Xavier Mission believes that part of our call to stewardship is concern and respect for the environment. As a result, we have adopted environmental sustainability as an intrinsic part of all of our programs. We have taken the steps below to reduce our waste and increase our eco-friendliness. Xavier Mission welcomes ideas and suggestions for further greening our operations. We look forward to sharing our successes with other outreach organizations—care and compassion for each other necessarily extends to the world in which we live. A healthy planet is a gift for us all!
Reduce:
- NEW! Energy-Efficient Hand Dryers: We installed high-velocity energy-efficient hand dryers in our Hurtado Hall bathrooms. Use of these units will decrease paper towel waste and save hundreds of dollars annually on the purchase of paper towels.
- Energy-Efficient Appliances: Through a grant from the USDA, we will be replacing four decades-old refrigeration units with one single, energy-efficient unit that will nearly double our current storage capacity while saving an average of 6,128 kilowatts and $705 in electricity costs annually.
- Energy-Efficient Lighting: Through a partnership with ConEd, we are replacing old fixtures with energy-efficient lighting, which will save an average of 29,440 kilowatts in usage and $4,400 in electricity costs annually.
- Reusable Dishware: Replaced Styrofoam/paper/plastic disposable items at the Welcome Table with reusable polycarbonate trays, cups, mugs and bowls, eliminating a vast amount of trash on Sundays.
- Composting: Through a contract with a private company, we collect almost all of the food waste produced on Sundays at the Welcome Table to be used for compost, as well as the food waste during the week in the kitchen at Xavier High School.
Reuse:
- Reusable Dishware: see above
- Reusable canvas bags: We’ve distributed canvas grocery bags to the guests of our Customer-Choice Food Pantry, preventing approximately 500 plastic bags from hitting the planet each month—6000 per year!
- “Pre-Owned” Plastic Bags and Containers: Xavier Mission solicits donations from parishioners and community members of used plastic bags and plastic containers, in order to re-use them in our soup kitchen for “take-home” meals. All bags are screened for cleanliness and durability and all plastic containers are thoroughly washed before being distributed.
Recycle:
- Recycling: Xavier Mission is very careful to recycle all possible products in accordance with the NYC Department of Sanitation guidelines, including but not limited to cardboard and other paper goods, metal cans, and plastic bottles and jugs.
- Textile Recycling: Unusable donations of clothing that we received are donated to Wearable Collections, the textile recycling program of GrowNYC. Our unusable clothing gets sorted, distributed to needy individuals if possible and the remainder is turned into rags for industrial use.
