Purpose:The Green Sanctuary Committee was established by a Board resolution last Fall, with the specific purpose of facilitating the congregation becoming an accredited Green Sanctuary by the UU Ministry for Earth. Although some of what we will do may relate to the new building planned at QUUF, this committee is entirely independent of those committees overseeing that building project, and most of our activities relate to other areas of our congregational life and our environmental consciousness and actions.
Membership: The committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed in a manner consistent with Bylaws Articles VII, Section 1(a) and Article VIII, Section 1(b).
Goals:
- Encourage personal lifestyle changes
- Motivate community action on environmental issues
- Build a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness
- Challenge and work to heal environmental injustices
- Promote energy use that reflects environmental concerns
- Incorporate ecological conscience in religious education and worship
Plan:
- Establish a Green Sanctuary Committee sanctioned as a standing committee. Members will represent all aspects of the congregational life, including RE, worship, communications, buildings and grounds, finance, social justice, and any others that are relevant.
- Conduct an Environmental Audit providing a snapshot or baseline of where the congregation stands with respect to environmental behaviors including at least:
- Energy usage patterns and current conservation practices
- Compliance with local recycling procedures
- Church policies for use of non-disposable materials and non-toxic cleaning supplies
- Church policies governing purchasing and investing, including buying local
- Landscaping policies directing use of native species, landscape chemicals, etc.
- Religious education programs relating to the environment for both children and adults
- Worship practices integrating the wisdom of the Earth
- Social action projects or activities relating to environmental justice
- Comprehensive analysis of relevant environmental issues in our congregational life.
- Create an Action Plan to complete at least 12 activities, with timelines and goals.
- Apply for Green Sanctuary Candidacy & Complete the Action Plan
- Apply for Green Sanctuary Accreditation after completing all 12 projects in 1-2 years.
Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations2006 Statement of Conscience
"Earth is our home. We are part of this world and its destiny is our own. Life on this planet will be gravely affected unless we embrace new practices, ethics, and values to guide our lives on a warming planet. As Unitarian Universalists, how can our faith inform our actions to remedy and mitigate global warming/climate change? We declare by this Statement of Conscience that we will not acquiesce to the ongoing degradation and destruction of life that human actions are leaving to our children and grandchildren. We as Unitarian Universalists are called to join with others to halt practices that fuel global warming/climate change, to instigate sustainable alternatives, and to mitigate the impending effects of global warming/climate change with just and ethical responses. As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and 'respect for the interdependent web of all existence.'"
(Our seventh principle)
2006 Statement of Conscience, unanimously adopted at the
annual convention of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
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