Successful workday: Several FUMC folks worked alongside other Ann Arbor community members to clean up Ann Arbor Parks. We pulled invasives from Buhr Park and performed other 
tasks. Our efforts make a difference! We are fortunate to have 162 city parks in Ann Arbor, and the paid staff just do not have the time to do this on their own – thank you FUMC! There will be another workday on Tuesday, Oct. 26 (6-7:30 p.m.), please consider signing up at the link.
Environmental tip: Consider growing vegetables in your backyard or join a Project Grow plot. Not only is it fun and rewarding, it good for the environment in a number of ways, namely that you do not have to go the grocery store/market to get fresh produce, and you avoid use of the pesticides, herbicides and plastics which are often used in the growing, transporting, and selling of this produce. From personal experience these vegetables, especially tomatoes, just taste better! There are many resources available via Project Grow, MSU extension, and of course, YouTube and the Internet.
Park challenge: As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, I will be visiting every park in Ann Arbor (162 of them!) and will do at least five improvement/cleanups action at each park. I gave myself the added challenge of doing it in one year (Sep 1, 2026 – Aug 30, 2027) and not to generate any additional greenhouse gasses in the process. Most of the parks I will do using my bicycle, some I will do using the city bus and perhaps a few I will be visiting if I am in the vicinity anyway. However, the real reason why I am publicizing my visits is to challenge and encourage you to do the same or something similar. Visit all the parks or just some of the parks and clean up a few pieces of trash or make other improvements. Or if you live close to a park, make cleaning up something a part of your daily/weekly routine as you go for a walk (with or without a dog!). If you are interested in my progress (which I will update monthly), you can read about it below:
The Ponds Park is the first park I visited on this challenge, and I’ll describe it here. With the next church newsletter, I will include the other parks I visited in the past month.
Date/duration: Sept. 2, 2026 @ 11 a.m. – spent 20 minutes at park
It is a relatively small park with a cute playground and short walking trail (you can walk from Emerald Ave to Victoria Ave). There is also a paved walkway from the adjacent apartment complex to the park and the bus stop on Packard Rd. There is no bike rack (might contact city). A quiet park on a weekday morning but might be busier other times. The park is well maintained.
Action: I picked up small pieces of trash and pulled a few grasses and weeds which covered the walking path.
Interesting fact: Although the park is close to our house, I am unfamiliar with the trail. When our children were young (long ago), we regularly visited the playground. One unexpected positive outcome of my park visit is that I already have and will be incorporating some of the park trails in my running routes since I am an avid jogger. You can get more information about the park if you click on the link above.
We would like to get more people involved with our church’s Creation Care group. If you have ideas on how we can be more sustainable and environmentally responsible as a church or as individual members/friends of the church, please reach out to James at james.pauer@comcast.net.
Upcoming events
- Buhr Park Clean-up day (Ann Arbor Parks need you): Tuesday Oct. 26 (6-7:30 p.m.),
- Earth Fest (Come and learn) Oct. 1, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Stop by the Diag for a festival celebrating sustainability initiatives across U-M and the surrounding communities. Discover opportunities to engage with sustainability via more than 40 student groups, U-M departments, and local nonprofits. Sample local food, help plant a pollinator garden, bring your bike for repairs, screen print an item, and more! This event is free and open to the public.
- Trash Talk Tour Scavenger Hunt (have fun and win prizes): Find scavenger hunt locations around town and get prize entries for taking zero waste actions and attending zero waste events! Prizes include a $100 gift card to Zingerman’s Deli, $25 gift cards to Blank Slate, Jefferson Market, BYOC Co., Scrap Creative Reuse and more. Plus, find a minimum of 5 locations and earn the Trash Talk Tour Badge.
- Veridian, a sustainable neighborhood (interesting, but a bit of a promotion too): Oct. 13 Lunch and Learn, noon-1 p.m.