What began as one person’s worry over Styrofoam cups at coffee hour has turned into a greening commitment by the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church (UCC) in Glouchester, MA. When a church member realized the impact that Styrofoam has on the environment, she recognized that by using the cups, the church was sending a negative message about its values. She worked with other members to form a group tasked with figuring out ways to adopt environmentally friendly practices.

To start, the church switched from Styrofoam to recycled paper cups, and the group made sure the cups got recycled again by placing blue recycling bins next to the trash can. Then many members began to bring their own mugs to eliminate cup waste completely. Soon, one member donated a dishwasher to encourage ceramic mug use.

This effort inspired other changes. The church is now using non-toxic cleaning products and a non-toxic sidewalk de-icer that is actually more effective than toxic salt products—a boon in New England winters. It now uses unbleached paper containing a high percentage of post-consumer waste. The city recycling coordinator has visited the church several times to talk with children and adults about the importance of recycling. The church has even created a recycling station for batteries and items that contain mercury, like high-efficiency light bulbs.

Rev. Chris Ney says these changes haven’t always been easy, but the efforts are having a real impact. “It’s taken hours of patient conversation—most of it done one-on-one—to explain why we should change something that has been in place for many years,” according to Ney. “But our awareness is growing that stewardship is not just about how we use our money… Stewardship is about how we use all the resources at our disposal for the benefit of our community and future generations.”