Synod turns a fairer shade of green

Jesmond Park Uniting Church has taken seriously the request for the Synod of New South Wales and the ACT meeting in Newcastle from September 23 to 27 to turn green and go fair.

Keep Cups for all drinks, Bio cling wrap for morning and afternoon tea wrapping, paper wrapping on sandwiches, recyclable salad containers and compostable cutlery were some of the initiatives pursued to ensure the minimisation of the meeting’s ecological footprint.

Hunter Presbytery chairperson and local arrangements coordinator, the Rev. Felicity Amery, assured Synod’s 330 members that all coffee and tea served during the meeting was fair trade.

A stall of fair trade products for sale and a UnitingEarthWeb marquee had also been set up on site to encourage the use of fair trade products and the consideration of the environmental impact of events run by Uniting Church congregations, boards and agencies.

Jesmond Park minister, the Rev. Maz Smith, said the Poly Lactic Acid containers used for salads looked and performed like plastic but were made from corn starch.

She said a lot of research had been done to source products to help the Synod go green.

A questionnaire was distributed to get feedback for improvements at future meetings.