindschadler has written an article about the meeting, published in the December Celtic, and you can read more at Bishop Jones' site.

Adult forum: Christians and Trade Justice • September 2007

Beginning 9 September 2007 there was a four-part adult forum entitled “Christians and Trade Justice,” jointly facilitated by members of the Environment Committee and Jubilee Commission. We met in the Rector's Lounge on Sunday mornings, 9:30 - 10:15 am. Topics from the discussion are listed below, and discussion guides were available in advance.

• 9 September - Trade Justice: A Biblical Imperative
• 16 September - Problems and Possibilities
• 23 September - Fair Trade and Cooperative Success Stories
• 30 September - Toward a Better World

Energy Audit Results: Well Done, More to Do

Members of St. Andrew's met with Allison Fisher of Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light to perform an energy audit of our facilities. They did a thorough walk-through of the building, and the result is a detailed Energy Assessment Report.

We should be proud! The results are quite positive overall, and St. Andrew's is already doing a good job of managing thermostats, using low-power lighting, insulating properly, etc. The report also points out areas where our energy efficiency can be improved further, like recycling, unplugging electronics that are not in use, upgrading fluorescent fixtures to T8 fluorescents, installing LED exit signs, reducing water usage, and upgrading older windows to double-pane.

For more information, you can read the full report.

Eastern Shore Bike Ride • 26 May 2007

A bicycle is a fine way to spend a day enjoying Creation! We drove to St. Michael's, MD, a cute and historic town on the Eastern Shore. From there we set out pedaling. Wide shoulders, light traffic, and an absolute lack of hills—plus plenty of sunshine—made it a great place for cyclists of all levels. For scenery we had bayfront, 17^th-century farms, and even an osprey nest. A few photos are below.

19^th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup • 31 March 2007

We had a great time helping out with the 19^th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup! Six of us joined with a group from the Environment Committee at St. Columba's, DC, to pick up refuse on a stretch of Rock Creek between Frog Rock and Pierce Mill. The weather turned out to be gorgeous. Together we collected about 20 bags of trash, plus an aluminum gutter, a set of mattress springs, and a few other large objects. Check out our photos below!