Pleasant Hill Community Church, UCC

Pollination is an essential ecological survival function. Without pollinators, the human race and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, i.e., those that produce all of our food and plant-based industrial products, almost 80% require pollination by animals. Visits from bees and other pollinators also result in larger, more flavorful fruits and higher crop yields. In the United States alone, pollination of agricultural crops is valued at 10 billion dollars annually. Globally, pollination services are likely worth more than 3 trillion dollars. More than half of the world’s diet of fats and oils come from animal-pollinated plants (oil palm, canola, sunflowers, etc.). More than 150 food crops in the U.S. depend on pollinators, including almost all fruit and grain crops. The USDA estimated that crops dependent on pollination are worth more than $10 billion per year. Click here to download the brochure: The Simple Truth: We...

Making Earth Day a Month-Long Celebration Series from Pleasant Hill Community Church Food scraps. Okay, those aren’t the first words that come to mind when you think about the environment. But 22 percent of the municipal solid waste dropped into landfills or incinerators in the U.S. is, in fact, food that could be put to better use through composting and soil enrichment. Moreover, food-scrap recycling programs, while still relatively uncommon, are having a growth moment in the U.S.; they’ve roughly doubled in size since 2010. Now, a national study by MIT researchers provides one of the first in-depth looks at the characteristics of places that have adopted food recycling, revealing several new facts in the process. Why does composting Matter? As stated previously, food represents the single largest occupant in landfills here in the US. Only 3% of food is composted. Getting food to our tables: • Food production eats up to 10% of the US energy budget • Uses 50% of US land • Uses 80...

Replacing disposables with reusables We all have plastic bags, cups and single use items around the house. Let’s take a look at some of the ways we can replace the disposables with reusables. We know that it can seem over-whelming but let’s just look at a couple of easy replacements. It’s important to keep in mind that reusable items take energy and resources to produce as well, so the general rule with reusable is to use them repeatedly and consistently to offset their environmental impact. Paper and plastic drink cups: Paper coffee cups have a plastic coating that makes them unacceptable for recycling and composting, meaning they have to go in the trash. And although plastic cups are recyclable, the plastic cannot be recycled indefinitely and eventually becomes trash. Remember to bring a reusable coffee mug or cup when you get takeout (some places even give you a discount!), or take some extra time and sit down at a café that uses reusable cups. Also, get in the habit of carr...

April 22, 2022 is Earth Day. Pleasant Hill Community Church, UCC is a whole Earth Congregation and being such, we wanted to share some Earth Day facts and activities weekly for a whole month, March 22, until Earth Day on April 22, 2022. Pleasant Hill Community Church’s Whole Earth (or Earthwise) designation is the UCC’s designation for congregations who have adopted eco-justice commitments. As a Whole Earth church, Pleasant Hill Community Church strives to care for our environment by recycling, limiting waste, employing a geothermal heating system, and making decisions based on reducing our environmental footprint. The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest In Our Planet . What Will You Do? Each week we will share information on Earth Day events, activities, and what individuals and organizations can do to make a difference. Come join us as we make every day Earth Day. Pleasant Hill Community Church, United Church of Christ, located at 67 Church Drive, Pleasant Hill, TN. We are an Ope...