Greensleeves

T-shirts are pretty much a staple of things "churchy." Whether it's a mission trip, a summer camp, vacation Bible school, or anything to do with a youth group, most churches make and distribute tons of shirts. I even went to a t-ball game tonight to cheer on the team from one of my new churches and said after the game, "I've got to get one of these shirts."

One reason t-shirts are so ubiquitous is because they are fairly cheap. But, as with most cheap things, they have many hidden costs. Fast food is cheap but extraordinarily bad for you if eaten regularly. Plastic dinnerware and disposables are cheap, but they are made in toxic ways and take eons to decompose. We've discovered more and more about cheap clothing (and even some clothing that isn't so cheap) being made in sweatshops in developing countries. Most t-shirts also contain dyes and other chemicals that are quite harmful to the environment.

So, what if all churches and camps and youth groups and t-ball teams committed to having green tees only?! It might cost a few more bucks up front, but all the hidden costs would be eliminated. I received a great gift of a green tee in the mail the other day from my friend The Rev. Cody Schuler. Cody is a UM pastor in the Dakotas Annual Conference, and to raise awareness for environmental stewardship they distributed eco-friendly t-shirts. I've worn the shirt now about four times because it's so comfortable. The label (which looks like a nutrition facts label) guarantees no sweatshop labor, no pesticides, no plastic prints, and no harsh resins. The shirt is made from 100% certified organic cotton and was printed using water based inks. It truly is my new favorite shirt, and I think given the choice people would prefer more shirts like this. Cody's group used www.tsdesigns.com for their shirts. Check them out for your next batch.

Thanks Cody, and here's hoping green tees will catch on with church groups of all sizes!

The Church Bathroom

I have been in quite a few church bathrooms in my life. They have ranged from simple water closets to marbled rooms of luxury that put my last apartment to shame. However, most bathrooms function in the same way, and their primary footprint on the environment concerns water and paper usage.

First, let's look at the water usage from toilets and sinks. Last year there was a severe drought in the South. I doubt this year will be different. But the drought got so bad that at one point I heard about what seemed like an extreme measure to conserve water. At a college football game in Georgia, people were stationed in the bathroom who were responsible solely for judging when a flush was necessary! I remember a slogan from camp that likely came into play. Well, again this does seem extreme, but perhaps they were onto something. I suspect that this practice would be seen as too crude to implement in any way in churches. But I think our manners and daintiness often pose problems in the life of discipleship, and I tend to believe God would rather us be a little more messy if that led to more good.

During my time in seminary, my school opened a new addition and one of the main bathrooms contained "waterless" urinals. Soon after (or possibly even before) it became mandatory to use these in new buildings on campus. I thought they were great (once people learned how to clean and treat them), but likely way too expensive to implement in an average church. I did a quick check minutes ago and found that they are only about $100 more than typical urinals. Once you figure in the water savings, they are likely more economical (as most green products are).

Finally, washing and drying hands is at issue. Well, as much as I hate the "spring-loaded, pain in the ass, Alcatraz style faucets" (as Jerry Seinfeld calls them), I must confess they are probably the way to go when water conservation is key. Granted we would like to think people only turn the faucets on briefly, but we have all been there when people leave the water running for much longer than necessary. Sometimes you have to make good decisions for people by limiting their options. Likewise using small amounts of paper towels probably isn't that bad. But some people act like they are going to clean up the Exxon Valdez. I would say hand dryers are definitely the way to go. I have always been a fan. Even though they take longer, there's something about them I like - and my hands truly feel cleaner.

So we've solved it: waterless urinals, spring-loaded faucets, hand dryers, and guards to rule on flushing. If this isn't ministry, nothing is.

The Role of Technology in Greening

In the last post I discussed the impact of driving to our churches and possible alternatives we might consider. I am a United Methodist, and this week my annual conference is meeting. As the name suggests this happens every year. Clergy and lay delegates from every church in the conference gather for several days in the same location. It's a blessing in many ways. The fellowship and communion are generally a high point for many who may be in struggling churches. But again, I couldn't help but reflect on how many cars were in the parking lot of our meeting place, and how many miles were traveled by those in attendance.

This year the meeting is in Jackson, TN (my hometown!). It is a fairly central location in the conference. The border cities of the conference are Paducah, KY and Memphis, TN. I don't think any part of the conference is farther from Jackson than Paducah, which is roughly 120 miles away. So round trip plus a little in-town driving during conference equals about 300 miles. That's not a terrible distance, but it's easily a tank of gas. Now multiply that by 700-800 people, which I'm estimating by clergy and lay numbers is about the attendance, and you have quite an impact. Now I know this is only once a year, but I'm wondering if there are better ways of accomplishing our objectives without all the travel every year.

I won't get too technical, but one of the main reasons for meeting every year like this (other than it's in our rules) is that in United Methodism pastors are up for appointment (moving to a different church or moving to your first church) every year! Theoretically, everyone is up for a move annually. Now, we generally move less than in past years, but it still can be quite often. There is discussion about making appointments longer by conference action, so that it could be several years before a move was even considered - unless dire circumstances arose. But what about other solutions like using technology such as video conferencing?

This might not work for a gathering like annual conference, but I think lots of travel for church meetings could be eliminated by using conference calls or video. A good friend of mine recently introduced me to Skype, where with the addition of a small computer camera anyone with a decent internet connection can communicate via videophone with anyone else in the world! He and his wife demonstrated by talking with friends who currently live in the Dominican Republic.

Of course, technology is always a tricky friend. It seems that many people are relying on technology to "fix" issues of climate change rather than changing their wasteful habits. Trying to use cleaner fuels and better filters rather than driving less or using less air conditioning is one example of this. I also know that in ministry there is something to be said for a true human connection. God did not send a memo; God sent God's self in fully divine and human form. So there is something about the incarnation that changes the way we do things. I don't really approve of churches watching a sermon being simulcast from another church in their worship, and not only because it threatens my job! But I think this type of technology and others can be used, carefully, in beneficial ways.