simple ways to green your next event or church meeting

Tampa’s alternative newspaper, Creative Loafing does a great job promoting and discussing sustainability and green topics. This week they give advice on 5 ways to green your next event. None of it is rocket science and the simple practices are common sense that many are already putting into place. In fact, we have promoted these practices at our former church plants and events I have been part of in the past, namely Brian McLaren’s Everything Must Change tour and our own A Sustainable Faith event last year.

However, in case you are a church leader wondering how to make your Sunday morning a bit more sustainable (yes, moving away from a corporate event which drains a substantial amount of energy and resources once a week is even greener), consider these ideas. If you are planning an event, such as Christianity21 or the Theological Conversation, here are some ideas which you may be doing already.

One thing to think about is who you say you are and want others to see you as. If you want others to see you as someplace that respects the Earth and values sustainability and those that care about such issues, your practices must express that. Remember, your practices betray what you believe more than your words.

The key to all of these is Education.

Link to original posting by CL.

1. Use Local Products and Vendors (I wish churches would remember this when they serve coffee and scones)
2. Market through the Web (churches that spend an inordinate amount of money and destroy countless trees with their postcards really need to hear this)
3. When serving food, make sure it is local and sustainable (it was cool at the McLaren conference last year to use a local organic/ natural foods fast food joint called Evos for our boxed lunch)
4. Charity (donate leftover food and products, especially those serving poor and homeless persons- Check with them ahead of time for rules, even before you finalize the menu)
5. Reduce and Recycle (common sense. Recycling is a nobrainer, but reducing and reusing is even better)

of course these are the simplest and take very little effort. If you have other ideas, please feel free to share them.