The Creation Care Ministry welcomes everyone at Watts Street to practice our faith by confronting the climate crisis. CCM acknowledges that the most vulnerable among us are harmed first and worst by climate change, from endangered species and ecosystems to our neighbors in Durham and around the world. To address this environmental injustice, CCM offers inspiration and opportunities for concrete action to care for all of creation.
In 2019, CCM began new programming to reduce waste from Watts Street by implementing a composting program for all church meals, hosting a textile recycling bin, and phasing out single-use plastics and Styrofoam.
Current Programs
Church-wide Composting:
Why does Watts Street Baptist Church compost? Americans waste roughly 30% of the food produced (USDA, 2020). In a landfill, food waste produces methane as it decomposes, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than CO2 and remains in the atmosphere around 10 years (EPA, 2020). Further, landfills in North Carolina and across the U.S. are located in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards. Thus, food waste is a climate and environmental justice issue. Beginning in fall 2019, Watts Street Baptist Church began composing all food scraps from meals served on the premises, in an effort to reduce landfill waste. That year, the church diverted 545lbs from the landfill, avoiding 71lbs in methane emissions which is equivalent to 1,418lbs CO2 avoided. This amount has held steady in subsequent years.
Textile Recycling:
The EPA estimates that between 6 and 8% of all waste that enters a landfill annually is from textiles (EPA, 2020). Landfills take up land that could be used for housing, healthcare and other community-enriching uses. In a further effort to curb the waste produced by Watts Street congregants and the surrounding Durham area, the church now hosts a textile recycling bin on its property to promote recycling and reduction of landfill waste, redirection of textiles to second hand markets, and a closed-loop cycle for industrial production of new products with recycled fibers. Textiles collected are clean shoes, clothes, linens, and other cloth materials that are not suitable for resale or reuse.
Pollinator Garden:
Why does Watts Street Baptist Church have a pollinator garden? The conservation and protection of healthy pollinator populations is crucial to maintaining ecosystem health and resilience, in addition to protecting our agricultural economies and our food supply. The planting of pollinator habitat is one important action to support healthy pollinator populations by providing and enhancing food supplies and nesting habitat. In addition to attracting and supporting pollinator species, pollinator habitat supports agriculturally beneficial predatory insects that can help control crop pests and also provides food (seeds and insects) and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Pollinator gardens won’t look “orderly” like other gardens—they are created to be free. Especially in the winter, plant debris and leaves provide insulation for the pollinators. (North Carolina Botanical Garden http://ncbg.unc.edu and North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance http://ncpollinatoralliance.org/)
The NC Wildlife Federation provided all plants, materials and volunteers to plant the Watts Street Baptist Church Pollinator Garden. To learn more about NCWF and ongoing conservation efforts please visit: https://ncwf.org/wildlife/pollinators/
Proclamation for Sustainability
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In October 2021, WSBC adopted the Proclamation for Sustainability paving the way to achieving a net-zero emission status with the following proposed goals:
- Reduce landfill waste produced at the church and in our personal lives, and the environmental burden placed on Sampson County residents who host Durham’s landfill, through the following efforts:
* Eliminate single-use items, especially petroleum-based items like plastic, at church
* Compost all food waste and biodegradable products used on church premises
* Recycle everything possible.
2. Continue to pursue opportunities to improve the environmental sustainability of WSBC and our stewardship of the land, water, air and all of Earth’s occupants, including:
* Monitor stormwater runoff management from our building and two parking lots
* Purchase or install renewable energy resources on church premises
* Reduce urban heat through tree planting or other measures
* Offer plant-based alternatives to meat-based meals in equal measure at all church functions.
3. As building needs and uses change, review WSBC land use decisions related to church property and the proportion of green space, building footprint and other impervious surfaces, as they might contribute to damage or healing of Earth’s climate.
4. Explore creative ways to offset the effect of fossil fuel emissions from church activities when we cannot meaningfully reduce or eliminate them.
5. Ask and help our partners in the wider community to respect our climate-conscious policies and practices when using Watts Street’s facilities.
For more information, contact Jan Williams at jan.adams.williams@gmail.com.
WSBC Creation Care Ministry Timeline
Special thanks to Glen and Greer Clayton for working on a timeline since the WSBC Environmental Mission Group reconstituted at the WSBC Creation Care Ministry in 2019. It’s amazing to look back and see how far we’ve come!
Creation Care Ministry Resources
Planning to cater a meal at church? Please consider these take-out restaurants with a commitment to commercially compostable items:
Durham Restaurant Compostability
Reducing our Impact on God’s Creation: Maximizing Options to Recycle and Decrease our Landfill Waste in Durham, NC