The parish of St. John the Divine is ‘Kyoto compliant.’
We reduced our carbon footprint by over 5% in 2007, according to the flower-shaped stickies we placed on boards on Seed Sowing Sunday. Adding up the steps parishioners took in 2007, we avoided 70 tonnes of carbon emissions. Dividing 70 by 128 responses, equals over half a tonne each (which is about 10% of the average emission per person per year in Victoria.)
- 35 tonnes were saved by buying a more efficient car, biking, walking or taking the bus.
- 7.5 tonnes were saved by stopping use of clothes driers and washing clothes in cold water
- 6 tonnes were saved by 6 people reducing air travel by 10 hours per year
- 5 tonnes were saved by lowering thermostats 5 degrees at night, insulating, etc.
To celebrate our success, Earth Week, and the arrival of spring weather, Care-for-Creation Committee has put up a few clothes racks with words of celebration on them.
During the announcement, I will add the following tips:
- “Here is a tip. If you are drying clothes on a cool day and you have items that need to be very dry, hang dry them until they are 90 percent and use a drier only to finish them off.”
- “When you write to your MP or MLA or mayor in support of green policies, please tell them you belong to a ‘Kyoto’ parish (or something like that in your own words.)”
