Apparently my church has a sustainability committee. Naturally I must give them thoughts. All I can think of so far are smart thermostats, LEDs, and replacing the monoculture grass with something pollinator-friendly. What else should be considered? Are there obvious common things that can be improved on?
If you could afford solar panels or wind turbines to generate electricity for the church’s needs, you could also look into net metering to sell excess energy back to the grid. Note that wind turbines sometimes interfere with local flying creatures like birds and bats. You might want to install birdhouses and bat houses at low altitudes away from the turbines.
“No mow May” can help bees find nectar.
What about low-flow faucets, toilets, and automatic shut-off valves? Or a rainwater harvesting system for landscape irrigation. Use native plants that require less water and maintenance.
Maybe put up recycling stations throughout the church?
Use digital communication and offer online bulletins or newsletters.
I love all of these ideas! our church has the whole roof stuffed with solar panels.
Also, one should not forget that church is community. The biggest gain would be to convince people in the long term that they should place more value on sustainability. The best way to do this is through interpersonal interaction.