Saint Michael’s Earth Ministry Group was founded in the spring of 2008. Its members intend to reduce our church’s carbon footprint and to bring good environmental practices to the life of our congregation. We believe that we are called to be dedicated stewards of God’s creation. Following this call we work to intentionally develop habits that minimize waste and help sustain the lives of all people on earth, present and future. Environmental stewardship is fundamental to our relationship with God, and impacts all ministries of our church.

The Earth Ministry Group has initiated better recycling throughout our building and is exploring the feasibility of eliminating paper plates and cups and plastic ware from our social events. We have introduced fair trade coffee at church functions. We planted a native flower garden in the detention basin on our property and will finish this project in the spring of 2009. We occasionally write and publicize book reviews on subjects related to ecology and the environment.

In the summer of 2008 we conducted an energy audit to identify upgrades to our building that would help save energy and expenses. We have begun to make changes to our lighting at church and these projects will continue in the months and years to come. We are also exploring the possibility of reducing waste in the way we heat and cool our building by introducing programmable thermostats on the heating units in the older part of the building. Replacing the drafty single-pane windows in the old building is also on our agenda.

We organize group hikes to natural areas for members of our congregation and keep a list of other groups’ outings posted on our bulletin board in the Narthex opposite the mailroom door.

The Earth Ministry Group meets about once a month, and the meetings are announced on our website and on our bulletin board. All members of our congregation are invited to join and participate in our work.