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NEWS / EVENTS
Want a source of organic, locally grown produce that also supports people with disabilities? Check out Homefields Farm in Millersville, run by Goodwill Industries:
http://www.yourgoodwill.org/farm/homefields_about.php
Looking for good, locally grown fresh produce? You might want to check out the new farmers market in Hershey on Thursdays, 3-7pm. It's located between the Cocoa Beanery and Englewood Barn off of Bullfrog Valley Road/US 322, 1214 Research Blvd., Hummelstown.
ABOUT THE ECOB SUSTAINABILITY CIRCLE
We have formed a Sustainability Circle for those wishing to live in a more environmentally responsible manner. Through this circle, we can share information, offer resources, ask questions and generally support one another in our efforts to be good stewards of God's creation.
We'll use two technology tools to assist us in our efforts:
1. this webpage - to list information and resources related to environmental issues.
If you have suggestions for resources and information to post on this webpage, please send them to: webupdateteam@etowncob.org
2. an email distribution list for sharing time-sensitive information, events, offers or needs with each other (ex: "I'm going berry picking at an organic farm next Tuesday. Anyone want to join me?") Some of the information shared through the email list may eventually get posted here on this webpage as well (for example, we might list the name, address and hours of the organic farm where our members went berry picking here!)
* You can join our email distribution list by following the instructions here: Sustainability Circle Email List
RESOURCES and IDEAS BY CATEGORY (click on any word below to go directly to related resources and ideas)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Home Energy Audit - here's info on how to conduct your own home energy audit from the US Dept of Energy. From this page, you can then find additional information on home energy topics such as appliances, electricity, heating and cooling, water, lighting and other home energy topics.
Home Energy Saver Calculator - an online calculatorEat, Drink and Be Wary.indd that can help you to identify how to save energy and money, as well as reduce emissions by implementing various improvements in your home. It was created based on methods developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and is sponsored by the US Dept of Energy, the EPA and several other organizations. Just plug in your zipcode to get started.
FOOD
Etown/Lancaster County sustainable food sources
Prescott's Patch - a four-acre organic farm near Bainbridge with u-pick berries and a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership program
Community Supported Agriculture - learn more about what it is and why it is important
The National Center for Home Food Preservation offers excellent step by step instructions as well as free, online training sessions on preserving a wide variety of foods, using methods including canning, freezing, dehydrating, smoking, curing and other methods
Low Carbon Diet information
Low Carbon Diet Calculator - see how your own food choices may be contributing to climate change (NOTE: this is from Bon Appetit Management Company, a dining services company that has committed itself to running their business in an environmentally sustainable way and offering sustainable food choices to their clients)
Local Harvest - has online, searchable database of farmers markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food by geographic area
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)- a nonprofit organization working to improve the economic and social prosperity of Pennsylvania food and agriculture. We work with the farmers that grow our food, the consumers that eat the food, and those concerned with the ecological well-being of our environment and natural resources.
WORK / OFFICE
CHURCH
* Sign up to receive our church newsletter, Through the Columns, electronically instead of in print format. Find out how here: Sign up for Electronic Columns
* Buy fair-trade, organic coffee, tea, chocolate and nuts on the first Sunday of each month at our Equal Exchange table in Memorial Lobby. Click the link to learn more about Equal Exchange
* Bring your own coffee mug to church on Sunday mornings if you want to partake of the coffee/tea offered in the Memorial Lobby, instead of using the styrofoam cups. For now, we don't have a place to store these at the church, so you'll need to take your mug home and bring it back each week.
ORGANIZATIONS
* New Community Project has lots of educational materials offering practical tips on many aspects of sustainable living and caring for creation
* Union of Concerned Scientists is a "science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices". Their website has lots of research, reports, policy recommendations and other information about global warming, clean vehicles, clean energy, food & agriculture, and other topics. They also offer a section titled "What Can You Do" in each of these areas.
RECYCLING
* For info on what can be recycled in Lancaster County and where and how to do it, visit the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority website
* Find out where to PURCHASE recycled products from Pennsylvania here
YARD / GARDEN
* Composting information is available here
TRANSPORTATION/TRAVEL
BOOKS
The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists - The first comprehensive look at the full range of modern consumer activities, identifying those that cause the most environmental damage and those that cause the least. By Michael Brower and Warren Leon. Three Rivers Press, 1999. 304 pp. $15.00.
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