transportation choices

Although transportation may not seem like an institutional life consideration, most members of congregations rely to some extent on cars, church vans, buses, etc. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently identified transportation as the most significant, consumer-related environmental problem. Of great importance is the tremendous contribution that cars and light trucks make to global warming (almost 30 percent of all greenhouse gasses). Therefore, the UCS encourages all consumers to make transportation efficiency (e.g., using more efficient, less polluting vehicles; walking; taking public transit; carpooling; etc.) a top priority. Because so many people drive to congregational functions, the very act of coming to worship can have a cumulatively harmful impact on God’s creation. You can begin to help your congregation consider sharing the Sabbath with the rest of creation by making wise transportation choices. Looking at alternatives to driving can also have a multiplying effect, in that members may be inspired to travel lightly on the Earth on other days of the week.

One congregation’s experience …
“Bike-to-Church Day”

In 2000, three members from the Unitarian Universalist Association of Tacoma (UUAT), Susan and Steven Garrett and Tandi Rogers, helped to organize a local, ecumenical “Bike-to-Church Day.” In observance of Earth Day, this event invited people to give their cars and the Earth a Sabbath by biking to worship. While Tandi helped to spread the invitation to other churches through local media, other UUAT members spread enthusiasm for the event throughout the congregation. Twenty UUAT members – ranging in age from six to sixty-one – biked to worship and then each shared the joys of their rides with others during the service. Other members were delighted – it was a true celebration of one another and God’s creation.

Educational Resources

· God’s Creation and Global Warming video, produced by the National Council of Churches of Christ’s Eco-Justice Working Group. This twelve-minute video is an easy-to-understand introduction to global warming, its current and potential impacts, and the overwhelming ways in which industrial countries contribute to it. The video skillfully places this issue in a faith-based context – clearly stating why people of faith should respond to this crisis. Click above for more information and to order.

· It’s God’s World: Christians, Care of Creation, and Global Warming. This “download-able” five-session curriculum (for older youth and adults) helps groups explore theological implications and impacts of energy consumption. It also provides suggestions for reducing the causes of global warming. To order, call (800) 762-0968 (between 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., EST), ask for EJ 9701.

· The Interfaith Climate Change Network (a joint project of the National Council of Churches of Christ and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life) provides a wide variety of educational, advocacy, and practical recourses.

· The Union of Concerned Scientists’ Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices, by Michael Brower and Warren Leon, has excellent information on the impact of our transportation choices and steps toward more sustainable choices.

· To learn more about transportation problems and opportunities in Washington state, you may want to check out some of Climate Solutions’ publications, like: Road Relief: Tax and Pricing Shifts for a Fairer, Cleaner and Less Congested Transportation System in Washington State and Taking its Toll: The Hidden Costs of Sprawl in Washington State.

Practical Resources

· To do a transportation audit and for more information, see EarthScore: Your Personal Environmental Audit & Guide by Donald W. Lotter (go to our Recommended Curricular Aids and Congregational Resources guide for information on this resource).

· Although written for use in homes, David Gershon and Robert Gilman’s book, Household Ecoteam Workbook: A Six-month Program to Bring Your Household into Environmental Balance, is an excellent, easy-to-use resource to assess areas in which congregations can improve transportation efficiency (go to our Recommended Curricular Aids and Congregational Resources guide for information on this resource).

· The Center for a New American Dream’s “Turn the Tide” program is able to calculate the amount of greenhouse-producing emissions that your congregation helps to prevent through alternative transportation choices. This innovative web-based resource is easy to use and can really give members the sense that their actions are making a positive, measurable impact.

Your Congregation | Greening Resources | Institutional Life | Transportation

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