LTSP Green Team

LTSP GREEN CAMPUS INITIATIVE

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is a learning and worshipping community centered in the Gospel and the creeds of the ELCA. We strive to live faithfully with the Gospel, which proclaims that God created the heavens and the earth and that God is present in all creation. In our response to this proclamation, we recognize our place in creation, next to all other living things as God's goodcreation. "God saw everything that had been made and indeed, it wasvery good." (Genesis 1:31 NRSV-modified) We also recognize our vocation as stewards of creation in all its forms. "God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'" (Gen 1:28 NRSV) - from the Preamble of the Green Campus Initiative

Green Team and Environmental Stewardship Committee

LTSP has two groups working on environmental concerns. The Green Team is made up of students, faculty, staff, and administration. They meet to address changes that need to be made to policies and procedures at the institutional level. Guided by the Green Campus Initiative, they address short- and long-term goals toward environmentally friendly practices, education, and community involvement.

The Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) is a standing student body committee which assists the Green Team in implementing their decisions. The ESC focuses on helping the campus community to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and provides education and advocacy events for students. The Green Team and ESC share a chairperson. To contact the current chair, email greenteam@ltsp.edu.

At the 2010 Earth Week Fair members of the LTSP community and the Mt. Airy Community gathered to learn about the environment from local businesses, organizations, and student groups.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle at LTSP

At LTSP we are committed to reducing, reusing, and recycling our resources. The seminary has a paper policy in place to encourage electronic communication and reduction in paperwaste. The green team has worked with our food service company to get reusable take-out containers and other waste-reducing materials in the refectory. Campus education encourages students to share resources and use reusable resources whenever possible.

After reducing our use of non-renewable resources and reusing what we can, there is still waste that we can recycle. On campus we can recycle paper and cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastics #1-7. We also have are cycling center in Lull Lounge for harder to recycle items like batteries, ink cartridges, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. In connection with TerraCycle we can recycle packaging from Kashi, Scott, and Malt-o-Meal brand products.

We also compost on our campus. Leaves and clippings are currently composted, and we are evaluating new ways to compost other items on campus.

Watch a video clip of the local news story about Philly Compost featuring LTSP.

Student Gardens

Though many on-campus faculty have long had gardens, the Green Team has created two student garden sites on campus.  these gardens are available for students to plant, nurture, and harvest their own crops. There are two locations for students to plant, as designated on the campus map. If you are interested in a plot of land for next growing season please e-mail greenteam@ltsp.edu.

Tree Tour on Campus

LTSP has been named an Arbor Day Foundation 2009 Tree Campus USA for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.LTSP is committed to continued excellence in promoting healthy urban forest management and environmental stewardship. Check out the news release!  

The LTSP campus has a variety unique trees as well as more common local trees. In addition to occasional guided tours by our grounds crew, you can download a self-guided tour of the trees on campus: Self-guided Tree Tour (pdf). Take time to get to know the envrionment around you!

Worship and Creation Care

LTSP is committed to incorporating concern for all of God's creation throughout our worship together. Click here to find out more about creation care in our worship and what you can do to incorporate God's creation in your community's worship.

Upcoming Events

Due to the summer recess, there are currently no public events planned. Composting and recycling continue on campus and planning for next year is already underway!

Links