House rules for a lighter footprint

St. Andrew’s has built creation care into how the whole campus runs. Waste bins are three-stream — trash, recycling, and compost — and almost all disposables used for meals are compostable. Any group that uses the building follows the same guidelines: reusable or compostable dishes and flatware. Pollinator gardens dot the campus, and guidelines ask that new plantings be at least half native species.

The congregation has completed an energy audit, reduced energy use, invested in renewable energy, and folded sustainability into renovations. Environmental speakers visit a couple of times a year, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School weave creation care into their programs, and members are encouraged to look at what their money supports — from banking to retirement — and to sign up for advocacy alerts from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).