Update

We are half way into the 50 Great Days campaign.  Over the last 25 days the World Wide UCC community has invested 80,535 hours into caring for the planet, planted 14,528 trees and written 13,823 advocacy letters. 

Update

Almost three weeks into 50 Great Days the World Wide UCC

community has invested 25, 314 hours into caring for the planet, planted 5, 731 trees and written 2, 754 advocacy letters. 

This week we’d like to think about our trash impact on the

environment.  An average American person produces about 4.5 lbs of trash every day.  We don’t think about it, just send it off to the transfer station and it is no longer our problem.  But what really happens to our trash at the transfer station? 

It is more economical to sort and sell trash for recycling then it is to pay dumping fees.  It costs about $75 per ton to transport and

dispose of trash. 

· Paper and cardboard get sent to China and Canada to get turned back into paper. 

· Plastic gets recycled and turned into new plastic products,    carpet and lumber.

· At the BCEP glass is ground up and sent to Chichester to be used in making roads.

· Vegetable oil can be cleaned and burned for fuel.

· The actual trash can be sent to a landfill in Rochester or sent to an incinerator. 

· One of the most significant costs that is incurred comes from food waste.  Because it is wet and heavy it costs more to dump and it isn’t something that transfer

stations can compost themselves. 

Our Easter Celebration in Pictures

Our Easter Celebration in Pictures

Welcoming the Sunrise

Our youth, leading the Sunrise Service.

He is Risen!

Easter Breakfast

Easter Worship

Lighting the Candles

Sacred Dancers

Easter Communion

Rev. Gayle Murphy sharing with our children

Holy Week

Easter was a wonderful celebration of the power of God and the wonder of this community. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make Holy Week events so meaningful. Special thanks to Jo Chase and Jane Roberts for creating a garden for our Maundy Thursday service. For the Deacons for staffing and setting up the Good Friday Vigil. For Deb McCann for organizing the beautiful Easter plants. For the youth of the church and Michael Magoon for leading our Sunrise Service. For Billy McGowen, Ken Flesher, Dan Ferguson, and Michael Smith for cooking us breakfast. For the choir, led by Judy Frase for delighting us with music and Peggy Kofer and the Sacred Dancers for expressing the wonder of praising God. For Victoria Marcotte for getting all the bulletins done and keeping the church together.  And for Gayle who leads us. 
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

50 Great Days

The United Church of Christ is launching Mission 4/1 Earth: 50 Great Days.  This links together Easter (March 31), Earth Day (April 22), Arbor Day (April 26), and Pentecost (May 19) in an shared effort to offer more than one million hours of earth care, plant more than 100 000 trees and send more than 100 000 advocacy letters. 

Over the 50 Great Days there will be links and posts on facebook, on our blog and in the announcements with suggestions, ideas and information about living a more environmentally friendly life.  Sustaining our Earth for future generations shouldn't be painful or difficult.  It isn't about radical change, it is about small shifts that make big differences.  It is about developing awareness around your everyday choices.  We are a small church but every little bit helps. 

For more information check out the website at http://www.ucc.org/earth/

As a church we already do some things to reduce our impact on the environment.  We recycle our paper, after using both sides as much as possible.  We turn the heat down and the lights off when we're not here.  The lights in the bathroom are on automatic switches.  We recycle our ink and toner cartridges from the copier.  We use mugs for coffee hour instead of styrofoam or paper.  We worship in Fellowship Hall during the colder months, yes it saves us money but it also means less fuel used.  

Send us an email, leave us a comment or post on facebook to tell us what you're already doing to conserve the Earth's resources and to limit your impact on the environment.