diff --git a/src/email.rs b/src/email.rs
index 8ab6bae..826f7af 100644
--- a/src/email.rs
+++ b/src/email.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
+use crate::util::env_var;
 use crate::Config;
 use anyhow::anyhow;
 use lettre::{Message, SmtpTransport, Transport};
-use std::env;
 
 pub struct SmtpConfig {
     address: String,
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ impl SmtpConfig {
     }
 
     pub async fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<SmtpConfig> {
-        let address = env::var("SMTP_ADDRESS")?;
-        let username = env::var("SMTP_USERNAME")?;
-        let password = env::var("SMTP_PASSWORD")?;
+        let address = env_var("SMTP_ADDRESS")?;
+        let username = env_var("SMTP_USERNAME")?;
+        let password = env_var("SMTP_PASSWORD")?;
         let smtp = SmtpConfig {
             address,
             username,
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 415039a..4afa9fd 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ mod email;
 mod scrape;
 mod storage;
 mod userdb;
+mod util;
 mod workers;
 
 use data::*;
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ use db::Db;
 use email::SmtpConfig;
 use storage::Storage;
 use userdb::{IsSpam, UserDb};
+use util::env_var;
 
 // Fetch user data from forgejo from time to time
 const FORGEJO_POLL_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_secs(11 * 3600); // 11 hours
@@ -63,16 +65,12 @@ pub struct Config {
 
 impl Config {
     async fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
-        let forge_url_s =
-            std::env::var("FORGE_URL").context("reading the FORGE_URL environment variable")?;
-        let forge_api_token =
-            std::env::var("FORGE_API_TOKEN").context("reading the FORGE_API_TOKEN environment variable")?;
-        let org_name =
-            std::env::var("ORG_NAME").context("reading the ORG_NAME environment variable")?;
-        let admin_contact_email = std::env::var("ADMIN_CONTACT_EMAIL")
-            .context("reading the ADMIN_CONTACT_EMAIL environment variable")?;
+        let forge_url_s = env_var("FORGE_URL")?;
+        let forge_api_token = env_var("FORGE_API_TOKEN")?;
+        let org_name = env_var("ORG_NAME")?;
+        let admin_contact_email = env_var("ADMIN_CONTACT_EMAIL")?;
 
-        let actually_ban = match std::env::var("ACTUALLY_BAN_USERS").as_deref() {
+        let actually_ban = match env_var("ACTUALLY_BAN_USERS").as_deref() {
             Ok("true") => ActuallyBan::Yes {
                 smtp: SmtpConfig::from_env().await?,
             },
@@ -85,13 +83,12 @@ impl Config {
             Err(_) => ActuallyBan::No,
         };
 
-        let listen_addr = std::env::var("LISTEN_ADDR").unwrap_or(String::from("0.0.0.0"));
-        let listen_port: u16 =
-            match std::env::var("LISTEN_PORT").map(|s| u16::from_str_radix(&s, 10)) {
-                Ok(Err(e)) => return Err(anyhow!("LISTEN_PORT: invalid value ({})", e)),
-                Ok(Ok(p)) => p,
-                Err(_) => 8080,
-            };
+        let listen_addr = env_var("LISTEN_ADDR").unwrap_or(String::from("0.0.0.0"));
+        let listen_port: u16 = match env_var("LISTEN_PORT").map(|s| u16::from_str_radix(&s, 10)) {
+            Ok(Err(e)) => return Err(anyhow!("LISTEN_PORT: invalid value ({})", e)),
+            Ok(Ok(p)) => p,
+            Err(_) => 8080,
+        };
 
         Ok(Config {
             forge_url: Url::parse(&forge_url_s).context("parsing FORGE_URL")?,
@@ -448,15 +445,12 @@ async fn get_static_(
         Some(page) => {
             let mime = new_mime_guess::from_path(&filename).first_or_octet_stream();
             ([(header::CONTENT_TYPE, mime.to_string())], page.contents()).into_response()
-        },
+        }
     }
 }
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    eprintln!("Eval templates");
-    let _ = *TEMPLATES;
-
     let config = Arc::new(Config::from_env().await?);
     let storage = Arc::new(Storage::from_env().await?);
     let forge = Arc::new(Forgejo::new(
@@ -464,6 +458,9 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         config.forge_url.clone(),
     )?);
 
+    eprintln!("Eval templates");
+    let _ = *TEMPLATES;
+
     eprintln!("Load users and repos");
     let db = load_db(&storage, &forge).await?;
 
diff --git a/src/storage.rs b/src/storage.rs
index e4b9450..f6909c0 100644
--- a/src/storage.rs
+++ b/src/storage.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use crate::util::env_var;
 use anyhow::Context;
 use aws_sdk_s3 as s3;
 use std::fs::File;
@@ -26,20 +27,16 @@ impl Storage {
     }
 
     pub async fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
-        match std::env::var("STORAGE_BACKEND")
-            .context("reading the STORAGE_BACKEND environment variable")?
-            .as_ref()
-        {
+        match env_var("STORAGE_BACKEND")?.as_ref() {
             "local" => {
-                let dir = match std::env::var("STORAGE_LOCAL_DIR") {
+                let dir = match env_var("STORAGE_LOCAL_DIR") {
                     Ok(dir) => dir,
                     Err(_) => ".".to_string(),
                 };
                 Ok(Self::from_local_dir(PathBuf::from(dir)))
             }
             "s3" => {
-                let bucket = std::env::var("STORAGE_S3_BUCKET")
-                    .context("reading the STORAGE_S3_BUCKET environment variable")?;
+                let bucket = env_var("STORAGE_S3_BUCKET")?;
                 Ok(Self::from_s3(bucket).await)
             }
             other => {
diff --git a/src/util.rs b/src/util.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a446fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+use anyhow::Context;
+
+pub fn env_var(name: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+    let v = std::env::var(name).context(format!("reading the {} environment variable", name))?;
+    Ok(v)
+}