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Celebrate Earth Month

Top 10 Actions for Earth Month

Earth Day is April 22nd, but we have all month to celebrate our amazing world and make a difference with our actions, choices and undertakings.  Here are our top 10 recommendations.   

What we do matters; we can make a difference. — The Earth Care Committee

1. Try composting your kitchen waste for a week.

Now you can dispose of your food scraps in your City of Evanston Yard Waste bin for composting.  Or, try using the compost bins on the North Side of the Robert Crown Center in Evanston.

2. Join the April 21st Evanston community event "Litany for the Planet."

Litany for the Planet, on April 21 at 4pm at Raymond Park, is a gathering of faith communities and leaders, including our Pastor Grace Imathiu.

3. Bring your styrofoam #6 to church for recycling.

Set aside your styrofoam #6 and drop it off at the church on Saturday morning April 20 between 10 and 12 noon (and again on May 18).  The material must be clean plastic foam #6.  (Bonus: During the month of April, you may bring styrofoam items with you to the church any Sunday morning.)  The Earth Care Committee will take these items to a specialized recycling center so they can be transformed into playground equipment and picnic tables.

4. Check out a book from the First Church Earth Care Library.

The First Church Earth Care Library is open on Sunday, April 14, after worship in Great Hall, and also on May 12.  Our collection has grown with new books for all ages.  Come check them out!

5.Attend Bird Collisions: Hazardous Features and Easy Solutions.

This event is part of the Climate Action Evanston Speaker Series and you can catch it on Tuesday April 9th, 6:30-7:30 pm, at the Rotary Center.  Free and open to the public.  

6. Participate in an Evanston Environmental Justice Conversation Series event.

On April 13th at 1 pm, hear keynote speaker Cheryl Johnson of People for Community Recovery in Chicago, followed by an inter-generational panel of speakers on the topic of environmental justice. Co-sponsored by Garrett-Evangelical Theology Seminary.

    7. Have it repaired, instead of throwing it out!

    Go Green Wilmette is hosting a Repair Cafe on Saturday, April 20th. More information is available here.

    8. When shopping look for non-plastic items and non-plastic containers.

    Keep those plastic bags and other items out of the waste stream.  Choose the glass bottle instead of the plastic bottle.

    9. Try bamboo toilet paper. Really!

    Bamboo toilet paper save trees and feels great! Or look for sustainable toilet paper, for example at Trader Joe’s.

    10. Use biodegradable plastic zip bags.

    Several companies such as Hold-On carry biodegradable plastic bags.  Try them and keep harmful plastic bags out of the waste stream.

    Earth Care Learning and Reflection

     

    Finding God in the Natural World: A Spiritual Revolution

    Sundays, April 14, 21, 28, & May 5, 9:15am

    In person or online

    Register

    Please join us (in person or online) for any or all of this four-week exploration of nature as God’s first sacred text. Participants will be invited into a deeper understanding of God through nature. This  class is a collaborative effort of the Earth Care Committee and Adult Christian Education Council.

    Three weeks will be a group discussion facilitated by Judith Cambell and inspired by the ideas from Diana Butler Bass’ book Grounded: Finding God in the World – A Spiritual Revolution. On April 21 we will participate in a presentation by Rev. Emily Carroll, Northern Field Director for Green the Church, an organization working to expand the role of African American churches as centers for environmental and economic justice.   More…

    Registration is preferred, but drop-ins are welcome. This class will be available via Zoom using OWL technology for those who are pre-registered.

    Reading the book ahead of time would be helpful but is not required for participation. For those wishing to purchase the book, copies will be available for sale at the church office or you may visit your favorite local book seller.

    Earth Day Worship – April 21

     

    On April 21, First Church will celebrate “Earth Sunday” during 10:30am worship in the sanctuary.

    The renewal of God’s creation each spring reminds us of our covenant to care for the Earth, our home. Join our faith community as we welcome guest preacher Rev. Emily Carroll of Shady Grove UMC, Louisiana. She will share firsthand perspectives and insights after attending the United Nations “Cop28” global climate conference, with her fellow faith leaders who are among the voices leading a movement for change and a call for environmental justice. (Check out her blog on that experience.)

    Earth Day worship will also feature special music from Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia (Earth Mass) and will be followed by fellowship and eco-friendly information sharing during Community Hour in Great Hall hosted by the Earth Care Committee.

    On April 21, Rev. Carroll also leads a 9:15 class open to all, highlighting her work with Green The Church, a faith-based community organization advocating for equitable solutions that affect positive environmental changes.

     

    Ongoing Earth Care Initiatives

    Earth Care Lending Library:

    Looking for a place to continue growing in your understanding of environmental justice and how to care for God’s creation? Visit the new Earth Care Lending Library, which  is now open every 2nd Sunday after worship in Great Hall. A small lending library with books for readers of all ages, the titles were curated by the Earth Care Committee and include Newberry Award-winning children’s books as well as titles by leading voices from the spiritual and scientific communities.  Check it out! 

    Styrofoam Collection:

    The Earth Care Committee holds its monthly Styrofoam collection time at First UMC Evanston on the third Saturday of the month at the Church Street entrance between 10am and Noon. Material to be collected includes all clean No. 6 plastic foam. Acceptable items include disposable coffee cups; take out containers (such as clamshells); plastic plates, bowls and cutlery; meat and poultry foam trays and packing foam. When recycled, these items can be processed into a material used to make park benches, picture frames, and other items. Recycling these items helps keep this harmful plastic, which cannot be processed locally, out of the waste stream.

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