Our Green Team had its origins back in August of 2010 when we hosted at Recycling Day at SMAA for the county and community. Our results were record breaking at the time!
"Recycling Day is great success. 700 cars came through our recycling line on Saturday dropping off all kinds of materials to be recycled. Our final count is not available yet, but we did hear that 8000 pounds of paper was shredded".
Today our activities are:
Recycling
Reusing
Reducing
Composting
Gardening
Greenhouse (building November)
Chapel in the Woods
Alternative Energies
Conservation
Margaret Todd just sent me a great article on recycling paper cups. Now we should be thinking about this as we go through a bunch of cups, paper plates and plastic utensils every Sunday for breakfast and at other functions, like funerals and church luncheons!
Team member Marion Salter has reminded me that we need to be using our flatware instead of our plastic knives, forks and spoons during our church meals. They can be washed in the sink and we do have a dishwasher for big crowds. Now that we have a compost bin, we can compost our cups, plates, napkins and all paper products that are not covered with a plastic like seal. We are moving to a recycled kitchen.
Reusing
Reducing
Now here is we have not done much documentation of our reducing. I know we are reusing paper that we have copied and not distributed. SMAA members are donating pens that they have collected at work for the front desk. As soon as the Green Team gets going, we will find some current uses and surely will find some more ways to reduce purchasing of supplies and materials because we are reducing.
Composting
We are now building a compost bin down behind the work shed between the Churchyard and small building next to the Early Learning Center. I have moved the left over pallets from our trash area to our new Two Bin Compost!
I am going to add dirt from the churchyard to the bottom. This will allow worms to come up and help the process. Hugh Wilson has provided another pallet and some hardware cloth to cover it. We do this to rid the area of rodents. I will add a movable front and some kind of top that will take rain in.
Now for folks who know little about compost and what we can use it for, here is a great video from the smiling gardener. We will be using food scraps from our breakfast kitchen, yard waste and perhaps contributions from your house and yard. The Green Team will be turning and watering the compost. This is going to give SMAA a great source of our own compost for our gardens.
Gardening
Once we start making our own compost, we can begin our gardening with free compost and donated plants and seed. We are going to start with some square foot gardens or raised gardens. Some of our plants will come from our new greenhouse that is being built in November and December. We will be growing vegetables, flowers and herbs for use by the SMAA community.
Greenhouse
Now our greenhouse is being built by the Green Team with the smallest of budget, so it will not look like this top of the line one. We are building it with donations and sweat equity. It will be 10x20' and will have access to water and electricity. We hope to raise plants this winter and have them ready for a Spring Plant Sale in 2014. We are trying to become self sufficient in our gardening. We are building this with one isle down the middle, with a hard floor so walker and wheel chairs can come in and work with adults and children in learning Gods way of growing. The Green house will be located between the woods and the fence of the Early Learning Center playground. There will be easy access for drivers and parking nearby.
Now here is we have not done much documentation of our reducing. I know we are reusing paper that we have copied and not distributed. SMAA members are donating pens that they have collected at work for the front desk. As soon as the Green Team gets going, we will find some current uses and surely will find some more ways to reduce purchasing of supplies and materials because we are reducing.
Composting
We are now building a compost bin down behind the work shed between the Churchyard and small building next to the Early Learning Center. I have moved the left over pallets from our trash area to our new Two Bin Compost!
I am going to add dirt from the churchyard to the bottom. This will allow worms to come up and help the process. Hugh Wilson has provided another pallet and some hardware cloth to cover it. We do this to rid the area of rodents. I will add a movable front and some kind of top that will take rain in.
Now for folks who know little about compost and what we can use it for, here is a great video from the smiling gardener. We will be using food scraps from our breakfast kitchen, yard waste and perhaps contributions from your house and yard. The Green Team will be turning and watering the compost. This is going to give SMAA a great source of our own compost for our gardens.
Gardening
Once we start making our own compost, we can begin our gardening with free compost and donated plants and seed. We are going to start with some square foot gardens or raised gardens. Some of our plants will come from our new greenhouse that is being built in November and December. We will be growing vegetables, flowers and herbs for use by the SMAA community.
Greenhouse
Now our greenhouse is being built by the Green Team with the smallest of budget, so it will not look like this top of the line one. We are building it with donations and sweat equity. It will be 10x20' and will have access to water and electricity. We hope to raise plants this winter and have them ready for a Spring Plant Sale in 2014. We are trying to become self sufficient in our gardening. We are building this with one isle down the middle, with a hard floor so walker and wheel chairs can come in and work with adults and children in learning Gods way of growing. The Green house will be located between the woods and the fence of the Early Learning Center playground. There will be easy access for drivers and parking nearby.
Chapel in the Woods
Several have been working on the Chapel in the Woods and surrounding woods for the last four years. Volunteers have cleaned out many old and dead trees and branches. A group of students from Heathwood Hall High School spent part of a day clean out old branches and dead flora to make paths and surrounding areas easy to walk through. Several men worked for three days to build the chapel and it has been used for several services, including one of the Men's breakfasts that included the bishop in the photo above.
Richard and Linda Vandiver have provided resources to have the woods cleared of much dead and sick trees and bushes in the woods. They also had the paths to the chapel prepared for the disabled to make their way to the chapel from the entrance to the woods.
Much work still needs to be done. We are building paths throughout the woods, adding native plants and looking for the most appropriate vegetation to add that will minimize the sounds from Trenholm Road.
The Woods are a special place for our church community and it is a great spiritual place for all of us to enjoy, meditate and relax. We should all try to improve it and make it part of our spiritual life.
Green Team Volunteers needed
Email Bob Noe at bnoe3174@gmail.com
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