initiated questionnaire for parishioners that resulted in using the yard sprinkler less or not at all and raising the air conditioner temperature at least 2 degrees as to save energy
replaced all of the church lighting with LED bulbs to save energy
drafted a letter which was sent to city council concerning our need for the household hazardous waste depot to be open year-round but was not accepted by council
drafted and sent out letters to several churches in the city, sharing our “green” initiatives and asking if they have adopted anything in this regard. This could lead to a sharing of ideas and “best practices”
hosted a talk by Peter McLarty of Clean North to help inform our group of the state of environmental initiatives in the Sault
hosted a talk by John Martella of GFL about recycling and what can be recycled
made a presentation in 2020 at the Deanery Meeting for all the Catholic priests about our “green” initiatives
our members took personal pledges in 2020 to change some of their individual habits and practices to be more environmentally friendly
adopted-a-highway a mile north of the city in 2021 which we have committed to clean 3 times a year
created carrot planters using TetraPak containers to grow the carrots in, a package which cannot be recycled, and mixed used coffee grounds, tea leaves to fertilize the soil and tea bags at the bottom to soak up excess water to avoid rot
reused wine corks to make pinboards for appointment cards and notes
created a pamphlet to inform anyone intersted about the concept of methane gas wells which convert dangerous methane from garbage dumps into electricity or heat
February 4, 2023 clothing swap at the church
Hosted a film screening in the church which was attended by parishioners of OLGC and from other Catholic Churches
Completed a two year commitment for cleaning a mile long stretch of Highway 17 north
Drafted a letter to to the management of a large, local apartment complex in order to post information about proper recycling habits which was rejected
Ongoing Initiatives
use of ceiling fans as much as possible in church instead of air conditioning
only use rooms that meet the size of the meeting in church as to not waste heat and electricity for lighting
“green” tips-of-the-month in the church bulletin
since 2020 we have collected at the church, each summer, various household hazardous waste items to bring to the local depot at the end of the summer, thus resulting in many boxes of used batteries, aerosols, paint, florescent light bulbs and other items being saved from the landfill
collecting metal lids at the church that cannot be traditionally recycled to bring to a local metal recycler
currently compiling an ongoing list of alternative recycling locations that accept items that cannot be placed in curbside recycling bins
Starting a street cleanup in the Spring if 2024 to clean Pine Street over the warmer months