Environmental Stewardship

Going Green with Your Vehicle - Are You Ready?

Environmental StewardshipIf you are like many, the idea of going green with your vehicle is appealing, but the challenge of understanding the technologies and picking out the right vehicle feels a bit overwhelming. You may be asking:

  • What is the difference between an electric vehicle and a hybrid?
  • What happens to the battery at the end of it's life?
  • What is the true lifecycle cost of these vehicles and will I really save any money in the long run?
  • What is my true environmental impact if I choose one of these vehicles?

If you would like to hear the answers to these questions, please join us on Sunday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 213, where Ken Poindexter, church member and retired 40+ year employee at Electro-Motive Diesel/GM will lead a discussion about green vehicle technologies.

Location: 
Room 213
Date: 
Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 11:00am

Environmental Studies at DGFUMC and at Home

Environmental StewardshipThe Environmental Stewardship Work Area at DGFUMC took responsibility for an area on the church's grounds over the past year to maintain its landscaping and vegetation. This area (south of the main parking lot between the main entrance and exit) is visible to everyone from Maple Street and is seen as everyone enters/exits the main parking lot from Maple.  Over the past year our group has planted more than a dozen Choral Bells, put down mulch, and ensured those pesky weeds don't overtake the tulips, bushes, or other plants.

12 Ways to Save Energy

Finding energy efficiency improvements in your home has been shown to be the most cost-effective way to reduce our energy use and capture cost savings. At the same time, one will achieve improvement to the environment by reducing the pollution that is released when electricity is produced or fossil fuels burned. Energy costs have been and are projected to keep increasing. Jesus taught us to love your neighbor as yourself. By reducing our energy consumption we can demonstrate love to our neighbors by reducing toxic air emissions better protecting public health and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, helping to mitigate the climate chaos created by such emissions. In our nation alone last year we had at least a dozen severe weather events that each resulted in over a billion dollars in adverse economic impact to our nation plus the loss of many lives.

On Sunday March 11, 2012 we enjoyed a discussion on 12 easy and practical ways to reduce energy consumption in your home. James Cavallo, Principal at Kouba- Cavallo Associates and a former research economist at Argonne National Laboratory, led a discussion on how to conduct a simple energy audit of your home's energy use and how to implement simple yet meaningful measures to reduce energy consumption and realize significant savings in your energy bills. This program followed earlier Environmental Stewardship programs on choosing an alternative electricity provider and installing solar and geothermal renewable energy systems.

A copy of the presentation is available below.

12 Ways to Save Energy, Money and Protect Our Environment

Finding energy efficiency improvements in your home has been shown to be the most cost-effective way to reduce our energy use and capture cost savings. At the same time, one will achieve improvement to the environment by reducing the pollution that is released when electricity is produced or fossil fuels burned. Energy costs have been and are projected to keep increasing. Jesus taught us to love your neighbor as yourself. By reducing our energy consumption we can demonstrate love to our neighbors by reducing toxic air emissions better protecting public health and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, helping to mitigate the climate chaos created by such emissions. In our nation alone last year we had at least a dozen severe weather events that each resulted in over a billion dollars in adverse economic impact to our nation plus the loss of many lives.

Join us on Sunday March 11, 2012 at 11:00 AM in room 213 for a discussion on 12 easy and practical ways to reduce energy consumption in your home. James Cavallo, Principal at Kouba- Cavallo Associates and a former research economist at Argonne National Laboratory, will lead a discussion on how to conduct a simple energy audit of your homes energy use and how to implement simple yet meaningful measures to reduce energy consumption and realize significant savings in your energy bills. This program follows earlier Environmental Stewardship programs on choosing an alternative electricity provider and installing solar and geothermal renewable energy systems.

Location: 
Room 213
Date: 
Sunday, March 11, 2012 - 11:00am

Caring for Creation by Running Your Electric Meter Backwards

As Christians, we are all charged with the responsibility to care for our planet. New alternate energy technologies have an important role in helping the nation become energy independent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, as fossil fuel energy costs increase, reduce residential energy costs. Whether you design a new home or wish to improve the energy efficiency of your existing home, solar energy and other technologies are rapidly developing into cost effective sustainable energy resources. Among these technologies are solar collectors, solar hot water systems, heat storage vaults, ground source heat pumps, photovoltaic electricity and solar panels. On January 15, 2012 we learned firsthand from Michael Moats and Lois Salle about alternate energy technologies that can be used in your home now. Michael has built a home about one block from our church that uses these technologies. A link to their presentation is below. We are planning for a meeting at our church in March to talk more about ways to retrofit your existing home to make it more energy efficient. The Power of One is real. If we each do something, together we can make a real difference!

Small Electronics Recycling Fundraiser - Thank you and keep the items coming!

As you know, the Environmental Stewardship Work Area is conducting a recycling fundraiser. Thus far we have raised about $85. We are simply asking you to protect the environment by donating your used cell phones and small consumer electronics. Your used items(s) may be tax deductible and will be recycled in accordance with EPA regulations. 100% of the proceeds will help fund the First United Methodist Church's change over to more environmentally friendly and economical light fixtures and lighting.

We are currently collecting the following items: cell phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, digital video cameras, handheld game systems, MP3 players, GPS devices, and electronic book readers.

Note: Please do not include any accessories (rechargers, ear buds, etc.) with your donations.

Drop off any of the above items you would like to recycle at the Collection Bin on the table in the Church Office on the second floor.

A New Illinois Law Affects Us All

A new Illinois law governing the disposal of electronic items became effective January 1, 2012. Details on this law can be found at: http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/electronic-waste-recycling/index.html and http://www.dupageco.org/recycling/

The Environmental Stewardship Work Area views this change in the law very favorably. It requires responsible disposal of items that are hazardous to the environment. As a church and as individuals, we must ensure that we comply with the law. Any person who violates the this new law can be fined $7000. The electronic items which are under the new disposal ban are: televisions, monitors, printers, computers (including tablet computers - Please put these in our Collection Bin in the Church Office! ), electronic keyboards, facsimile machines, video cassette recorders, portable digital music players (Please put these in our Collection Bin in the Church Office!), digital video disc players, video game consoles, small scale servers, scanners, electronic mice, digital converter boxes, cable receivers, satellite receivers, and digital video and disk recorders. These items must be taken to approved electronics recycling locations. (A link to a complete list of acceptable items is on the Going Green section of our church's website.)

Running Your Electric Meter Backwards

New alternate energy technologies have an important role in helping the nation become energy independent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, as fossil fuel energy costs increase, reduce residential energy costs. Whether you design a new home or wish to improve the energy efficiency of your existing home, solar energy and other technologies are rapidly developing into cost effective sustainable energy resources. Among these technologies are solar collectors, solar hot water systems, heat storage vaults, photovoltaic electricity and solar panels.

Michael Moats has built a showcase solar home within a block of the church featuring many of the above technologies. Lois Vitt Sale, an architect and nationally recognized leader in the application of private and commercial green technologies and sustainable planning and 2011 LEED Fellow, designed this small home in 2009. Lois and Michael will join us at 11:00 A.M. in room 213 on January 15, 2012 to describe Michael’s home and discuss considerations/tradeoffs made during its design and construction. Yes, Michael’s electric meter actually does run backwards when his home generates more electricity than it needs.

 Installing solar devices on existing homes is also becoming popular as they become cost effective against the rising cost of fossil fuel energy. They also increase home value. The class will discuss solar devices, installation considerations, financing options, rebates, tax credits, and how to find installers.

Location: 
Room 213
Date: 
Sunday, January 15, 2012 - 11:00am

Environmental Stewardship Corner

On Sunday, October 9, some of us heard a presentation regarding electrical supply options that you can choose now. In fact, you can pick an electrical supplier that is less expensive and that uses more renewable energy sources than is currently in the mix for the supplier you most likely still have. If you switch electrical suppliers, you still will receive your bill from your current utility, but the place on the bill where you are charge for your energy, will be passed through to the supplier. After you change electrical supplier, you will notice nothing, except probably a less-expensive supply charge and a lower bill.

To evaluate your options, you can go to the website: http://www.pluginillinois.org.

We were encouraged to learn that Illinois is requiring all electricity suppliers to have an increasing, albeit still small, fraction of their supply to come from renewable sources. Currently, in Illinois, most of this is from wind turbines. However, beginning in 2016, utilities will be required to start having some of their electrical supply from solar energy. I recently selected a supplier that was more than 15% less expensive than my current electrical supplier and produces most of its energy from renewable wind energy. Also, important to me, was flexibility in my supplier. The electrical supplier that I selected does not have any guarantee period or contract period, so if I want to change my supplier, I can easily change. Selecting an electrical energy supplier with a large portion of its supply from renewable sources will help bring about cost-effective change for all and will help lessen our impact on the environment. 

How to Select Your Electricity Energy Supplier

Environmental StewardshipSave Money ... Support Renewable Energy Sources

Yes, you can choose your money-saving electricity supplier! Even through ComEd.

Join us Sunday, October 9th at 11:00 a.m. in Chapel Hall, to hear Dean Nicol, Regional Director of Integrys Energy Services, present the "how-to's" of selecting your electricity energy supplier. He will present many energy options, outline the kinds of savings that are possible, and provide a listing of numerous traditional and renewable (wind and solar) electricity suppliers that are available to Illinois household consumers.

Selecting your own money-saving supplier for electrical energy is supported by ComEd, which would remain your electrical power distributer (from the alternate source). ComEd would bill you as they do today, as well as continue to respond to any electrical power issues you might have.

A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

Location: 
Chapel Hall
Date: 
Sunday, October 9, 2011 - 11:00am

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