It is in Our Power To Help The Environment
No job is too big…no action too small…for the care of the earth is the job of us all.
The Saint Thomas Green Committee educates parishioners regarding eco-friendly
practices, not only for religious reasons, but also to improve environmental and public
health. Articles are posted each week in the Church bulletin through a “green earth icon,”
and Earth Day is celebrated at the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, usually in
September or October.
Originally organized in 1970 and now observed in 140 nations, Earth Day serves to
educate the public about various causes of air, water, and soil pollution and encourages
respect for all life on earth. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew 1 of Constantinople
reminds all Orthodox Christians that “biodiversity, the work of divine wisdom, was not
granted to humanity to abuse it. Man does not have the right to destroy the earth’s
resources, but rather should do more to reduce materialism and protect earth’s animals,
air, water, and land.”
Each of us should practice planet-friendly activities everyday The more we live in
harmony with nature, reduce, reuse, and recycle, and the less we waste and pollute earth’s
precious resources, the healthier the environment will be for all of us.
Since Cherry Hill allows “single stream recycling” in which recyclables may be mixed in
the same container, parishioners and visitors to Saint Thomas Church are encouraged to
put clean, mixed cartons and paper, emptied aluminum and metal cans, emptied bottles
and emptied glass jars in the blue recycling containers throughout the building.
