Happy Earth Day from The Cabbage Patch! First started in 1970, Earth Day began as an occasion to advocate for environmental protection, promote peace, and honor and care for our planet. Just as we at The Cabbage Patch believe every person is a beloved child of God and deserving of our best efforts, we also believe every living thing is beloved by God and deserves our care, attention, and respect. One way to love God is to love what God loves, and as John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world…”
One way we have worked on loving the Earth is through our facilities. By implementing sustainable and energy-efficient technology, we are not only saving on our utility bills, but we are also reducing our carbon footprint and decreasing our strain on the Earth’s ecosystem.
Eli Levine, our manager of facilities and IT at The Cabbage Patch, recently compiled some of the tangible ways we are increasing our sustainability efforts on campus:
- Since 2022, we have generated nearly 9,500 kilowatt-hours of energy through the solar panels installed on The Cabbage Patch’s roof
- Each hour of full regeneration can power 144 LED lights in the gym for one hour!
- We have replaced 330 fluorescent bulbs with LED lighting, reducing our energy usage by 16,500 kilowatt-hours a year, and saving us about $2,100 a year
- In 2025, we replaced 11 of our aging HVAC units to more energy-efficient head pump models that require less energy
- We have also added programmable thermostats, allowing us to reduce our energy use when the building is unoccupied
- Recycling is offered throughout our facilities, helping to decrease waste and pollution
We also have 120-square feet of pollinators and wildlife gardens, attracting the company of butterflies, bees, and birds, which help the gardens grow and keep the circle of life spinning. In our gardens, we have spotted the likes of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Eastern Gold Finches, and Dark-eyed Juncos looking for bugs to eat while helping to pollinate plants.
Love of the Earth is also passed on through The Patch’s outdoor recreation programs. Nature hikes, overnight camping, canoe trips, and even walks through Central Park are meant to help youth pause, notice, and appreciate the wildlife all around them. As Assistant Recreation Manager Liliara Pappaterra shares, “We protect what we love.” She hopes to inspire children and youth to love all of creation and then work to protect and care for it.
For the beauty of the Earth, for the glory of the skies, we give thanks to God!