We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

Season of Creation

Manage Your Plastic Use

Individually we cannot change industries or policies but we can make manageable changes in our lifestyles to counter the threats.

Earthday.org calls these the 5R’s- Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, Recycle and Remove

1. Reduce – Before you shop…
Ask yourself two questions when considering plastic products or products with plastic packaging – Do I need it? Can I use something else?

2. Refuse – Say “no” to plastics
The substitutes for plastics are the ones you choose which can make a contribution to the environment.

Some key tips
A. Avoid plastic straws – use metal or wood/paper based straws.
B. Use reusable shopping bags. And buy cloth or mesh bags to carry fresh produce to the cashier.
C. Select products without plastic packaging.
D. Note products that use plastic microfibers – such as nylon and polyester
E. Bring your own coffee cup to the coffee shop.

3. Reuse – Avoid single-use plastics
Use dishes, glasses, and metal silverware instead of their plastic counterparts.
Avoid plastic items going to the dump – When you finally decide to get rid of old clothes, toys, furniture, or electronics, donate them rather than throwing them away.

For young parents -Trying washable reusable cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.

Any food containers from restaurants are durable enough to be reused for kitchen storage. Make sure to wash them by hand—putting them in the dishwasher can expose you to toxins.

4. Recycle -Know your waste management company/county. This is not the best choice when dealing with plastics. It cannot replace the need for reducing consumption or refusing and reusing plastics when you can.

If you have to throw away something, segregate it and give it a chance to be recycled!. If recycling is the best option, you should do so following the rules of your community.

For Caroline county -Eric Johnson is the Solid Waste Superintendent email – ejohnson@co.caroline.va.us or phone number (804)572-6301.

For the most part, only recycle if you are positive that the item is truly recyclable.

5. Remove – “Get it outta here!

Plastic/litter clean-ups are great community events that let you meet the people who live around you while cleaning up your local community at the same time.

I try to take an hour or two to walk different paths in the neighborhood to pick up trash. The walking and stretching are good exercises and help the community at the same time.

Biodegradable plastics have emerged as a potential solution and are made from natural sources like plant-based materials and micro-organisms such as bacteria that can be used in a variety of industries such as packaging, construction, and healthcare.

Parish Creation Care Committee – Additional ideas for Earth Day

From the Diocese of Connecticut, April 12, 2024

1. Purchase silicone containers as a substitute for plastic containers from restaurants for takeout

From St. Peter’s, Cheshire, CT

A Campaign to Minimize Single-Use Plastic and Food Waste -Contain&Sustain* was awarded *The Jack Spaeth Creation Care Environmental Grant* through ECCT and gained additional financial support from St. Peter’s ECW fund. In late July we launched a matching grant community crowdfunding campaign through Sustainable CT that ended Sept. 2.We reached our $3,000 donation goal and earned the 1.5 dollar-for-dollar match to equal $7,633.30!**

These funds purchased 1700 compact, reusable silicone take-away food containers, which we are distributing FREE to community members. Our goal is to build awareness of food waste AND the waste caused by single-use plastic/styrofoam carry-out containers AND to change behavior to minimize their use in Cheshire

2. Use sneaker collection Highland Elementary, is doing a sneaker recycling drive for Earth Day. Used sneakers will be collected and sent to a company that recycles them and keeps them out of landfills.

Read more

A Poem for Earth Day

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Blessing of the Animals – Oct. 4, 2013 – 10 years ago

  Friday, Oct. 4, 2013  (full size gallery)

Oct 4 is the day set aside to remember St. Francis with his respect toward nature and his example of living the life of Christ in abject poverty. Traditionally it is the day for the Blessing of the Animals worldside.

Every Blessing of the Animals is different. We had 8 dogs with 17 people – the same number of animals as in 2012 but this blessing was characterized by the number of children which contrasted nicely with last year’s more subdued gathering. It was definitely livelier on an unseasonably warm day for this year However, one thing is constant – Elizabeth Heimbach’s mouse treats. They’re worth coming out for even without an animal.

After an opening by Catherine on the life of St. Francis ( the prayer of St. Francis ), we used this service . First is a part where we comfort the animals and then the priest goes around and blesses each individually. 

The animals seemed to enjoy the day and the Fishers got Jackie, a newcomer this year, to perform for us. And then the children performed with hoola hoops! 

The extensive yard of St. Peter’s gets a workout on this day. There is something magical between children and animals and the pictures try to capture some of that. Nature cooperated with a blanket of sunlight through the early evening. 

Season of Creation 2023 – a retrospective

The image shows the challenges and work to improve the environment in the darker areas with the light areas, the work we are doing now and a promise for the future.

We did fewer projects and concentrated on the beauty of creation and the need for renewal.  The Season of Creation was present in these areas:

  1. Five Sundays readings in the Season of Creation and highlighted a specific environmental area which we covered weekly.- Earth, water, energy, food (waste), deforestation. Link
  1. We began a new Christian Ed for Children ages 5-9 and they covered water

  2. The services during the month had the following different sections

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Concluding the Season of Creation – Prayers for the Earth

Based on the Fifth Mark of Mission


To Strive

God, creator of the universe,
Fill us with your love for the creation,
for the natural world around us,
for the earth from which we come
and to which we will return.    
Awake in us energy to work for your world; 
let us never fall into complacency, ignorance,
or being overwhelmed by the task before us.
Help us to restore, remake, renew. Amen 

Read more

Climate Change – and you – the big items

Home owners

Renters

  • A house with a furnace is like a car that idles all day. Swap your furnace for a heat pump, which works by extracting heat from one location and transferring it to another (Tax Credit : 30% of the cost paid by the consumer, up to $2,000/year,)
  • Swap your gas stove for an electric stove, which will also lower indoor air pollution (rebate amount has not been publicized year)
  • Install a programmable thermostat model to turn off the heat/air conditioning when you’re not home.
  • Get a home or workplace energy audit to identify where you can make the most energy-saving gains.  ( Tax credit – 30% of the cost paid by the consumer, up to $150)
  • Consider Solar- This is  a significant expense but can vary depending on the company you choose.

30% federal tax credit via Inflation reduction act. State – – A property tax exemption for the increase in home value after going solar.

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECS), which are financial incentives for generating clean electricity.  You gain one SREC for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours generated by your solar panels, and you can sell the credits to local electricity providers and other organizations that are subject to renewable energy mandates. As of 2023, each SREC can be sold for around $45 to $70.

Solar alternative – Even if you can’t install solar panels, you can still be a part of the clean-energy economy. Check out – Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) odec.com. ODEC has entered several long-term purchase power agreements for energy generated by wind, solar, and landfill gas resources. .

Your home – other

  • Unplug computers, TVs and other electronics when you’re not using them
  • Turn off lights you’re not using and when you leave the room. Change to energy-efficient LED bulbs
  • Wash clothes in cold water. Hang-dry your clothes when you can
  • Draft proof.
    Drafts waste five to 30 per cent of energy. Those from basements and roofs cool the most. Seal doors, windows and chimneys in those areas first. Try testing with incense. Where the smoke wavers, a draft is blowing in.To seal leaks, make or buy a “door snake” and caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows. Look for non-toxic, eco-friendly caulks. You can also add small insulating covers underneath electric outlet wall plates on outside walls or beside cold basements and crawl spaces.
  • Insulate windows.
    Hang heavy curtains to keep the cold out and the cozy in. A cheaper solution: insulation film, available at most hardware stores. This plastic shrink film is easy to apply and keeps in much of the heat that would otherwise escape.
  • Reverse ceiling fans.
    Many ceiling fans have a reverse mode. When they turn clockwise, they push down warm air that pools near the ceiling and circulates it through the room.
  • Change furnace filters.
    Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase your furnace’s energy demand by making it work harder. Replace filters at least every three months during the heating season.Better indoor air quality is a nice side benefit of this energy-saving tip. Consider switching to a washable filter, which reduces waste and is more effective.
  • Check your thermostat.
    Every degree you turn it down can save between 1.5 and five per cent of your heating bill. A programmable thermostat will help you get efficient and consistent.Turn down the thermostat when you’re sleeping or out. It’s is the most efficient way to reduce your heating bill — and your eco-footprint.

Transportation

                Carpooling

  • Combine errands to make fewer trips. Remove excess weight from your car. Use cruise control.

                Consider electric or hybrid or low carbon vehicle for your next car

Speeding and unnecessary acceleration reduce mileage by up to 33%, waste gas and money, and increase your carbon footprint.

  • Properly inflated tires improve your gas mileage by up to 3%. It also helps to use the correct grade of motor oil, and to keep your engine tuned

                Fly less and take alternate transportation