Proposal

Our office is probably the best example of a non-ecofriendly work space around. Although it’s a small space we leave both our copiers, all three computers, two printers and a scanner on all the time, even when they aren’t in use.

We are paper eaters too– I don’t even want to think how many trees we consume each year. If the church congregation need to know something, why just tell them once? Instead we could print it out on several different leaflets and drum it in that way. Lights and heaters are left on everywhere too.

 

I learnt long ago that there is no point in trying to impose my ‘simple living’ ideas on people, because most of them don’t want to hear and ranting isn’t going to help anything. But, slowly, over a year and a half this wasteful mentality has been driving me mad, and it was making me less caring too. If everyone else is wasting paper left, right and centre, what difference is it going to make if I don’t print my documents on scrap paper?

 

But last week I snapped. I decided enough was enough and I wrote a proposal to the man in charge (the rector, not God)…and he listened, horray!

To be honest I think it was because I said that we could save lots of money, but I’m working on the rest too. I mean, come on, as a Christian church we should be the forerunners of eco-living because it helps people who can’t help themselves. If we continue to live wasteful, consumerist and ‘convenience’ lives it probably won’t affect us directly for a while. It’s some of the poorest people in the world which will suffer. Not very loving is it?

 

I focussed on three main areas. Energy usage, paper usage and the products we use. We’re going to get eco-buttons for our computers, and intelligent switches for all the appliances. To be honest it frustrates me that we have to get ‘eco gadgets’ at all, but at least it makes it more likely we will turn things off at the end of the day.

I’ve also suggested that we get recycled, non bleached paper, stationary, and toilet paper. I’ve got a feeling I’m going to have to fight for it though because of the extra costs.

The eco-cleaning products are the hardest things of all. People’s immediate reaction is “oh, they don’t work half as well”, and as I’m not actually doing the cleaning, who am I to dictate that the vergers have to put a bit more elbow grease into their tasks? I suppose all I can do is bring the matter to their attention and let them make up their own minds.

 

I wait in anticipation to see the results. As for today, it is five thirty so I’m turning my computer OFF!