Greening our Fellowship Time

By Karen Kreider Yoder

Dear Congregation,

We are trying to eliminate single-use plastic in our lives, and to that end, a snack team recently prepared the fellowship hour snack as free from single-use plastic as possible.  It was quite a challenge, as most of our food is packaged and delivered to us from a distance in single-use plastic, rather than local and seasonal.   

Here are a few ideas we gleaned from our experience:

Categories

Local, Seasonal, and Single-use Plastic Free Options

Section 1

Vegetables:

2 platters

Veggies from farmers market or sold loose in grocery store, put into cloth produce bags rather than plastic.

In fall: cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, beets

In winter: broccoli, kale, radishes, spinach, beets, arugula, carrots, cauliflower

In spring: asparagus, kale, lettuce, carrots, cabbage,

In summer: avocados, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes

Protein:

Hummus

Homemade dips:  guacamole, hummus, salsa, other.

Section 2

Cheese

Cheese (32-40 oz)

Cheese bought in a large wheel, cut up

Crackers

This was the toughest category to find non-single-use plastic packaging or to make homemade. We welcome your ideas.

Section 3

Fruits:

2 platters

Fruits in season from farmers market or sold loose in grocery store, put into cloth produce bags rather than plastic.

Cut in bite-sized pieces and serve with toothpicks, if needed.

In fall: apples, berries, figs, grapes, kiwi, melons, pears, pomegranates, stone fruit 

In winter:  citrus fruit, kiwi, persimmons, pomegranates

In spring: cherries, strawberries, rhubarb

In summer: berries, cherries, figs, melons, stone fruit

Juice:

2 varieties

1 gallon total

Homemade lemonade — from tree to table! 

Homemade iced tea

Juice bought in cardboard or glass container.

Half and Half:

1 pint ½ and ½

1 pint nondairy

In cardboard or glass containers

Homemade almond “milk”

Section 4

Baked goods:

Equivalent of:

4 doz cookies

2 loaves sweet bread

Bread from bakery, in paper bag

Homemade bread, butter, and jam

Homemade fruit cobbler

Cookies from a bakery that packages in paper

Homemade cookies, brownies, bars, pies.

Section 5

Chips:

Chips

Crackers,

inc. gluten-free

Tortilla chips sold in a paper bag.

Popcorn

Salsa:

Lots of options in glass jars or homemade

Vegan baked goods:

Label as such

Lots of great recipes for  plastic-free options

Outside the box: Granola and yogurt bar (add fruit, nuts, dried fruit)

Ice cream sundae bar (add whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fruit, nuts)

Salad bar

Sandwich bar

Build your own taco

We welcome your ideas, and we encourage other snack teams to take on the single-use-plastic-free challenge!

For a greener future,      

Karen Kreider Yoder

Similar Posts

  • Sermon: God/Mother

    By Sheri Hostetler I have referenced Elizabeth Johnson’s book She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse throughout this sermon. This is the third in an Advent series called “Wings, Wisdom and Womb: Dwelling in our Feminine Divine.” When Patrick was young, he loved the book, Mama, Do You Love Me? And no…

  • Sermon: Hiberation

    This sermon is the first in our Advent series, “Rhythms of Rest.” Psalm 63:1-8 This past summer, I was sitting in my backyard when I felt the sun on my face. Not an uncommon occurrence when one is sitting outside, but I don’t normally feel the sun on my face when I sit in that…

  • Sermon: The Automatic Earth

    The photos above is of an Amish farm near Sheri’s home in Ohio. This sermon is based on Mark 4:26-34. I loved reading Frog and Toad stories to Patrick when he was young. And my favorite Frog and Toad story was the one we just heard. If I were to psychoanalyze myself, I would say…

  • Sermon: An Inconvenient Hero

    By Rev. Kamal Hassan Rev. Hassan was our guest preacher on Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday 2021. Rev. Hassan is the pastor of Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Calif. He is a powerfully gifted preacher and Christian educator whose message is rooted in the African American prophetic tradition. He is a community organizer who has toiled…

  • Sermon: Who is Your Other?

    I Kings 8: 1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43 Just as there are fundamental physical laws of the universe — like “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” — there are fundamental political laws. Like: when a people feel threatened — whether that’s because they’re struggling economically or there’s lots of social change…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *