Before we all start screaming about the MDGs, let’s notice that there’s nothing in this piece that says these people have stopped preaching the Gospel. 

I shudder to think about the amount of paper and plastic used at my church for coffee hour.  But then, when I was a kid (more than a few decades ago), we always brought our own dishes and silverware to church potlucks.

good point elle, i long to see more conservative churches take up the cause in addition to preaching the gospel. my personal peeve is styrofoam. i don’t get what is so difficult about using real dishes and just washing them afterwards, are we really that lazy? we don’t eat off that stuff at home. and long after we have passed on those styrofoam plates and cups will still be hanging around…

If they had truly wanted to conserve energy and economize they should have opted for a geo-thermal system. They’re rather expensive to initially install, but very low maintenance and pay for themselves in just a few years. I once had a Church in northern Minnesota and they had four forced-air natural gas furnaces in the church. It took forever to heat and was entirely inefficient. Your much better-off with an high-efficiency hot-water boiler system or the geo-thermal sytem. But then again what do I know, I’m Canadian.

I take my own travel mug with me to church for coffee or tea or lemonaide, etc.  rather than have them use a disposable cup (plastic or styro).  I get funny looks, but some people look and say “good idea!”. 

Actually, I have a dual purpose: I can take some with me for the car ride home.