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GA committee recommends reduction of Styrofoam products

ST. LOUIS – The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has affirmed a concern for caring for God’s creation – now it’s considering whether ending use of Styrofoam products is an extension of that concern.

On June 18, the Environmental Issues Committee for the 223rdGeneral Assembly unanimously approved an amended version of Overture 08-11. Overture 08-11 was brought before the committee by the Presbytery of New Covenant, which encompasses Houston, Texas and the surrounding area. The original recommendation called for:

  1. Direct the Office of the General Assembly, the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the Board of Pensions, the Presbyterian Foundation, the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Inc., the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, and other related agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to reduce, to the maximum extent feasible, use of products made of polystyrene.
  2. Direct the stated Clerk of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency … to communicate with the more than 9,000 congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) urging them to reduce to the maximum extent feasible use of products made of polystyrene.
James Allison

James Allison, an overture advocate from New Covenant Presbytery in Texas, spoke to the intent of the overture, particularly to the language of “to reduce to the maximum extent feasible.” Allison explained that if the overture called for a complete ban of polystyrene products, it might hinder the ability of some institutions to efficiently and cost-effectively perform their work, especially when employing outside contractors. Thus, for Allison, “the language is strong enough to communicate clearly the intent of the General Assembly, while deferring to the managerial judgement of the people [who are] actually running those businesses.”

Robert Sillars, a commissioner from the Presbytery of Western New York, said that he understood that “polystyrene products” come in two forms: “one which is a foam, what we more commonly call Styrofoam,” and a harder product that is more like “what [a ballpoint] pen is made of.” After qualifying the different types of polystyrene, Sillars asked whether the language that refers to polystyrene, at the end of each point of the overture, referred exclusively to polystyrene foam or both types of polystyrene products. Allison briefly retook the floor to clarify that the authors from New Covenant Presbytery intended that “products made of polystyrene” refer to polystyrene foam products (commonly known as Styrofoam).

Robert Sillars

In light of this clarification, Sillars proposed an amendment to the overture that added the word “foam” after the words “products made of polystyrene.” As amended, Overture 08-11 passed in committee unanimously, with 55 votes in favor.

Overture 08-11 is set to go before the plenary floor later in the week. Overture 08-11 is similar to other overtures that have passed General Assembly, particularly legislation from 1988 and 2008. Rebecca Barnes, a coordinator for the Presbyterian Hunger Program who has worked extensively on environmental and climate issues for the denomination, clarified how this motion is different from measures that have passed previous General Assemblies. “The policy from 1988 … encourages the General Assembly to direct all agencies, units, and committees to cease the use of Styrofoam in their meetings and the meetings of the General Assembly itself. …  The response came back that the Presbyterian Center in Louisville has established a policy that prohibits Styrofoam in the center. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), whenever possible at its meetings, discontinues the use of Styrofoam,” Barnes said. The main difference between past attempts at regulating the use of polystyrene products, and the overture at this assembly seems to be the breadth of its approach: the attempt to reduce the use of polystyrene applies to nearly all of the PC(USA)’s organizational branches and offices, and encourages individual congregations, providing them with tools, to follow suit.

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