When it was time to toss an empty water bottle at Synod 2015, finding a blue recycling bin was a challenge. (Synod is the annual leadership meeting of the Christian Reformed Church.)
The building where synod met did not offer recycling services, nor did the dining hall or the outdoor trash receptacles. Blue bins were available, however, in the apartments and common areas of the dorms where delegates slept.
“[The lack of recycling bins] has bothered me,” said Elder Karen Walker, Classis Atlantic Northeast, who carried empty water bottles to her dorm’s recycling bins. “If we’re going to be good stewards, recycling is a pretty simple way to do it.”
“Often I would ask ‘Where can I put this?’ and there wasn’t a place,” said Rev. David Vroege, Classis Eastern Canada. Vroege would also like synod to reduce its use of disposable products.
The college’s Student Forum is working on a sustainability plan, Dordt College leaders said.
“[Environmental sustainability] is an area we’re working to improve in collaboration with the students,” said Howard Wilson, chief administrative officer of Dordt College. “There is a desire for an increased level of consciousness in the community.”
Synod 2015 is meeting at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa, from June 12-18. For continuous Banner coverage, please follow The Banner Magazine on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted atthebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases, webcast, and live blogging, please visit crcna.org. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.
About the Author
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.
