Church of the Good Shepherd’s Good & Green Team
Members: Becky Ryder, Hilary Greene, Jean Nyman, Jo-Ann Finn, Joella Cruz, Judy Govoni, Karen Clark, Kelly Churbuck, Michelle Murray, Peter Johnston, Scooter Holcombe, Sheryl Facchetti, Ginny Eldridge, Vivi Marty-Paquin and Elaine Graybill.
Want to join our team? Just let Deacon Hilary know: [email protected] or 508-737-4542.
Our Mission: To follow the “three R’s” of caring for creation: REDUCE your use of non-sustainable products; REUSE those products as often as you can before the final option: recycle.
Formed in the Spring of 2023, the Good and Green Team works together to care for God’s creation because as God says over and over again in the book of Genesis: God saw what God had made and said it was good, very good. The Good people of Good Shepherd care very deeply about serving God and our community and are working together to collect information, raise money to implement green initiatives at our parish and in the wider community and to pray together to bring environmental justice to God’s world.
Information & Resources: The Good Green Team bulletin boards in the parish hall is where members post articles, tips and flyers about environmental stewardship, updated monthly.
Fundraising: On the 3rd Sunday of every month, the Good and Green Team collects redeemable cans and bottles for redemption and sneakers to be recycled via GotSneakers.com or donation the new/good condition sneakers to Turning Point to help the arriving immigrants living in our community or our unhoused neighbors.
The funds raised will go to fund our efforts in our parish- for example purchasing a recycle bin for the parish hall to be used for our coffee hours, Good Shepherd’s Table and other community events; buying more sustainable dinnerware, cups and utensils for our meals and community gatherings; a water bottle filler purchased and installed to replace the overuse of single use plastic water bottles; a dishwasher and other kitchen renovations.
Tips and Guidelines: Below are the tips and resources our team has compiled each month and shared on our bulletin boards or in the weekly Good Shepherd newsletter.
FEBRUARY 2025
February 2025 theme: Love one another and ALL of God’s good creation!
Reduce our use of single-use plastics (S.U.P.) and other waste: https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/how-to-reduce-waste
Reuse as many items that you can: https://solarschools.net/knowledge-bank/sustainability/reduce-reuse-recycle/reuse
Recycling after reducing and reusing as much as you can (make sure you know your town’s guidelines and don’t “wish-cycle” hoping something is recyclable but isn’t and can gum up the works):
Staples comprehensive recycling program: https://www.staples.com/stores/recycling
Town of Wareham recycling guidelines: 
Town of Bourne recycling guidelines: https://www.townofbourne.com/recycling-committee/pages/recycling-in-bourne
JANUARY 2025
JANUARY 2025 THEME: Sustainable Energy for Your Home
MassSave offers incentives and free home energy assessments:
Incentives: https://www.masssave.com/en/residential/rebates-and-incentives
Home Energy Assessments: https://www.masssave.com/en/residential/programs-and-services/home-energy-assessments/home-energy-assessments
Other Ideas:
Sustainability Tips: https://native.eco/for-individuals/sustainability-tips/