America Recycles Day—November 15

Check out these five tips from Cleaner Greener Hingham, with some specific tips on how to recycle in Hingham!

1. Recycle E-Waste Properly: Find designated drop-off points for electronics, as they require special handling. Household electronics can be recycled at the Transfer Station. 

2. Use a Reusable Bag: Reduce plastic waste by bringing reusable bags for shopping instead of relying on single-use bags. Remember to wash your bags regularly. 

3. Donate Before You Dispose: If items are still usable, consider donating them instead of recycling. The Hingham SWAP Shop at the Transfer Station is a great option for giving your gently used items a new life. 

4. Use Recyclable Packaging: When shopping, opt for products with recyclable (like aluminum) or minimal packaging. And always remember your reusable bags and refillable water bottles! 

5. Participate in Local Cleanups: Join community cleanup efforts to help keep your neighborhood clean and raise awareness about recycling. Keep an eye out for more information on Cleaner Greener Hingham Day coming in spring 2025!

Greening Advent brought to you by your Creation Care Ministry

This Advent season, let’s embrace sustainability and care for our planet with these simple yet impactful actions:

• Shop Locally: Support local businesses to reduce shipping emissions and strengthen our community, such as the holiday boutiques Nov. 23 at St. John’s and Hingham High School.

• Use Recycled Wrapping: Choose recycled or reusable wrapping materials without glitter to minimize microplastics and waste. Some additional tips and wrapping paper alternatives here.

• Compost Your Christmas Tree: After the holidays, compost your tree to enrich the soil instead of sending it to the landfill here via the Hingham Boy Scouts and Weir River Farm 

Together, we can make a positive impact this Advent. Thank you for joining us in this green journey!

Kids needed for All-Ages Worship

Dear St. John’s families,

Our “work day” was a big hit! The kids really enjoyed making birdhouses during Sunday School. A work day is a component of Godly Play, whereby the kids have an extended time to work on a project. This activity tied in perfectly with lessons we’ve been learning about Creation care and St. Francis. The Pre-K kids made a birdhouse together as a joint project, decorated with their fingerprints. It came out really nice! We hope to use it to enhance one of our pollinator gardens on the church grounds.

With this project, we also introduced the concept of service to the church community. The kids are donating the birdhouses they made for a fundraiser for our youth to go to South Africa next summer.

Please plan on attending coffee hour after All Ages Worship on Oct. 27 for our birdhouse fundraiser!

Speaking of All Ages Worship, we need a few more readers, ushers, greeters, and acolytes. Please email me to sign up! We will be treated to Fr. Ed demonstrating one of our favorite Godly Play lessons, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, from the gospel of Matthew.

Creation Care update

Creation Care has two opportunities to help care for our planet this weekend:

• On Saturday, Sept. 21, join St. John’s Green Guardians to add a few new plant species to our pollinator garden. Some plants are best introduced in the fall and diversity will strengthen our garden and attract pollinators until winter. Bringing your own gloves and trowel is helpful, and no prior experience is needed! We will also discuss future plans for the garden. 

• On Sunday, Sept. 22, our Ministry will gather for its first formal planning meeting. Join us to discuss how we can continue “greening” St. John’s including updates to our building and improving our outdoor spaces. We will also discuss liturgical resources on climate and how we educate our Parish and the wider community on issues of environmental concern.

We still have a few dates available to water, please sign up here: