Cups from corn?

As stewards of God's earth, we can likely find many areas of our lives in which to reduce our human impact on the environment. Most churches have gatherings at which food or beverages are served. So why not switch to using cups, plates, and other food service items made from renewable resources or recycled content?

At the 2009 Dekalb Book Festival, I noticed that at least one food vendor was using compostable eco-friendly cups made from corn. These "CornCups" intrigued me. I kept one around and finally took a photo plus looked up the company online. They sell cold cups and hot cups made from corn and disposable plates and bowls made from renewable sugar cane.

You can buy their items with or without a "green stripe" near the base that lets people know the cup is made from renewalble resources and is compostable. The green stripe versions are slightly more expensive but may better announce a group's stewardship of the earth.

Whether organizations buy from this company or a similar one, changing from plastic products to ones like these would better help protect and renew God's earth.

• Learn more about the use of PLA, sugar cane and other materials