We all talk about it. How can we get our churches to purchase more sustainable products?

We can tell administrators and staff to buy LEDs, recycled toilet paper and copy paper that is FSC certified. While it might roll off our tongues, it might not stick in your administrator’s brains. You can send an email, but it might get lost. How about asking them to bookmark a page that is easily accessible from the bookmark toolbar? Maybe that will work. Of course, the best way is for them to save their items where ever they shop online.

This list has been created as a guide but also for convenience. Please note all the products are listed on Amazon because you can get all the product details there for each item. This is not a dictation to shop Amazon. Just a place where you can research but if you shop Amazon already then you can save these items to reorder them. You can even place them on automatic reorder. By buying in bulk and multiple products at once it will reduce shipping costs, if not prevent shipping costs in total.

Paper Products

  • Copier/Printer Paper – How much paper does your church office go through? Are you using both sides? If not, one sided paper can become notepads for church staff replacing post-it notes. Put signs on all printers and copiers. Do I really need paper for this? Can I send this electronically? Once again start with reduce and shoot for a paperless office. The best answer to copier paper is paper made out of bagasse. Bagasse is the waste from sugar cane that before it got transformed was just burned. Bagasse is one of those things that is truly environmental. A by-product that gets renewed into something reusable. No one will be able to tell the difference. If you can’t find it, then the highest recycled content paper you can find is the way to go. Make sure you take care of the afterlife of paper and recycle it after both sides are used. Paper is the easiest thing to recycle.Recycled paper and bagasse is more expensive than “virgin” paper, but if you focus on the reduce first then you can afford the extra expense and still come out under budget.
  • Paper Cups – Of course the goal is no disposable items. At our church all the Sunday School classes have converted to bringing their own mugs. People forget and then of course there are the guests. Your guests should have a cup of coffee! So, implement bring your own mug first and then these recycled cups are the best we could find from an environmental perspective. Note: If the paper cup is lined with plastic then it is not compostable nor recyclable unless otherwise stated.

Most importantly! No more Styrofoam. Estimates say Styrofoam will last for 500 years plus it breaks apart and ends up in fish.

  • Paper Plates – NO more Styrofoam. Churches are filling landfills with Styrofoam. As churches, we must lead by example and there is too much information now about the plastics which Styrofoam is, for us to continue to use. We must be good stewards of our money but that can not be the only consideration. The health of God’s creation must be weighed against the cost. Tenths of pennies cost less does not justify 500 years of waste in our oceans and on our lands. The reduce option? Have members bring their own plates for a meal and have them take home. Before you say Ewww, people who bring meals for potluck are doing the same thing. Right? Of course. Casserole comes to the pot-luck, dirty dish goes home. See? Same thing.

LEDs Light Bulbs and Energy Efficiency

Some churches have already started working on replacing lights. We do not condone taking out traditional bulbs that still have life. Instead replace as they burn out. The one exception is if you pay for an energy retrofit. What do you do with the bulbs then? Save them for the fixtures that don’t get replaced, or donate to another church or non-profit who can use them. Energy retrofits can qualify for rebates. If you do something large, check with your utility company before you begin to see what rebates you qualify for.

Considerations for energy efficiency motion sensors. Why get them? The light goes off when the room is empty. No I forgot and the light burned for hours because someone forgot. Consolidating weekly activities in the most used areas of the church can save your church big money. Get an independent energy audit to find out where the problems are and how to mitigate them. Finally, consider limiting church hours especially during the summer so you can save on your energy bills.

Miscellaneous

Of course, there are hundreds of things your church purchases. Here is a list of things that can help underline your commitment to caring for God’s creation. All have some type of eco-minded feature.

A few comments about shopping on Amazon. Always check the price. Amazon changes pricing all the time. Sometimes it is less expensive to purchase individual packs than in bulk. These links are affiliate links. It was faster and more convenient to do it that way. It does not affect your pricing. You can look up these items on your own if you don’t want to participate in supporting the work that went into this list.