St. Paul's is a Greening Congregation

The St. Paul’s Earth Stewardship Committee was formed in 2002, thanks largely to the patient leadership of Christie and Frank Hammond. Out of a passion for honoring and preserving God’s creation, the committee implemented a greening program, which has grown to include:

  • serving organic, fair-trade, shade-grown coffee at coffee hour

  • using china or paper cups in place of Styrofoam

  • providing cloth napkins

  • a comprehensive recycling program, which now includes the composting of our food and paper waste in city-provided yard waste bins

  • installation of more energy-efficient lighting

  • creation of the St. Paul’s Centennial Garden and labyrinth as an urban oasis

As a result, St. Paul’s has been recognized as a Greening Congregation through the Earth Ministry program, and many of us have grown to respect the simple yet important steps our parish has taken to lessen our environmental impact.

In the past few years, the issue of climate change has become increasingly visible. More options for being a green consumer and for recycling have become available—even fashionable. You can find clothes, bags or wallets made from bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton. We're urged to bring our own bags, either in canvas, nylon, or perhaps created from recycled billboards and bicycle inner tubes.

Nobel prizes were given in 2007 to Al Gore for his oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth, and in 2006 to Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai. Going Green has been the cover story in national and local magazines—from the Conscious Choice to Colors NW.

The enormity of the problem often seems overwhelming, yet change can be accomplished in many small ways on a daily basis. By increasing our awareness and knowledge, sharing our concerns, strategies, and hope within our community, and performing simple actions on behalf of the earth in our daily work and lives, we can all make a difference.

To find out more, explore some of the links on this page.

To become involved with Earth stewardship at St. Paul’s, please contact Barb Levy.

Ways to Make a Difference